Free Road to Peace by Piper Davenport Page B

if you need me, you let me know, yeah?”
    I nodded up at him.
    “Call me when you know about surgery. If you want me here, I’ll be here, okay?”
    I nodded again.
    He smiled and straightened, turning to my best friend. “Nice to meet you, Ali.”
    “You too,” she said, and then Hatch left.
    “What is up with that guy?” Ali demanded. “I thought you blew him off.”
    “I did. But he apparently wants to help.”
    “I don’t know about this, Maisie. I think Ryan should look into him. It’s weird that he’s showing up here right after you’ve had an accident.”
    “Poppy did call him, Ali.”
    “Still…”
    “Don’t worry about it, love. It’s fine. I’ll tell him to back off if it gets weird.”
    Alison’s response was a quiet grunt, but she let it go… thank God.
    The rest of the night passed in a fog as I was helped into a hospital gown (I was glad Hatch missed that ), and we had to focus on the status of our concussions and other injuries. By the time Poppy had been cleared to go home, and I was good to sleep, I could barely keep my eyes open so Alison took Poppy home and I crashed.
    I awoke with a start, totally confused as to where I was. It took me a little bit to remember I was in the hospital and I relaxed against the pillows.
    A nurse rushed in, flooding my room with light. “Are you okay?”
    “I think so,” I said.
    “You were screaming,” she said.
    “I was?” I sighed. “I’m so sorry.”
    “Don’t apologize, sweetie. Let’s make you more comfortable. Are you in pain?”
    “A little, but it’s manageable.”
    “From one to ten?”
    “Eight.”
    She smiled. “Manageable, huh?”
    “I’m a pretty tough cookie.”
    “Apparently.” She pushed something through the IV and my pain disappeared. “Better?”
    “Much.”
    “Press this button if you need anything else, okay?”
    I nodded and the nurse set the call button by my hand.
    “Can I do anything for you before I leave you?”
    “Can you please grab me a phone?” I asked. “I need to call my daughter.”
    “Of course.”
    She rolled the table over with the phone and showed me how to turn the light off and on, and then left me to call Poppy.
    “Hello?” Ali answered.
    “Hey, lovey.”
    “Oh, Maisie.” Ali breathed out a sigh of relief. “How are you?”
    “Tired, but good. How’s Poppy?”
    “She’s good. She finally fell asleep about an hour ago. Do you want me to wake her?”
    “No,” I rushed to say. “Let her sleep. But she can call me even if it’s the middle of the night, okay?”
    “Definitely. We’ve got her, honey, okay? You take care of yourself. We’ll be there tomorrow before your surgery.”
    “Okay, Ali. Thank you for everything. Seriously. I don’t think I could do life without you.”
    “Hey, don’t get mushy on me now.”
    I smiled. “Fair enough. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    “Love you, honey.”
    “Love you too.” I hung up and relaxed against the pillows again.
    For the next half-hour or so, I tried to sleep, but every time I closed my eyes, I’d jump awake, the accident flashing in my dreams. I pulled the phone toward me again, found Hatch’s card, and dialed his number, chalking my insanity up to the drugs.
    “Yeah?” Hatch answered, his voice gruff with sleep.
    “Hi. It’s Maisie.”
    “Hey, Sunshine, you okay?”
    I nodded, although, I realized he couldn’t see me. “I’m sorry if I woke you. I can’t seem to sleep.”
    “You in pain?”
    “No, the nurse took care of that. I keep having nightmares.” I sighed. “Poppy’s asleep which is good, but I’m here listening to my own thoughts and I see the accident over and over again.”
    “I bet.”
    “Anyway, thanks for answering.”
    He chuckled. “You can wake me anytime, baby.”
    I bit back a yawn. “I’ll let you go. I’m going to try and sleep.”
    “Okay. You call me if you need to. I’ll keep my phone close.”
    “Thanks.” I smiled. “And thanks for everything today. I really appreciate