Head pounding, eyes burning, and suffering from a sore throat, Hamilton sat in the hospital’s waiting room, surrounded by his parents and his oldest brother Chris. Not wanting Hamilton to be alone, Justin had made the calls to get them there for support. He appreciated them, but all he felt at the moment was numbness.
Like he wanted answers, he was sure OSHA—the Occupational Safety and Health Association—would do a thorough investigation into what went wrong on the set. According to Justin, there should’ve been a three-second delay with the explosion, and nothing should’ve happened until Dakota had cleared the barn. Had she not landed on the edge of the haystack, the accident could’ve been fatal. As it was, Hamilton still didn’t know if she would pull through.
He swallowed hard and glanced down the long hallway where hospital personnel and visitors milled about, torment eating at him from the inside out. He hated hospitals. The smells, beeping machines, the bursts of screams, people crying for loved ones. All of it. It was the last place he ever wanted to be, and now he’d been waiting two hours and still hadn’t heard anything from doctors.
A suffocating sensation tightened his throat and he rubbed his neck, willing himself to relax, but he couldn’t. Every few minutes his mind took him back to the accident, and the explosion that literally rocked him. Dakota could have been killed. That realization scared him to death.
“She’s going to be fine,” Hamilton’s mother, Irene, said. She was sitting in the chair next to him, her hand moving in circular motions, rubbing his back the way she used to do when they were kids. “She’s a fighter. I could tell when you brought her to the house last weekend. She’s tough and stubborn.”
“Beyond stubborn,” Hamilton added stoically. He just prayed that attribute got her through this.
Dakota and his mother had hit it off immediately. He hadn’t realized it before but seeing them together brought out the fact that they were so similar in personality. Both were strong-willed, feisty, and had a similar sense of humor. It had been years since he’d taken a woman home to meet his folks, and they were beyond thrilled to know he was serious about someone. Especially someone they liked upon first meeting. Of course, his mother was already hearing wedding bells and fantasizing about getting more grandchildren. Specifically, a granddaughter since she already had three grandsons.
Right now, Hamilton would give anything to spend the rest of his life with Dakota. She was it for him. If…no, when they got through this, he wasn’t wasting time with a long courtship or a long engagement. The accident was a good reminder that life was short, and he had no intention of wasting any time in making her his wife.
Hamilton’s phone vibrated and he dug it from his pocket to see Jackie’s number on the screen.
“I’ll be back,” Hamilton said to his family and moved a short distance away from the waiting area.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Dad. How’s Dakota? Is she still in the hospital?”
Hamilton had called Dominic to let him know that he and Dakota wouldn’t be able to pick him up for dinner because she’d gotten hurt at work. Hamilton hadn’t supplied much detail, not wanting to upset Dominic who loved Dakota almost as much as he did.
“Yeah, son. The doctors are still running tests, but I’ll call you when I have a little more information. All right?”
“Okay…but can I come and see her? She won’t mind and I promise I won’t get in the way.”
Hamilton closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose trying to ward off the emotion swirling within him. “Not today, but we’ll see what the doctors say about her having visitors.”
“You always say, we’ll see. The doctor won’t mind if I see her. I can just tell them that she’s gonna to be my other mom. Can I come, Dad? Huh? Can I?”
Hamilton’s eyes snapped opened and he frowned. Where the hell had that come from? “What are you talking about, son?”
Silence filled the phone-line and Hamilton wondered if the call had dropped.
“Dominic?”
“Yes?”
“What makes you think Dakota’s going to be your other mother?”
“When Antonio’s dad got married, Antonio said he has two moms now. When you and Dakota get married, she’s going to be my other mom. Please, Dad. Can I come to the hospital? She’ll be glad to see me. She says I brighten her day. Please.”
Hamilton sighed and leaned against the wall, unsure of how to address the marriage and mom comment. They hadn’t discussed the possibility, but not much got past Dominic, and a blind person could see how much Hamilton loved Dakota.
“We’ll see, Dom,” Hamilton finally said. “Let me talk to the doctors first. Okay?”
They talked for a few minutes longer, well Dominic talked and Hamilton listened. His son’s running monologue was like a healing balm for Hamilton’s tattered emotions. But when he saw Laz down the hall speaking to Chris, Hamilton cut the conversation short and headed toward his friend.
“You look like shit,” Laz said before giving him a brotherly hug. “Heard anything yet?”
Hamilton shook his head. “No. Were you able to reach Wesley?” The studio had Dakota’s emergency contact information and promised to call her father, but Hamilton asked Laz to also try to reach him. They might not like the guy, but Hamilton knew he’d want to know about Dakota and the accident. He had also contacted Tymico and left a message for her.
