Chapter Eight
Sully groaned. Everything ached. His chest and lungs felt as though he’d run ten miles in the arctic air and his leg throbbed.
He blinked then squeezed his eyes shut against the sun glaring through the wide windows.
He tried again, more slowly this time, and took stock of his surroundings.
He was in a bed that wasn’t his own, surrounded by walls of white.
The hospital. Shit. How long had he been here?
Something soft brushed his arm and he glanced down.
Jane. Everything about the mission came rushing back, mainly meeting the beautiful, gutsy woman who was now slumped in an unforgiving hospital chair.
Her arms were folded on the mattress and she was face down, asleep.
Her dark hair spilled over the white linen sheets and looked so damn soft.
His hand trembled as he lifted it. Felt like it was a fifty-pound weight instead of skin and bone.
Unease slid through him at the exertion it took to move his hand less than six inches to rest on the side of Jane’s head, but the feel of the silken strands against his palm was more than worth the effort.
He could spend hours stroking this woman’s hair.
She stiffened, then raised her head slowly.
When their eyes met, she drew in a sharp breath before a smile brightened her face.
Watching the worry and tension etched into her expression melt away before his eyes was fucking mesmerizing.
“Welcome back,” she said, eyes going soft.
“Jane.” His voice was a raw croak, like it hadn’t been used in far too long.
He let his hand drift down her cheek, in awe that she was still here, before letting it fall back to the sheets.
Whether it had been a day or five since they’d arrived at the hospital, she’d stayed.
This woman owed him nothing and he wouldn’t have blamed her for wanting to put the nightmare behind her and go back to her life.
“How long, love?” Part of him was scared to know the answer.
She licked her lips and slid her hand toward his, flipping it at the last second so her palm was under his.
“When you were transported here, you went right into surgery. Your wound was flushed out and the surgeon was confident she was able to remove all the debris and dead tissue to help the infection heal. You were septic, Sully, and in rough shape. Your sisters arrived first, but they had to go back to the venue. It took your parents and Red and Thalia several days to get a flight from California. Shortly after your parents and brother arrived, you…took a turn.”
“My brother was here?” He couldn’t imagine his little brother stepping away from his fast-paced Vegas lifestyle to come to the hospital.
“You don’t remember?” A shadow passed over her eyes, dimming some of the light that seemed to spear from within.
“No.”
“You were very sedated when they arrived, so I’m not surprised you don’t remember.
Something happened, and you aspirated, causing a new infection to start in your lungs.
A pneumonia on top of recovering from a septic gunshot wound was extremely hard on your body.
Luckily, you were already being treated for a bacterial infection, so you bounced back more quickly than your medical team thought.
You’ve been doing so well, they decided to wean you off some of the heavier pain medicines you’ve been taking in hopes of waking you. ”
He nodded, and the movement made his head pound. “But how long?”
Jane cleared her throat. “Two weeks.” Her brow wrinkled. “Well, two and a half technically.”
Everything he was thinking and feeling bubbled up in his chest, and for a second, he forgot to breathe. “Two weeks? I’ve been out for over two weeks?”
“Yes, but sepsis is incredibly serious and wreaks havoc on your body. So far, your blood panels haven’t indicated any organ damage, and your medical team thinks you’ll make a full recovery, but you have to take things slow.”
Two fucking weeks. He was stunned at how long he’d been unconscious and even more shocked that Jane had stayed.
There were dark shadows under her eyes and not much color in her face.
She looked exhausted. Over fourteen days of sitting vigil by his bedside.
Christ, he hoped Red had made sure she at least slept in a hotel.
He glanced over her shoulder. There was a tiny cot in the corner of the room with a single pillow and a sheet.
Warmth hit his eyes, and he blinked back the sting prickling behind his lids.
He swiped his tongue over his lips, finding them surprisingly soft. “Jane—”
“I’ve been putting balm on your lips,” she said dropping her gaze to the sheet she was absently fiddling with. “They were so cracked when we got here and whenever you made the slightest grimace you would have beads of blood running down your chin.”
