Derek (Hunter PI & Security #1)

by Sharon Cummin

  “You should see how many times they've all checked on you. You're one popular guy, Derek Hunter.”

  I kept talking to him. First it was about Jenny. Then it was about work. Eventually it was about Gabby and how bad she felt that he was there but also how free she felt as well. I hadn't noticed how much time had passed, and before I knew it, they were wheeling Derek off for tests.

  The moment they brought him back, I had his hand in mine again. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, I saw his flutter open and then closed. Without thinking, I gripped his hand tighter. Then I felt his finger move.

  “Come on,” I said. “You can do this. Wake your ass up, Derek.”

  His eyes opened again. Then they closed.

  “Let me see those gorgeous eyes,” I said. “Please open them again.”

  When he did, I jumped up with his hand still in mine.

  “Shit!” I yelped. “I need to get someone. I'm going to get someone.”

  I hurried into the hallway and grabbed the first nurse I saw.

  “He's awake,” I said. “He opened his eyes. They closed again, but they were open.”

  She smiled at my rambling. I let her hand go and ran back to the room. His eyes were closed. Had it been my imagination? It couldn't have been. They were his eyes, the ones I'd looked into so many times.

  The nurse came in, and shortly after, there was a doctor. It was the same one from the surgery. I grabbed my phone and started sending them all messages that he was awake. The doctor looked over, and I quickly put my phone down.

  “Everything seems to be going how we'd like it to,” he said. “The tests came back good. He's going to slip in and out of sleep for most of the day. I'm hoping that tomorrow he'll stay awake for much longer. Make sure not to overwhelm him or stress him out. We need to let him get as much rest as we can.”

  My phone was dinging one after the next. The doctor laughed.

  “They can come in, but make sure they keep it down.”

  “Thank you,” I said with a smile, as I started answering everyone back again.

  Once they were gone, I sat back down in the chair. He opened his eyes, and it took all I had not to cry. Don't stress him out, I thought.

  “Hey there,” I said.

  The side of his lip lifted, and I smiled.

  “You can do it,” I said. “I know you can smile. I've seen it before.”

  Those open eyes narrowed, and I laughed.

  “There you go,” I said. “That's the look I'm used to.”

  Then his eyes closed.

  “Okay,” I said. “I'll be nice.”

  When he opened them again, I smiled.

  “Look at you controlling things without even talking,” I said, and his eyes closed again.

  “Fine,” I snapped. “Open them, and I'll be nice.”

  He did, and I laughed again.

  “You have no idea how good it is to see those eyes,” I said. “I'm not supposed to stress you out.”

  His eyes widened, and I laughed again.

  “Hey,” I said. “You have to be nice too.”

  When he tried to move his arm, I saw pain in his face and reached out to stop him.

  “Don't,” I said. “You have to stay still. As hard as that is for you, you have to do it.”

  He looked down and a confused look crossed his face.

  “You were shot,” I said.

  He opened his mouth. A noise came out but no words.

  “Gabby's ex showed up, and I called you. You were shot in the chest.”

  Then he opened his mouth again.

  “Him,” came out sounding scratchy.

  “He's dead,” I said.

  He nodded slowly.

  “Drake is on his way. Jean is coming too. Gabby and Doug were already on their way. She's bringing me clothes and stuff.”

  “Jenny,” he said slowly.

  “I'm not sure,” I said. “Do you want her to come? You look a little rough.”

  “Yes,” he said.

  I typed out a quick message to Jean that he wanted Jenny to come with her.

  Before long, people were coming in. First it was Drake. It was so nice seeing him smile. Then it was Gabby and Doug. She handed me a bag with clothes. Doug handed me a bag too.

  “We thought you might be hungry,” he said.

  “When's the last time you ate?” Gabby asked.

  “Yesterday morning,” I said. “I hadn't even realized it yet.”

  I sat down and opened the bag. Then I looked over at Drake.

  “Have you eaten?” I asked him.

  “I'm good,” he answered.

  “When did you eat?” I asked.

