Wicked Attraction (The Protector)

by Megan Hart

  The cycle had done a half turn, spraying gravel, and was heading back toward them. Ewan managed to get himself upright. He poised to pivot or run out of the way, but again, Nina shouted at him to stay still.

  He trusted her. He didn’t move. The cycle didn’t hit him.

  It hit her.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “I guess there’s no graduation ceremony or anything. Too bad. I was kinda looking forward to like, throwing my cap up in the air.” Al gives Nina a wide grin that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. She shifts her NorthAm Army duffel over her shoulder and runs her hand over her freshly cropped white-blond hair. “So. This is it, Bronson. They’re kicking us out.”

  “This is it,” Nina agrees. She has a duffel bag of her own, although there isn’t much inside it. She has a couple sets of her army fatigues, along with the hospital scrubs she’s been wearing for the past few months. Her civilian clothes feel binding. Strange. She’s not sure how she’s going to adapt to the outside world after all this time, only that the idea of the freedom everyone seems so set on giving her feels more like a burden.

  Al shades her eyes, maybe looking for the transpo that was supposed to pick them up twenty minutes ago. “Any ideas where you’re going to go? I have a couple job leads. Nothing I’m supposed to talk about, obviously. Hush-hush. As if we aren’t the most visible people in about the whole world right now.”

  “I’m going home for a while. Live off the settlement money, I think. I haven’t seen my family in a long time.” Nina also looks for the absent transpo, eager to get on the road. Get home.

  “Did yours come to see you in the hospital?” Al gives Nina a curious look. “Mine did, which was harder than if they hadn’t. I’m an only child. I think it broke something in my mama to see me all bandaged up like that. They actually got a notice that I was dead, can you imagine? Whoever messed that up must’ve been fired.”

  Nina’s laugh is light and self-conscious. “My family didn’t come to see me, no. I don’t think they got a notice that I’d died, though.”

  “My parents sued. Got a big chunk of change, which is good for them. My settlement would keep me going for a while even without that, but it’s nice to know they could both retire early. I still think I want to work, though,” Al puts in. “I’m not much for staying home and being idle.”

  Nina spots the transpo heading their way, but there’s only one. “Typical. Leave it to the government to handle something as delicate and important as drilling our brains full of tech and training us to use it, but then they can’t even schedule the transpos for us to come at the right time.”

  “They didn’t handle that very well, either. They put stuff inside our heads, and it’s going to fail. It’s all going to fail.” Al turns toward Nina.

  Her eyes are full of blood.

  “We’re all going to die,” Al says, and then her entire head explodes.

  * * *

  Nina fought her way out of the dream as fiercely as if she’d used her fists and feet and teeth. She woke with a sharp gasp and strained against the blankets trapping her in the bed. Metal rails imprisoned her on either side.

  Hospital.

  “No,” she muttered.

  Was she still dreaming? Her mouth tasted sour. She stank of sweat, but the stench of antiseptic and chemicals was worse. It burned her too-sensitive nose. She’d learned to control that, she had, but now an array of stinks overwhelmed her, and Nina stifled a retch. She kept her stomach in its place only by sheer force of will—and probably because it was empty.

  The metal railing on her left gave way after two kicks. Her bare foot scraped a broken piece of metal, drawing blood and bringing a throbbing sting, but Nina didn’t care. She needed to get up, get out of this bed. She needed to wake up from this dream.

  She wasn’t dreaming. The tile floor, cold beneath her hands and on her cheek, as she fell out of the bed, was too real. Nina got to her feet, becoming aware she wore a cloth gown that opened in the back when the chilly air ran skeletal fingers up and down her spine. She put a hand to the neckline, meaning to tear it away from her body, but stopped at the ghost of her reflection in the window.

  She was in a hospital room, but not the hospital in which she’d woken after her initial surgeries. Not the research hospital, either, where she’d spent so many long months training to use the tech. This was an entirely different place.

