Winter's Warrior: Mark of the Monarch (Winter's Saga #4)

by Karen Luellen

  Meg looked up earnestly into Creed’s eyes. She didn’t know how to say what was on the tip of her tongue. How annoyingly ironic, Meg! She scoffed at herself. You’re a living, breathing emotional ball of goo and you can’t say the three little words Creed aches to hear you say.

  Meg felt the yearning coming from him the moment he touched her back. She just took for granted that he would know how she felt only because his feelings for her were so transparent. Meg heard his heart whisper “I love you” every time he looked at her with that little turn of his head, sky-blue eyes wide with adoration matching his thoughts perfectly. Meg had seen his heart and felt his love for so long, she couldn’t remember a time when she was without it.

  But Creed had lost half his memories of her. He could not read emotions like Meg. He followed her around like a devoted puppy but was very worried about how much the dark-eyed girl of his dreams really felt for him.

  “I need to tell you something,” Meg whispered so her voice wouldn’t echo down the nearly empty corridor.

  “What is it? Are you okay?” Worry for her safety was always the first place his mind went. He was so afraid of outliving her.

  “I’m fine, really I am.” Meg nodded her head emphatically. “I’m more than fine when I’m with you. That’s what I wanted to talk with you about.”

  Creed’s face still looked adorably perplexed.

  “When I’m with you, I can take on the world. I feel as though we were always meant to be together…you and me. You make me feel beautiful and adored even when I haven’t showered, and I look like three-day-old road kill on a hot Texas highway.”

  Creed’s face turned a beautiful shade of pink under his tanned skin. He smiled as his hands moved from her neck, down her arms and stopped to hold her hands.

  “I love how, even after being raised to hate and kill, you chose to side with me and my family. I love your unwavering devotion to what is right and good. You were never taught to love, never had someone reach out to hold your hand.” Meg squeezed his gently.

  “You’ve only ever wanted to belong and be loved, but no one taught you what love was. You figured it out on your own. Love is to put someone else’s needs above your own. Love is humble and magnificent at the same time. To love someone is to give them your heart completely—devotion, hopes, dreams, fears. To love someone, you accept all of them. Love accepts the darkness that hides inside each of us and loves us anyway—or maybe loves us especially because of our struggles.

  “I dream sometimes that I have wings, and at first, I thought it was my mind’s way of creating a metaphor for the enhanced gift—my empath wings. But now I realize it’s more than that. My love for you has given me wings.”

  The dark blue of Creed’s eyes glistened with unshed emotion.

  “You love me?” His voice cracked just above a whisper.

  “I do,” Meg smiled widely and reached up to hold Creed’s face in both her hands. “I love you, Creed Young.”

  Not knowing his heart could actually leap with joy, Creed gasped at the affect. He leaned down and swept Meg’s lips tenderly before diving deeply into the most beautifully life-defining kiss he’d ever known. He only came up for air to say one thing, “I love you, Meg Winter.” And with that, those unshed tears of joy slipped down his soldier’s masculine face wetting Meg’s cheeks and christening their devotion.

  Chapter 33 A Morning to Remember

  The aroma of coffee tickled Meg’s nose. Her hands were wrapped around the large Styrofoam cup of hospital coffee as she sat deep in thought. Creed had awakened before her and gone down the hallway to score two cups from the nurses’ station. The women had taken such a liking to the Winter family that they’d bent the rules a little allowing them access to their private stash. They knew the Winter children loved their mother very much, but it was a very rare thing to have young adult children formulate a schedule and rotate shifts, keeping vigil over her.

  “Good morning, Meg and Creed. I would ask you how your night went, but I know you probably didn’t sleep one wink,” the pudgy nurse wearing light-blue scrubs offered a sympathetic smile to the two blurry-eyed people quietly sipping coffee.

  “We’re fine, Barbara, thanks.” Meg stood stiffly and put her drink on the end table beside the sofa seat they’d occupied most of the night.

