His Gift Was For Her, I Left

Chapter 3

Dax stepped out to take a call. When he came back, he was all tense. He tucked the blanket around me, gave me that apologetic look, and said, "Babe, I'm so sorry. Something came up at work. I gotta head back."

I looked him in the eye. He didn't seem like he was lying—his face was all earnest and sincere.

I smiled and nodded. "Go ahead. I've got the doctors here. Don't worry about me."

He patted my head, all soft. "I'll be back before you know it."

Then he straightened his shirt and rushed out of the hospital.

I watched him disappear down the hall, and tears started spilling over.

Sometimes I think he missed his calling. He should've been an actor—and been a damn good one.

If I hadn't seen Rachel Channing down in the lobby just now, I might've actually bought the whole "work" thing.

I watched him bolt out of the hospital, all frantic, only to stop and cup Rachel's face like she was the most precious thing in the world. She wrapped herself around his arm, nuzzling into him, all sweet and clingy.

Cozy. Intimate. Made me sick.

I squeezed the medical report in my hand, my knuckles white.