Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 1-16

by Force, Marie

  Mallory rushed into the clinic and ran toward Katie Lawry, the first person she saw. Jared had told her only that Quinn had gotten hurt at work and was being transported to the clinic. “Katie, I’m looking for Quinn James. The rescue brought him in?”

  “Right this way, Mallory.” Katie led her to a cubicle, where Quinn was in bed and Jared stood by his side.

  The sight of Quinn’s bloodstained face and the evil cut on his forehead stopped her short. “Oh my God! What happened?”

  “Wrong move on the basement steps,” Quinn said.

  “Did you fall down them?”

  “Yep.”

  “Oh no. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

  “Just the usual place.”

  “No…” Her heart broke for him. Right when he’d been back on his leg again. “What’re they doing for you?”

  “They called in David Lawrence,” Jared said. “He’s on his way.”

  Mallory took hold of Quinn’s hand and had to hide her surprise when he pulled free and crossed his arms, his face set in a mulish expression she’d never seen before.

  She glanced at Jared and noted he seemed as concerned as she felt. Something else had happened to Quinn at the bottom of those stairs, something far beyond his physical injuries.

  Katie began to clean the cut on Quinn’s head while they waited for David, who arrived a short time later and quickly assessed Quinn’s injuries. “I’d like to get a scan of your head, just to make sure.”

  “I can already tell you it’s a concussion,” Quinn said.

  “You know as well as I do that you can’t tell me if you’re bleeding on the inside, and we need to rule that out.” To Mallory and Katie, he said, “I’ve heard it said that doctors make the worst patients.”

  “No comment,” Katie said, smiling.

  Mallory forced a small smile, but she couldn’t work up anything more than that when Quinn was going out of his way to distance himself from her.

  “We’ll be quick,” David said. “I promise.”

  They wheeled Quinn’s bed from the room, leaving Mallory alone with Jared, who looked as shell-shocked as she felt.

  “He fell down the full set of stairs?” she asked in a small voice.

  Jared nodded.

  “God.”

  “I know. He could’ve been killed.”

  Mallory crossed her arms and took a deep breath to ward off the emotional firestorm she felt brewing. This felt all too familiar, bringing back memories of the day her young husband had died so suddenly. That the same thing could’ve happened to Quinn and right when she’d decided she wanted everything with him…

  Jared startled her when he put his arm around her. “He’s fine. Pissed off and banged up. But fine.”

  Lizzie came rushing into the room, looking undone and frazzled. “Where is he? Is he okay?”

  Jared held out his hand to her, and she came over to him. “He fell down the basement stairs at the building. They think he has a concussion, and they’re scanning him to make sure that’s all it is. He’s banged up but okay.”

  She sagged against her husband. “Thank God you called Jared, Mallory. Who knows how long he would’ve been there otherwise.”

  The thought of him alone and injured in the basement of that dark building made Mallory shudder. They waited in uneasy silence until Katie wheeled Quinn back into the room.

  “David will be in shortly,” she said. “Can I get you anything, Quinn?”

  “Some ice water would be good.”

  “Coming right up.”

  Mallory immediately noticed that Quinn had bled through the gauze Katie had placed on his forehead. Acting on instinct, she went to the sink to wash her hands, pulled on gloves and, making use of the supplies Katie had left on a nearby tray, got busy replacing the dressing. At first, Quinn leaned away from her, but she didn’t let up. If he thought he was going to push her away now, he was about to find out that she wasn’t easily pushed.

  “Hold still,” she said sternly.

  Katie returned with the water. “Oh, thanks, Mallory. It helps to have an extra set of qualified hands around here.”

  “Try telling that to my patient,” Mallory said.

  “I’m not your patient,” Quinn said in a testy tone that again took her by surprise.

  “All yours, Katie,” Mallory said. She removed the gloves and trashed them on her way out of the room. Clearly, he didn’t want her there, so she’d wait until the time was right to ask him what the hell was going on. She wasn’t about to do that with an audience.

  She sank into a chair in the waiting room and put her head back against the wall.

  “He’s upset that he got hurt again,” Lizzie said when she joined her. “That’s all it is.”

  “If you say so. Feels like more than that to me.”

  Lizzie sat next to her. “I don’t know him very well. You probably know him better than I do, but the one thing I know for sure about him is that he’s fiercely independent, and relying on others doesn’t come easily to him.”

  “I think I might love him.”

  Lizzie gasped. “Really?”

  Mallory nodded. “I haven’t felt this way for anyone since I lost my husband thirteen years ago.”

  “Oh. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I think,” Lizzie said tentatively, “he might love you, too, and he doesn’t want you to have to deal with his… limitations.”

  “When I look at him, I don’t see limitations. I see resilience and determination and perseverance.”

  “At some point, possibly very soon, you might have to tell him that.”

  Mallory looked over at Lizzie, offering a small smile. “Do me a favor?”

  “Anything.”

  “Don’t invite him to your house when they release him.”

  Lizzie returned her smile. “He is so not welcome at my house.”

  Chapter 27

  Two hours later, after five stitches to close the head wound and declaring the scans to be clear, David released Quinn with instructions to take it easy for the next couple of days.

