Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
It took a few days before Kennedy was allowed to leave the hospital and head home.
Something that Kennedy had called Walker out on when he seemed a little too eager for her to stay there.
"Don't expect me to believe you don't know what's going on?"
Walker had smiled at her and then wiped the smile off of his face a moment later. "Me? Hey, I don't control the doctors here. Roan isn't even back from his honeymoon. I have no pull."
"No, I've seen your sister talking to the head of the emergency department. And you," she narrowed her eyes at him, "I probably shouldn't tip my hat like this, but I can read you better than you know."
Walker sat down in the chair beside her bed. "Well, you're going home today."
She huffed and settled back against her pillows. "So, is it safe now?"
She caught sight of the muscle that tensed in his jaw.
"Jeezus, Kennedy."
She smiled at him, seeing how worried he was.
"So that's what it was? You were worried about the danger?"
Walker leaned forward, pressing his face into his hands.
"Walker?"
She reached over and put her hand on his shoulder.
She felt him tremble a little and started to pull her hand away, but he stopped her, placing his hand over hers.
When he looked up at her, she saw something in his eyes.
Something she hadn't expected to see, and it hit her hard.
He looked... vulnerable.
He squeezed her hand, and she felt him... tremble.
She'd never expected that from him.
No, she did.
Just... She'd never known if or when she would see it from him.
He was so sure of himself.
So... brash and proud.
It was only recently that she'd known how deep his choppy waters ran.
But here he was, sitting beside her bed looking rumpled and worn in more than the state of his posture or clothing.
He looked lost.
And she didn't like that one bit.
"Walker?"
He drew in a breath, and she felt it as if it was her own.
And even though it was just his hand touching hers, she swore she could feel the beating of his heart through their hands.
It was strange. Such a romantic feeling that she shouldn't have expected when it came to Walker, but there it was.
He took her hand in his as he stood up from the chair.
Walker moved closer until his thigh touched the bed.
She gave their joined hands a tug and he sat down beside her.
"What aren't you telling me?"
He shook his head.
She tugged on his hand, bringing it into her lap.
"Walker, if there's one thing I know, it's that you're not the kind of guy that keeps secrets like this."
He scoffed, lifting his head and lowering it.
"I don't like seeing you like this, Walker."
"Like what?"
She heard the edge in his voice and while it hurt, she knew it wasn't directed at her.
Well, not really.
She knew it was directed at himself.
She waited for him to speak before she realized that he wasn't going to say anything.
Not like this.
"I love you, Walker, but..."
She felt him tense, but she knew she still had to say what she was thinking.
"But I'm not going to be okay with secrets like this. You and me. I hope we work, Walker, but I'm not going to be okay with you keeping things from me no matter what you think is a good reason for it. I'm a big girl. No. I'm a woman. And no matter how I feel about you, I'm going to have to insist that you tell me what we're up against."
She saw the way his eyebrow lifted.
And then she saw a hint of a smile.
"Kennedy-"
She drew in a breath and listened.
"I bet you wonder why your shooting was on the news, but not the men that shot you."
He watched her and felt it when she tensed up.
She nodded. Just a hint of movement.
"You want the truth. Okay."
Someone walked by the door and he heard a conversation starting down the hall.
In her hospital room, he felt like they were completely isolated from the world even though it was all just outside the door.
"There were two men in the car. There were reports that led us to the car. And their bodies."
She didn't make a sound. He swore that he could hear her heart beating in her chest.
"Jacob Rafferty. He's another detective."
A slight smile.
He nodded. "You know who he is." He shook his head. "I doubt there's a person that I could talk about in this story that you wouldn't know."
She breathed in, her eyes on his face.
"What I'm about to tell you isn't public knowledge. As a reporter-"
"I won't tell."
He smiled at her earnest tone. She was speaking off the cuff. He knew that she meant it.
"Jacob and I think that someone else killed them. It looks like they killed each other, but..."
"It wasn't obvious. No evidence?"
He smiled at Kennedy. "You're too smart for your own good."
She smiled back. "I have to be... around you. I hate to think what you could pull over on me if I wasn't."
"There's something going on and we're investigating it. I... We thought it was safer for you to stay in the hospital for a few days. I was hoping to get it all sorted out before... before they had to send you home."
She was just too damn smart. The way she looked at him, it was like she was reading a book. She knew that it hadn't been resolved, but she wasn't scared. He actually saw that she was pissed.
"So, I have an offer to make you."
There. He'd surprised her.
Her eyes widened a little. "What's the offer?"
"You have an apartment. A lot of people around. Pretty secure."
"It's good."
"My upstairs duplex is decent. My security system is better, but I don't like that it's out in the open. I'd worry about you too much."
She frowned and he reached out a hand, smoothing the tip of his pointer finger between her brows.
"I want to stay close to you."
"To protect me? I... I don't know... I don't want you to get hurt-"
"Me?"
She nodded, the frown lines between her brows deepening.
"Yeah. I don't want you to get hurt, Walker."
He almost started to laugh but she looked so serious.
