by Kay Edwards
Chapter Thirteen
The month was up, and Dalton was finishing his charting. As soon as he was done, he was driving to Austin and staying for three days. He was once again at the nurses' station when his phone rang. Looking at it he was surprised to see Brock's number.
The nurses paid close attention to Dalton's side of the conversation. "Hey, Brock what's up?"
Dalton didn’t mean to raise his voice, but he did. He was at almost a shout when he asked. "Your sister did what?"
Kim chuckled at the look on Dalton’s face as he continued the conversation. "What do you mean I can't talk to her if I'm going to raise my voice? Your sister should never have put herself at risk like that."
Dalton ran his hands through his hair as he listened to Brock. "I don't care if she has gotten on the roof of the shed a thousand times. She just gave birth for Pete's sake."
Dalton was unaware that the entire nursing staff was looking and listening. "Yes, you and your brother did warn me she was a Texas-sized handful but what could she have been thinking?" Dalton took a deep breath. "Ok Brock I'm calm now please put Misty on the phone."
Kim almost died laughing as she watched Dalton visibly get his temper in check. Dalton kept his voice under control as he started to speak to Misty. "Yes, Misty I am upset. I know you didn't mean to slice your arm wide open, but you did. Honey, you have to think of Rachel."
The nurses looked at each other as he started speaking again. "Awe…Misty, please don't cry. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, but you have fifteen stitches in your arm that is not a little scratch. You can't be standing on your horse's back like that."
One of the nurses started chuckling when she got a picture of what their very calm Dr. Nelson had gotten himself into. "Misty I am still coming. No, I won’t stay away because I’m mad at you. I'm leaving as soon as I'm done charting. I will be there when you wake up. I promise I won't raise my voice, but you and I both know I can't promise not to be upset. I will see you in the morning. Put Brock back on ok?"
Dalton waited until Brock was back on the phone. No one had ever heard him speak the way he did next. Dalton's voice was as hard as steel as he said. "Do not let your sister anywhere near a horse a ladder or anything else that could get her killed.” Dalton paused and listened to Brock. “I understand I'm the crazy one falling in love with her, but that is going to be very difficult if she gets herself killed. I'll see you in the morning. Bye."
Dalton rubbed his face after he hung up the phone. He looked around and realized what he had just done. Kim busted out laughing. "This is so much better than anything I could have made up."
Dalton shook his head. "That is a drop in the bucket. One of these days I'll tell you the story of how we met."
When they all realized he wasn't mad at their blatant eavesdropping, they joined Kim in laughter. Dr. Huff chuckled. "It sounds like you have your hands full."
Dalton grinned. "As you heard a Texas-sized handful. I would like to keep her alive long enough to at least kiss her. I need to go before she ends up in ICU." He said as he picked his stuff up and headed for the door. He heard the laughter and knew his co-workers were amused.
Misty sat on the sofa looking at the flames in the fireplace. Her mom gave her a sympathetic look from across the room. "Brock did the right thing," Terry said softly.
Misty shrugged her shoulders which caused her stitches to hurt. She winced before she spoke. "He didn't have to laugh the entire time. Dalton sounded so angry. I've never heard him sound like that."
Terry smiled. "You said he calmed down when he got on the phone with you."
Misty frowned. "I could hear him when he talked to Brock. He told him to keep me alive. I'm not a child."
Terry cleared her throat as she laughed. "You have to admit your track record with him is a bit shaky when it comes to your health."
Misty shrugged her shoulders. "I just can't help it. I do things before I think. Dalton is going to lecture me for sure, and I don't want to fight. Once he realizes the crazy stuff, I do he will never want to be more than friends."
Chad spoke from the doorway. "I think you are underestimating the man. He is going to lecture you I agree, but that is because he cares for you a great deal. He is a bit different than Brent in that department. Dalton is not going to go around your little finger so easily."
Misty frowned at her dad. "I didn't do that on purpose. It just happened that when I would cry Brent would cave."
Terry snickered. "I agree with your dad. Dalton is going to be harder to sway with tears."
Misty spoke softly. "I'm more worried he will see me as someone who always needs to be rescued. I want him to see me as more than that."
Terry looked at her daughter. "I don't think Dalton has any issue seeing you as a woman. He is an ER doctor, and so he is a bit more…practical."
It was almost 2 am. Misty knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until she saw Dalton but that didn't mean her parents had to stay up. "If you two want to head to bed I can face the 'practical' doctor alone."
Chad chuckled. "I don't think she wants any witnesses."
Misty watched her parents head to bed. It was not even two minutes before she saw Dalton's headlights. The door was unlocked, so she waited for him to come in.
Dalton walked into Misty's house. He saw her on the sofa with her knees pulled up against her chest. Taking a deep breath, he walked over and sat down beside her. "You know we need to talk about this."
