Changing Roles

by Melanie Moreland

  Malcolm Johnson was now in police custody. The owner of the cheap motel he had been staying at was only too happy to give him up for the reward offered. The charges leveled against him were long and deviously clever thanks to Samuels’s and Geo’s legal minds. The one thing he had that we wanted and could help him was his signature on divorce papers. I knew they would get it too, and his reward for doing so would be very little. He hadn’t realized that part yet. He was done.

  “More news?”

  “Yeah. Douglas wants to tell you.” Everett sniffed, trying to lighten the atmosphere. “You need a shower too. Lily was by again and brought you some stuff to change into.”

  I noticed his hair was damp and he had changed. Looking down, I realized I was in the same clothes I had arrived in, unable to bear the thought of leaving her for that long. Everett was right. I needed a shower and to go see Ryan. My gaze fell to Shelby.

  “You don’t want her waking to see you looking like this, Liam,” he urged. “You’re a wreck. She’ll kick both our asses.”

  I chuckled, because he was right about that as well. Standing, I pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I won’t be far, my darling girl. Promise.”

  I swore I felt the flutter of her eyelashes and I pulled back quickly, but her face remained serene and motionless. I was imagining things again. Earlier, I’d thought I felt the press of her hand in mine but had finally put it down as my imagination when I tried to get her to do it again. Her hand remained unresponsive.

  I was beyond exhausted and strung out. I kissed her one more time. “Come back, Shelby. I need you, baby.”

  The hot water felt good pounding down my back. I let it run over me as I washed my hair, soaped, and shaved thanks to Lily’s thoughtful supplies. She’d been here often, bringing items and dispensing hugs. She went daily, checking on the house and Thor, feeding him and making sure he was okay, knowing how much Shelby loved him. She sat beside Shelby, chatting about the red dress she had found she knew I would love for our next big night. She winked at me across the bed as she whispered she also knew how much I would love what she had found to go under the dress. I had smiled, grateful for her friendship and care of Shelby.

  Dressed in fresh clothes, I sat with Ryan and his wife, listening to his broken apology. I held up my hand, interrupting him. “You fought for her, Ryan. You were trying to protect her. You owe me nothing. I owe you. I will forever owe you.” I looked between him and his wife, Lesley, a pretty woman who looked nervous, worried, and troubled. Her husband was hurt, facing months of physiotherapy to be able to walk again. The fact was he would never be a bodyguard again—the pins and plates that now held his leg, hip, and shoulder together would never allow him the flexibility or strength he would need to do that job. I knew she was worried about him and their future. I knew what I had to do—what Shelby would want me to do.

  I sat back and smiled at them. “Ryan, you have nothing to worry about. Either of you. Your hospital bills and any physiotherapy are covered. Anything else you need, as well. You will be kept on my books as an employee for as long as you want to be. No lost wages.”

  He shook his head, even as Lesley’s eyes widened and began to fill with grateful tears.

  “I can’t accept your charity.”

  “It won’t be charity, Ryan,” I insisted. “I plan on you sticking close to Shelby and me. Mark needs help with scheduling things, and I need someone with your tactical background on my team. I’ve already had Samuels draw up the papers. It’s not open for discussion. You’re covered.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You were injured trying to protect the woman I love. I saw the video. I know what you did—how you risked yourself for her. You showed both of us true loyalty. That deserves a reward.” I stood, not wanting to be away from Shelby for too long. “Don’t worry about money or the future. Just get well, Ryan. A job is waiting when you’re ready.”

  After a tight hug from Lesley, I left the room, feeling better. Shelby would be pleased. I could hardly wait to tell her how much better Lesley looked with those few words.

  I studied the pictures Douglas handed me. “We’re sure?”

  He nodded. “Mark confirmed it. Like you suspected, those tossers threw their so-called colleagues under the proverbial bus, and fast. Those two were definitely the ones pushing.” He tapped the picture. “And he threw the punch that caught Shelby.”

  I grimaced, thinking about the second part of the offer I had made. I didn’t care about the money. “Who gets the reward?”

