A few minutes after the doctor left, Nick stuck his head in the doorway. “I see that you are awake, thank God.” Nick’s prissy voice didn’t have any of its usual playfulness. The blonde could see he hadn’t slept much. Walking further into the room, he pulled a chair to his bedside. “How are you feeling at the moment?”
“I’m hurting. The nurse will be bringing me something for the pain soon, I hope.” Sam was massaging her thigh as she talked. “So tell me what happened.”
Sparing no details, Nick rehashed everything from the moment the car brakes went out to Addison pulling her from the wreckage up until the moment she woke up. “I watched the tapes myself, Sam. Becca, Dana, and James are all going to serve serious amounts of jail time after the stunt they pulled. Becca is already in lock-up, but of course Dana and James are missing.”
The nurse came in, stopping what Sam was about to say, and inserted the pain medication into the IV. “You should feel a bit better in a few minutes. This works rather quickly.”
Sam thanked her and waited until she left before asking Nick a question. “How is Addison? How bad are her hands?” The memory of her dream tickled her mind and she knew what she was going to do, but she had to know.
“I’m not going to bullshit you, we were scared at first, but she’s going to be able to have full use of them. The doctors can’t say how soon, but they have assured me that she can drive,” Nick explained, turning on his phone to show Sam several pictures of raw skinned hands that were quickly healing. “The board wanted up-to-date photos to know if they needed replacement drivers.”
Sam nodded her head and handed the phone back to Nick. “If I know Addi, that’s not gonna happen. She’ll drive because she won’t want to let me or the company down. I may release her from her contract though.”
“What?!” Nick almost yelled. “After that girl saved your life? And almost lost her hands in the process?” He was both furious and dumb struck.
“It has nothing to do with that, Nick, and you keep your voice down. It’s for her own safety. I messed up. I didn’t check my car. It was my responsibility to make sure that everything was in its proper place, and if I had, we wouldn’t be here right now, and she wouldn’t be hurt,” Sam snarled back. She was glad that the meds had kicked in because she really didn’t want to go into this, feeling like shit.
“Sam...” Nick sounded amazed. “That is ridiculous logic; no one knew what could have and what did happen. Someone else botched your car, and hers. Things happen, don’t blame yourself, you can’t control everything. But don’t punish Addison by firing her.”
“I don’t want to have to face her mother, knowing that I was the reason that her daughter was hurt. Would you want to do that Nick?” The blonde raked the hand that didn’t have the IV in it through her hair.
“No, and you aren’t going to have to face her mother knowing that, Sam, because it wasn’t your fault. There has to be some other resolution to this? Don’t make the company suffer.” He said nothing about what Sam would probably do to Addison.
Her friend said the one thing that made Sam pause. It would not be good for business if she let Addi out of the contract. They had already spent too much money on her training and equipment for that. “Fine...” she growled back.
“These meds make you mean,” Nick commented. He hoped Sam healed soon; he didn’t like the idea of her drugged up. “So I take it you don’t want to see Addison at all then?”
“I didn’t say that Nick. Quit thinking for me. You may be my oldest friend, but I’m still here and in charge. The clause for you and Neely to take over is only in the event of my incapacitation or death. You’re not the boss yet.” She scooted upright. “I’ll see Addi when she wants, and whatever happens between us is none of your business.”
The man knew his place at the moment, and it was time for him to be the assistant, not the friend. “Understood. She wants to see you soon, and she knows you’re awake.”
“Okay, whenever she wants to come in, she can.” Sam softened her tone. “Nicky, I do appreciate everything that you did and do for me, but I can’t allow you to tell me what to do. It isn’t your name on the company, so if it goes down, it’s my responsibility and I won’t shirk from it anymore.”
“I know.” Nick gave a brief smile before he stood up. “I’ll let her know you’re up to accepting visitors.”
