His smile faded, and he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he had tears in his eyes. I leaned up and began kissing him on the lips. He reached his hand up, grabbed on to the back of my neck, and held me tighter to him. I wasn’t sure how long we were kissing before Reed cleared his throat. I pulled slightly away and smiled when I saw Layton smiling.
“Happy birthday, baby. I’m so sorry. I promise, I’ll make it up to you. ”
“Layton, I don’t care about my birthday. The only thing I care about is you. ”
“Excuse me, but I’m going to have to get in there. ”
I looked up and saw the sweet older nurse who had been on duty since six this morning.
“Well, Mr. Morris, I’m sure you’re probably hurting. ”
“Yes, ma’am. A lot in my stomach. ”
She smiled the sweetest smile. “Well, let’s take care of that, shall we?”
Layton smiled and glanced over at me.
“Ma’am?” he asked.
“Please, call me Katie,” she said with a wink.
Layton smiled. “That’s my niece’s name, but we call her Kate. ”
“It’s a good, strong name,” she said with a smile. “What can I do for you, Mr. Morris?”
“Please, it’s Layton. Can you please tell this beautiful woman behind you to go home, take a shower, and get something to eat?”
She threw her head back slightly. “Your friends have been trying for four days to get her to leave your side, but she wouldn’t. ”
I smiled as I looked over at Courtney and Reed.
After a few minutes, the doctor came walking in. He told Layton everything about his gunshot wound, what they had done to fix it, and what he thought the recovery was going to be like.
I had to sit down. My head was spinning. It wouldn’t be long before the police came in to talk to Layton. They’d stopped by every day since the shooting, waiting for him to wake up, so they could take his statement.
“So, how long will I need to stay here?” Layton asked.
“Well, depending on how well you do, I’d like to get you up and moving around as soon as possible. I’m hoping to have you home soon, son. ”
The doctor and Layton spoke a few minutes longer. Once the nurse and doctor left the room, I felt everything hit me all at once. I went to stand up and started to lose my balance. Reed ran over and grabbed me before I fell.
“That’s it. I’m taking you to the hotel, Whitley,” Reed said as he helped me sit back down in the chair.
I looked up at Layton, and his expression about killed me. His eyes were filled with worry.
Courtney walked up and leaned down. She whispered in my ear, “You’re causing him to worry about you, Whit. Please go with Reed. I’ll wait here until you come back. ”
I nodded and reached for Reed’s hand.
I walked over and bent down to kiss Layton. “I love you so much. I’ll be back soon, I promise you. ”
Layton let out a small laugh. “Baby, go get some food, and please get a few hours of sleep. I know you’re not leaving me. I’ll be here, promise,” he said with a wink.
I gave him one more quick kiss good-bye before walking out with Reed. As we walked by the nurses’ station, I saw the police officers.
“Oh wait, Reed—”
Reed grabbed me tighter and kept walking. “He’s fine, Whit. Courtney is there. Come on, let’s go to Chick-fil-A. I’m starving. ”