8. Lucky & Nick
Lucky & Nick
Our next stop was unfortunately the hospital.
Nick was standing next to me like a grumpy bodyguard while the doctor shone a piercingly bright light in my eyes. I winced, scrunching them closed while my skull screamed at me.
“Ow.”
“I’m so sorry, Lucks.”
I blindly reached out for him, still not willing to open my eyes and risk the wrath of my brain yet, when Nick gently took my hand.
“Hmm,” the doctor pursed her lips, making me attempt to focus on her past my squint. “It looks like you might have a mild concussion.” She chuckled at the face I made at her words. “I’ll have to get you a CT scan as well, but I promise it’ll be quick, and then we can go from there.”
I sighed in resignation. “Thanks, doc.”
She laughed delightedly. “No, thank you! I’ve never seen someone actually take someone else down by a flying tackle before.
And to think, if I had taken lunch ten minutes later I would have missed it!
” She was at the door when she turned back to me.
“Did you get your purse back?” she asked curiously.
I grinned, feeling proud of myself, then winced when my head throbbed viciously in response to my grin. Pride, it goeth before the fall. “I did!”
Nick grumbled at me under his breath as the doctor left chuckling.
“Why didn’t you wait for me?” he growled once she was gone. “That was incredibly dangerous.”
I lay back on the hospital bed and closed my eyes. Nick, being a sweetie, even though he was mad at me, closed the curtain. It instantly made the room a thousand times more bearable, so I was able to squint at him again.
His expression was pained as he pulled up a chair close to my bed and took my hand again.
“I would have taken care of it for you,” he said softly.
“You were busy.”
The craziness had happened inside the home goods store, of all places.
Nick had left to pay for his purchases, and the thief must have been waiting for him to leave, because as soon as Nick was out of sight, they knocked me down and stole my purse.
I’d had to scramble up and chase him out of the store and down the block before I was able to catch up to him.
It turned out that flying tackles were both painful and dangerous. And not just to the person being tackled.
Can confirm.
But I had gotten my purse back! Shortly after taking the thief down, Nick had caught up to me, grumpy as all get out, and had held the man until the police could come and take my statement.
By that time, I wasn’t feeling all that great, and the doctor who had seen everything, the one who had just treated me, came over to examine me. Then she’d basically kidnapped me and took me to the nearest hospital.
The upside of getting kidnapped was that we had gotten right in.
The downside was that I was in a hospital.
Again.
“Besides, I’ve had most of the same training as you have. And don’t tell me it’s more dangerous for me because I’m a woman!”
Nick actually growled before he sat back and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I’m not gonna go battle of the sexes on you, no.
Despite the fact that it’s statistically more dangerous out there for female cops than male cops.
That’s not the point. The point is that I am a two-hundred and forty pound male genie, and you weigh, what?
One-forty? You took him down, and that’s great, Lucks.
I’m so proud of you, really. But it was insanely dangerous and you know it.
You could have been more seriously injured. He could have killed you.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m not capable, Nick,” I said quietly. “We wouldn’t even be having this conversation if this had happened with one of your old male partners.”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.
“When I was a beat cop, I cared about my partners. I did. We protected each other and watched each other’s backs.
But that level of caring is entirely different than what I feel for you, Lucky.
I know you’re not ready for the words, and I’m not going to say them yet, but I’m not in this to mess around.
My feelings run deep for you. Which means I want you to be as safe and as protected as possible.
” He was quiet for a moment before he asked quietly, “Is that so wrong?”
“No.” I sighed, closing my eyes again. “It’s not.
And you’re right. I was too impulsive and just chased after him without thinking it through.
I could have at least shouted for you first.” I opened my eyes and looked at him again.
Which I thought was pretty brave, considering the haze of pain I was feeling was starting to make my stomach churn. “I’ll be more careful in the future.”
His smile was small but genuine. “You think this is going to happen again?”
I laughed and then winced, holding a hand to my head. “Lots. I’m not sure how many times my purse has been stolen, but I think I hold the world record.” I was trying for levity, but Nick didn’t seem amused. His brow furrowed in a frown.
“That must be rough. You need a bodyguard, Lucks.”
I smirked. “Are you volunteering?”
He got up and slowly leaned over me until his body was caging me in, his face inches from mine.
My eyes widened with shock as he stared at me like I was everything to him.
“Always.”
The doctor had been able to get us in and out quickly, and was sending me back to the resort with the advice to take it easy for a few days.
For the rest of the day, she had a list of things she wanted me to take a break from, which included swimming, driving, reading, and watching TV, just to name a few.
What in the world was I supposed to do with my time, then?
Make shadow puppets on the wall? She also recommended I stay inside for the rest of the day, because the light was still sending evil shards of pain into my skull, but then to try to get outside tomorrow if I was feeling a bit better.
Nick slid the card through the door reader for me, and then opened the door into my suite.
Unlike this morning when he’d picked me up, he seemed to take more of my room in this time as he looked around.
When he spotted the stuffed pig his brother had sent me yesterday as an apology gift on my bed, he frowned.
“What’s my brother’s gift doing on your bed?”
“Because I like it,” I said, avoiding his gaze and trying to avoid giving him the real reason. “It’s cute.”
