“But…?”

“But she started to panic, which is completely normal for someone who just woke up in the hospital. For Gretchen, however, it’s less than ideal.” Dr. Melendez offered a quick thank-you to the nurses as they left the room. “We still don’t know the extent of her brain injuries. We know what the scans have told us, but we don’t know if she has been affected in any other way. Until we do, we have to be careful.”

“Careful of what?” Amanda said, stealing the question from Jax.

“A multitude of things, but I’m concerned with causing any further injury. It’s not uncommon for a brain injury to result in stress-triggered seizures after the fact. I’d rather she take a little more time coming to full consciousness than risk more damage.”

Jax started to get pissed at this constant push and pull with medical jargon. “Why the hell didn’t you tell us about this before?”

Dr. Melendez smiled softly. She exuded the kind of calm that must come from years of dealing with patients and their families. “One of my goals as a doctor is to never give someone false hope, and to take one day at a time. I encourage the patient’s loved ones to do the same. I wasn’t going to add to your list of worries when we weren’t sure we’d even get to this point. Believe me, Jax, I am doing what’s best for Gretchen, and right now I’m celebrating this milestone. Be happy because we can finally start looking forward to tomorrow.” She shot Amanda a smile and another wink as she left.

“She really needs to stop with the winking. I’m getting a complex,” Jax grumbled.

“You already have a complex.”

“Maybe she likes you.”

Amanda snorted. “Good deflection.” Amanda sat down and took Gretchen’s hand. She patted it gently. “Maybe the next time you wake up, we can talk about how annoying this one is.”

“She already knows.” Jax picked up the candy bar she’d dropped and threw it in the garbage. “When do you think she’ll wake up?”

“I have no clue.”

“Do you think soon?”

“A few weeks ago, before all of this, I was watching Caleb for Gretchen because she had a late appointment—”

“Shocker,” Jax said drolly.

“He kept asking me questions. Not silly questions either, thoughtful ones. About how I was cutting my vegetables, how vegetables grow, and about farming. I knew some answers but not all. I wondered where this kid got his curiosity from.”

“You’re talking about me, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Well, at least he got something good from me, and at least I know he’ll drive you crazy for me once I’m not…” Jax stopped talking. She couldn’t even think about the divorce at the moment. She forced a stiff smile and opened her second candy bar instead of talking.

Chapter Eight

14 days, 21 hours, 9 minutes

“I can’t thank you enough, Wyatt.” Jax held Caleb, who hugged her like he’d never let go.