Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
“What the hell is going on?” Fawn demanded. “Why does River need a doctor? What injuries?”
“You—”
“Tell me what’s happened to River?” she bit out, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. She hadn’t liked the sound of Declan’s side of his telephone conversation at all.
“Apparently, he wasn’t conscious when Danny broke into your apartment.”
It felt as if a fist had struck and then penetrated Fawn’s chest, and it was now attempting to forcefully pull her heart out. “River was unconscious?”
Declan nodded. “But River said it was only for a very short time.”
Fawn was too agitated to appreciate Declan’s placating tone. “Any amount of time is too long in River’s case.”
“What is his ‘case’?”
“What was Danny’s assessment of the situation?” she demanded instead of answering him.
“He said River told him he felt dizzy, and then he blacked out. Danny says he must have hit the coffee table when he collapsed because he has facial injuries?—”
“Call Danny back and tell him to take River to the hospital immediately. Specifically, St. Anges’s. The same hospital River went to yesterday.”
“Not until—” He fell silent when Fawn reached out and grasped the front of his black T-shirt.
Which she then used to pull herself up until their faces were only inches apart. “I said call Danny back and have him take River to St. Agnes’s right now!” she repeated through clenched teeth.
“Why?”
“Because I fucking said so!”
“That isn’t an answer,” Declan reasoned.
“Right now, it’s the only one you’re going to get.”
Declan studied her for several obviously frustrated seconds before finally nodding.
“Fair enough.” He reached up to gently release the death grip she had of the front of his T-shirt before putting her away from him to take out his cell phone.
“I’ll tell Danny of the change of plan. Shall I also tell him we’ll meet the two of them at the hospital? ”
“Yes,” Fawn confirmed tightly. “Although maybe not you. After all, you were shot only ten days ago,” she added with a guilty grimace of realization.
“There’s absolutely no reason why you need to go too.
Okay,” she accepted that arrangement after a single glance at the harsh implacability of Declan’s expression warned her against continuing with that argument.
Declan held her gaze while he put a second call through to Danny, and while he issued those new instructions to the other man before then ringing off as abruptly.
“Well?” Fawn prompted when Declan made no attempt to walk toward the elevator.
“I understand you’re worried about your brother?—”
“An understatement!”
Declan inclined his head. “But you need to get yourself together before we get to the hospital, or you’re going to make the situation worse.”
“It can’t get any worse than it already is,” she assured him grimly.
Declan stepped into her space, the hold he took of both her arms preventing her from moving away. “Danny assures me this isn’t a life-or-death situation.”
“Danny can’t possibly say that with any authority.”
“He trained as a medic in the military.”
“This isn’t an in-the-field situation.”
“It’s starting to feel like one!”
She huffed. “Then stop arguing and get me to the hospital.”
Declan’s nostrils flared before he nodded. “But you have a lot of explaining to do once the doctors agree River is going to be okay. In the meantime…” He leaned forward and claimed her lips with his own.
All the pent-up worry and frustration about River was immediately channeled into a kiss that was mainly fueled by the anger emanating from both of them as much as it was from passion.
Fawn finally pulled away to glare up at him. “What the hell was that for?”
Declan returned her gaze calmly. “That was me warning you that although I might have been giving you the time to get used to this dynamic between the two of us, my time of waiting is now over.”
“What were you waiting for?”
“You.”
She gave an impatient shake of her head. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about, and right now, I really don’t have the time or inclination to do so.”
“You will,” he assured her. “Believe me, when we get back, we’ll be making time.”
Fawn knew from the determination in Declan’s expression that both those statements were a promise rather than a threat.
Whatever that warning meant, it wasn’t enough to make her back down from the having another argument once they reached the underground garage. Mainly because Declan had automatically gone to the driver’s side of the SUV.
Fawn followed him, holding her hand out, palm up, in a demand for the keys. “You aren’t fit enough to drive yet.”
He arched one brow over deep-blue eyes. “Do you even have a license?”
“I do.” A license she hadn’t used for the past two years, since her parents died.
There had been no reason for her to even own a car, let alone pay the exorbitant insurance and road tax, as well as finding somewhere to park it, when she no longer needed to drive to visit her parents.
But she still had a valid current driver’s license.
“Have you ever driven an automatic or a vehicle this size before?” Declan persisted.