“Thank you.” Sam leaned back against the pillow again and turned her head to stare out the window. All she could see was an evening sky and a few clouds.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Addison was sitting cross-legged on her hospital bed, hands lightly wrapped with gauze as she ate some Jell-O. At least it was green, her favorite kind. She thought about Sam, racing, that day, the accident, and more about Sam. Sitting up, she put her empty bowl on the table and moved to look out the window. Hopefully Neely or Nick would come fetch her soon to visit Sam. She couldn’t wait to kiss those lips and hear that voice. How long had it truly been since she had seen the woman?
“Hey...how are you feeling?” Nick opened the door and walked in. “Was your dinner alright?”
“It was okay; it is hospital food, after all.” Addison turned and smiled at Nick. “How is she?”
“She’s being the boss, that’s for sure. She says that you can go in if you want.” He went over to her bed and straightened the bedding.
She’d never seen Nick really fuss over anything, but the redhead didn’t mention it. Instead, she picked up her bag and went into the bathroom to change into a fresh pair of sweats and ran a brush through her hair. After being somewhat happy with her appearance, she tied her hair up into a pony tail and slipped on a pair of crocs her mom had bought her. Addison left the bathroom ready to see her girlfriend and make sure she was alright. “Let’s go Nick.”
They walked down the hall a couple of doors and before he pushed open Sam’s door, he turned to the young woman. “She has already taken her pain medication so she might say some pretty strange things. Okay?”
Addi gave Nick a confused look before a slow nod. “Um, okay....” She walked through the door and immediately, all she could see was Sam staring out the window, a look of determination on her face. “Sam?” Addison asked. She had that same feeling she had on race day again, and she was starting to have a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Sam’s head swiveled around to the door and before she could stop herself, she smiled and said, “Hey...you are the best thing that I’ve seen in a long time.”
“I am sure I could argue with that.” Addison walked further into the room and took Nick’s former seat at Sam’s bedside. She smiled at the blonde and placed a gauze covered hand over her girlfriends. “How are you feeling?”
“Right now I’m feeling pretty damn good, but how are you? I hear that you rescued me.” Sam stared at Addison’s hands. “Are you in pain?”
“It comes and goes, but I’m fine.” Addi waved one of the wrapped hands in the air. “And I did what anyone crazy in love would do.” Gray eyes watched Sam’s face trying to gauge her mood.
“Crazy is the underlying word there. Thank you, Darlin’.” Sam smiled at her blocker.
Addison shrugged, leaning back in her chair. “I’m just glad you are awake and alive; there isn’t anything I wouldn’t sacrifice to make sure that continues to be your condition.”
Frowning, Sam let go of Addison’s hands as she got comfortable in the chair. “Is something wrong Darlin’?”
“No, just haven’t been sleeping well since the accident,” the blocker explained truthfully. “Nightmares and hospital food.”
Sam shook her head. “Well, no more nightmares and you can go to the hotel if you want. I’m sure that you would enjoy a nice comfortable bed and to be someplace where they don’t wake you up every few hours to draw blood. You can stay with me during the day if you want and go back at night. I’m also sure that your family would love it.”
The redhead scooted forward in her chair and once again took Sam’
s hands between her bandaged fingers. Looking down, she wished for the hundredth time her hands were healed so she could feel Sam’s skin against hers. Just to feel the warmth between them. “I don’t know if I want to be that far away from you at night,” Addi confessed.
“Darlin’, you can stay anywhere you want. I just want to make sure that you’re safe and happy.” Sam berated herself as she was giving in to what her heart wanted and not what her head and her father said was the smart thing to do.
“Thanks Sammie.” Addison gave her lover an honest smile. Reaching up, she tapped an IV bag hanging from Sam’s bedside. “What do they have you on? The good stuff?” Addison looked back at Sam, her eyes were a bit glassy. At least her girlfriend wasn’t in pain.
Sam grinned. “It’s pretty good. I’m flyin’ high right now.”
“I can tell.” Reaching up, the redhead pushed a lock of stray blonde hair out of Sam’s eyes. “Your eyes look like a cartoon characters, all glassy and what not.”
