Chapter Eighteen – Declan
Declan
The beeping of the machines felt like they were inside my head. And coming from a hammer. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around.
I was in a hospital room.
“Fucking hell,” I whispered. I’d spent seventeen years in the Marines and never found myself in a hospital. Sure, I’d gotten hurt over those seventeen years, but I’d somehow managed not to get myself hurt badly enough that I needed to be hooked up to machines.
I tried lifting my head, but it weighed a ton, or at least felt like it did. I put it back down on the pillow and closed my eyes. That little bit of effort was enough to make me want to fall back asleep.
The sound of the door opening and clicking shut had me squinting my eyes once again. A woman I’d never seen before was moving around the room. A nurse, I assumed. I tried to open my mouth to say something, but it was too dry. I somehow managed to clear my throat, which caused her to turn and look at me. She walked up to the bed and leaned over.
“You’re awake, Mr. Gallagher. How do you feel?”
I moved my lips and finally got out a single raspy word. “Harper.”
She smiled. “She’s in the waiting room. Let me have the doctor come in and check you over. Your parents and brother are here, as well. Should I send your mom in first?”
I shook my head. “Harper.”
She smiled again. “You’ve got it. Here’s some water. Can you lift your head a bit?”
Holding out a cup with a straw, she used her free hand to help me up just enough to get a tiny drink. The cool water felt like heaven going down my dry throat.
“Thanks,” I rasped out.
“You’re welcome. Now, take it easy and let me go get the doctor.”
I nodded, and even that tiny movement felt like a bomb went off in my head. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep until I felt a light touch on my arm.
Opening my eyes, I saw a man standing over me this time. “I’m Dr. Wilson, Declan. How are you feeling?”
“Like hell,” I whispered. “What happened?”
“Well, you rushed into a building that was on fire. You didn’t have the proper gear. That was a mistake.”
I slowly nodded. “I see that now.”
He chuckled. “Since you didn’t have safety gear, you suffered from smoke inhalation, which in turn triggered a heart attack.”
I felt my eyes go wide. “But I don’t have any heart issues.”
“No, you didn’t . But the lack of oxygen supply to your heart caused the heart attack. It was mild, if that’s any kind of good news.”
“Shit!”
He smiled. “Yeah, shit.”
“Did it cause any damage to my heart?”
“Nothing long term, but in the short term, you’ll have some headaches, possible confusion, drowsiness. You’ll want to take things easy…no marathon running when you leave the hospital.”
“Gavin and James?” I asked.
“Gavin’s going to be okay. He suffered from smoke inhalation, as well. We admitted him because, on the scene, the paramedics were worried he might have some lung issues, but he was actually in shock.”
“Shock?” I asked.
The doctor nodded. “Yes, smoke inhalation can certainly cause shock. He was very weak and dizzy, he started to vomit, and his breathing became rapid. The paramedics brought him in because of those symptoms. But his lungs sound good, and his heart does as well.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
“James is in the waiting room. He’s fine, a couple of scrapes and bruises that were treated at the scene,” the doctor added.
“Can I see Harper now?” I asked.
The nurse, whom I hadn’t even realized was in the room until now, spoke up. “You’re in the ICU, Mr. Gallagher, so only one visitor at a time. Your mother’s been pretty insistent about seeing you.”
“I don’t care. I want to see Harper first.”
The doctor turned to the nurse. “I’ll go out and talk to them and take care of it.”
The woman looked relieved. “Thank you, Dr. Wilson.”
Turning back to me, he smiled. “I’ll see you before I leave for the day.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
They both left, and I tried to sit up more in the bed—and instantly regretted it. My entire body felt like it was beaten and bruised. Not to mention the pounding headache.
The door slowly opened after what felt like forever, and Harper walked in. A look of instant relief flooded her beautiful face, and she started to cry.
“No, don’t do that,” I said, holding out my hand the best I could. It felt so fucking heavy. Harper rushed over and took it, kissing it before she leaned over and softly kissed my lips.
“You scared me, Declan.”
I sighed. “This is why I didn’t want to date you before I left for the Marines. This is what your life would have been like for years. Full of worry.”
Her brows drew in some, and she looked adorable with the little frown. “What were you thinking, running into a burning building? You’re a police officer, not a firefighter.”
“I didn’t mean to worry you, Harp. But you didn’t hear those kids screaming when we pulled up. One was trying to climb out the window to a tree. There was no fucking way any of us were going to just stand there and watch it happen. We got there before the firefighters.”