  When he didn't answer me, I grabbed half of the sandwich and shoved it at him.

  “Eat this,” I said.

  “I'm not eating your food,” he said, as he pushed my hand back.

  “I know damn well that you're going to leave here and go right back to work,” I said. “Eat the damn sandwich.”

  He let out a huff before grabbing it and taking a bite.

  “Happy?” he asked.

  “Very,” I answered.

  When I looked over, I could see a small smile on Derek's face.

  “I'd give you some too, but you can't have it,” I said, only to get narrowed eyes again.

  When I stuck my tongue out at him, Drake narrowed his eyes at me too.

  “You're not supposed to stress him out,” he said. “Do I need to make you leave?”

  “Daddy,” I heard, coming from the doorway.

  I set my food down and walked over to Jenny.

  “Hey there,” I said, as I leaned down and opened my arms to her.

  “Where's daddy?” she asked.

  “He's over here,” I said, as I slowly began to move toward Derek. “He just woke up, so he can't talk very much. He got hurt, so he needs lots of rest. We have to be super careful not to hurt him.”

  “Grandma said the doctor fixed him and sewed him up,” she said.

  “He sure did,” I said. “But it still hurts a lot.”

  “I'll be careful,” she said.

  “I know you will,” I said.

  I walked over and her eyes went wide when she saw him. I saw worry in his eyes and wanted to take it away.

  “It's okay,” I said. “He just has to rest. Then he'll be home playing dolls with you.”

  I sat down in the chair with her in my lap and put her hand on Derek's.

  “He asked for you as soon as he opened his eyes,” I said.

  “He did?” she asked.

  “Right away,” I said.

  “Jenny,” he said, and she looked over.

  She moved out of my arms and up the bed. When she rested her head next to his, I couldn't stop a tear from escaping me.

  “I love you,” he said.

  “I love you too,” she said. “What happened to you?”

  “Bridget,” he said.

  “He saved my life,” I said, without even thinking about it.

  “What?” Jenny asked.

  “He did,” I said. “A bad guy came into work and your daddy protected me from him. He protected our whole building. He was like a hero.”

  “He's my hero,” Jenny said.

  “Mine too,” I said, with a smile. “It was pretty great.”

  “Will you take care of him when I go home?” Jenny asked. “Grandma said he has to stay here for days. She said I can't stay with him. Will you stay?”

  “I will,” I answered honestly. There was no way I was leaving.

  “Will you take care of him for me?” she asked.

  “I sure will,” I answered.

  “I like you, Bridget,” she said.

  “I like you too, Jenny,” I replied.

  She put her arm around Derek's neck gently, and within seconds, she was asleep. He looked over at her and smiled.

  “She's so sweet,” he said.

  I got up so Jean could sit down. Everyone was talking quietly to each ot
her. I could feel his eyes on me, but I knew I couldn't look his way. I stuffed a bite of sandwich into my mouth before handing Drake the rest of the fries. He took it as he laughed.

  The doctor came in and looked around the room before looking at me.

  “We're being quiet,” I said.

  He smiled and walked over to Jean.

  “I was telling Bridget that your son is doing really well,” he began.

  I looked over at Derek to see his eyes wide and his mouth opening and quickly shook my head.

  “We did some tests earlier, and they came back good. He'll need lots of rest for now while we wait to see how he heals.”

  The doctor looked up at me when he said rest, and I laughed.

  “The man has family,” I said. “What can I say.”

  The doctor left, and everyone went back to talking quietly to each other. I looked at Jenny and then at Derek. Our eyes connected, and I felt that shiver run through me that had so many times before. His eyes were barely staying open. I could tell he was trying to fight them. I smiled and shook my head. He opened his mouth, and I watched him, waiting to hear what he had to say.

  “I'll move,” he said.

  My eyes went wide, and Jean and Drake both looked back at me with shock on their faces.

  “You'll move,” Doug said. “What does that mean? Where are you going?”