  Douglas smiled. “Well, you got lucky, Liam. A reporter from Features was on the edge of the crowd, but not part of it. He was there doing an interview in the building when they saw the crowd and went to investigate. He and his cameraman happened to be at the right angle and got these. I was able to verify his cell was one of the numbers that made a call to 9-1-1.” He motioned to the stills I was looking at. “You can see who was behind Shelby and the two paps arguing with Ryan. There’s no doubt. The magazine wants the money donated to a charity, but they do want the interview.” He grinned. “We got a lot of offers from tons of rags and paps with pics, but these were the clearest—” he shrugged “—and they were among the first to arrive.”

  I felt a flash of relief. They were, at least, a reputable publication.

  I pointed to the faces in the pictures, stabbing the paper hard. “I want them punished.”

  “The police already have copies. Charges will be laid as soon as they finish their investigation.” He held up the pictures. “But these helped tremendously. Samuels and Geo have a long list of restraining orders they will try to put through. All the pictures we collected showed many people you would like to see kept away.” He squeezed my shoulder. “A lot of your friends are taking up this cause, Liam. Other celebs are speaking out about the paps and their intrusiveness. Maybe with many voices, we can bring about change.”

  I nodded, even knowing how difficult a fight this would be. “That would be good.” I huffed out a long breath of air. “I know I said it before, but you were bloody amazing yesterday, Douglas. This is all moving quickly because of the press conference.”

  He waved my thanks aside. “Your idea, Liam. I was only the calm voice.” He studied me. “How are you holding up?”

  I met his eyes, allowing my pain to show through. “I need her to be okay.” I rubbed at my chest, pushing on the ache that persisted. “I can’t be okay without her anymore.”

  “She will be. She’s strong, Liam. Her body needs a chance to heal.” He paused. “I spoke with Aunty Liz today. She wants to come and be here with you. I told her I thought that was a good idea.” He watched me for my reaction. “She’ll be here tomorrow.”

  I blinked. My mum would be here tomorrow. I hadn’t even thought to ask. I knew Douglas was keeping her updated, but the thought of having her close was pleasing and brought me some much-needed comfort. Being a retired nurse, she could help me when Shelby came home.

  Because Douglas was right. Shelby was strong.

  And she would come home.

  She had to.

  Everett listened as I filled him in, standing on opposite sides of Shelby’s bed. He shook his head when I finished telling him everything Douglas had said. “You, ah, you’ve been amazing, Liam. I’m proud of you.”

  I ducked my head at his praise. Lifting Shelby’s hand, I kissed the skin. “It’s all her.”

  He grinned. “Told you she was the right person for the job.”

  I kissed her fingertips again. “Bloody perfect, actually.”

  A gentle flex against my lips had me freezing on the spot. My eyes flew to Shelby’s face. “Beaker?”

  Her eyes moved, fluttering quickly, and if I hadn’t been looking, I would have missed it. Everett and I shared a glance. We had both seen it.

  He bent lower, his voice almost commanding. “Shelby. Open your eyes for me.”

  We both watched anxiously and were rewarded with another flutter. Then another. I pressed
my lips against her palm. “Shelby, baby—please.” My voice caught.

  Slowly, so slowly I wasn’t sure it was happening, her eyes opened. Closed. Opened. Blinked. For a brief moment, they were unfocused and bleary. She blinked again, this time frowning as her head tilted toward Everett.

  Her voice was quiet and rough, like a small fragment of an echo in the room. “Ev?”

  His shoulders bowed in relief as he assured her, “I’m right here, Shelby.”

  She stared at him for a minute, licking her dry lips. I grabbed the jug of water and ice chips they refilled constantly and pressed an ice chip into her parched mouth. “This will help,” I whispered, unable to make my voice any louder with the lump currently residing in my throat. She was awake. She was talking.

  Shelby’s huge eyes regarded me as she sucked in the ice chip, her eyes falling shut as she sighed and smiled softly. “Good,” she breathed.

  I kissed her hand, wishing it were her sweet mouth. “Do you want another one, Beaker?”

