Chapter 33
“Where is the doctor? I need to get out of here. I can just discharge myself, right?” She felt antsy. Worried about getting home and then to her shift at the bar.
What if Ryleigh needed help with Kye? Had Opal gotten to her job on time?
“You won’t be doing that,” Tanner told her firmly. “Have some more of your protein shake.”
Lilac shook her head. She didn’t want the shake. She just wanted to get out of here. Tanner had helped her take a shower and get dressed. It was now getting close to lunchtime, and she had a shift starting in six hours.
Thankfully, Opal had thought to pack her phone charger, so Lilac now had access to her phone. It had been a bit of a shock to plug it in and have so many messages pop up. Most were Opal and Ryleigh, but there were also messages from Devon, Cherie, and Peggy. Those had nearly had her tearing up.
“But I need to get out of here.”
“Lilac, everything will be fine. Just relax.”
There was a knock at the door and the doctor walked in with Abby.
Thank God.
She smiled at them both even though she wanted to ask what had taken so long.
Be polite, Lilac.
“Good morning, Lilac. How are you feeling today?” Doctor Martin asked.
“I’m feeling really good. Ready to get out of here.”
The doctor smiled. “That’s good. Any dizziness? Feeling of weakness? Headaches?”
“Nope. I’ve been all good.”
“I’ve been keeping a close eye on her when she gets out of bed,” Tanner offered.
“I’ve heard you’ve been a big help,” the doctor smiled at Tanner.
For some reason, that made her want to frown. Was she feeling jealous? Of the doctor who had to be at least fifteen years older than Tanner?
Don’t be an idiot.
Besides, Tanner doesn’t belong to you.
Still, she felt like she needed to lay some sort of claim on him. It was an itch beneath her skin.
To her surprise, he placed his hand on hers. Immediately, she felt calmer.
It was so strange, sometimes his touch was calming. Other times, it excited her.
“The ultrasound came back clear. But your bloodwork showed that you are anemic and low in several vitamins. So, I’m going to prescribe iron tablets. And you will need another blood test in three months.”
Great. She had no idea where she would be in three months.
“I’d like you to consider talking to someone as well,” she went on in a kind voice. But it still made Lilac squirm on the inside.
Tell a stranger everything?
How could she possibly do that without endangering them? Without stripping herself raw?
Would there be anything left if she did that?
“How did the protein drinks go?” the doctor asked.
“They’re nice,” Lilac said in a cheerful voice.
Yep, she was gonna fake it until she made it out of there.
“It’s hard to get her to drink a whole one,” Tanner said. “Or to eat much more than a few bites.”
Shoot. What a tattletale. She glared at him.
“All right, the dietitian at the hospital is coming to see you soon so she can talk through some food plans.”
Crap.
“But I need to leave. I have to get home.”
The doctor studied her. “Your color is better. You seem more alert today, but I am worried about you. However, I’d be willing to discharge you if you promise to take it easy for at least a few days. No running. No work. Try to eat regularly, drink lots of water, and attempt to get rid of some stress.”
Right.
The only way to get rid of most of her stress was to kill Stefan.
Sure, she’d get onto that.
“Okay, I can do that,” she lied.
“Very well. After you’ve seen the dietitian, we’ll put through the discharge papers.”
Urgh. She nearly groaned. But she could still make her shift. Hopefully.
“All right.”
“And I’d prefer that you had someone take care of you while you’re resting. I don’t want you moving around too quickly and getting dizzy.”
“That’s covered,” Tanner said.
“I thought it might be.” The doctor smiled at him again.
The doctor was really nice, but Lilac didn’t like the way she kept smiling at Tanner.
You’re being irrational.
The doctor and Abby left, and Lilac turned to Tanner. But a knock interrupted her before she could ask him anything.
In walked another woman who introduced herself as the dietitian.
Damn it.
Keep on faking it, Lilac.
* * *
Twenty minutes later,the dietitian left, and Lilac’s mind felt like mush.
Tanner had done most of the talking and he now held several pages filled with menu plans and food suggestions.
“You took that very seriously,” she commented. He’d listened to everything the enthusiastic woman had to say.
“Of course I did. I need to know what to feed you. Apparently, lots of liver and spinach. Yum-yum.”
“Tanner! That’s not what she said!”
“Joking.” He grinned.
“And you don’t need to feed me. I can feed myself.”
He shot her a look. Okay, so they both knew that was a lie. Still, what was he planning on doing? Coming into town each night to feed her dinner? That would be crazy.