"This is my ham-handed way of asking you if you'd let me move in with you... until this is over."
Okay, he'd messed that up.
Lifting her hand to his mouth, he placed a kiss on the back of her hand. "If you weren't stitched up and healing from a gunshot wound, I'd still be asking to spend more time with you, Dee."
Her nose scrunched up a little before she smiled. "I like that nickname."
"Well, I love you, Dee."
He wasn't used to her being speechless, but it was nice to know he could shock her every once in a while.
"I do. I don't know if you'll believe me, but it's true."
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a box.
He saw her frown deepen, but when he opened it, her whole expression changed.
"Is that?"
Walker shrugged, unsure of how she'd take the answer.
"It's not exactly a ring, Dee. But I don't know your style well enough to pick out something now. So, I hope you like this."
He took the bracelet out of the box and the chain and charms spilled over his fingers. He put it in her hand, and he watched as she used the fingers of her other hand to touch and turn each charm as she looked at them. "A microphone."
Walker nodded. "It was hard finding one that looked like your microphone that you take on shoots- I mean-"
"On location." She smiled at him. "It matches perfectly."
Then she moved to the other charm.
"A beer mug?"
For a moment he winced, wondering if he'd made a mistake. "For that night you helped Kate-"
"At the bar?"
He nodded. "I'm pretty sure I was a dick to you that night."
She shrugged. "You're forgiven. Have been."
The next charm. "A church. For the wedding?"
"Yeah." He saw tears gathering on her lashes. "Dee, don't cry."
Her gaze lifted to meet his and he swore he saw the rest of his life in those beautiful eyes. "I'm not good with tears. Roan is better with tears. Hell, Kate is better with tears."
"Kate's a force of nature, but I'm not with her." She held out her hand to him and he frowned, looking at the charm bracelet in her hand. "And Roan? He's sweet, but he's not the one who makes my heart beat like crazy in my chest, or the one who made me fall in love with him even when I wanted to stomp on your feet over and over."
"There's room for more on the bracelet." He looked at it and back up into her eyes wondering if she was trying to give it back.
She smiled at him, and he felt that deep down inside. "Help me put it on?"
Oh.
Damn.
"I'm a fucking idiot." He picked up the bracelet and opened the clasp.
"You're not." She smiled at him, shaking her head as he wrapped the bracelet around her wrist. "If you are, then I guess you're my idiot."
When he secured the clasp, he turned the bracelet around her wrist looking at each charm as it caught the light. "And as for the other part. We're going to have to wait for that."
She frowned at him. "That's the part that really sucks."
His brows lifted. "Such language for a proper young lady."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Proper? Ha."
A soft voice reached his ears. "Kennedy? Are you ready to be discharged?"
He looked up and saw Doctor Kay Hata in the doorway.
She moved across the room with her clipboard held to her chest. "I bet you're excited to get out of here."
Kennedy nodded. "I can't wait to get out of here. I need some seriously cheesy pizza. I would kill for some tater tots and chili. Oh, and some fried catfish and-"
Kay chuckled. "Well the food in here is to keep you fed, but the enjoyment part isn't always included. Sorry."
Kennedy shrugged. "No complaints about the food. I just want to be out."
Kay nodded and gestured at her side. "Mind if I do one last check on the stitches before I turn you loose on the world?"
Kennedy reached for the edge of her gown and Kay hesitated.
Walker chuckled at Kay's hesitant look at him. "I don't think she cares if I leave the room."
Kennedy stuck her tongue out at him. "He's seen everything. And since I hear he's moving in with me, he should probably know any care instructions."
Kay met his gaze, and he could see that she was more than happy for them. "Instructions on wound care, I can give you those."
Walker sighed. "What about giving Kennedy some instructions on how to deal with my sorry ass?"
Kay signed the papers on her clipboard. "I'm a surgeon and trauma center doctor, Walker Ashley. I'm not a miracle worker."
Kennedy laughed. She giggled and then stopped with a soft groan as her hand held down the area around her stitches. "Ow..."
Walker looked at her and saw the glint of the charm bracelet around her wrist. "You're going to need to rest and heal up, Dee. You're going to have to listen to me."
She groaned but smiled at him. "I'll try, but don't expect it to go well. I'm not all that great about taking orders."
"Honey, I know that, and I think I love you more because of it."
Kay stopped in the doorway and gave Kennedy a smile. "One of the nurses will be in with your discharge papers and a wheelchair to take you out to the front."
Walker got to his feet and leaned in for a quick kiss. "I'm headed down to get my car. I'll meet you around front, okay?"
Damn. The way she looked up at him? Worth every minute of stress and crazy it took to get them there.
Kennedy let out a slow sigh as she looked at him. "Remember that kiss when you see how hard it is to live with me."
He stopped in the doorway, and he laughed under his breath. "I'll just have to get more kisses. And," he winked at her, "I'll be giving them out too when you see how hard it is to live with me."
"Fine by me," she leaned back against her pillows and lifted her arm, so her charm bracelet winked in the light. "Fine by me."
Walker headed out to get his car realizing with every step that it was fine by him, too.