  “Thanks for coming in at night,” Quinn said.

  “No problem. I do it all the time. In fact, I might want to talk to you at some point about backing each other up so we can actually take vacations once in a while.”

  Quinn shook his hand. “I’d be down for that. Sounds good.”

  Katie wheeled Quinn to the door where Mallory waited with her car to take him home.

  “I can go with Jared and Lizzie,” he said.

  “Oh, um, we’ve got the guest room all ready for your parents when they come,” Lizzie said, glancing at Jared.

  “Could be any time now,” Jared said. “You want Mom falling all over you?”

  Mallory held her breath, waiting to hear what Quinn would say.

  “No, I don’t want that.” He looked up at her. “You sure you don’t mind?”

  “I don’t mind, and Brutus is waiting to see you.”

  He gave a short nod, which was the only indication she got that he was coming with her.

  She sent Lizzie and Jared a grateful look.

  “Call us if you guys need anything,” Jared said.

  “We’ll be fine,” Mallory assured him.

  With Jared’s help, Mallory got Quinn settled in her car, and Lizzie discreetly placed the prosthetic leg in the backseat.

  “Call me if you need me,” Jared said again.

  “Thank you, Jared.”

  “Good luck.”

  “Thanks. I fear I’m going to need it.”

  He gave her shoulder a squeeze, and then he and Lizzie headed for their cars.

  Mallory wiped her damp palms on her jeans and got into the car. The brief drive home occurred in total silence. She pulled into the driveway and cut the engine. “I’ll get the crutches.”

  Brutus met her at the door, and she took a second to give him some quick attention.

  “Be careful with your dad
dy. He’s hurt and feeling bad.”

  Brutus whimpered and followed her into the bedroom, where Quinn’s crutches had been propped in the corner for a couple of days now. Knowing how much he hated them, it pained her that he had to use them again, even temporarily.

  “Stay,” she said to Brutus when she went back out the front door to help Quinn.

  He took the crutches from her without a word and got himself out of the car, pausing when the concussion fought back against the movement. Closing his eyes, he took a couple of shallow breaths.

  Mallory watched over him but kept her distance, knowing he’d want to do this himself. However, she stayed closed enough to grab him if he stumbled.

  Quinn moved slowly up the walk to the stairs, which he took one at a time while Mallory followed.

  Brutus lost his mind when he saw Quinn, but didn’t jump on him.

  “Hey, buddy,” Quinn said to the puppy as he made his way to the sofa, where he landed with a wince and a long exhale.

  Brutus jumped up on the sofa to give Quinn a full sniffing, focusing on the forehead wound.

  Mallory went into the kitchen to get them both some water and to give herself a minute to figure out her next move. He’d come with her because he hadn’t had a choice, but she couldn’t believe the guy she’d been so happy with over the last couple of weeks wasn’t still in there somewhere under the veil of despair and dejection over this latest setback.

  Resolved to be strong for him and to fight for them, she took the water to the living room, handed him a glass and sat next to him on the sofa.

  Her phone chimed with a text that she saw was from Mac.

  Are you coming to the bonfire? Syd thought you might.

  I can’t make it tonight. Tell her I’m sorry to miss it.

  Everything all right?

  Quinn had an accident, but he’s fine. Will check in with you tomorrow.

  Sorry to hear that. Let me know if you need anything.

  I will. Thanks.

  “Are you supposed to be somewhere?” he asked. “You don’t have to babysit me if you’ve got stuff to do.”

  “I don’t have anything to do.”

  “But you had plans?”

  “We were both invited to a bonfire at the Harrises’.”

  “I’m sorry you had to miss it.”

  “I’m sorry you got hurt.”

  “Again.”

  Mallory shrugged. “Shit happens.”

  He took a drink of his water and put the glass on the table. “This is the Summer of Mallory. You don’t need to be taking care of an invalid.”

  She snorted out a laugh.

  “You think this is funny?”

  “Only the part about you being an invalid. Clearly, you don’t have much experience with invalids if you think you are one.”

  “You know what I mean!”

  “I know that you’ve had two recent setbacks that have you thinking this is how the rest of your life is going to unfold, and surely no reasonable woman would want to be part of that.”

  He stared at her, seeming taken aback that she’d zeroed in on the heart of the matter so quickly.

  “What happened to you, in both cases, were freak accidents that could’ve happened to anyone. Does it occur to you that if you’d never lost your leg, you might still have stepped in that hole in the dark and maybe torn your ACL or MCL and needed surgery to fix it? The prosthetic probably saved you from a more serious injury, and yes, a week on crutches was a drag, but it wasn’t the end of the world as we know it. In fact, that week gave you a good excuse to stay here with me, and if I’m not mistaken, that week was pretty great. Or maybe I was the only one who thought so.”

  “You weren’t the only one.”

  “Then why are you pushing me away rather than pulling me closer when you need me?”

  With his jaw set in the now-familiar mulish expression, he glanced down at his hands, which were flat against his thighs. He looked as if he wished he could get the hell out of there but knew that wasn’t possible. “I’m not good at needing anyone.”