  Creed stood beside Meg and offered the bright-eyed nurse a sleepy smile. His hair was sticking up adorably bed-head, not that he’d slept in a bed. He slept sitting up, one beautifully heavy arm wrapped around Meg, his head tipped back and resting against the hard peach wall behind him. His long legs sprawled in front of them, taking up half the alcove that acted as their waiting room. Meg had slept tucked in Creed’s strong arms, her legs curled up beside her. She looked like a little girl next to the young man’s hulking figure. As they stood side-by-side, the nurse couldn’t help but notice what a strikingly handsome couple they made.

  Meg self-consciously tried to run her fingers through her thick, curly hair only to get her fingers caught halfway through. She gave up and grabbed the black pony holder that had been wrapped around her wrist. With practiced movements she gathered her long, unruly locks at the back of her head and wrapped the elastic band around twice. Her hair would slip out eventually, but it made her crazy to have her scalp tugged on too tightly.

  “Well,” the nurse looked down at the clipboard in her hands, “I have to go take some vitals. Wanna come in and see if our patient will wake for us?”

  Meg smiled at her but laughed inside. She knew her mother would be battle ready if possible…and probably would be demanding coffee.

  “Sure,” Meg glanced at Creed and as he nodded his reassurance, his gravity-defying hair flopping adorably.

  Barbara headed straight for Margo’s door, knocked three times, waited a moment then opened it wide.

  Margo was awake and staring out her window.

  “Morning, Mom,” Meg offered tentatively. She was trying to get an empath reading without wanting to be too intrusive.

  Margo’s head turned to look at her daughter and a wide smile filled her face.

  “Hi Meggie,” she offered in a groggy voice.

  “How are you feeling, Dr. Winter?” Creed asked tentatively.

  “Well, I could be better, but I could be worse.” She took a slow deep breath. “Is that coffee I smell?”

  Meg giggled.

  “Just let me finish taking your vitals, Dr. Winter, then you can have one cup of coffee,” Barbara said with practiced authority.

  “I suppose that’s fair enough,” Margo shrugged, allowing Barbara to slip on a blood pressure cuff.

  It hissed to life and started puffing around her pale arm. Meg was concentrating on sending her mother soothing waves.

  “You don’t have to do that, sweet one,” Margo whispered with a knowing smile.

  “I just want to help,” Meg sat in a chair on the other side of her mother’s cuffed arm.

  “You help me just by being here,” her mother said softly.

  “Dr. Gentry will be by for rounds in about half an hour. I’m sure he’ll want to perform a neurological exam.”

  Having checked everything she could with guests in the room, Barbara turned to Meg and was about to ask them to step back out into the hall. She didn’t have to say a word.

  “Why don’t we go prepare that cup of coffee for you, Mom?” Meg offered discreetly.

  The nurse smiled and nodded appreciatively.

  Meg leaned down and kissed her mother on the forehead. Creed held Margo’s hand for a moment and offered a gentle squeeze. “We’ll wait outside with that coffee, Dr. Winter. You just holler when you’re ready for it.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No, don’t thank me. It’s just coffee.” Creed shrugged sheepishly, shoving his large hands into the front pockets of his blue jeans.

  “I mean, thank you for taking care of my Meggie,” Margo clarified. Her eyes shined with genuine gratitude.

  “I love her and her family,”
He confessed.

  “You are a blessing to our family,” Margo smiled softly. She was already feeling a little sleepy, but was fighting it so she could look strong for the sake of the children.

  Meg and Creed walked out of Margo’s room and quietly closed the door behind them.

  “Those two are just precious together,” Barbara commented as she checked Margo’s bladder and bowel maintenance equipment. Inside, Margo sighed heavily. She suspected the surgery must not have helped. She couldn’t feel anything the nurse was doing to empty her colostomy bag or catheter for urine collection. But she also knew it was probably way too soon to know for sure. There would be swelling after the surgery. It may be a long time before she knew any more than she did right that moment.

  “Yes, they are.”

  “Will there be wedding bells soon?”

  “I hope not,” Margo coughed. “My daughter is only sixteen and Creed is eighteen!”