  She was not dreaming. She hadn’t time-traveled. She’d been hit by a buzzcycle that had been trying to attack Ewan. She remembered everything now, and a grateful gasp of relief that she did remember forced its way up her throat.

  Breathing deep, calming herself, Nina braced against the sudden wave of agony in her head. With a groan, she pressed the heels of her hands to her temples and tried to squeeze away the pain. Faintly as though from far away, she became aware of a high-pitched and insistent beeping.

  The door opened. A pair of soft hands gripped her gently by the shoulders. Nina kept herself from turning and dropping the newcomer with a throat jab only because she’d have had to let go of her head to do so, and everything hurt too bad for her to do that.

  “Let’s get you back into bed,” a low masculine voice said. “C’mon, Ms. Bronson. You’re going to be shiny fine. I’m Jian, by the way. I’m your nurse.”

  Nina, shaking, allowed herself to be led back to the bed, but she didn’t get into it. She turned to face the lean man dressed in white. “I don’t want to be in bed.”

  “We need you in bed,” he told her, his voice calm but firm. “You’re still . . . well, you were attached to some IV lines for your pain meds.”

  She hadn’t noticed the blood spattered along her arm, her gown, and all over the floor from where she’d torn the needle from her vein. She’d dragged a foot through the mess, leaving a series of crimson streaks on the white tiles. The sight of blood had never bothered her, but now she felt faint. She looked at her arm, where the blood had already stopped flowing. Her body had already started clotting it. That part of the tech was working, at least.

  Nina shook her head. Her ears rung. She swallowed, hard, to fend off the dizziness. “They won’t work for me, anyway. I want to be up and about. I need to use the restroom.”

  They hadn’t cathed her, anyway, she could tell that much. The nurse frowned, glancing toward the half-open door Nina had guessed led to the bathroom. He nodded as though resigned and put a hand beneath her elbow.

  “I’ll walk you,” Jian said.

  There was no point in resisting. Nina had learned that long ago. There might be very few nurses who could beat her physical strength, but every single one she’d ever met had been more than her match in the mental determination department.

  To her surprise, she needed the assistance. She could see her legs from the knees down. Dark bruises covered them, and her knees were raw beneath thick bandages. Her ribs ached with every step, every breath. Now that she was recovering from the panic that had consumed her upon waking, Nina could notice all the places her body hurt, and it was most of them. Even her hair felt too heavy, tugging at her scalp.

  “You really took a tumble,” Jian said as Nina winced and took a few hobbling steps. “Don’t be afraid to take it easy. I’m here to help.”

  “I really need to use the bathroom,” she said, because now it was true. If she didn’t get there soon, she was going to embarrass herself. By the time they got her inside the small, sparse white bathroom, another set of chills was running up and down her spine, this time with the need to use the facilities.

  Jian helped her into the room and waited until she’d gripped the railings next to the toilet before he stepped out and let the door close partway behind him. Nina could hear his feet shifting on the tiles, but fortunately the hypersensitivity to scents had gone back under her control. She relieved herself, stunned at how weak she still felt. She had no idea how long ago she’d been in that parking lot with Ewan, but she ought to have been well on her way to recovery by now.

  At the sink
she washed her hands and gripped the porcelain to look at her reflection. Two black eyes. A string of stitches along one cheek. Fat lip. She curled her mouth open to look over her teeth, grateful none of them seemed broken. Teeth didn’t grow back.

  “You doing okay in there?”

  She swiveled her head at Jian’s question to look over her shoulder. “Yes. I need another minute, please.”

  “If you feel light-headed, let me know before you hit the floor. I’d rather catch you before you fall.”

  That earned a rasping chuckle from her that had her groaning and clutching at the stabbing ache in her ribs. She pressed her lips together to keep the exclamations of pain from slipping out of her mouth. She didn’t want Jian coming in to see what was wrong.