  “No kidding. Really?”

  His gaze shifted toward her. “Are you laughing at me again?”

  “Maybe just a little.”

  “That’s not nice,” he said with a glint of humor in his eyes that she eagerly welcomed. “I’m an injured veteran trying to navigate life post-injury and fucking it up every which way.”

  Mallory inched closer to him, hoping he would welcome her rather than push her away. “Not every which way.”

  “No?”

  She shook her head. “I was really, really worried about you earlier when I couldn’t get in touch with you.”

  “I’m sorry to do that to you.”

  She placed her hand on top of his. “All that matters is that you’re okay.”

  He turned his hand up and linked their fingers. “I need you to do something else for me.”

  “Whatever you need.”

  “Remind me why I can’t get rip-roaring drunk right now when I want to so badly.”

  “Because we both know that’ll only make things worse rather than better, and you’ve worked too hard to create a life that doesn’t require alcohol and drugs.”

  “It was easier when I could numb the pain.”

  “Believe me, I know.”

  “Keep reminding me of that?”

  “Any time you need to hear it.”

  With his palm pressed against hers, Mallory felt like she could truly breathe again for the first time in hours. “I’d also like to point out that the fact someone actually cares about you is the only reason you’re not spending a long, uncomfortable night in a dark, creepy basement.”

  He huffed out a laugh. “True.” Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, he said, “You didn’t sign on to be my nurse.”

  “I love being a nurse. I love taking care of people, especially the ones I love.”

  His body went taut, and she swore he stopped breathing. “Does that include me?”

  “What if it does? Are you going to run away from me screaming?”

  “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed that I can’t exactly run at the moment.”

  “Figuratively speaking.”

  “I don’t want to be a burden to you.”

  “You’re not. What you’ve been to me is so much more than that, and I’d like to think that if I ever fall down the stairs or wrench my knee stepping in a hole, maybe you would take care of me until I was back on my feet again.”

  “Of course I would.”

  “Then consider this a down payment on all my future needs.”

  His gaze locked on hers. “All of them?”

  “Only if that’s what you want, too.”

  He raised his free hand to her face, running his thumb over her skin and igniting a firestorm inside her. “I want you. As you well know, I’ve wanted you from the first instant I laid eyes on you, and I’m beginning to suspect there’ll never be a time when I don’t want you.”

  “Ditto.” She leaned in close enough to place a gentle kiss on his lips. “Let me take care of you. Let me care about you. Let’s do this together. There’s nothing you could throw at me that I couldn’t handle except losing you. Don’t make me have to go through that again.”

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  “How about we get you settled in bed where you’ll be more comfortable.”

  “Only if you come with me.”

  “Nowhere else I’d rather be.”

  She helped him up and held him until he was steady.

  “My head hurts like a son of a bitch.”

  “I’ll get you something for that.” She helped him to the bathroom and waited outside the door to give him some privacy. This day had not turned out the way she’d planned, but they’d still taken a huge step forward, which was what she’d wanted.

  He hobbled into the bedroom, where she helped him out of his shirt, running her fingers over the bruises on his ribs. “Does it hurt?”

  “No
t too bad. My head is the worst of it.”

  When she reached for his belt, he stopped her.

  Mallory looked up at him. “If we’re going to make a go of this, I’m going to see it every day.”

  After a long pause, he lifted his hand, giving silent permission for her to proceed in removing his pants. She unbuttoned and unzipped him carefully, noting the bulge that had formed there. Glancing up at him, she smiled.

  “Can’t help it. The sexiest babe in the world is undressing me. I’m concussed, not dead.”

  “And thank God for that.” She slid the pants down over his hips and lower still, until his stump was revealed.

  Wearing only his boxers, he sat on the bed. “There it is in all its purple glory.”

  Mallory saw fading bruises from the earlier injury and new ones from tonight. “I’ll get some ice.”

  “I’m having déjà vu.”

  Mallory settled him against the pillows and pulled a light blanket over him. “Comfy?”

  “Sort of.”

  “What do you need?”

  “You’ve given me this new ache that needs tending to.”

  She laughed. “Not tonight, stud. Your head would explode.”

  “That’s the whole idea.”

  Smiling, she tapped her index finger on the uninjured side of his forehead. “This one.”

  Scowling playfully, he said, “Oh, well, that wouldn’t be good.”

  “Behave. I’ll be back with some ice and pain pills.” When she returned to the room a few minutes later, he had his head back and his eyes closed. She laid a towel over his leg and placed the ice bag carefully.

  “Thanks, babe,” he muttered.

  “You’re welcome.” She brushed the hair back from his forehead and kissed him. “You want to take some meds?”

  “Yeah.”

  She helped him with the pills and water. “Get some rest. I’m here if you need me.”

  Without opening his eyes, he patted the other side of the bed. “I need you right here.”

  “Give me one minute.” She went into the bathroom to change into pajamas and brush her teeth. Then she let Brutus out one more time. He lay down on his bed by the fireplace while she went to join Quinn in her bed.

  He reached for her hand and gave a tug to bring her closer to him.