The magazine lowered enough for Joshua to aim a smug look at him. “It sucks being in love, doesn’t it?”

Refusing to respond to that, Easton dropped down in the wheelchair.

“She really dragged you down a mountainside?” Duncan whistled in appreciation as they left the room. “I can barely push you down the hall.”

Annoyed beyond belief, Easton said lightly. “I’m happy to walk.”

“Not worth my job.” Turning at the end of the hallway, Duncan paused at the first room on the right. “Okay, lover boy. Here she is.”

Duncan pushed Easton inside the hospital room, then closed the door to give them privacy.

The lights had been turned down low, leaving only the soft illumination of the machines monitoring River’s vitals and one strip of lighting behind the hospital bed. Without layers of thick protective clothing, River looked so small in the hospital bed that had felt so confining to Easton. Since River’s back was turned to him, Easton rolled to the far side of the hospital bed so he could see her face.

Easton ran a thumb gently over her arm, grateful to be able to touch her again.

“That tickles.” With a sleepy noise, she leaned into his hand.

He’d missed her voice so much in the few hours they’d been separated. He’d missed the feel of her beneath his hands even more. The tight band of pressure squeezing his heart into his feet finally loosened now that he could see her for himself.

River opened one heavy-lidded eye.

“What’s wrong? You have Easton face.” Both eyes popped open as she took him in. “And why are you in a wheelchair?”

Easton twisted in his wheelchair and grabbed a regular chair from behind him. He shifted from the wheelchair to the other chair, then he draped his arm around her waist, the way he had when they slept on the mountain.

“I hate to disappoint you,” he murmured, “but I was born with Easton face. Ash tried to scrape it off a few times, but it kind of stuck.”

She snuggled up to him as well as the IV in her hand would allow. “So that’s why you covered it with a beard.”

“I’m actually very attractive,” he promised her. “It’s not fair to the other men.”

“I bet it isn’t.” Her fingertips touched his arm. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Running his hand over her hair, Easton gave in and slid his arm beneath her head. He couldn’t help himself. He needed to hold her. “I’m fine. I just wanted to see you.”

“I’m okay.” River buried her nose against the inside of his elbow. “Are Jessie and Bree—”

“They’ll live. Bree had two broken ribs. They treated Jessie for dehydration and sent everyone home to rest at my place a couple of hours ago. Right now, everyone’s worried about you.”