  Although Nina knew there’d be a pitcher of water on the nightstand, now she cupped a hand beneath the faucet to bring a handful of tepid water to her lips. It hurt to sip, but she was more desperate to get the sour, sticky film of sleep out of her mouth than she was to keep herself from hurting. She managed not to choke on the trickles of liquid she swallowed, then swished the rest around in her mouth before spitting it. She drank a bit, worried for a moment that the sick feeling in her stomach would come back, but the water seemed to settle her. She was even starting to feel hungry. Feeling marginally better, she pushed open the door and allowed Jian to help her back to bed.

  “You broke it,” he said matter-of-factly as he pushed the metal bed rail out of the way with his foot. “How did you manage . . . never mind. I’ll have to call someone in to fix this.”

  Nina saw no point in denying that she’d done it. “I was scared. I woke up and didn’t know where I was. I needed to get up. I’m sorry.”

  “I’ve never had a patient literally break the bed before.” Jian shook his head and helped her settle against the pillows, then used a few gauze pads and antiseptic cleanser to smooth the blood from the wound on her arm. He looked up at her with a small, surprised smile. “Let’s get this cleaned up . . . but . . . what? Your puncture wound is gone.”

  “I heal fast.” She winced at the pressure of her body moving as she tried to get comfortable. “How long have I been in here?”

  “They brought you in yesterday, late afternoon. You shouldn’t even be awake yet.” Jian shook his head and put his hands on his hips. “Should I even bother hooking you back up to the IV meds, or will you just pull it out again?”

  “I’m not going to panic again. But you shouldn’t bother. They’re not going to work any better than the sedatives I assume you had running into me to keep me unconscious longer.” Nina let her head fall back against the pillows with a sigh and closed her eyes. “Am I allowed solid food yet?”

  Jian clucked his tongue against his teeth. “I’ll have to check your charts, but I’m going to guess not. I can bring you something to drink and some broth, for sure. Some pudding.”

  Her gorge rose again. Without opening her eyes, she said, “No. Anything but pudding, please.”

  Jian gave a gentle laugh. “Whatever you say. The doc should be around a bit later, but if there’s anything I can do for you, ring the bell. Are you sure I can’t get you something for the pain? You’re approved for some pretty high doses, and it looks as though you could use something.”

  Drugs metabolized too fast within her system to be of much use, but there was something Nina wanted him to look at. “Can you check my blood pressure?”

  “I can do all your vitals, sure. They took them when you came in and every hour that you’ve been here, but it won’t hurt to do them a bit ahead of schedule.” Jian reached into the pocket of his scrub shirt and pulled out a stethoscope. “Are you having any specific pain or symptoms that don’t seem related to your injuries?”

  “Headache.” She blinked. “Slightly blurred vision.”

  “Could be due to the accident. Let’s see.” Jian reached for the blood pressure cuff hooked to the wall and fitted it to her arm, then settled his stethoscope on the inside of Nina’s elbow and pushed the button that automatically squeezed the cuff.

  Nina closed her eyes again, waiting for the verdict. When Jian didn’t say anything, she cracked open an eye and watched him. He was looking out the window, waiting for the machine to alert him it was finished registering. When it did, he looked at the numbers, nodded, and released the cuff from her arm.

  “You’re fine,” he said as he pulled out a stylus from the pocket on his scrub shirt and tapped the tablet set into the foot of her bed. “Well within the normal range.”

  “It’s the first time I’ve been anything resembling normal in a while.” She tried to make a joke, but it came out sounding flat and a little angrier than she’d intended. A thought occurred to her. “Am I being restricted from visitors?”

  Jian inclined his head to study her. He checked the tablet and shook his head. “I don’t think so. I don’t see any restrictions.”

  “Has . . .” She cleared her throat. “Has anyone been in to see me?”

  Jian glanced at the tablet. “I was off yesterday, but this says your brother was in earlier this morning.”

  “I don’t have a brother.”

  Jian frowned. “Someone who might have said he was your brother?”

  Ewan wouldn’t have bothered with a deception like that, would he? On the other hand, maybe if the hospital staff was trying to refuse visitors who weren’t related to her, he might have lied. It didn’t seem like him, but it wasn’t something she could totally rule out.

