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I figure it’ll be a bit before they callpasta stuff to my mouth when a nurse calls me back to recovery I box the food up in a s I have over h

My heart is racing as I step into the recovery room, and more so when I see that it’s partitioned by the same curtains that I think freaked him out before But when the nurse ushersHe looks like Sleeping Beau on the bed, his head tipped back slightly with a towel rolled under his neck His leg is propped on pillorapped in what looks like a en tubing on His body—all except that leg—is wrapped up in white blankets

“We brought you back before he’s fully awake, so I’ll behim as you wait here,” the nurse tells me

I’rateful my throat closes up, and it takesme back early

I ask a few questions about the surgery, which apparently ell, and then Ezra’s muscles start to twitch and his eyelids start to flutter

The nurse lets h the rail so I can rub his shoulder and whisper to him as he wakes up I’m prepared for the worst, but he just seems confused and sleepy I tell hiery and it went fine, and I’ to leave him At one point, he smirks and slurs, “Are you my husband?”

That el I’m whatever you want”

The surgeon come he’ll set up followup care in Alabaht, but we can probably leave to to wake Ez up She hands me a cherry-flavored slush to feed hilassy eyes as he ss the cool slush After that, he’s ain what happened, and he shuts his eyes, whispering soum

“I’d love sos conversational

He rasps, “Can you hold me, Josh?”

His dazed eyes lift open, and he looks so he asked at this point—okay, really at any point—so I convince the nurse to let me lower the bed’s rail on his unhurt side I think Ez is sleeping e do it, but his eyelids tremble open, and he tries to hold his arm out for me

“You’re okay…I’ve gotcha, angel”

I scoot ht up to the bed’s side, wrap an arainst his shoulder Ezra’s hand coain, he does this sweet thing where he leans his head toward le up to

It strainshiuess he’s still waking up, because a few times, he shudders, or he’ll startle awake Each time, when he feels me wrapped around him, he drifts back to sleep

And…that’s it That’s how it goes I don’t knohat I thought it would be like, but after an hour in recovery, a nurse wheels his bed to the rooht When his eyes lift open, I h as hell, and pale, but not unhappy

In his private room, I eat a little of the yummy food that Luke and Vance had delivered Then I fire off a fewto drop by with el’s chest

He wakes up once hat I think is pain—he’s too out of it for ives more pain meds The next time I see his pretty lake eyes is al about Paul, and all my hairs stand on end But I lean over him and stroke his neck and his warm cheeks I tell him I’m here and I love him, and he won the Rose Bowl, and he drifts back off

He has another nightmare a few minutes later I lean over him and kiss his cheek and reassure him He’s less sedated now, and wraps an arm around me “Get in bed,” hehim pretty solidly, and he’s back into dreamland