Wildest Dreams (Dreamers Series Book 1) (12 page)

Ember shook her head again, “I just got back this past week. I’ve finished my resume, but I haven’t applied anywhere yet.”

Dr. Nixon nodded thoughtfully. “After you are healed and ready to start looking you can use me as a reference if you need to. I assume you will still be in the medical field?”

Ember smiled at her and was thankful she had run into Dr. Nixon. “Yes, I hope to continue to work with the heart monitors. I’ll be starting school again as soon as I can, too.”

“After you heal, not before.” Dr. Nixon gave her a knowing look, and Ember blushed. She understood the comment the first time and knew why she had said it. They had worked together for many years, and Dr. Nixon was always having to get on to Ember for overdoing it when she would be run-down and working too hard.

“How long am I going to have to wait?” Ember was serious now. She was looking forward to finding a new job and place. Not to mention, she would probably have to rely on others for help now.

Before Dr. Nixon could respond, there was a light knock on the door, and it opened slightly. Ridge stepped in. “I’m sorry, do you mind if I come in?” He looked at Ember with concern.

“Of course.” She smiled at him. He had appeared to take a nap and cleaned up. “Dr. Nixon, this is my brother, Ridge. Ridge, this is Dr. Nixon. We worked together in Texas before she moved. She was just about to tell me how long I’m going to have to wait to start looking for a job.” She frowned slightly at the thought, and he walked over beside her, taking her hand. He was the one person who understood how hard being dependent on others was for Ember.

“I was just about to explain to Ember that she will have to rest for several days because of the concussion. There are a few things you will have to watch for as well. We will give you a list before you leave. Your wrist is most likely what will keep you from working right away. The orthopedic doctor who saw you in the emergency room did say it will not require surgery, but you know it takes a long time for bones to heal." She paused before continuing, "You could be looking at six to eight weeks. I do not advise you going out and getting a job right away. Besides, they probably wouldn’t hire you in that condition.” She looked at Ember with concern and pity in her eyes. “I know this is not an ideal situation with your daughter and because you just need to work, but you won’t be able to work long at all if you aren’t well. We have had these discussions before, you know.” Ember grimaced.

“She doesn’t need to worry about working right now,” Ridge spoke up. “She'll be completely healed before she has to look.” He looked at Ember with a don’t-argue-with-me-look on his face and squeezed her hand. She sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to win the argument even if she tried.

“When can I go home?”

“I would like to keep you until the morning at least.”

“Okay,” Ember whispered. She didn’t want to stay, but she also knew that she should be thankful her injuries weren’t worse than they were.

“Do you have someone who will be able to stay with you once you go home?” Dr. Nixon was genuinely concerned for Ember, and that did make her feel better. She knew if it had been any other doctor telling her she wasn’t going to be working for possibly eight weeks, she probably would not have taken the news so well.

“She’s staying with me right now,” Ridge said. Dr. Nixon glanced at him and smiled.

“Good, I’ll make sure you have a copy of her instructions and know what to watch for in case there are any complications. I’ll be back in the morning, and we will see how you’re doing. If you have any problems overnight, be sure to let the nurse know, and she will contact me. Do you have any questions?” Ember shook her head slowly. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She smiled again and stepped out of the room.

“What am I going to do for eight weeks?” Ember was beside herself, looking at Ridge in a panic.

“You’re going to rest and spend some much-needed time with your daughter.” His tone was calming, and Ember relaxed a little.

“I need to make money, Ridge. I have to be able to take care of Kaylen.” She was almost pleading with him, but she knew it wasn’t going to change anything.

“You will be taken care of, Sis. I’m not about to let you go without anything. You know that.”

“I won’t ever be able to make enough to pay you back. I owe you so much already.” Tears of frustration started to fall.

“Ember, you’re home, and you’re alive. You don’t owe me anything. I have more money than I need so I don't mind spending some on you. I think I’ll be okay.” He grinned at her.