“Jane,” he prodded again. “Look at me.”
She hesitated, but when her chin came up, there was a frown on her face.
“You stayed all this time?”
She tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth. “It probably seems silly or stalkerish even, now that I think about it, but you were unconscious, and I wanted to make sure nothing happened to you. That you weren’t vulnerable.”
He smiled at her as the warmth building in his eyes hit him square in the chest. “My own personal security.” Sully fought the quiver in his hand to brush her hair away from her face.
“And no, you being here is not silly or stalkerish.” His lungs burned when he drew in an expansive breath.
“What it is…it’s humbling. You dropping everything to keep watch over me?
To put lotion on my lips. To make me more comfortable by putting towels under my legs and arms so I didn’t get stiff and sore in this bed.
To talk for hours because you know I find your voice soothing.
I’ve been lucky in my life. I was raised by good people and have been blessed with incredible teammates who are like brothers to me, but no one has ever done something so generous or compassionate as you being here for me. ”
Tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill over. She swallowed hard. “I thought you said you didn’t remember anything.”
“There have been moments where I’ve tried to open my eyes.
Periods where I can hear or feel what’s happening around me.
The only constant I can recall is you. Your care and concern broke through the haze of medication and pain.
My heart recognized you were here, even though my mind didn’t process it until right now. ”
“I was scared for you. If you died because of me, I don’t think I could live with that.
It’s already bad enough that you’re here and in this condition because of me.
What’s more though, I wanted to be here for you when you woke up.
To help you as you recover.” She lowered her eyes.
He was not okay with her blaming herself for one second.
“Let’s get one thing straight, love, none of this is your fault.
I was shot by human traffickers and came down with an infection because of my injury, not because of you.
While having you here makes me feel valued and cared for in a way that’s completely new to me, I worry that you’ve put yourself, your medical care, your career, your entire life on the back burner to do so.
” Part of him wanted to blurt out that he’d love nothing more than bringing her back to California.
Continuing to grow the bond forged by water, blood, and a deep, intrinsic connection.
The other part of him knew that was moving too fast. That he might not only scare the shit out of her but also take more of her time, which she’d so generously given already.
She glanced past him, toward the window.
“My job as a traveling nurse for Healing Hearts International takes me far from the United States for long periods of time. It doesn’t make sense to rent an apartment, so it’s not as though I have a place of my own to go back to.
I typically take back-to-back assignments, and when I do get a break, I’ll get a hotel room for a week or so. ”
There was an odd quiver in his gut. How was it possible that this amazing woman was so isolated? “What about your family? Friends? They must be worried sick—not only now, but also when you’re out saving the world.”
Her visible grimace made his heart drop into his stomach. “This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but I’m not all that close with my parents or anyone else.” She swallowed hard. “There was a time I had friends, but then something happened. It made me question everyone’s loyalty and intentions.”
“Will you tell me about it someday?” He shifted his hand, so it lay over hers.
She searched his eyes, then dipped her chin. “Maybe someday.”
He wasn’t going to push, because that “maybe” she’d given made him feel ten feet tall. Jane was guarded. She had secrets. The fact that she might be willing to let him into her private world was priceless to him.
“Please tell me you haven’t slept on that cot every night.” He waited for one heartbeat, then two and when she said nothing, a growl left his lips. “I’m going to kick Red’s ass.”
She quickly straightened. “Your friends have taken very good care of me,” she protested.
“I called Red when we got here. I had nothing but a pair of scrubs one of the nurses gave me but within the hour, he and Thalia had sent me a DoorDash order with all kinds of supplies and a phone, so I didn’t have to use the one at the desk.
Red has been frustrated with me about the sleeping arrangements.
Has pleaded with me to go back to the hotel at night.
We came to an agreement that I’ll use their room to shower and nap while they’re spending time with you here. ”