“The bunkhouse isn’t the nicest place in the world, but all of my brothers have moved out so it’s private. I can’t really cook. Mia is a great cook, though. I’m sure she can cook liver and make it kind of palatable.”
She sighed. “I can’t go home with you, Tanner. I’ve got responsibilities.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Your friends and Kye are welcome to come too.”
“It’s not that . . . how would I make my shifts at the bar and diner if I’m staying on your Ranch?” she told him, reasonably.
“Baby, you’re not working for at least a week. You heard the doctor. You need to rest.”
“First of all, she said a couple of days.”
“A week would be better,” he told her. “And I don’t think we should give it a time limit. You need rest.”
“But I can’t rest. I only just got those jobs. How will I pay to fix Sugar if I can’t work for the next week?”
Frankly, the idea terrified her.
“No, baby. You’re not hearing me. You don’t have to take care of anyone. Not even yourself. Because I’m doing it all now. Remember? You’re giving the decisions to me to handle.”
But that was just a pipe dream. It wouldn’t work in reality.
“I appreciate you wanting to help me. To take care of me. But that just won’t work.”
His eyebrows rose. “You’re talking like you have a choice.”
“Tanner, be serious.”
“Lilac, I know that a lot of the time, it might seem like I’m not taking things seriously. But I can assure you that when it comes to someone I care about, I am very serious about their health and safety. You are coming home with me so I can look after you.”
Fuck.
Tanner hated how lost and vulnerable she looked. She was staring at him with a mix of confusion and longing. As though she couldn’t imagine someone wanting to take care of her.
Her brother had a lot to answer for.
Fucking asshole.
Tanner knew he was going to have to undo years of damage that asshole had done. Along with that bitch nanny who was meant to take care of her. Who should have protected her.
Then there was her father, who had put his son before his vulnerable daughter.
Fuck. Had no one ever put this girl first?
But that was all right. He wasn’t entering into this relationship with anything but forever in mind. So, he had time to undo all of her beliefs. That she had to do it all on her own and take care of everyone else. Put herself last.
Yep. He wanted forever.
And a Malone always got what he wanted.
“You know, I think I started falling for you the minute I met you. Definitely when I saw you try to throw that first dart.”
A sob escaped her, and he stared at her in confusion. He didn’t think that would upset her.
“You won’t feel that way once you know the full truth,” she told him.
He frowned at the despair on her face. The fear in her eyes. He was trying to reassure her. “What do you mean? Is this about your brother? Baby, I don’t know how you came to be on the run from him or how Opal and Ryleigh come into it. But I am going to protect you from him. You are never going back to him.”
“No, you don’t understand, Tanner,” she said. “I’m not talking about Stefan and why I left. I’m talking about meeting you. It wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t a chance encounter.”
He froze. “What does that mean?”
“I’ve always known who you were. I searched you out. I went there to get to know you.”
“Why . . . why would you do that?” he asked.
He was vaguely aware of the door opening slightly. But he couldn’t look away from Lilac.
He had a feeling that whatever she was about to say was going to blow his world apart.
Another sob. God, she was so sad that he couldn’t stand it.
“Just tell me, Lilac.”
“I c-can’t.”
“Lilac,” he said sternly. “I’m your guardian. More than that, I’m the guy who fucking loves you. So, you need to be honest with me.”
“You l-love me?” Her eyes were wide, her breathing fast. Abby had disconnected her from all of the monitors already.
He took her hand in his, holding it. Fuck, she was so cold.
“I love you,” he stated.
“You shouldn’t. I’m a fucking cancer.”
“Stop that,” he said fiercely. “I’ve told you about talking about yourself like that.”
Standing, he grabbed the blanket from the end of the bed. That’s when he spotted Alec standing in the doorway, hidden from Lilac. Tanner shot him a look. What was he doing? Eavesdropping? Alec had always gotten angry when they used to do that to him.
Alec was frowning fiercely. Tanner didn’t like the look on his face. This was between him and Lilac.
He didn’t need his big brother riding to his rescue. Or interfering.
Fuck. Who was he kidding? All of his brothers were interfering bastards. He should be grateful that only Alec was here.
Tanner covered Lilac with the blanket. She stared up at him listlessly. As though she’d retreated into herself to protect herself.
“Now, tell me why you searched me out. Did you hear how sexy and smart I am, and you had to find out for yourself?” he teased, but that knot in his stomach was growing.
What reason would she have to seek him out?
“I really can’t. It’s not my secret. I just . . . I didn’t want you to find out later. I didn’t want to fall into the fantasy of being yours, only for you to reject me.”
He frowned. “Lilac, that wouldn’t happen. I’d never reject you.”
