She looks thoughtful as her gaze drops from my face to the bed. Ramona shakes her head. “Maybe it wasn’t just me, though. Maybe he loved others. Maybe his gift in life was making others feel… loved.” A tear streaks down her face. “I need to call a few people. I have his phone.” Her eyes are sad, but I can tell she’s made a decision. A selfless one that is going to hurt. “They deserve to know,” she explains. “Maybe he would have died for any of them. All of them. I can’t say that for sure.”
I sigh. “You’re a bigger person than I am, but I do think you’re doing the right thing.” Ramona rounds the bed and pulls me into a tight hug. “Remember, it’s not going to hurt this much one day.”
She nods against my shoulder. “I hope it does, though.”
And with that, she saunters out of my little room and into the hallway. I know exactly what she means, too. Closing my eyes, I let go of the railing and try to find Lincoln or Turner, or anyone who can give me an update on anything. If I find the medic, I might throttle him, then again, maybe I won’t because I’m just relieved. I don’t see my nurse around, so I pad off in the direction I saw Ramona go. My feet are cold against the smooth tile as I follow the sounds of beeping.
Someone taps me on the shoulder. I spin. “Where are you headed?”
I open my mouth and then close it. “Uh, I’m trying to find the waiting room. The lobby,” I say nervously.
“You’re supposed to be in bed.”
“Oh, I’m totally fine,” I say, waving my hand in the air. Like I’m not some complete lunatic, covered in blood, walking barefoot in an emergency room. “My family is in the waiting room and I really need to talk to them.” Real convincing, Maeve. “Please. I just need to see them.”
This guy, who looks to be a doctor, does not have the same pity on me as my nurse and he escorts me back into my hole in the wall, tells me to stay put, and closes the curtain. I see shoes on the other side, so I know they have some poor soul babysitting me. If I wanted to make my escape, I would make my escape, I think. But I am not in a state to do anything except sit in this bed while my thoughts race quicker than a bolt of lightning.
Isaac blows in, literally—curtains swaying as he yells, “Thank God you’re okay. Lincoln is being a fucking rat bastard upstairs pulling on restraints like a madman trying to get to you.”
“Where is Turner?”
Isaac sighs a long, drawn-out, relieved breath. “He’s with Ms. Gibson in the lobby. She’s going to take him back home, or maybe to school late if he wants to go. It’s been a wild fucking morning and my God, do you think your doctor will let you come upstairs? Just so he can see you for a second. He’ll see that you’re okay and stop acting like this is an episode of Hard Time in Lockup,” he huffs. “You should see the man. He’s maniacal up there.”
I can’t help but smirk, then it vanishes when I say, “On the way here, the medic told me he died.” The words taste like acid and bile rises from my stomach. Clearing my throat, I add, “Ramona is the one who told me he was okay, just upstairs getting the bullet taken out.”
Isaac makes a sweeping gesture with his hands straight out beside him. “Fucker is more than okay.” He looks out to catch the first employee he finds and returns a few minutes later with a pair of blue hospital socks with the rubber bottom. “We’re clear. Put these on and let’s go find Gregor the Great.” He sees how I sway when I get out of the bed and reach for the socks. “Are you okay? They said you were clear to come up with me, but are you feeling good enough?”
“It’s been a lot. I’m feeling okay. Don’t worry about me. Let’s go to Lincoln. Also, how did they clear me to go? A doctor just sent me back in here like he was scolding some dog.”
“Listen, kid,” he says, using the nickname Rexy gave me. I close my eyes briefly. “I know how to handle people. It’s one of my skills.”
The smile I offer is weak as I pull on the socks and follow him to the elevator. Isaac is trying to make me feel comfortable, but I’m finding it hard to make conversation. He must sense it because after my second response to one of his questions is a nod, he stops talking altogether. The doors ping open and all I hear is chaos.
Isaac shakes his head, wearing a scowl. “I told you.”