“Well then, I must have really bad breath because you haven’t even given me a kiss yet. If you will hand me a toothbrush and some water, I can take care of that situation,” Sam suggested.
“Coming right up.” Addison smiled, opening up a bag near the end of the bed and pulled out a toothbrush and some toothpaste. Then she picked up Sam’s water cup and went to fill it up in the sink. Returning she handed it to the other driver. “Here you go, Sammie.”
Taking a few moments, Sam brushed her teeth and rinsed out her mouth before handing everything back to the redhead. “Okay, squeaky clean.”
Addi took all of the items from Sam and set them on a tray before she slowly leaned down, her lips inches from Sam’s. “Now about that kiss....”
“Yeah, about that kiss,” Sam whispered.
Addi grinned and carefully pressed their lips together in a slow, loving kiss. The younger woman tried to pour her heart and soul into the kiss to let Sam know how worried she had been and how much she loved her.
Sam moaned and reached up to pull Addi closer. “Thank you for saving me Addi.”
“I love you...” Addison almost sobbed out of pure emotion, but she held it together for Sam. “I...I couldn’t watch you die.”
“You didn’t, so let’s just move on from here.” Sam held the young woman close and rubbed her back. She knew that Addi was really emotional right now and it would be some time before she was back to normal.
“Sorry....” Addison wiped away her tears, trying to laugh it off as she pulled back. It felt good to have Sam hold her, but it wasn’t the time for her to be weak. She needed to be strong for both her family and Sam.
Reaching up, Sam caressed Addi’s face. “You know that it’s alright to cry don’t you. It’s not good for you to keep things bottled up and I won’t think any less of you if you do. In fact, I will worry if you don’t.”
“Being strong is the only thing keeping me from breaking down,” Addison explained as she leaned into Sam’s touch. “But I need to know what we are going to do about you and this....” Addi indicated to her lover’s leg. “What did the doctor say?”
“That I’m gonna be here for a while. At least another week in the hospital and then he will discharge me, but not to fly home. I’m gonna have to hang around here for a while until I’m cleared. That means I’m gonna have to find a house or something to rent.” Sam leaned her head back for a moment as she got light-headed. “Maybe you and Nick can go find us something.”
“Then my family...our family can stay here with us together.” Addison smiled brightly though she was unhappy about Sam’s ailing condition. The break to her leg was severe; the doctor had explained it to her the night before.
“Yeah, they can if they want to, though I’m sure that if they do, your mom would have to enroll Clint and Maddie in school,” Sam answered and then gave a small yawn. The meds were beginning to make her drowsy.
“We will talk about that when you wake up. Right now I think you probably could use some sleep.” Addison stood up and walked over to the window to draw the blinds to block out the city lights.
“I’ve spent enough time asleep,” Sam complained even as her eyes were closing.
Addison didn’t say anything but just pulled the covers up under Sam’s chin and kissed her forehead softly. “I’ll see you when you wake up Sammie.”
“M’kay,” Sam mumbled right before she gave a soft snore.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Over the next few days, Sam suffered through more testing while Addison and Nick were out scouring Sydney for a place big enough for Sam and her newly expanded family. Nick left an iPad with Sam and they sent videos of different properties that they were looking at so she would feel like she was involved in the decision.
Finally, Sam settled on a house of beauty settled on quiet beach overlooking the ocean. Thankfully the house was one story which was easy for Sam to navigate in a wheelchair. The home also had a separate living area for Maddie, Clint, and Charlotte and Sam had her own space. Neely would be moving to Australia to look after Sam since Nick would need to look after Addison on the road.
After the first few days in the home, Sam settled in nicely with Neely there to help her. Addison however was counting down the days with dread until she left. She knew soon she would be out on the road alone without Sam. It would be hard, but it was something she had to do. For Sam, and for the company. She had to be an adult now.
At the moment, Sam was still asleep, while Addison, being the early riser, was out swimming laps to burn some energy.