  Her brow furrowed as she accepted the chip, and then she looked at Everett questioningly.

  “What? What do you need?” he asked gently.

  Her eyes moved back to me briefly before she spoke again, this time her voice a little louder. “Who is that? Why is he holding my hand and calling me Beaker?”

  My heart plummeted. I met Everett’s wide gaze with panic.

  She didn’t know me?

  I struggled to remain calm.

  “That’s Liam, Shelby.”

  “Oh.” She looked at me again and then motioned for Everett to come closer. He bent down, and she whispered at him. “Is he your lover?”

  He straightened up quickly, shock written all over his face. I looked around wildly.

  What? Did she…

  Then it happened.

  The most endearing, tiny squeak of a noise.

  She giggled.

  I gaped at her.

  She winked at me, her eyes closing again. “You’re not the only one who can act, Oscar.”

  Her shaky hand slipped from mine, cupping my cheek, her fingers moving restlessly on my skin. Her eyes were warm when she reopened them and gazed at me, her love shining through her tired stare. And in the middle of one of the most poignant moments in my life, I started to laugh.

  Joyfully.

  Loudly.

  My girl was back.

  23

  Liam

  The room was quiet. Finally, everyone was gone. The doctors and nurses had checked and rechecked Shelby’s vitals and responses while Everett and I waited and paced anxiously. They were all pleased, but they warned us Shelby would need time to recuperate from her injuries, including any residual effects from her head trauma. Although she was doing amazingly well, we had to be cautious. Her body needed to recover and heal. Even though she had been unconscious, she was exhausted and needed a lot of rest. Her head was admittedly fuzzy, and a couple of times she had to stop and search for words, but the doctors were sure that would change and go away as she grew stronger.

  Beyond grateful she was awake and doing better, I assured them and Everett I would make sure she had everything she required. More than anything I wanted to get her home, where she would be in familiar surroundings and I could care for her. I knew she’d respond well when she was comfortable. With my mum coming to help, I was confident Shelby would be in good hands.

  Shelby insisted everyone go home and get some sleep. I encouraged it too, knowing full well I wouldn’t be going anywhere.

  Until Shelby went home, I wasn’t leaving.

  After kisses and hugs, we were, at last, alone. Shelby watched me with soft eyes as I dipped a cloth into a basin of warm water. “I’d rather have a shower,” she murmured.

  “Tomorrow. The doctor said tomorrow,” I assured her, gently lifting the heavy plastered arm and wiping the warm cloth over the exposed skin, doing the same thing to her other arm. “You may get to go home tomorrow, and you can have a nice soak in the tub. Sound good?”

  She nodded, watching me as I slowly, tenderly, wiped her clean. I smiled at the shaky sigh she emitted as I caressed her face and neck with the velvety cloth I’d had Cassidy pick up for me before she left. “If not, we’ll get you a shower. But this will have to do until then, my darling girl.”

  “Okay,” she breathed.

  “What did you do to your hand?” she asked, tracing her fingers over the bruises on my knuckles.

  “Ah, I sort of introduced it to the wall,” I admitted sheepishly.

  “Oscar,” she chided gently, shaking her head, which caused a small grimace of pain to cross her face.

  “Do you need some pain medication?” I asked, already reaching for the call button.

  She stilled my hand. “No. It’s fine. I’m fine.”

  Dropping the cloth, I cupped her cheek, tracing a small circle on her skin with my thumb. “I don’t want you in any pain. I can’t stand the thought of you in pain. You have to tell me,” I pleaded. “I want to look after you. You have to tell me what you need.”

  “I only need you.”

  “Oh, Shelby.” I brushed my lips against hers. “You have me.”

  “I’m sorry I scared you.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

  “You did. All of this did. They were talking about the next step and feeding tubes…” I drew in a shaky breath. “I thought…I thought I lost you.”

  “No,” she murmured. “I’m right here, Liam.” She pressed my hand closer to her warm skin. “Right here.”