She smiled sadly.
“Just tell me,” he urged. “We’ll work through it. Tell me why you sought me out. Why me in particular?”
“That’s just it. It wasn’t you in particular. I just found you before I found Raid.”
His frowned. “So, you were after one of us because . . .”
“You were a Malone. I went to that bar to find a Malone.”
“Why, Lilac?” Alec chose that moment to step into the room. Bastard. “Why were you searching us out? I thought it was odd that you ran out on Tanner and then turned up here six months later. But I figured maybe you were here because you were tired of running. Because you liked the sound of Haven. Or perhaps you realized what a mistake you’d made, leaving Tanner. Seems I might have been too generous in giving you the benefit of the doubt.”
Lilac flinched, going pale. Tanner turned to glare at his brother. “Alec, that’s enough!”
“She has an ulterior motive in coming here, Tanner,” Alec warned.
“She’s scared. She’s on the run from her asshole brother and needs protection.”
Alec nodded. “I can believe all that. But if she was sent to spy on us, to gather information that might hurt us . . . then that becomes a different story. So, what is it, Lilac? Were you sent to destroy us? Or is there something else going on?”
“You can tell us, baby,” Tanner told her. “I don’t care if you were sent to find us for someone. Is it your brother? Do we know him? Did he send you to spy on us?”
“What? No. No, that’s not it. I’m trying to hide from him. I shouldn’t have said anything . . . I just wanted you to hear the truth from me. Because I couldn’t stand to have it all, then have it ripped away from me.”
“Lilac,” Tanner whispered. “Just tell us. Whatever it is, we can fix it.”
“Are you a threat to my family, Lilac?” Alec asked in a low voice.
“No! No, I promise I’m no threat. I wasn’t sent to gather information for anyone. Especially not my brother. I don’t want to harm any of you.”
Alec nodded, some of the tension leaving his body.
Tanner knew there was nothing that Alec wouldn’t do to protect his family. He wouldn’t physically hurt Lilac, but he wouldn’t hesitate to ensure that she never came near them again.
“Then you shouldn’t mind telling us,” Alec said.
He wasn’t getting angry or being overtly intimidating. But she still stared at Alec with wide eyes.
“Alec isn’t going to harm you, Lilac,” Tanner reassured her. “We just need the truth.”
“And I keep telling you. I can’t tell you. It’s not my secret.”
Alec grunted. “Then I’m sure you’ll understand why I can’t have you around my family until I know.”
“Alec!” Tanner protested.
The door to her room opened and Abby stepped in. She stared around them, frowning. “Is everything all right in here?”
She managed to force a smile even though she felt like crying. It was fine. Everything was fine.
“Fine,” she said tightly. “Am I good to go?”
“Uh, yes. Discharge papers with the doctor’s instructions. A script for iron tablets. You’ll need another blood test in three months. You can go to the clinic in Haven for that.”
Right. Except she wouldn’t be here.
“Doctor Martin would like you to follow up with one of the doctors in Haven in a weeks’ time to check on you. If you feel faint, dizzy, or have any chest pains, then come back here. Tanner, you’re taking her home?”
“No, he’s not,” she managed to say.
Abby gave her a worried look.
“I’m here to pick them both up,” Alec said. “Tanner’s truck got towed.”
It had? He’d never said anything.
Abby grimaced, nodding. “They’re really strict. I wish it was a business from Haven, but it’s that one in Freestown. You’ll have to go there and pay the fine.”
“I will,” Tanner said gruffly. “Thanks for all of this, Abby.”
“No problem. I’ll get a wheelchair.”
She thought about asking Abby to order a rideshare for her. But she could do that herself. Abby left and she grabbed her phone, bringing up the app.
“What are you doing?” Tanner asked, frowning. He peered down at her phone.
“Have you ever heard of privacy?” she snapped.
“You’re trying to order a ride?” he asked.
“You’re not taking a taxi,” Alec replied. “We’re taking you home.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She was trying to keep herself from losing it, but she was on the verge of tears.
She just wanted to get away from them.
Away from Tanner . . .
Don’t lose it. Don’t lose it.
Before Alec could reply, Abby returned. Tanner pulled the blanket off her before lifting her into the wheelchair.
“I’ve got this, Abby,” he told her.
“All right. You’re in good hands.” Abby patted her shoulders. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope I don’t see you back here, Lilac.”
She smiled up at the kind woman. “Same.”
“But if you ever want to catch up some other time, that would be fun. Don’t let these guys bulldoze you.”
Abby left and she was left alone with the two Malone men.
So. This was going to be fun.