Chapter 13
Karina
I leave Vulcan’s hospital room and am back in front of where his crew is gathered.
They’ve been tagging each other in and out for the last day, most of them still on active duty at the fire station.
They look anxious and hopeful, like a bunch of kids outside a principal’s office waiting for news they can’t control but desperately want to hear.
It’s nice to see, and it’s clear they consider one another family.
I can only imagine the thoughts that ran through their heads when he left the scene, when everything changed instantly.
I know what went through my mind in the beginning, when all I could see was him lying motionless. I could barely keep it together.
I bet the gossip is already buzzing around the hospital.
They probably saw me as a lunatic or a girlfriend from hell.
I didn’t want anybody’s hands on him but mine, but I knew to step back and let my team take over.
It would’ve been a HIPAA violation and a half had I not disclosed our…
entanglement, I guess you could call it.
So, I had to keep myself in check, even if it was a difficult task.
The urgency, the commotion, the usual clatter of a hospital in chaos made me feel alive and terrified at the same time.
It’s how I’ve lived most of my life, but it’s different with him.
There’s more at stake when it’s someone you care about whose life is hanging in the balance.
My professional detachment crumbled like ash as I watched the doctors swarm around him.
Their efficiency was my salvation and my torment all at once.
“Hey, Dr. Reyes,” Harry says, standing from his crouched position against the wall.
“He’s going to be okay,” I reassure them, though they likely already got this news when he was cleared from surgery.
“The doctor said he just needs rest. You can see him, but don’t stay too long.
Thirty minutes to an hour tops.” I look to Harry.
Visiting hours are long over, and I was able to pull a few strings to allow this.
I don’t need them overstaying, and I won’t be able to do something like this for them again.
“And make sure he does not get out of that bed unless it’s to use the bathroom.
I’m sure he’s going to try and act like he’s fine in front of you all, but he is in pain—”
“You got it!” Harry says, rushing into the room. As I make my way down the hall, my phone vibrates and I pull it out to see Sarah Fletcher’s name flash across the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Karina, this is Sarah. Am I catching you at a bad time?”
“Not at all. I’m about to call it a night at the hospital. How may I help you?” I ask. I pray it’s not for another appearance at an event. I’ve reached my quota for the year. One and done.
“Sorry for calling so late. I meant to call earlier, but time got away from me. Before I start rambling, I called you because Vulcan reached out to me—”
“For?” I hope he didn’t do what I think he did.
“Planning your wedding, of course,” she squeals.
“I just knew you two were together. I saw the way you two were at the Heroes Gala, that chemistry cannot be faked. I love that for the pair of you, good job on keeping it under wraps. So, please, when can we meet to get the planning started?” She’s bubbling with excitement, but my mind is reeling.
Vulcan reached out to her without even discussing it with me first?
I take a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Sarah, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Vulcan and I haven’t even set a date yet, let alone started planning the wedding.” What the hell was he thinking?
“Oh, but he sounded so sure. He said he wanted to surprise you with some of the arrangements. You know, to take some of the stress off your shoulders. It’s rare to see a man wanting to be…”
I tune her out and close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. Of course he did. Only now, with him in the hospital, the wedding is the last thing on my mind. “It’s all very thoughtful, but I’ll need to get back to you.”
“I completely understand, darling. You know how men can be sometimes. They just want to show their love in grand gestures. It’s rather romantic, don’t you think?”
I bite back a sarcastic retort. Romantic? More like presumptuous and domineering. But I can’t say that to Sarah. She means well, even if her enthusiasm is misplaced.
“I suppose so. Listen, Sarah, it’s been a long day and I really need to get some rest. I’ll call you back at a later date.”
“Of course, dear! Get some beauty sleep. We’ll chat soon and start making your dream wedding a reality!”
I end the call and close my eyes, leaning back against the cool wall. With Sarah as our wedding planner, it means the media will be informed, whether we like it or not.
My body is on autopilot as I make an about-face back to Vulcan’s room. I shouldn’t be bothered by what he’s doing, but I am. I’m a private person, and just thinking about all those people, the crowds, and the cameras? We aren’t celebrities, but Sarah will make it feel like a celebrity wedding.
A wedding should be about the couple, not about appearances—even if this marriage is literally for appearances.
I pause for a moment outside his door, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves before pushing it open. Vulcan looks up at me from the bed. His eyes widen slightly. “Karina? I thought you were heading home.”
“I was on my way out when I got a very interesting phone call from Sarah Fletcher.” I cross my arms, leveling him with a stern look.
“Cap, should we give you two a minute?” Harry asks.
“Just text me if you need anything, and I can stop by in the morning before I head to work.” My eyes instantly move to the far right of the room, where a petite woman dressed in form-fitting workout clothes stands.