Misty nodded her head but remained silent.
Dalton put his arm around her and was relieved when she leaned into his side. "You have to start thinking Misty. You are a mom now. You can't just…" he trailed off as she began to cry. He pulled her closer and whispered softly. "I just found you. I can't let you go."
Misty nodded. She sniffled before she spoke. "I'm sorry. I just don't always think. I'm usually half way into the danger before it hits me what I'm doing."
Dalton closed his eyes. He remained calm as he spoke. "You need to figure out how to stop being so impulsive. I know you are used to 'sorry' being enough but Misty I can't imagine life without you now that I know you. You really have to stop and think."
Misty knew he was right. She had always had a bit of a wild streak. Thinking was not her strong point, but that was not because she couldn't stop and think it was because she chose not to. "I'll do a better job of thinking before I act. It scared me when I saw all of the blood."
Dalton paled at the thought and pulled her closer. His voice was shaky as he said. "Woman you are aging me ten years."
Misty giggled. She knew it wasn't funny. However, she had heard those words so many times. Her parents and her brothers said them more times than she could count. She leaned back and looked up at Dalton. "I promise I will start to think more before I act."
Dalton put his forehead against hers. "That is all I can ask."
Misty grinned. "I really can be a Texas-sized handful."
Dalton chuckled. "That you can be now let me take a look at the damage."
Misty watched as he took off her bandage. She had a feeling he was going to start lecturing her again when he saw the stitches. He gently felt it for heat and then asked. "Did you get a tetanus shot while you were in the ER?"
Misty didn't think before she spoke but darn she wished she had. "Nope, I had one two years ago when I fell out of a tree and onto a rusty piece of metal. Let me tell you that right there hurt like the very devil. There wasn’t as much blood as today, but when I was falling, it felt like a dream."
Dalton had remained calm until she started explaining why she had needed the shot. He was done looking at the damage and had her in his arms again. "You did what? What in the world were you doing in a tree?"
Misty shrugged her shoulders delicately. He knew darn well that gesture was anything but true. This woman didn't have a delicate bone in her body. "My neighbor's cat got out and was stuck
. It never occurred to me the thing would jump at my face. He was stuck up in a tree, and the kids were crying that he wouldn’t come down. It just made perfect sense to go up after him."
Dalton started to count to ten in his head before he spoke again. He took a deep breath and stayed calm. "That is the past. We just need to go forward from here. You promised me you would try to think from here on out."
Misty held her laughter inside as she was squished tightly against Dalton's chest. The poor man had paled when she had told him about the cat. There was no way she would be able to tell him about all of the other stuff she used to do. Of course, there would be some scars to explain. She decided to soothe him. "You are right. I promised to be a bunch more careful." She crooned as she patted his chest.
Dalton was not fooled for a second. He pulled away and looked at her. He couldn't help but notice her lack of eye contact. "What are you trying to avoid now?"
Misty was getting annoyed now. "You said that it was from here on out you were happy about. Really, Dalton, I don't understand why you need to hear about everything. I’m alive to tell the tales aren’t I?"
Dalton paled again. His voice was choked as he asked. "You mean there is more?"
Brock stood in the doorway watching the couple. He couldn't help laughing as he answered. "If you worked at the hospital we use you would know her by name."
Misty glared at her brother. "Now that is a lie. Only the older doctors know me by name. The new ones were just as shocked as Dalton that I had stood on my horse’s back which resulted in my little mishap."
Dalton started to rub his temples. Misty noticed and began to pat his leg. This soothing thing was exhausting. "It will be ok Dalton. I promised to start thinking before acting. I can tell you all about things later."
Dalton looked at Misty and realized he didn't want to know. "I think I'll live without knowing everything." He croaked out.
Misty didn't quite make eye contact with him as she agreed. "Ok."
Dalton knew he shouldn't ask. He had no idea why he did, but sure enough, he did. "What does that mean? That ‘Ok’ is not ok."
Misty grimaced as she answered. "If we end up…you know together…like married. You may have a few more questions, but hey like I said I’m alive to tell the tales."
Brock about died at the look on Dalton's face. Once he was done laughing, he said. "Maybe we should all head to bed. Dalton looks like he needs to process this a bit more."
Dalton watched Brock go back to his room. He looked over at Misty and stood up. She took his hand and let him help her up. She looked up into his eyes hesitantly. He knew she was worried about his thoughts. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "It will be ok."
Misty relaxed. "I was a bit worried you may see me as more of a kid than a woman." She admitted softly.
Dalton chuckled. "As much as I have learned tonight there is no way, Misty Adams, that I could think of you as a child."
Misty went to bed happy that Dalton had kept his cool. Dalton walked to his room thinking that one day he had all intentions of marrying a mental patient.