Jenna giggled, and Ember and Ridge both looked at her. She had been so quiet they had forgotten she was there. “Sorry,” she said shyly and looked back at her phone twirling her dark hair. Ember glanced at Ridge, who was still staring at Jenna, but he must have felt Ember’s eyes on him because he looked at her quickly and blushed, looking down at their hands. Letting go of her, Ridge walked over to the chair that Blake had been sitting in across the room earlier and sat down. “Jenna, thank you for staying with her. You can go and get some rest now. I’ll stay tonight.” He looked at Ember.

“Trying to get rid of me?” Jenna grinned at him. Ember loved how bright and cheerful she was.

He quickly turned to looked at her, surprised and a little hurt. “No! I just thought you might be tired and hungry. I never meant that you had to leave, just that you could if you wanted to.” He looked pitiful trying to make her feel better. He apparently thought he had hurt her feelings, and it had turned him a bright shade of red.

Jenna smiled at him. “I knew what you meant, Mr. Tatum. I’m not that tired, although I did fall asleep in the recliner, and my neck is killing me. I guess I'll need to go so I can eat and take some ibuprofen.”

Ridge furrowed his brow, “Call me Ridge, please, but are you okay? I can pay for a massage or chiropractor if you need one. It's the least I can do.”

“No, I’ll be okay, but thank you. It’s nothing some ibuprofen and a hot shower can’t fix.” Ember could tell she was surprised by his offer. Of course, Ember wasn’t surprised by it, though. Ridge’s heart was bigger than Reece’s over-inflated ego.

“Okay.” He was still a little red, and Ember grinned.

“I’ll come back tomorrow and check on you, Ember.” Pulling a card from her purse she handed it to Ridge, “Now it’s your turn to let me know if you need anything.” She smiled sweetly at him, and he smiled back as she walked out the door.

He looked back at Ember, who was still grinning at him. “What?”
Could he get any redder?
She giggled.

CHAPTER 17

“You cleaned up. Did you get a nap too?” Ember asked him hopefully. He was wearing a green polo shirt with blue jeans and dress shoes. He looked polished, but comfortable too.

“A little. I couldn’t stay asleep, so I decided to see Blake. I just needed to hear what happened again.” Ridge rubbed his recently shaved chin.

“What did he say?” Ember asked quietly. She hadn’t heard Blake tell the story besides the little he told Reece.

“He said the same thing he said when he called me after it happened. I asked him to come back and tell you. He said he would, but I guess he changed his mind since he’s not here.” Ridge looked upset. Ember could count on one hand the number of times she had ever seen him sound like that.

“Why are you mad at him?” Ember asked, confused.

Ridge stood and turned to look out the window. It was getting dark outside now. He sighed. “If he had listened to me, you wouldn’t have been hurt.”

Shocked she asked, “What do you mean?”

“I told him to stay away from you! I told him you were off limits! If he had listened, you wouldn’t have been at IHOP, and this wouldn't have happened.”

The emotions that Ember felt at that moment were a mixture of shock, anger, hurt and love. She was shocked and angry that Ridge went behind her back and said that to Blake, hurt that he didn’t trust her enough to make the decision herself, and love for her brother because he cared so much for her that he thought he was doing the right thing. “Ridge, you can’t make these decisions for me. I’m an adult, and if I want to go out with someone, that’s my choice. I don't understand why you would do that? Isn’t he your best friend?”

Ridge looked at Ember with pain in his eyes. “Yes, he is, and because of that, I know how he is. He’s a love-’em-and-leave-’em kind of guy, Ember. It’s never been an issue before because it wasn't personal to me. I won’t let him take advantage of you like that.”

Ember didn’t have to ask; she could guess what he was talking about, and it made her eyes tear up.

There was a light knock on the door. Ember didn’t have the energy to say “come in,” so Ridge opened it. He stepped out of the way for Blake to walk in. Blake looked at Ridge’s dark face and then to Ember’s tear filled eyes. He furrowed his brows and finally asked Ember, “Bad time?” She shook her head no. He sat in the chair next to her bed while Ridge took his seat across the room.