  I was suddenly unable to speak. Gingerly, she moved closer to the edge of the bed and patted the mattress beside her. I started to shake my head, but she pulled on my hand with a breathy, “Please,” and unable to resist her, I carefully stretched out beside her, cautious to avoid her bruises. Turning slightly, she buried her face in my neck, her breath tickling my skin as she shuddered. I draped my arm over her, loosely holding her, wishing I could be closer, but her cast prevented us from pressing together. The feeling of her being beside me, awake and talking—the sheer relief of it—hit me. Tears began to drip down my face, soaking into the pillow under my head. Shelby stroked the back of my head as she murmured gentle hushing noises meant to calm. Her tenderness only made the sobs worse, and I gathered her as close as I dared, letting my emotions rage until I was spent.

  And then, I slept.

  My eyes flew open in the dimness of the room, only to find Shelby looking at me. “Hey,” she soothed. “It’s okay.”

  I caressed her cheek. “I fell asleep. I’m supposed to be looking after you, and I fell asleep.” I snorted. “What a git.”

  “Everett said you refused to leave me and that you barely slept.”

  “I couldn’t leave you.”

  “He told me everything. He said you were so strong and handled everything. You impressed him, Liam. And that isn’t easy to do with Everett.”

  I shrugged, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “I did it for you. You needed me. They needed me.”

  “Thank you for looking after me,” she breathed out.

  I kissed her. “I’ll always look after you,” I said, realizing for the first time in my life, it was true. She would always be more important than anything or anyone else. Especially myself.

  She smiled in understanding. “So, with everything you’ve been doing, a nap beside me is okay.”

  “I should get up and let you sleep.”

  “Or you could stay, and we could sleep together.”

  I grimaced at the tight quarters. “You’re not…uncomfortable? It’s kind of a small bed. They might not like me in here with you.”

  “I’m good. Deb was already in and tsked. I told her I needed you here. She said she’d allow it this once.”

  Deb was my favorite of all of Shelby’s nurses. “I’ll send her some flowers.”

  “Good.”

  “Do you need anything? Are you in pain?”

  “No. Deb gave me some pills. All I need is you.”

  I tightened my a
rm and brought her closer to my chest. “You have me.”

  “Good.”

  I pressed my lips to her head and stroked her hair gently until I felt her relax and sleep. Almost instantly, the twitches started, and I rejoiced at her signs of normal sleep. I was worried she would slip away again. When she breathed my name and smiled, I relaxed and allowed my eyes to drift shut again. Shelby was right—I was exhausted, and I needed to sleep so I could care for her better.

  And with her beside me, I could rest.

  The next time I opened my eyes, Everett was staring at me, shaking his head. “You can’t stop touching my sister, can you? You had to sleep with her?”

  Before I could answer, Shelby’s groggy voice piped up. “Piss off, Ev. I asked him to.”

  I grinned widely and kissed her head that was still buried in my chest. “What she said.”

  He shook his head, but then started to grin at the two of us. “I spoke with the doctor. They are gonna do the CT scan, remove all the tubes and medical stuff, and if all is okay, Shelby can come home.”

  Carefully, I lifted off the heavy plaster Shelby was resting on my side, slipped off the bed, and smiled at her. “Good news, Beaker.”

  She nodded, relief evident on her face. “Especially the stuff.”

  I knew she wanted the IV and Foley gone. She wanted to try to get up and walk. She wanted a bath. She wanted to come home.

  I wanted her to come home.

  “Soon, baby.”

  “And your mum will be there?”

  I grinned. “Mark is picking her up soon.”

  “Thor?”

  “Lily has been looking after him. He’ll be glad to have you home.”

  She looked at me beseechingly. “Can you get them to come check me out faster?”

  I loved the fact that she was asking me, not Everett. She wanted me to take care of it—take care of her. Bending down, I kissed her. “I’ll go find the doctor.”

  She walked. Shaky and hanging on to me for dear life, but she did it. She passed all their tests, and the CT scan was clear. They removed all the “stuff” she hated, and when they let me back in the room, they told me I could take her home.