  “Oh, I’m sorry dear. They just look and act so mature,” Barbara backpedaled.

  Margo pressed her lips together, trying to think of what to say.

  “They have had to endure a lot in their young lives. It would mature anyone.” Margo sighed deeply, feeling every bit her forty-two years.

  “Well, I have a feeling about those two,” Barbara kept talking as she began giving Margo a sponge bath.

  “They’re so young, but I think you may be right. Sparks flew the moment she met him,” Margo smiled at the memories. “But life is so fleeting,” she sighed. “Half of me wants her to grasp love with both hands and not let go because her future isn’t guaranteed.” Margo caught a curious look on the nurse’s face. “I mean, life can take some very unexpected turns.”

  She stared at her useless legs. The nurse nodded, accepting Margo’s explanation, completely oblivious of the real reasons that Margo wished her daughter happiness today with the boy she loved. How could anyone understand the peril her children must face daily just because of what they were made to be?

  “Okay, Dr. Winter,” Barbara said, as she repositioned her blankets. “Are you ready for me to invite your daughter back?”

  “Yes, thank you, Barbara.”

  The plump nurse moved with purpose to the door and opened it widely. Margo heard her say, “Oh, Doctor, you’re here. Well our patient is all cleaned up and ready for your visit.”

  Margo looked anxiously over at the doorway.

  Instead of Dr. Gentry, in walked Theo.

  “Hello beautiful,” he said with a shy smile as he passed her the lidded cup of coffee Meg handed him moments before.

  “Hi, um…I’m sorry, I thought you were my doctor. I’m so nervous about the exam he’s sure to perform this morning.”

  “Have you prepared yourself for the worst, Margo? I mean, really it’s probably too soon to tell if the surgery was successful. You know that, right?” Theo’s soft blue eyes took in her pale skin.

  “I know, but it’s so difficult. How can one prepare for being told they’ll never walk again?”

  Theo nodded gently, pursing his lips together as though desperate to reassure her that everything would be okay, but unable to give her false hope.

  “Where are Meg and Creed?”

  “Just outside waiting. I asked for a few minutes alone with you.”

  “Oh?”

  “Margo, I know you’re going through a lot right now. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I wasn’t there for you in Germany. Maybe if I’d been there…”

  “You would have been killed, like I almost was,” Margo’s eyes flashed with darkness at the memory of the pain ripping from her lower back, down her legs. It was the last time she felt anything below her waist.

  “I hate how we left things,” Theo said softly.

  “Me too.” Margo sighed.

  “I’ve loved you for too many years to let you just leave me without a fight.” His blue eyes flashed with determination, then softened. “Please don’t fight me.”

  He was kneeling at her bedside, holding her worn hands in his. For a moment, he studied the creases and freckles they displayed and saw every one as beautiful badges of honor. These hands have been strong enough to take down men twice her size, agile enough to wield a scalpel with precision and intelligence, gentle enough to hold the hands of her adopted children as they played ring-around-the-rosy.

  Tears slipped silently down her cheeks as she nodded. “I don’t want to fight you, Theo. I finally got my best friend back after all these years. I love you and I love our children. We can make this work, right?”

  “We will,” Theo smiled widely as he carefully slipped a sparkling diamond ring on the fourth finger of her left hand.

  “I love you, Margo. Will you please marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?” he grinned hopefully at the woman always meant to be his.

  “Theo, now? You crazy, silly man! You’re asking me to marry you moments before I’m told whether I’ll ever walk again?” Margo’s eyes were lit with surprise and joy at the romantic fool on his knees in her hospital room.

  “I’ll take care of you no matter what. Please, Margo. No one could love you more than I do. I’ll do anything you want, just please say ‘yes’.”

  “Theo, what if I’m not even able to walk down the aisle?”

  “I’ll carry you.”

  “What if I can never make love to you,” her eyes dropped, embarrassed to bring up the subject.

  “I’ll make love to you.” Theo answered without hesitation.

  “What if our children hurt one another?”