  “And your fiancé,” Jian added with another frown as his dark eyes scanned the tablet he swiped at with a fingertip. “Nobody else. Can I get you something before I go?”

  “Food,” Nina answered after a few seconds, hating herself for even caring if Ewan wasn’t there waiting for her to wake up. That perhaps he hadn’t been in at all. “And I’d like to know when I can get out of here.”

  Jian smiled. “The doc will be in to tell you all of that shortly. In the meantime, I’ll see what I can do for your empty belly.”

  Within minutes of the nurse exiting the room, Nina looked up at the sound of someone else entering. Ewan. Relief swept over her, and she clutched at the stiff sheets in a reflex she didn’t bother to hide.

  “Hi,” she said with a trembling voice.

  Ewan was at her side immediately. “Hey. How are you feeling?”

  “Like I got run over by a buzzbike.” Her joke wasn’t funny. She blinked at him with tear-blurred eyes. “I didn’t think you were here. I woke up and I was alone.”

  “I stepped out to grab a bite to eat.” Ewan’s gentle fingers stroked her hair off her forehead, while his other hand rested on her forearm. “You were still asleep. I thought I’d be back before you woke up. I didn’t mean to worry you, baby. I’m sorry.”

  “Did you tell them you were my brother?”

  Ewan looked confused. “No. I said I was your fiancé. I mean . . . that’s true, isn’t it?”

  “Getting run over by a buzzcycle didn’t change that,” she told him as she touched her fingertips briefly to her face. “Unless I’m so ugly now that you can’t stand the thought of it.”

  “Shut that pretty mouth,” Ewan told her and leaned over the bed in the place where the metal railing had once been to kiss her lightly on the lips. “What did you do to the bed?”

  Nina laughed a little brokenly against his kiss. “What makes you think it was me?”

  “Baby.” Ewan pulled back to shake his head. “Don’t even try to tell me someone else came in here and tore up the bed.”

  “I had a nightmare,” Nina said in a low voice, somewhat unwilling to admit it to him, if only because she didn’t want to revisit it. “I woke up and thought I was in the hospital . . . again, the other hospital. The one from before. I had a bad reaction.”

  Ewan kissed her again. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”

  “When can I go home?” Nina hitched a breath against him, hating the feeling of vulnerability, but willing to let Ewan be the strong one in thi
s moment. She clutched at the front of his shirt, pulling him closer. “I don’t want to be in here.”

  “We’ll find out as soon as the doc gets here.”

  An orderly came in and took away the metal railing, but nobody came in to replace it. Another orderly brought Nina a bland meal of pudding that she forced herself to eat only because her empty stomach was starting to twist with nausea. The taste of it, vanilla without even the faintest hint of cinnamon or nutmeg, had triggered another surge of bad memories that she pushed aside. If there was anything in her life she wanted to forget, it was those times, and so of course that’s what lingered.

  When the doc finally entered the room more than two hours after Jian had left, she did no more than give the tablet at the foot of Nina’s bed a cursory once-over before settling it back into the charging port. “You’ll need to stay here tonight for observation. You’ve had a head injury in addition to the bruising and lacerations. The origination scan they did when the ambulance picked you up showed abnormalities in your brain.”

  “What’s that mean?” Ewan demanded. “What kind of abnormalities?”

  Nina scowled. “Of course it did, I don’t have a normal brain. Don’t your records show you my med history?”

  The doc looked at her for the first time since entering the room. There was no bedside manner and barely any kindness in her eyes. Nina had seen that sort of look before; this doc might have taken an oath to cause no harm, but that didn’t mean she didn’t make judgments.

  “Of course your previous records are available. What I’m telling you,” the doc said haughtily, “is that your scan showed abnormalities that we’re going to need to observe.”

  Ewan had pulled out his comm and swiped at the screen, glancing up at the doc’s name badge before typing something into the comm. “How long have you been employed here?”