She closed her eyes as if trying to calm herself. When she opened them, she searched my body from head to toe. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Just my pride.”
Rolling her eyes, she argued, “They said you had a heart attack . Your mother about fainted in the waiting room when they told her.”
“Yeah, but I’m fine. Have you seen Gavin?”
She shook her head. “No, James is with him. I do have to tell you…your mother is not happy that you requested to see me before her.”
I rolled my eyes, then groaned. Even that hurt my head. “She’s going to have to get over it. As far as I’m concerned, the woman I love is my top priority.”
A wide grin spread across her face, even as more tears fell. “I love you too.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner, but I didn’t want to push you too fast—”
She shook her head and placed a finger over my lips. “Stop. It’s okay; I’m just so thankful that you’re saying it now.” Harper leaned in and kissed me again.
“Doc says I need to take it easy.”
“Yes! Do we know if there’s any long-term damage?”
“He doesn’t seem to think so. I just hope I’m not in here for very long.”
Harper squeezed my hand. “Well, what do you think about staying with me once you get out?”
“Harper, I’m okay.”
“I know you’re okay, but it would make me feel better. I want to make sure you’re not overdoing it.”
“I promise I won’t, but if it would make you feel better, I’ll stay with you.”
She smiled. “Good. Did they mention how long you’ll have to be off work?”
My smile faded. “No. I figured I’d be back at work once I got out.”
Harper wore an exasperated expression. “Again—heart attack!”
I laughed, but quickly stopped. “Man, my head is killing me.”
“You look tired. Let me have your mother come back before you crash from exhaustion.”
Holding her hand, I asked, “Will you come back and stay with me after my family’s seen me? I don’t want to be alone.”
She nodded. “I’ll ask the nurse.”
I watched as Harper slowly backed away from my bed, never taking her eyes off me, even as she walked out the door.
Closing my eyes, I took a long breath and drifted to sleep.
Harper pulled up and put her car in Park. “We’re here.”
I lifted my head and turned to see we were parked in the alley behind Crazy Daisies. When my mother suggested I go to my parents’ house to recoup because there were no stairs, I’d insisted I would be fine staying with Harper. It was only a couple of small flights of steps. There was no way I was staying with my mother.
“Ready?”
Nodding, I said, “Let’s do this.”
After a week in the hospital, receiving oxygen therapy and learning about heart health, being out and moving around felt great. I opened my door, but before I could even think of getting out, Harper was there.
“Let me help you.”
“Harp, I’m okay. I’m not going to break.”
She smiled. “I know. You’re still weak, though, and the doctor said to take it easy. Baby steps, remember?”
“He also said, since I was in top shape before this, I’d recover at a much faster rate than if I’d any heart issues before.”
She wrapped her arm around my waist. “All I heard was ‘take it easy.’ Slowly start with walking, and you have a checkup with the heart doctor and pulmonary doctor next week.”
I laughed and allowed her to help me.
I didn’t want to admit how out of breath I was when we finally got to the apartment, so I tried my best to take slow, deep breaths. Harper let go of me on the landing and unlocked the door. Once we walked inside, she turned to face me.
“Just breathe like you need to, Declan. You don’t have anything to prove to me.” She grinned when I rolled my eyes. “Now go sit down, and I’m going to run down and get the bags.”
“I’d offer to help…” I said, letting my words trail off as Harper quirked a brow in my direction. I held up my hands. “I’m walking over to the sofa and sitting down now.”
“Do you want something to drink before I head back downstairs?”
I shook my head and sat. “I’m good.”
“Great. I’m going to pop into the shop and make sure everything’s okay before heading back up.”
The guilt came rushing in when Harper mentioned the floral shop. She’d been gone for a week, since she hardly ever left my side at the hospital. Her mother had been running the shop for Harper while she was taking the time off to care for me.
“Tell your mom I said hi,” I called out.
“I will. I won’t be gone long. Don’t move!”
Shaking my head, I reached for the remote and put my feet up as I turned on the TV. I adjusted the back cushion as Daisy jumped up and curled herself on my lap. Before I knew it, I was fighting to keep my eyes open. Giving up the fight to stay awake, I lay down on the sofa and closed my eyes for just a few minutes. Figuring I’d rest until Harper came back up.