“No, but how hard can it be?” she dismissed airily.
Declan released a long, deep breath. “Let’s see how you go.” He gave her the keys without further argument before walking round to the other side of the vehicle and getting into the passenger seat.
Bravado was a wonderful thing. So was gritty determination.
Unfortunately, neither of those things helped Fawn navigate through the process of driving an automatic SUV.
Not only was one of the pedals she was used to missing, namely the clutch, but the vehicle itself was twice as big as the little car she had driven and owned until two years ago.
But…she was too stubborn to admit any of that.
Nor did Declan make any comment for the long minutes it took Fawn to master both the new driving system and the size of the vehicle.
His shoulders looked a little tense when Fawn finally gave him a glance, but he had managed to remain silent.
Mainly because his lips were folded inwards and no doubt kept there by the bite of his teeth.
“Okay.” She finally broke the silence after ten minutes of less-than-stellar driving. “It’s much harder than I thought.” She narrowed her eyes at his raised brow. “I was talking about driving the SUV.”
“I never thought otherwise.” Declan smiled. “You seem to have mastered it now.”
She had. Sort of. But that didn’t prevent the overwhelming relief she felt when she finally turned the black vehicle into the visitors’ car park at St. Agnes’s. Or the wave of gratitude she felt when she was immediately able to turn into an empty spot left by another car that was just leaving.
“You did well,” Declan told her gruffly as he stepped out of the vehicle.
She really hadn’t. But having to concentrate on driving had at least meant that she hadn’t had the capacity to worry obsessively about River.
That changed the moment they entered the Accident and Emergency Department and the nurse on duty at reception, a woman probably aged in her early thirties, politely asked them to take a seat in the busy waiting area while she went to check whether the doctor would allow them into the cubicles at the back of the area where River apparently was.
“I’m his sister,” Fawn instantly bristled. “I’m also his next of kin.”
The nurse’s smile remained fixed in place. “He has a Mr. Walker currently sitting in the cubicle with him.”
“A sister overrules a friend.” Fawn had no idea how else to describe Danny Walker without raising alarm bells. Calling him River’s bodyguard would certainly do that.
The slightly older woman nodded. “And, as I said, I will go and speak to the doctor on duty.”
“I need to see my brother and ensure myself of his well-being. And I need to do that now,” Fawn demanded, her cheeks suddenly burning, with what seemed like temper but was actually worry for her brother.
It obviously sounded like the former to the nurse, if the way her smile faded and she sat up straighter in her chair was any indication.
“Might I remind you of the notice beside the door when you entered the hospital which states our strict no verbal or physical abuse policy? The penalty for challenging that policy is removal from both the hospital and the grounds.”
“You—”
“We understand,” Declan soothed pleasantly as he stepped forward to grasp Fawn’s arm, a slight and charming Irish lilt having entered his voice. “Miss Meadows is just very concerned about her brother.”
The nurse’s expression softened, her eyes wide with obvious interest as she studied Declan. “Of course.” She stood up. “I promise I’ll be back very shortly with news of Mr. Meadows,” she told Fawn, even as she gave Declan another coy smile.
“I—”
“Thank you,” Declan accepted in that lilting voice.
“Thank you?” Fawn turned on him as soon as the two of them were alone. “She wasn’t being in the least helpful?—”
“Are you going to calm down, or do you want me to kiss you again?” he bit out evenly.
Fawn studied his raised brow above that challenging gaze and closed her mouth with a sharp clack of teeth.
“Is that a yes or a no?”
“It’s an I haven’t decided .”
His mouth twisted. “Then I advise you to do so. And quickly, because time is running out.”
“Maybe the nurse would have done her job more efficiently if she hadn’t been so busy flirting with you after you deliberately let your Irish charm loose on her,” Fawn muttered.
“What?” He eyed her quizzically.
“You heard me,” she mumbled.
“Are you jealous?” Declan questioned incredulously.
Her head reared back. “Of course not.” To her chagrin, Fawn knew that was exactly what she was! “Does that Irish lilt always work?”
“Every time like a charm, me darlin’,” he deliberately exaggerated that accent.
Fawn gave a disgusted shake of her head. “No wonder that poor nurse was too busy looking at and listening to you to do her job prop?—”