“Yeah, I found him. He's in Miami, but said he'll get the first flight out.”
“Mr. Crosby?” a doctor called out, looking around before calling the name again. Hamilton snapped to attention and hurried toward him.
“Yes, I’m Hamilton Crosby. How is she?” he said in a rush, a wave of anxiousness crashing inside his gut, as he stood before the doctor desperate for answers.
“I’m Doctor Saarni, the attending physician. Ms. Bradford is in recovery,” he said, using Dakota’s birth name.
Hamilton listened, his blood pressure rising as the doctor listed Dakota’s injuries including a concussion, fractured ribs, a punctured lung, a broken arm and a host of bruises. Had it not been for the extra cushioning in the helmet, the special material of the jumpsuit, the other protective gear, and that haystack near the barn, Hamilton knew she’d be dead.
Invincible. She often joked that she was invincible.
“Ms. Bradford is in critical but stable condition. It was a good thing she wore all of the protected gear. The only burn she received was on her left wrist, the space between where the glove stopped and the sleeve of her biker suit met. She’s a very lucky young lady. Right now, she’s heavily sedated, but should be awake in a few hours.”
“Can I see her?”
After a slight hesitation, the doctor said, “Once we get her settled into a room, I’ll have a nurse come out and get you.”
Shaken up, Hamilton nodded, then filled his family in on what he’d just learned. He suggested they head out since he planned to stay at the hospital. His brother offered to bring him back food and some clothes that could get him through the next day or two since Hamilton had already decided that he wasn’t leaving the hospital without her.
When he pushed open the door to Dakota’s room, his breath lodged in his throat and apprehension scraped along his nerves. He’d seen his share of injuries and even dead bodies, but this…this was too close to home. This was his woman laying up in the bed with a tube coming out of her chest and arms, monitors beeping, the unnerving sound amping up his unease.
Moving closer to the bed, he assessed her with a critical eye, remembering how the doctor said that she was very lucky. Hamilton knew that. He’d been there. He saw the way she had been thrown through the air. There were so many variables that had played into saving Dakota’s life and he was just grateful he hadn’t lost her.
He leaned in close, his mouth inches from hers. He wasn’t sure if she could hear him, but just in case. “I love you, Dakota. I love you so damn much and I need you. Baby, I need you to fight. I need you well.”
He placed a kiss on her forehead and pulled a chair as close to the bed as he could get it. He didn’t know exactly when she would wake up, but he planned to be there when she did.
* * *
Hours later, Hamilton stood and stretched his arms high above his head in an effort to work out the stiffness in his back. The day had been long, but he was hopeful that Dakota would open her beautiful eyes and talk to him. Even throughout their work day, they tried to make time to check in with each other, and he realized how much he missed hearing her voice. Hearing her laugh. Hearing what craziness would come out of her mouth.
He took in her sleeping form. She hadn’t twitched, hadn’t moved, nothing. At one point he had to ask the nurse if she was really okay. The staff had been in and out for most of the day, assuring him that she was stable and that they expected a full recovery.
Hamilton wanted so badly to wake her, but the doctor explained that she needed her rest and needed time to heal.
The room’s door swung open and he straightened, stiffening the moment Wesley burst into the room.
“What are you doing in here?” Wesley snapped.
Hamilton sighed. He had mentally prepared himself for this moment, but this guy was like an irritating gnat. “You really want to do this here, Wesley, knowing your daughter was almost killed?”
The older man had the decency to look ashamed. He glanced at the bed and gasped at the sight of Dakota.
“Oh my, God. Look at her.” He covered his mouth with his hand as he moved closer to the bed. “H—how could… She’s been riding motorcycles for fifteen years. I don’t understand how this could’ve happened. She knows how to handle herself.” His voice cracked on the last word.
Standing on the opposite side of the bed, Hamilton explained what he witnessed on the movie set and the little that he knew at the moment. Everyone wanted answers, but that would take time.
“Somebody’s going to pay for this. What type of half-assed security measures did they have in place? Wait until I get a hold of her agent, and Homer,” he said of the director. That snagged Hamilton’s attention as he recalled Dakota mentioning the number of enemies her father had in the industry. But there was no way the director would intentionally sabotage his project. Would he?
Wesley continued to drone on as if he forgot he wasn’t the only one in the room. Hamilton had learned a long time ago that if you let someone talk, without interrupting, you could often get more answers than if you asked questions.
“That guy always had it in for me. Probably took his frustrations out on my child, making her do those ridiculous stunts,” Wesley mumbled to himself, pacing in the tight space next to the bed. Then he stopped and stood over Dakota, getting visibly emotional. “How many times did I tell her to quit? I told her that those damn stunts were going to get her killed! She didn’t listen. She never listens! Now, look at her.” Wesley swiped at his damp face, then rubbed the back of his neck.