The smell of something delicious baking caused me to open my eyes. For a moment, I wasn’t sure where I was. Once I sat up and looked into the kitchen, I smiled. Harper was cutting up carrots.
“How long was I asleep?” I asked, scrubbing a hand down my face.
“Three hours.”
“Three hours?!” I repeated. “Jesus.”
She chuckled. “That walk up the steps must have tired you out.”
Slowly standing, I stretched. “Maybe. I’m starving. What is that I smell?”
“Roasted chicken, steamed broccoli, and a salad. Mom brought me some romaine lettuce, carrots, celery, and cucumbers from her garden.”
“Damn, that sounds good.”
Harper looked up and winked. “It will be good. I hope you don’t mind, but James and Gavin wanted to stop by to see how you’re doing, so I invited them to dinner.”
“I don’t mind at all.”
I walked into the kitchen and slipped onto one of the stools at the island. “Need me to do anything?”
With a shake of her head, she turned and opened the fridge, taking out a bottle of water and handing it to me. “Be sure you drink lots of water.”
“Yes, Doc.”
Harper rolled her eyes but smiled at the same time.
“Do you know where I put my phone?” I asked.
“It’s right here,” she said, snatching it up from a nearby counter. “It was in your bag, and I took it out because it kept going off.”
I grabbed it from her and said, “Let me guess, my mother?”
Harper shrugged. “I didn’t pay attention to who it was. Just silenced it and set it aside. You were sound asleep when I returned from checking in on my mom.”
“Yeah, I was fighting to keep my eyes open. I hope this tiredness goes away quickly.”
“It’s your body healing, Declan.”
“I know. I’ve never been good with just sitting around, though.”
“What about in the Marines? Did you ever get hurt badly?”
I nodded. “I did, but nothing that required a hospital stay. And we didn’t have time to sit around and baby our injuries. We had jobs to do, so we had to get back out there and get after it.”
Her eyes lifted to meet mine. “Well, there’s no getting after it here.”
I blew out a breath. “My mother called five times and left six text messages.”
Harper giggled. “She’s your mom , and she’s worried.”
“I called her when we were leaving the hospital.”
“She isn’t going to stop worrying about you overnight, Declan. You gave us all a scare.”
I nodded and reached for a carrot. I took a bite, and my brows flew up. “Damn, that’s one hell of a good carrot.”
“Freshly grown and all organic.”
Taking another bite, I glanced around the apartment before focusing on Harper. “She wants me to quit the force.”
She stopped cutting and looked at me. “What?”
“My mother. She wants me to stop being a cop.”
Harper tilted her head and regarded me. “What did you tell her?”
“I told her that I fully intended to return to work as a cop once I was given the all-clear. She was a tad bit upset and started to lecture me.”
Slamming the knife down on the counter, Harper folded her arms over her chest. “How dare she get you worked up about this? She was in the room when the doctor told us to keep you as calm and relaxed as possible!”
I nodded and jerked my head toward the knife. Harper looked at it, then blushed. “Sorry. It just boils my blood that she’s doing this to you. Why can’t your mother just keep her nose out of your business? No wonder Sean doesn’t want to stand up to her ever. She was a downright bully at the hospital when they came out and said you asked to see me. She insisted to the doctor that she should see you first, and he told her to push off.”
“He did?”
“Well, not in those words. But it’s her way or no way. I can tell you right now that she will not do that while you’re recovering. That I can promise you.”
I waggled my brows. “Seeing you all fired up like this is turning me on.”
“Oh no, mister. The doctor said no sex.”
I was positive my eyes nearly popped out of my head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear that.”
She nodded. “I asked, and he said not for at least a few weeks. You need to keep doing your lung exercises and get cleared by a cardiologist.”
“Okay, so I can’t do anything strenuous, but I can still make you feel good.”
She pointed to me. “No. Nothing to get you overexcited.”
I frowned. “You’re no fun.”
Huffing, Harper turned and pulled a bowl full of salad out of the fridge and started to mix in the vegetables. “Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes. Do you need any help with anything?”
“If I can’t have sex, then the next best thing is going to the bathroom.”
Harper stared at me. “That’s your next best thing? The bathroom?”
“If it means I can get up and walk there by myself, then yes. The bathroom is the next best thing after sex.”
She giggled as she opened the oven door. “I’ll set the table, and you go do what you must in the bathroom. If you need any help, let me know.”
I rolled my eyes. “If I need help taking a piss, then we really are in trouble.”