Neely had gone to the local market and had fallen in love with all of the fresh fruits and vegetables so she was in the kitchen, juicing and fixing enough food for the whole crowd. “Addi...” she called out.
Reaching out to touch the wall, Addi lifted her head to take a breath and heard Neely call out to her. The redhead pushed her hair back and lifted her face up out of the water. “Yes ma’am?” she answered.
“Would you go get her royal highness up out of that bed? The Doctor said that she could move around with crutches and if she doesn’t, she’s gonna get all fat,” the black woman joked. “I’m the only one allowed to be a rolly-polly.”
“You got it.” Addi lifted herself up out of the pool, grabbed her towel, and walked over to the outdoor shower. The blocker rinsed out her hair, then bathed quickly with a bar of soap and a bit of shampoo before rinsing off again and wrapping her towel around her body. She jogged across the patio and through a set of glass doors to Sam’s master suite.
When she entered the blonde’s bedroom, she felt a sharp pang in her chest watching her boss sleep. Sam was every bit the super model beauty the press made her out to be and sometimes Addi felt inferior to that kind of a woman, but Sam was always the first to reassure her that she wasn’t what the press made her. And Addi believed her.
Walking over to the bed, Addison pushed Sam’s hair back from her face before cupping her cheek affectionately. “Sam...” she whispered. “Neely says it’s time to get up.”
Sam groaned as she reached out to pull the still damp woman into bed with her. “Neely’s up, so that’s good enough. I want to snuggle.”
“But I’m all wet from the pool...don’t you want me to dry off?” Addison asked with a soft voice even though she was smiling, her arms sliding around Sam.
“No, because I might get you wet all over again.” Sam turned her head to smile up at her lover.
The redhead blushed a very deep shade of red before she gently kissed Sam’s lips. “I don’t know if the doctor cleared you for that kind of physical activity yet.” Soft lips caressed Sam’s, teasing her gently but firmly.
“He didn’t say anything about me not pleasing you.” Sam let her tongue trace the outline of Addi’s bottom lip.
“Sam...” Addison breathed. She knew she was fighting a losing battle. Sam’s ability to make her quiver with just a touch was something the redhead loved. It was like she was the harp, and Sam was the musician.
�
�If you don’t want to, we don’t have to,” Sam offered, but she didn’t pull away and her hands were trying to unwrap the towel from Addi’s body.
“You won’t hear any argument from me, Sammie....” Addison smiled, leaning down to press her lips against Sam’s for another heated kiss. She moved her hands away from her towel in silent permission for the blonde to take it off.
Tugging off the towel, Sam groaned as the redhead fitted against her. “I just want to touch you.”
Stormy gray eyes closed slowly as Addison felt her body slide against the taller woman’s. “I am here with you Sam. You can touch me any way you want...” she responded.
Sam let her fingers slide underneath the bottoms of Addi’s swimsuit to cup her ass, sliding her good leg between the woman’s thighs.
“God...Sammie...” Addison whispered as she devoured Sam’s lips, her tongue parting them for a hungry but loving kiss. She was careful not to hurt Sam’s bad leg, straddling her body carefully.
“Mmm...I like it when you’re above me,” Sam murmured. She moved her hands from Addi’s waist to reach up to push up the white and pink polka dot top so that she could cup the perfect breasts.
“And why is that?” the blocker breathed as her breath hitched. Her eyes almost rolled up into her skull as Sam’s hands pushed up her top. She reached up and placed her hands on either side of Sam’s head to try to keep her balance.
“Because I love the way that your hair feels on my body...” Sam reached around with one hand to unclasp the top. “Take it off Addi...I want to see you...all of you, take it all off.”
Addison sat up on her knees above Sam, her hands raised to the straps that tied behind her neck as she slowly undid them and took off the top. She dropped it off the side of the bed, her eyes never leaving Sam’s. Then her hands dropped to her bikini bottoms, toying with them.
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