This is a place in the hospital reserved for surgery, so I know I’m not supposed to be here right now. I follow the sound of Lincoln’s voice down the white, sterile hallway and turn right. He’s there, on one of those rolling gurney bed things that you lay on while they’re taking you into surgery. He’s in a hospital gown with socks matching mine. He is yelling at what looks to be hospital security, his finger aimed straight in his face, spit flying.
“Lincoln,” I call, rushing to the side of his bed.
His head turns, his gaze locks with mine, and for only that moment everything is okay again. I can ignore the blood on his shoulder, and he doesn’t see the disheveled state I’m in. We see each other with beating hearts and that’s enough. It has to be enough.
“Oh, thank God,” Lincoln breathes into my ear as he pulls me into a hug using his good arm. He presses his lips to the side of my head. “No one knew if you were okay. They couldn’t tell me anything. These people tried to say because we aren’t related, I wasn’t privy to the information.”
Huh, I think of the medic who rocked my world with false information he wasn’t supposed to give me.
“I’m fucking steamed!” He has a death grip around my neck, so I move in closer to take the pressure off. He’s panicked and it’s quite evident.
“Isaac came and found me. I’m here now. I’m safe. It’s fine. Let these people do their job.” I pull away and see the feral terror reflecting back at me. Warily, I glance up at the doctor. “Can I have just a couple minutes with him?” His shoulder looks stabilized, and I can tell by the way he’s acting he won’t die in the next two minutes. “Please.”
The physician shakes his head, raising both brows. “Whatever calms him down. Fine. Two minutes. Leave them alone,” he says to the nurses standing adjacent. They walk to the end of the hall to give us privacy. Isaac engages them in some sort of jovial people-person conversation.
“What’s really going on?” I ask, scooting to sit next to him.
He closes his eyes and when he opens them, there is a flicker of apprehension. “I can’t lose you. I can’t lose you, Maeve. It can’t happen.”
I won’t tell him about how I already lost him once today. “I won’t leave here. Promise. That’s one I know I can keep.”
A stark ripple of fear washes across his face. “If I don’t wake up from the surgery?”
“You will.” I lost you once today, I won’t lose you again. But his fear doesn’t fade and I realize this isn’t about just wanting to make sure I’ll be okay; Lincoln is terrified of going into surgery. “Lincoln, you have to get the bullet out of your shoulder and they need to fix the damage. It’s a simple in and out process. I’ll be here when you wake up. I’ll even go find Turner so we’re all together.” That seems to calm him for a moment and then his nerves ratchet back up when he sees the doctor and nurses coming back to us.
“I love you, Maeve. So much more than you’ll ever know.”
I lose my breath, but keep my face neutral. “Ditto.”
He lets them wheel him back to surgery, but the fear in his eyes is palpable.
Chapter 2
Lincoln
“I hate this. I feel like such a useless asshole,” I moan. “Please just leave me here to die.”
Maeve rounds the bed. “Funny, a couple weeks ago you were scared to die under anesthesia. Dramatic much?”
I raise my voice in surprise. “Are you being fresh?” I like it. I want to hear her talk like that, naked and horny.
She leans down and readjusts my arm, but I steal a kiss while she’s so near. Maeve, true to her word, stayed. Not just at the hospital, but now that we’re back at home, she’s fallen into a routine with Turner while I’m incapacitated. She’s scheduled her days around my son a
nd caring for me. I couldn’t be more grateful or feel like more of a burden. Her lips are potent, and as always, she pulls away just when we get to the good part.
“Rest now. You shouldn’t be moving around so much. Call me if you need anything, you hear?”
It was a mere scratch on my shoulder, but I feel like I got hit by a truck. The pain gets a little better each day.
“If you won’t fuck me in my bed like a man, at least let me out into the living room. I’ll sit in the recliner, unmoving. Like a statue of a middle-aged man watching Sunday football.”
She spins at the doorway, cheeks blushed. “They said nothing strenuous until they check you out at your next appointment. I’m not making up the rules, I’m following them.”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s for normal people. Not me. You are an A+ professional rider, Maeve. Are you saying you wouldn’t be willing to give it your best effort?”