Looking back to Ember, he said, “Ridge asked me to tell you about last night. If now isn’t a good time, though, I can do it later.” He looked concerned, and his voice was deep and hypnotic. She didn’t want him to stop talking.

She wiped her eyes with her good arm and said softly, “No, it’s okay. Now is as good a time as any.”

Ember couldn't stop staring at him; he was wearing a dark blue form-fitting t-shirt with a designer jacket open down the front, with tight black jeans, and black boots to finish the look. Leaning forward a bit, Blake rested his elbows on his knees and folded his hands together in front of him.

He told her how they ran into each other at the apartment and that he offered to take her to the bar, so she didn’t have to get a cab.

“Did you come back and get me later?” Ember was a little confused about how she ended up with him at IHOP.

He looked surprised by her question like it should have been obvious. “I stayed with you. I didn’t have anywhere else to be, and you would need a ride home.”

"How much did I drink?" she blushed thinking she must have had way too much to have been hit by a car.

"You had three small strawberry margaritas." Ember noticed Ridge's eyes narrow as he glared at Blake. Evidently he had left that part out when he recounted the story for Ridge earlier.

She wished she could remember if they discussed the “meeting” in his office, but now was not the time to bring it up with Ridge in the room. He would certainly choke Blake if he knew about that.

“I know Jenna was there, but who else was with us?” Ember blushed thinking of the rumors that would be going around now.

He told her who the other four ladies were, but Ember knew that even if she saw them again, she wouldn’t know who they were. Now the frustration was even more apparent on her face as her brows furrowed and she tried to remember. “This is so aggravating. How can I not remember any of this?” She looked at him again, “Why were we at IHOP?”

He shrugged a shoulder and leaned back, “You were hungry.” He sighed shaking his head then running his hand through his hair as he continued, “I thought you were going to get fresh air while I paid. I didn’t realize you have a habit of playing in traffic.”

Ember blushed, “I like to dance in the rain. I’m just usually sober when I do it.” She finished quietly, “I’m usually sober when I do anything.”

She glanced at Ridge, who was still glaring at Blake with his jaw tight. When she looked back at Blake, she could tell that he agreed with Ridge. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel responsible. She was trying not to be mad at Ridge, but he was going to have to get over that as well.

“Blake,” He glanced up at her when she said his name. His eyes were so full of pain and guilt. “This isn’t your fault. I hope you know that.” She could feel Ridge’s eyes on her now. “I wish I could remember everything, and maybe someday I will, but I know that this isn’t your fault.”

He smiled slightly and looked back down at the floor, sighing. “I wish I was so certain.” He stood up and looked back at Ember. “Take care, Ember.”

She could feel the sting of the tears in her eyes again as he walked toward the door. “You’re taking the week off, right?” he asked Ridge, who nodded.

As he reached the door he glanced back at Ember, who was still watching him with tears in her eyes, and he paused, but then he looked away quickly and closed the door.

When Ember looked over at Ridge, she could tell he was trying not to cry. He walked over and kissed her on the forehead then ruffled her hair. “I love you, Ember. If you had”—he struggled to say the word—“died, I don’t know what I would have done.”

Ember looked up at him pleading, “Just try to remember that I didn’t die, and don’t be so hard on Blake, please. I’m sure that if I hadn’t wanted to be there, I wouldn’t have.” She knew that he didn’t like the idea of her wanting to be anywhere with Blake. “Reece and I are going to talk tomorrow.”

Ridge stood there in shock before finally speaking up. “If you think that's supposed to make me feel better, then maybe we need to have that conversation over again too. You may have forgotten more than just last night.”

“I know you don’t like him. I haven’t forgotten that. ” Ember said defensively. “We are just going to talk. He got a transfer back here, and he’s looking for a place to live. Maybe me leaving is what he needed to make him realize he needs to try harder.” Ember felt that if he was making an effort, then he deserved another chance. Sighing, she said, “I need to talk to Kaylen, but I’m starting to hurt all over. Could you ask the nurse if I can have some pain meds, please?”