  Gabby looked over at Doug before looking at Derek. The room was silent. Derek's eyes were still on mine, and I didn't know what to say or do. Did he say what I think he was saying? Did he even know what it was he was saying? Did he mean it? I can honestly say, in that moment, I'd never been more happy that Taylor wasn't there.

  Chapter 47

  Derek

  When I opened my eyes, she was there. Bridget was with me. I fought to keep them open, but they kept closing on me. When she opened her eyes and looked at mine, I could see something there. Was she happy? It almost looked like relief. She was saying things to me. She wanted me to keep my eyes open. Then she jumped up and took off. The next thing I knew there were nurses and a doctor there. They were messing with me. The doctor was talking to her. Then he was gone. My eyes were fighting to stay open, and she was being a smartass. When I tried to move, it hurt so damn bad. She said I had to stay still, but I didn't get it. Then she said I had been shot. I opened my mouth but nothing came out and my throat felt like it was on fire.

  “Gabby's ex showed up, and I called you. You were shot in the chest.”

  The second she said those words, it started coming back to me. I'd shot that fucker. Where was he?

  When I opened my mouth again, the word him came out but it didn't sound right.

  “He's dead,” she said.

  I felt relief shoot through me instantly. That guy was messed up. There was no way he was going to give up getting to Gabby, and he'd pointed a gun at my girl. Wait! What? No, she wasn't my girl.

  “Drake is on his way. Jean is coming too. Gabby and Doug were already on their way. She's bringing me clothes and stuff,” she said.

  Jenny, I thought. I needed to see my daughter. Was she scared? What had they told her? How long was I out?

  “Jenny,” I said, and it felt a little better.

  “I'm not sure,” she said. “Do you want her to come? You look a little rough.”

  “Yes,” I said immediately.

  When I opened my eyes again, I saw Drake. Then they closed again. It was driving me crazy. Why was I so tired, I wondered? I heard Gabby and Doug and opened them again. They were handing her stuff. I smelled something. It was food. She was eating. The woman needed to eat. How could she go a whole day with nothing?

  The next thing I knew, she was arguing with my brother, saying he hadn't eaten and shoving half of her food in his face. They were going back and forth like two kids. He grabbed it, took a bite, and got snotty with her. What the hell was going on? I didn't realize I was smiling until she made a comment about giving me some too but not being able to. When I narrowed my eyes at her, she stuck her tongue out and my brother narrowed his eyes at her too. I felt like I'd been gone a long time, but it couldn't have been. She said she'd eaten the day before. That meant I'd only been in there for one day. How much could happen in a day?

  “Daddy,” I heard my sweet daughter's words and wanted to get to her, but it hurt so bad to move.

  Bridget put her food down and took off toward the door. I could hear Jenny and her talking and couldn't believe how sweet and gentle she was being with my little girl. When Jenny crawled slowly up the bed and rested her head next to mine, I wanted to hug her so damn bad, but I couldn't. It was beginning to irritate the shit out of me, the whole not moving thing.

  “I love you,” I said, and I was so relieved that I actually sounded like myself.

  “I love you too,” she said. “What happened to you?”

  It was all coming back to me, but I had no idea how to explain it to her without scaring her or letting her know that I'd killed a man. My baby girl didn't need to know that. I also wasn't sure I was ready to talk that much.

  “Bridget,” I said, hoping so badly that she'd find a good way to say it.

  Then she did it.

  “He saved my life,” she said, as she looked over at me with so much emotion in her eyes.

  She went on to tell Jenny what had happened in a few short sentences, making it sound like I was a hero. That wasn't the case at all. I was nobody's hero. It was what I had to do to get that asshole away from her. The second I saw that gun pointed at her, I knew I'd give my own life to make sure he didn't take hers.

  Jenny asked Bridget if she'd stay and take care of me since she couldn't do it, and Bridget told her she would, without even thinking about what she had to do.

  Jenny wrapped her arms around my neck, and I felt her body relax within seconds. When I looked over, I couldn't help but smile. My little girl was happy, and there was no way I would let anyone move her.

  “She's so sweet,” I said.

  She was perfect, and she was right where she needed to be.