Her mouth pops open. “You really are desperate, aren’t you?”
“I have to see you walking around every day. I almost lost you. I’m desperate to claim you.”
She smirks. “You’ve already claimed me, Lincoln. I’m yours.”
I groan and hit her with a dissatisfied look. “Could have fooled me.”
“We could do this all day, or you can let me go clean up so I can come to bed to sleep earlier than usual tonight.”
I huff. “You should know I can control my heart rate exceptionally well if that’s what you’re concerned about. It will be like I’m sitting here watching Planet Earth, not like I’m getting my socks rocked.”
My statement garners an actual full-bodied laugh from her. She bends over, shaking her head. “You won’t quit, will you?”
“How can I when you’re the prize up for grabs?”
Holding her stomach, she shakes her head. “There’s no way you can control your heart rate during sex. I’m calling your bluff. Maybe you can control it while you’re working, and doing sneaky things during the night in scary places, but there’s no way a man can control his orgasm heart rate. Impossibility.”
I raise one brow. “You saying you want to find out? I’ll keep the heart rate monitor open on my watch the entire time. I accept this challenge.”
“Lincoln,” she whispers. “I want to have sex with you. Trust me. There’s nothing I want to do more. It’s better if we wait, that’s all. Think about it this way, I want to have sex with you over and over, aggressively. Not one time that has the possibility of hurting you, forcing us to take another long sex sabbatical. Imagine that! More time without sex.”
There really is no arguing with that logic. She’s unfortunately correct. Maeve knows it.
At the sight of my face, she laughs again, but this time she turns and leaves the room, her musical laughter lingering. Groaning, I try to prop myself up at a different angle. Stagnancy will be the death of me. I want to find Rena and make her pay. Not for what she did to me because getting shot at is in my job description, but for tearing Ramona’s life into pieces. For causing Maeve to watch her back in mundane circumstances. She took away peace. Rena fled the country as I suspected she would and because of her connections with the cartel, there’s no way to keep tabs on her save for heading to Mexico to look for trouble. I’m not in the state to do that, nor am I capable of doing it alone. Yet.
You see, she is running and alive because I was weak. I let my past cloud the fact that Rena is no longer the same person I loved—made a child with. She hasn’t been for a long time, but my mind took too long rationalizing things in the heat of the moment. I’d never admit it to Maeve, but I was not controlling my heart rate, or emotions that wintry morning everything went awry. The opposite. I was spiraling out of control, grasping on to anything that resembled the woman I once knew.
Rena was adopted at birth. That’s a fact she shared readily when we were old enough to talk about such things. The fact that she had a twin was a shock I’m still trying to process. Though I’m definitely past blaming my attraction to Maeve on their DNA. It has nothing to do with my falling for Maeve, it’s a stomach-sickening coincidence. Maeve is Turner’s aunt. It’s weird and twisted, and when I think about the dynamic, I realize our story belongs on a Jerry Springer show set in West Virginia with a hint of inner-city crime, of course. Thanks for your drug addiction, Rena. You really gave us an edge!
Maeve is handling the news of her bio mom well. Or, as well as she can without caring very much. The past is the past, and the woman had nothing to do with bringing her up. She said she’s finished digging into her genealogy and wants to move forward by closing the chapter completely. With Rufio behind bars and authorities harping him to give up Rena and the cartel, I feel quite the opposite of closing a chapter. I want revenge and to rid us of the cloud chasing us—hanging over our heads. I want Turner’s safety. Maeve’s. And selfishly, my own.
Once cleared by the doctors to get back to work, I fully intend on chasing leads. Knowing I won’t be able to tell Maeve, because she’ll fear for my safety is a small price to pay. Rena can’t get away with destroying my life twice. My phone rings on the nightstand.
Rolling my eyes, I answer. “Mom, I feel fine. The same as when you called an hour ago.”
“Oh, stop it. I want to be there, so you’re going to have to deal with me pestering you. I know that Maeve has everything under control. I’m so happy for you, son. But I’m still worried about you.” She pauses. “I talked to Rena’s mom yesterday.”
