The smile that crossed her face slammed my heart against my chest. I brushed some hair away from her face as her eyes connected with mine. She gripped my hand and brought it to her lips, then kissed my knuckles one by one.
“I’d like that,” Theresa said.
“Then I’ll get it set up. As soon as the doctors spring you, I’ll take you away,” I said.
As if on cue, a knock sounded at the door. “Knock-knock. Time for your morning checkup,” the doctor said.
I released Theresa’s hand and went to sit back in my chair. While the doctor ordered tests, had the nurse draw blood, and scheduled a scan of her head, I took out my phone and booked a hotel for us. A nice hotel suite with a massive bed, a flat screen television, and a small kitchen to stock with food. I wanted her to feel comfortable and safe. But most of all, I wanted her to stay with me. I wanted her to never want to leave my side. I wanted to show her what I could provide for her without a second thought.
Then I called my second-in-command.
“How’s the weekend going?” Matt asked.
“I’m gonna be here a little longer than I thought,” I said.
“With the way you lit out of here needing to see your girl, I figured you wouldn’t come back too soon. Need anything?”
“I need you to keep things running smoothly. We’ve approved six new projects that all start this month.”
“You won’t be back before the month is out?”
I looked over at Theresa as she followed the doctor’s finger. I watched her head move side to side, and the doctor seemed pleased with the outcome. I didn’t know what the two of them were talking about, but whatever it was it made Theresa happy. Her eyes filled with glee, and she looked like she was about to bounce right out of the damn bed.
“I might not be, so I want to prepare for all outcomes,” I said.
“Is everything alright?” Matt asked.
“It will be.”
“Okay. You sure you don’t need anything?” Matt had gotten very good at reading my tone of voice over the years.
“I need you to make sure these projects get off the ground. The schematics are very detailed, and the outlines are in my desk. Just pull out that flat drawer underneath the main part of it and pull out the six folders. That’ll get you started.”
“Sure thing. Let me know if you need anything else, though. I’ll call you if we need you,” he said.
“I’m sure you will. I’ll check in with my laptop as much as I can. I’ve got it synced to my main desktop, so make sure to keep everything updated.”
“Then I’ll leave the paperwork to you.”
“Sounds good. Keep in touch and try not to fuck things up too much,” I laughed.
“How about this? Don’t relegate yourself to a time frame. I’ll deal with on-site shit and the foremen, and you take care of the paperwork and the emails. If any meetings come up, I’ll be prepared to deal with them because I’m in the trenches, and you can video in if necessary. That way, you’re still the go-to guy, but you can stay wherever you are and ride out whatever’s going on”
“I knew I hired you for a reason,” I said.
I hung up the phone and watched as the nurse came back in with discharge papers. I furrowed my brow as Theresa took them from her, a massive smile on her face. I stood up from the chair and walked to her side, then placed my hand on her shin.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Her blood work is great, and she’s passed all of her tests with flying colors. She has full mobility in her head, no nausea, and the fluid buildup at the base of her skull is gone,” the nurse said.
“If the scan I have in a few minutes comes back clear, these are my discharge papers.”
Theresa handed them to me, and I looked down at them.
“When’s the scan?” I asked.
“Now,” a tech said as he walked in. “We’ll wheel her out, it’ll be a quick test, and I’ve got a ru