  I watched Bridget get up so Jean could sit down. Then she was handing her food to my brother again. I closed my eyes, but I could hear them all talking around me.

  The entire event from the day before began playing through my mind. I remembered my phone ringing and me picking it up to hear his voice. He was yelling at her about getting his wife down there, and I knew I had to get to her. I hit the button I'd had put in that was linked to the police, so I knew it would be a bit but not too long before they'd be there. I remembered seeing his gun pointed at her. I was so damn scared. That wasn't who I was. I wasn't that guy. I was the one that held control in every situation. That was how I was trained. I remembered feeling more fear than I'd ever felt in my life and knowing that I had to get her out of there. When I stepped up and told her to go, she wasn't moving. She was worried about me. All I needed was for her to get herself out of there so I could deal with him, but she didn't want to leave me. He threatened to shoot me if she did, but I didn't care. I was trained to think about the situation and act accordingly, but I couldn't do it. All I could think about was her being safe. The thought of losing her hurt so damn bad, and I couldn't let that happen. The door closed, and she was gone. She was safe. I remembered the shot and the feeling it brought on. I remembered falling, arguing, and shooting him. He was on the ground, and there was blood everywhere. The next thing I remembered was opening my eyes to her being there and pain filling my chest.

  When the doctor walked in again, they all went quiet, and I opened my eyes. Bridget's were the ones I wanted to see. Just the thought of her not being there had me shaken. Seeing her instantly took that stress away. The doctor looked at her and she smiled before telling him they were being quiet. When he laughed, I knew why. When her eyes came back to mine, she was smiling. There was no way you couldn't when it came to her smart mouth. She'd broken through my rough exterior and made me smile more than I ever had in my life. When the doctor said the word son to Jean
, I opened my mouth, but Bridget gave me her warning look, and I didn't say a word. The doctor looked back to Bridget and let her know that I needed rest. When she said I had family, I looked around. I wasn't sure how I felt about Doug and Gabby being my family, but they were helping Bridget, so they were okay with me. None of the guys were there, but they were family too. We'd all grown very close. I guess I did have family, I thought. They'd all been closer to me than I'd ever been to my own, my parents anyway. Drake was my brother through and through, he always was, and he always would be.

  Everyone started talking the moment the doctor left. My eyes were still on Bridget's and hers on mine. If I could have reached out at that moment, I would have grabbed her and covered her mouth with mine. I was trying to keep my eyes open, but the damn things kept closing. My baby girl was next to me, and Bridget was standing close by watching me. When my eyes closed again, I saw that fucker standing there with his gun pointed at her. If he would have been quicker, he could have shot her. The second that thought popped into my head, I felt so much loss. What the fuck was wrong with me? I was afraid to move on so I'd never feel that pain again, but I was feeling it anyway. If that punk would have pulled that trigger, I would have felt it. I would have lost her. We weren't together. I hadn't moved on, and I still felt it deep in my heart. I almost lost her. When my eyes opened again, she was still watching me, and I knew in that moment that I wasn't spending another day without her. I knew that I would do anything it took to protect her and keep her safe. She was mine whether I'd wanted her to be or not. The woman worked her way into my heart, and I was never going to let her go. I fought to open my eyes again, and hers were still there. She was mine, and I would do anything for her, anything at all.

  “I'll move,” I said.

  I watched her, Jean, and Drake. They knew what I meant. Then I heard Doug.

  “You'll move,” he said, his voice filled with confusion. “What does that mean? Where are you going?”

  Her eyes never left mine, but she didn't respond. Did she know what I meant? Did she remember our conversation at the pool? Did she even want me?

  “I mean it,” I said. “I will move.”

  I felt Jenny move next to me, and I was fighting so damn hard to stay awake. I wanted Bridget to say something. She needed to give me some kind of clue. In that moment, I would have blurted out everything, right there, in front of Doug and Gabby, but I didn't know how she felt about me. If she didn't want me, then I didn't want to put her through the interrogation I knew Gabby would give her. Bridget was there. She'd stayed with me the whole time. Had she done it because she felt bad for me?