I close my eyes. “Unless she told you where the fuck Rena is, I don’t care.”
“She’s not protecting her, Lincoln. She would give her up to the police if she knew where she was at. There’s been no communication with her since she… shot you.”
“She also killed a man, Mom.”
“I know. It doesn’t directly affect me, though. Not like you getting shot.”
“A man lost his life. That affects everyone.”
Mom sighs. “I’m sorry, son. I am. Listen, do you want me to come visit again and help with Turner? I know that you have everything under control, but Dad and I can be around to help, too.” They’re officially back together. Mom was even wearing her old wedding rings when she came to visit last week.
“You were just here last week, and it was a huge help. I have a mere scratch. I’m going to be back to work soon. Try to enjoy Florida. Go golfing or something. There’s no need for you to worry so much. Everything is going to be fine.” I give her the words I never say. “I promise.”
Another worried sigh. “Rena is still out there though.”
Ah, the truth comes out. Everyone’s fear. “She’s not going to do anything else to me. I’m surprised she even tagged me in the shoulder. If you think I’m going to let her get near my family, you have another thing coming. Rena isn’t a threat.” She won’t be for long if I have anything to do with it. “I’m going to see Rufio next week and I’m going to make him talk.” Actually, I’m going to bring Isaac with me, and he’s going to get him to talk. He’s better with negotiations than I am. Plus, he hates me because I possess the object of his obsession.
“How is Maeve really handling things? She puts on a good face.”
She does, doesn’t she? The master at concealment. Maeve hums a pop song in the other room. “I think she’s doing great. I’m going to surprise her with a ski trip when I’m healed. Maybe a beach trip.”
“Fully healed, I hope. This has to be a lot for her. Going from being a single woman with a business to run, to having to care for Turner… and you on top of it all.”
This one I can answer honestly without hesitation. “She loves Turner.”
I can literally hear Mom swoon on the other end of the line. “There’re some things a mother can tell, and that is the main thing I was able to discern during my visit. Maeve does love Turner. You’re lucky. I hope she doesn’t get so put off by the circumstances around loving Turner that she decides it’s too much.”
My stomach lurches. “Time will tell, huh?” I swallow ha
rd. “I’m going to let you go now. I’m feeling tired.” An excuse I know she won’t argue with.
“Don’t let time get away from you, honey. Don’t let that woman get away. When you know, you know. I might not have a lot of experience but I can tell you one thing is always for certain, a person will come into your life and it’s then you’ll realize why it never worked out with those that came before.”
“Maeve was worth the wait.” She walked into my life and put everything else into perspective.
“Don’t make her wait any longer, then. Marry the woman and make it official.”
“Are you pushing me into marriage? That’s rash even for you!”
“I’m not pushing you to do anything other than what I know you’re already thinking about. I’ve seen the way you look at her. The way she orbits around you when she’s in the same room. You were made for each other, and the fact that she already loves Turner? Well, that’s a bonus. No more advice. Go get some rest now.”
After I tell her to say hello to Dad for me, we end the call. Have I thought about marrying Maeve? Only every time I’m inside her, every time I see her with Turner, and every time she tells me she loves me. That equates to ninety-nine percent of the time. DO I think it’s a rational, sane thing to ask her after what we just went through? Hell no. She’d think it was because we had a near-death experience instead of what it truly is. For me at least, it’s friendship and love in one person. It’s being home because she’s next to me. It’s because my world is better because she exists. I want her. I need her. Near-death or forever after, Maeve is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.
I jolt when Isaac strolls into my bedroom. “You scared me!” I groan.
He smirks. “How’s my favorite disabled best friend? Still surly and cantankerous?” Isaac crosses to sit on the bed next to me and leans over to see if he can catch a glimpse of my bullet hole. “When do I get to see the scar?”
On His Six : A Summit Seduction SEAL Novel (The Summit Seduction SEAL Duet Book 2) Page 2