The Fighter's Stubborn Lover (The Burton Brothers Series Book 2) by Leslie North

Debbie—the nurse in the pink scrubs who seemed to love bright colors, told her, “He needs to let his body heal—the swelling is down in his brain, and it’s looking good.”
    Avery stared at her “So why isn’t he awake?” No one gave her an answer that made sense. The doctors had performed yet another scan of his head, pronouncing him healing nicely, and the bruises and scrapes of his body were healing.
    But Mason himself seemed to be gone. And Avery kept thinking about all the stories she’d ever heard about people in commas who never woken. She kept thinking about Edward. She kept kicking herself for backsliding and letting the negative creep back in. Mason needed her to stay positive.
    All too soon, Dustin had to leave for his fight. He came to see Avery at the hospital. He stopped beside Mason’s bed. “How’s he doing?”
    Avery shook her head. “You better ask Mason. Hey, Mason, look who’s here. Dustin. He’s been working so hard—you’d be proud of him.” She motioned for Dustin to keep talking.
    With a sideways look at her, Dustin stepped up to the bed. “Yeah, working my ass off. Beck says I’m ready, but Bryant keeps telling me not to get cocky. He sounds a lot like you. And, uh, Anders got reserved seats for everyone. He says it’s going to be a media frenzy and everyone’s going to be asking about you. My big fight, and you get to be the star. And…and well, I gotta go now.”
    Standing, Avery gave Dustin a hug. “Be safe. Okay. Be smart. And…and…” She broke off and pulled in a breath. “And I’m going to be watching you from here on the pay per view, so you better be good.”
    Dustin gave her a smile. “How are you going to get a TV in IC?”
    “Oh, I’m going to make sure Mason can at least hear the fight.” 
    That took more doing than Avery anticipated. She had to argue with the doctors, the nurses, and the administrative staff. Since they were already talking about moving Mason out of intensive care, she convinced them to get Mason into a room near IC—and then she set about making sure the TV would handle the paid fight programs.
    She’d just gotten everything set up when the lesser fights were starting. Sitting down next to Mason, she took his hand. He’d lost his tan during his stay in the hospital and while it was no longer so strange to see him lying in a bed so very still, she knew she’d give anything for him to squeeze her fingers. Please…please just open your eyes. But he just lay propped up in his bed, the feeding tubes and monitoring wires hooked up to a body that seemed to be lacking in a soul.
    Sitting in the chair next to him and trying to watch him and the fight wasn’t working, so Avery tucked herself into Mason’s bed and held him close. “Better, hun?” she told him. “I can’t wait to get you home, you know. I bought some new pajamas—black and lacy, just for you.” She toyed with his hair as she spoke.
    The hospital staff had kept Mason shaved and bathed—and Avery had taken over some of that job from them. She liked rubbing a sponge over his muscles. Feeling the life and strength still in his body reminded her that he was still in this world—he was healing. And she’d talk to him when she washed him, telling him all the things she wanted to do with him when he was better. How she wanted to touch him—how she wanted to make love again.
    But his hair was getting long and curled on the ends now. “You need a haircut,” she said, bending close.
    From the TV, the crowd roared and she glanced at the screen. She winced when she saw one man getting pounded by another. For a moment, her chest tightened and her breath wheezed. She sipped down breaths and hugged Mason. “Oh, that wasn’t good. Did you see that? Dustin better not get thumped like that or I’m going to thumping you for not training him to be good enough.”
    Mason lay unmoving in her arms.
    The fight ended, and Dustin entered the arena. Avery’s palms grew sweaty. Her