His eyebrow went up as he moved to rifle through my drawers, and pull out some comfortable-looking pajamas for me. “But why is it on your bed, Lucks?”
I sighed in defeat as I took the pajamas from him and headed to the bathroom to change. Calling through the door as I stripped, I said, “Because it’s comfortable to sleep with. It’s cuddly.”
“I’m cuddly.” He sounded pouty now, and I snorted in amusement.
Changing the subject, I said, “You can stay in the room with me if you want, because I know you’re worried about me, but you’re not getting on my bed.”
He was quiet as I brushed my teeth really quickly, took off my makeup, then got a cloth damp with warm water, squeezed it out, and cleaned the rest of my face off.
Feeling a bit better with that done, I opened the door again, only to find Nick standing there with a large, blue stuffed elephant in his hands.
He handed it to me and I squeezed it gently, pulling it close to my body. It was as soft as a marshmallow.
Nick put his hands in his pockets. “These are popular with people. They like the squishiness.” His eyes flicked toward me briefly before he went to pull my blankets down to make it easier for me to get in. “It’s good for sleeping with. I skimmed the reviews really quickly.”
I laughed, then winced. “Thank you. This was sweet. But you’re not fooling anyone, Nick Steele.”
He flashed me a smirk. “I wasn’t trying to be subtle, sunshine.” Then he patted the bed. “Here, I’ll help you in, then I’m going to go grab a few things you might need, and a few things the doctor recommended.”
He helped me in, then kissed my eyelids. “I’m gonna steal your room key, but I’ll be right back.”
I was already drifting to sleep. “Kay. Thanks, Nick.”
Nick-
Letting Lucky rest, I made my way down to one of the resort’s stores to pick up a few things.
I grabbed a cart and started adding stuff to it. This was one of the two stores on the resort that carried snacks and drinks, but also things like medicines and swimsuits. It was kind of an all-purpose general store.
My phone buzzed in my back pocket. I fished it out and scowled at the name.
Big Bro.
“Why are you calling me again?” I scanned the snack cakes section trying to find the chocolate cupcakes Lucky liked. “Did mom ask you to check up on me? Because I’m fine.”
A man halfway down the aisle from me, not even really trying to be all that sneaky, shoved something into his pocket and then continued casually down the aisle, pretending he was looking for something.
Sighing, I snapped my fingers, instantly sending the products he’d already shoved into his pockets back. He was about to turn the corner when he suddenly stopped and patted down his pockets.
“What the...”
Chuckling, I turned my attention back to finding Lucky’s cupcakes and to my annoying brother.
“You slept on my couch last week, Nick,” Callum reminded me with a bite to his tone. “And the whole time you were seriously depressed. I’ve never seen you like that before. ”
“Yes, I remember the family intervention you insisted on,” I said dryly.
Finally finding her cupcakes, I added them to my basket.
I was still keeping an eye on the thief who was in the next aisle with my magic, though, so when he stuffed his pockets with a pack of condoms and a 24 oz can of beer, I caught it.
Groaning at the idiocy of thieves, I snapped my fingers and sent them back.
“Hey!”
I snickered. Served him right. I’d put security onto him in just a second.
“Then you should also remember that our family agreed to take turns calling and checking in on you for the next six weeks, but I’m assuming since you’re with the love of your life at a resort in Maui that you’re fine now?”
Before I continued my shopping, I stepped quietly over to the woman at the counter and pointed out the thief.
Frowning, she nodded, keeping an eye on him via the store cameras. “I’ve already called security. Thank you, though, sir.”
“No problem.”
Going back to my shopping, I snapped again, and the can of beer, condoms, and everything else went back into the guy’s pockets. It would be weird if he didn’t have anything in them when security caught up to him.
“What is even happening right now!” the thief cried out in confusion.
Just then, a security guy showed up, and after checking with the woman at the counter, moved quickly toward the thief. “I’m going to need you to turn out your pockets, sir,” the guard said firmly.
“Why are you asking me?” the thief said belligerently. “I didn’t do anything!”
“We have video surveillance all over the resort, sir. Turn out your pockets.”
The thief cursed, swearing up a storm, calling the guard every nasty name he could come up with on the spot.
Just for fun, and because the thief was being a horrible human being, I snapped again.
“Sir, I’m gonna need you to pull up your pants,” the guard said, his tone completely deadpan. “We don’t allow nudity at this resort.”
Snickering quietly again, I moved to the pain reliever and medicine section of the store.
My brother, who’d been silent for a long time, probably listening to the drama happening in the store with me, chuckled and said, “Once a cop, always a cop, hey Nicky?”
I laughed. “Still a cop. It’s ingrained. I can’t help it.”
I could hear my brother open a can of something fizzy, then take a drink. “You wanna tell me what’s going on?”
Throwing pain reliever, a hot/cold compress, and a few other things into the cart, I made a face at my brother’s question.
Did I crash the love of my life’s vacation?
Yep.
Did I feel at all bad about it?
Nope.
“I sort of... crashed Lucky’s vacation.”
My brother did a spit take, then started swearing at what I imagined was probably soda all over his white living room carpet.
I chuckled.
Life was always fun with brothers.
A pain, but fun.