Sam’s phone rang with a call from Tracy.

Sam answered with one of her dad’s trademark sayings. “Kelly’s Pool Hall, eight ball speaking.”

“Seriously, Sam?”

“Yep.”

“Jeez…”

“I know. No sex for weeks.” She took great pleasure in watching Nick’s smile fade. “Nick is just realizing that.”

“Figures that’s what you’re thinking about.”

“I’m thinking about a lot of things, and none of them are good.”

“This is not gonna be pretty,” Tracy said.

“No, it isn’t, but I will be.”

“Well, that’s a given.”

“Trace! Four to six weeks!”

“Ugh. That blows.”

“Totally.”

Anderson, who’d stepped out of the room, returned with a female doctor.

“I gotta go. Nick will keep you posted.”

“Love you.”

“You, too.”

Chapter Fifteen

“Sam, this is Dr. Jane Thurston. Dr. Thurston, Sam Holland Cappuano, and her husband, Nick, who you may recognize.”

“It’s such an honor to meet you both.” Dr. Thurston shook hands with them. “I’m sorry about the circumstances, though.”

“Are you the one who’s going to fix this for me?” Sam asked.

“I am.”

“How soon can I get back to normal?”

“Four to six weeks.”

Anderson gave her an “I told you so” look that earned him another glare from Sam.

“That’s too long. I need to get back to work before then.”

“You can go back to work in a wheelchair before your hip is fully healed.”

There was no way she was going to HQ in a wheelchair. “There has to be some other way, something faster…”

“There isn’t. It’s a fairly serious injury, as I’m sure you can tell from the pain you must be in.”

“I don’t have time to be injured. I just caught a new murder. I’ve got four kids and this first-lady thing to deal with. I can’t be laid up for six weeks.”

“I warned Dr. Thurston that you would be her most exasperating patient ever,” Dr. Anderson said. “And I told her you hate needles.”

“Thanks for preparing her for me.”

“I’ll get you back on your feet as fast as I can, but you have to do what you’re told, or you’ll only extend the rehab even longer,” Dr. Thurston said.

“She’ll do what she’s told,” Nick said. “I’ll see to it.”

He’d pay for that later.

“When is this surgery happening?”

“In an hour. We don’t like to let hip fractures linger for too long, as complications can arise. The nurses will get you prepped, and an anesthesiologist will be in to see you shortly. There’ll also be some paperwork to complete giving consent for the surgery.”

“This just gets more fun by the minute.”

Dr. Thurston patted her arm. “Hang in there. I’ll see you in the OR.”

“I can’t wait.” When they were alone in the room, Sam said to Nick, “This totally fucking blows.”