Is she a firefighter? A friend of his? She wasn’t in the waiting area when I first left.
“Thank you, Val, but that won’t be necessary,” Vulcan responds without taking his eyes off me. “You don’t have to baby me.”
“I’ll come back later,” I say through gritted teeth. Why am I feeling so annoyed? This is not like me, but her eagerness to tend to him rubs me the wrong way.
“Wait, please.” He pauses, then says to his crew, “Give us the room.”
They exit swiftly, leaving behind well wishes and promises to visit again tomorrow.
I try not to seem too interested as Val leans in to hug Vulcan, but my eyes are drawn to their embrace nonetheless.
She starts to adjust his sling before kissing him on his forehead.
Well, excuse the fuck out of me. Maybe she should be the one marrying him.
When she walks past me, she gives me a warm smile that I refuse to return. The door shuts behind her, and now it’s just the two of us again. “I’m sorry about that. Val means well, but she can be a bit motherly.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Is that what you call it? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like she was marking her territory. But by all means, if that is the case, you should make her Mrs. Montgomery.”
His lips twitch, fighting back a smile. “Jealous, Karina?”
“Hardly.” Heat rushes to my cheeks.
“Come here or I’m going to get out of this bed to get you.”
“Stay.” I approach, and he pats the space next to him on the mattress. I awkwardly sit down, leaving a good distance between us.
He takes my hand in his and gives it a gentle squeeze. “Val’s my baby sister.” He grins, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Sister?” Oh.
I was bothered by his hermanita. Get a grip, Karina.
“Yep.” His thumb traces circles on the back of my hand, sending shivers up my arm.
I shake my head lightly. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry. I overreacted.”
“Did you now?” Vulcan arches an eyebrow.
I roll my eyes, ignoring how my heart flutters at his teasing. “I wanted to talk to you about Sarah. She called about our wedding. She’s a lovely woman, but I don’t want the bells and whistles that come with her being our wedding planner.”
“I want you to have the best. This might not be your last wedding, but it’s your first, and I want you to know how much I appreciate what you’re doing for me.”
“I get that, I really do, but like I told you the other night: it’s too much.
” I don’t want to unload my family drama on him, but I’ll have no choice if he pushes for this.
My mother is like a blood-sucking leech, and if she knows I’m having such an extravagant wedding, she’ll show up with her hand out.
He sighs. “Fine, small wedding it is. And it’s still a no for an engagement party? I know we talked about it briefly at dinner.”
“It’s still a no.”
He slowly nods. “Okay, it’s whatever you want. Now, go home, okay?”
“Are you mad?” I ask, pulling my hand away and removing a loose thread on his blanket.
“No. Never would I be mad at you for not wanting to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable. But I want you to get some rest. Or do you want to sleep here with me? I’m a big man, but I can make room.”
“That could’ve happened after our date, but here we are.”
He groans. “Such a tease. I can’t wait till I’m all healed.” He dips his chin and I stand. “I’ll call and let Sarah know her services are no longer needed, and we can finish this conversation in the morning. Remember, I’m not mad at you. So, don’t go overthinking once you leave this room.”
I nod, feeling a warmth spread through my chest at his words. Having someone who cares about what I want and think—it’s a novelty. As I turn to leave, Vulcan’s voice stops me. “Karina?”
I glance back over my shoulder, eyebrows raised in question. “Hm?”
He hesitates for a moment as if searching for the right words. “I know this whole situation is… unconventional, to say the least. But I want you to know that I’m here for you. And I will always respect your wishes.”
His sincerity throws me and I have to swallow hard, trying to ignore the way my heart races at his declaration. Three years of marriage with this man might not be so bad after all.
“I—thank you, Vulcan. That means a lot.”
“Anytime. Good night, Karina.”
“Good night, Vulcan.”
My night goes from better to worse once I get home to the familiar red light flashing on my answering machine.
I really need to get rid of my home line and throw the relic away; my mother is the only one who leaves messages.
I already have a stack of bills in hand that she’s forwarded to my home.
It shouldn’t come as a shock that every time I get a bill, it’s from a new place—yet it always does.
I don’t bother stopping and continue to the bathroom.
After showering and running through my nighttime routine, I play the first message, listening as my mother complains about her unpaid phone bill. What the hell is she doing with the money I’ve been sending her?
I delete the message, cutting her off mid-ramble. This is why I can’t let my mother know I’m getting married or ever find out when I am married. If she finds out Vulcan is my husband and a station captain with a trust fund, her demands will only increase.
I abandon the task and head to my bedroom, crawling beneath the blankets and feeling the day’s stress settle over me.
As I shut my eyes, I think back to Vulcan’s earlier remarks, and it dawns on me that this marriage might entail more than just legal documents and cohabitation.
Emotions could be a part of it… complicated, unpredictable emotions.