Swimming For Seduction (Sexy As Sin)

22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Ricki

I sit between Brady and Tracey in the waiting room while we wait for the doctors treating Tyler to come in with news. This room is full of people waiting for news. Cory and Livvy sit across from us, waiting to hear how serious his sister’s injuries are after she was attacked in her tattoo shop. Becky’s family sits at the far end, waiting for her to get out of surgery. Since her side of the vehicle took the initial impact, her injuries were critical, and she was rushed directly to the operating room.

When a doctor that looks like he could play Doogie Howser if they ever decided to remake the show comes in and calls for the family of Tyler Sheppard, I sit up straight. Tracey squeezes my hand before standing to follow her aunt and uncle into the small room used for privacy. Thankfully, Tyler’s mom sticks her head out and calls me to join them before the door is closed.

“Tyler was very lucky,” the doctor says as his eyes bounce around the group. “He’s sustained a few cuts that require sutures, multiple bruises, and a pretty severe concussion. He’ll be sore for a while and we’d like to keep him here for a few days to monitor the concussion, but he should make a full recovery.”

“Oh, thank the Lord,” Mrs. Sheppard says, leaning against her husband for support as he asks, “Can we see him now?”

“Not just yet,” the doctor replies. “He’s in a sterile procedure room, getting his cuts cleaned and stitched up. Once that’s done, he’ll be transferred to a patient room. You can see him then. It will probably be about an hour.”

We make our way back to the waiting room just as a menacing looking man storms in and towers over Cory, demanding to know about Maxine’s condition. I’ve seen him at Ball Busters before, but I never realized how big he is. He’s taller than Brady’s six-three and wider than Devon who weighs around two-fifty. I’m not usually intimidated by men, but this guy looks just this side of feral as his eyes scan the room. Not to mention the bruised and split knuckles on his hands that are balled into fists at his side.

When Cory stands, Joey jumps between them. He doesn’t appear scared in the least despite the fact that he resembles a midget looking up at a giant as he faces the larger man. “Don’t make a scene here, Slade. Half the Sherriff’s department is here, waiting for news about Becky. They’ll haul you in.”

“The fuck they will,” Slade bellows before side-stepping a deputy and putting his hands up. “I’ll cool it,” he tells the officer before facing Cory again. “I just want to know if she’s okay.”

Cory shakes his head with a huff. “I don’t think she’ll ever be okay after what happened to her today.”

Before Slade can respond, another doctor steps into the waiting room and calls Cory to the room the Sheppards and I just left. Slade doesn’t wait for an invitation like I did. He barrels in right behind Cory and slams the door as everyone in the waiting room lets out a collective sigh of relief.

“There’s my firecracker ,” Tyler slurs as he looks up at me with a dopey grin when I step into his hospital room. “You gonna kiss all my boo-boos better.”

“Bobby,” Mrs. Sheppard gasps admonishingly. “Behave yourself.”

“At least until we leave.” Mr. Sheppard chuckles before dodging a backhand from his wife.

I ignore their banter as I survey Tyler’s battered face. He has butterfly strips on a cut above his left eyebrow and several stitches holding deeper cuts closed from his left cheekbone down to his jaw. His left arm is bandaged from his elbow to his wrist and I’m sure he has more stitches beneath the gauze.

Tyler assures me that it’s not as bad as it looks before asking his parents to go see if they can get an update on Becky’s condition since she was still in surgery when we left the trauma waiting room. As soon as the door closes behind them, he lifts his right hand to my face, wiping away the errant tears I failed to hold in.

“I love you,” I blurt out, refusing to hold back my feeling ever again. “But I’m going to kill you if you ever scare me like that again.”

Tyler laughs before wincing. “I’d say you should just punish me now, but maybe we should wait until I’m all healed up.”

“I can live with that.” I lean down and gently kiss his lips. “As long as I get to live with you.”

Tyler

After five hazy days in the hospital, I’m happy to be going home. I’m still restricted from screen time for another few days, but that’s fine with me as long as I get to sleep in my own bed…with my girl. Ricki hasn’t left my side since my accident, but my hospital bed wasn’t big enough for both of us and my injuries. So, she’s been sleeping on the pull-out recliner next to me.

My memories of the day of the accident have been coming back in bits and pieces. To be honest, I could live without them. Especially since the events of that day cost my best friend her life. Well, the life she’d dreamed of anyway since she had to forfeit her position in the upcoming FBI training class and it’s unlikely that she’ll be accepted in the future with her current medical records.

Becky sustained a broken shoulder and hip along with a ruptured spleen and several broken ribs. One of which punctured her lung. While I’m headed home today, she’s just leaving the I.C.U. and headed to the step-down unit where she’ll have a little more privacy. She’s expected to be in the hospital for at least a couple more weeks. Then, she’ll be in physical therapy for months before she’s ready to even consider going back to active police work.

Maxine’s physical injuries from her attack weren’t quite as severe, but her mental recovery will take much longer, if she recovers at all. Along with the beating that caused her broken arm and a concussion that resulted in a brain bleed, she was also raped by her attackers before she was able to reach the panic button at the front of her shop.

As far as law enforcement is concerned, her attackers are still at large. However, I doubt that’s the case when it comes to Slade Lockwood. If and when he finds them, they’re as good as dead for messing with someone he cares about. I’m a little relieved that I’m off duty for the foreseeable future while I heal, because I don’t want to be the one that’s tasked with bringing him in if he slips up and leaves a trail to follow. Although, that’s unlikely.

“We’re home,” Ricki says, pulling me from my thoughts as she parks her Escape in the Handicap parking lot closest to the entrance to our building. “Are you sure you don’t want me to call Devon to come down and carry you inside?” she teases, making me laugh.

“Laugh it up,” I tell her. “Just remember, you’re stuck nursing me back to health until you leave for Paris in three weeks."