  “Our children are old enough and intelligent enough to handle their differences with respect for our family.” Theo’s jaw was locked with decisiveness.

  “What if…”

  “Margo, there is nothing you can imagine that would make me change my mind. I love you. Marry me.”

  “Yes,” Margo burst into the widest smile and giggled and coughed through tears of joy.

  “Yes?” Theo stood without letting go of his fiancée’s hands.

  “Yes!” Margo nodded looking up into the bluest eyes of the man who loved her unconditionally.

  “SHE SAID ‘YES’!” Theo hollered to the room that instantly filled with family. Evan, Meg and Creed came bursting in clapping and whooping up a storm.

  Meg, having sensed exactly what Theo was up to the moment he stepped out of the elevators, felt like flying she was so happy for her mother and Theo.

  After a barrage of hugs and kisses were exchanged, Margo spoke loud enough to be heard over everybody.

  “Where are the others?”

  Meg immediately bit her lip.

  “Well, I have good news. First, Meg convinced Cole’s attending physician that he was well enough to go home,” Theo looked over and smiled widely at Meg, feeling very thankful for her gift. “So his enhanced healing abilities won’t be questioned. Sloan is at the house taking care of him.”

  “Okay, what about Alik and Farrow?”

  Meg spoke up, “Alik’s evolution has begun, Mom. Farrow’s taking care of him and Danny at the house.”

  “His evolution? Now?” Margo’s eyes looked worried instantly.

  “He’ll be fine in a few days, Mom. He’s a little weak and feverish right now.”

  “You’re sure he’s going through his evolution?”

  Meg looked over at her little brother, Evan, who had been tending to Alik all night.

  Evan picked up on the hint and started talking. “He’s going through a very similar stage of illness we saw with Meg. He is experiencing the high fever and low blood pressure. His blood cells look to be changing like Meg’s changed. It’s been fascinating to watch as he seems to be shifting molecularly. I’m very excited to see what will happen to his gift once his evolution is complete.”

  Meg grinned at her little brother’s excitement, though she knew him to be exhausted.

  Chapter 34 “The Journey of a Thousand Miles…”

  “So this is where all the hollerin’ is coming from
!” Dr. Gentry strode into the room with confidence, four residences as his entourage.

  “Dr. Gentry, it’s good to see you,” Theo said, walking over and shaking the man’s hand enthusiastically.

  “It’s good to see you, too, Dr. Andrews,” Gentry answered slowly peering around the room as if he was looking for the punch line of some joke.

  “What’s all the excitement about?”

  “Theo and I just got engaged,” Margo said, still beaming with happiness.

  “That’s wonderful news! Congratulations to you both!”

  “Thank you, Doctor. Now I’m hoping for some more good news,” Margo said pulling her blankets back so Dr. Gentry could have easier access to her legs.

  “No matter what, Margo, today was the day you got engaged, right?” Gentry reminded carefully.

  “Of course,” Theo responded for Margo.

  Gentry looked down at the chart in his hand and read the test results. For the sake of his residents, he “presented” the patient.

  “Forty-two-year-old female suffering from gunshot wound to the lumbar region, specifically L3 and L4. Upon admittance to this hospital, the patient’s spinal cord injury was deemed ‘complete,’ meaning no sensation or motor functions from the site of the injury and below. Steroids were given to try to reduce the swelling in the area in hopes that would alleviate some level of impairment, with no significant benefits. Because spinal decompression and stabilization proved fruitless, it was decided that the patient would undergo surgery to reconnect the damaged bundle of nerves. The surgery took place yesterday. I was honored to be chosen as the lead surgeon in the procedure. Today we are here to perform the neurological exam based upon the impairment scale, known as the ASIA scale, looking for improvement on the patient’s last scores.”

  The residents all nodded and took notes as though they knew exactly what was going on.

  “Okay, Dr. Winter. Let’s start with what we know works. Would you please close your eyes?” Dr. Gentry lowered the head of her hospital bed until she was lying completely flat. “With your eyes closed, please tell me when and where you feel a little prick.”