Hamilton wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t like that Dakota put herself in danger every day, but he also knew that she could lose her life just walking down the street. Was he uncomfortable with what she did for a living? Yes, but he respected the fact that she was doing something she loved.
“You can grab that chair over there,” Hamilton said, nodding to the only other seating in the room near the window. He had vowed to Dakota that he would learn how to live in the same world as Wesley.
Might as well start now.
“Thanks, but I won’t be staying,” Wesley said, clearing his throat and suddenly looking a little uncomfortable. “I just wanted to see her, and to tell her… Never mind, I’ll call the nurses station periodically to check on her.”
Hamilton shoved his hands into his front pants pockets, surprised her father hadn’t planned to stick around. “Why don’t you at least stay until she wakes up. I’m sure she’d want to see you.” Dakota missed him but was too stubborn to try and make peace with her father.
“She’s not happy with me right now, and I don’t want to cause her any undue stress.” Wesley glanced at him but quickly looked away.
One of them had to be the bigger man. If Wesley thought Hamilton would lash out or throw punches while Dakota was laid up, he didn’t have to worry about that. Dakota meant everything to him and he wanted to do whatever necessary to try and get along with her father.
“Listen, Wes, about what happened at the par—”
Wesley lifted his hand. “Don’t. I know I was out of line that night, but my feelings for you remain the same. I know you did something with Avery and there’s nothing you can say that would change my mind on the subject. You don’t deserve my daughter, but if she’s too blind to see that for herself, there’s nothing I can do or say to change her mind.”
Despite the twinge of annoyance sparking inside of him, Hamilton refused to stoop to the man’s level. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but I’m not going anywhere. I love your daughter.”
After the words were out of his mouth, Hamilton realized he’d told her father how he felt, before he could officially tell Dakota. Telling her how much he loved her while she was asleep didn’t count, but the satisfaction of throwing Wesley off his high horse brought him pleasure.
Teeth clenched, Wesley glared at him. “She’ll learn soon enough what type of man you are.”
“Trust me. She already knows the type of man I am.”
A knock sounded on the door and Tymico peeked in. “Hi.” She glanced from Hamilton to Wesley. “Is it okay if I come in?”
“Of course, sweetheart,” Wesley said before Hamilton could respond. He met her halfway and pulled her into a hug. “Dakota’s still sleeping, but the nurse I talked to a few minutes ago said she’s going to be fine.”
Tymico nodded and slipped out of Wesley’s arms and approached Hamilton.
“Thank you for calling me. I was on a flight coming from Florida and just got back a short while ago. I’m so sorry. I know this has to be hard for you. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.” She hugged him.
Hamilton thought it was interesting that they both had been in Florida but didn’t comment. “Thank you, and thanks for stopping by.”
“Of course. She’s my best friend,” Tymico said in a choked voice as she approached the bed. Hamilton stepped back to give her room. “Dee, what have you done?”
Hamilton observed as the woman held Dakota’s hand, tears sliding down her cheek as she encouraged her friend to get better soon. Dakota might’ve thought that Wesley was the only family she had, but Hamilton could see how much Tymico loved her.
“I’m going to leave,” Wesley said to no one in particular and kissed Dakota on the cheek.
“Leave?” Tymico frowned. “Bradford, don’t you want to stick around at least until she wakes up?”
Bradford? Hamilton didn’t know Dakota’s friend well, but he was a little surprised that she referred to Wesley by his last name.
“I wish I could stick around, but I—I need to get going. Are you planning to stay with Dakota awhile?” Wesley asked, ignoring Hamilton.
Tymico bit down on her bottom lip, still holding Dakota’s hand, but looked at Hamilton. “Do you mind if I stick around?”
“Of course not,” he said. “I’m sure Dakota would want that. I’ll walk Wesley out and give you some time with her.”
Wesley frowned, but said his goodbyes to Tymico and walked out with Hamilton right behind him.
“Just so we’re clear,” Hamilton said the moment the door closed. “I’m here for the long haul. Might as well get used to seeing me with your daughter. We can either try to get along or—”
“Just because you’re sniffing around Dakota doesn’t mean there will ever be anything between you and me. She’s going to come to her senses one day and when she does, I’ll be right there to gloat.”
Hamilton watched the man stroll down the hallway in his thousand-dollar suit and an I-own-this-place swagger. He might intimidate those in his world, but Wesley needed to think again if he thought he could make Hamilton go away.
Not gonna happen. I’m here to stay.