Isabella's Submission [Fate Harbor 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Caitlyn O'Leary

  “No,” he answered the nurse.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “I’m not leaving. Tell me where I need to stand to be out of your way, but I will not leave. And don’t bother to call security.” He looked at the nurse, really looked at her. She saw what many others had seen over the years. She, too, was a longtime veteran in her profession and she recognized Leif as an immovable force. She gave him a sharp nod.

  “If you make one wrong move, I’m calling security. And I will call every damn one of them, and you will leave. Until then, you stand there!” She pointed to a small corner between the wall and the curtain. He made his way over there, and then turned back to watch over Isabella, his arms crossed over his massive chest.

  “Stella, what’s he still doing here?” one of the doctors asked the nurse in an irritated voice.

  “He stays,” she bit out. It was clear that she had clout in the room, because nothing else was said on the matter. All other talk centered around Isabella. A lot of time was spent cleaning and caring for the wound itself. Isabella was no longer making any sounds of distress, as she was thankfully unconscious. Leif knew this was because one of the IVs was administering morphine.

  What seemed like pints of blood was taken from her, but actually they took only about eight vials. Then half of the staff left and Stella came over to talk to Leif.

  “Now we wait. Her vitals are pretty steady. We need to see what the labs say. She’s young and strong, so even if this is sepsis, chances are it can be treated with antibiotics. We need to check her white blood cell counts. That will tell us what we’re dealing with. Until we get the tests back, we’re going to admit her and continue giving her meds to make her comfortable, along with a full course of antibiotics.”

  Leif watched as two orderlies lifted Isabella and placed her onto a gurney, and then started to roll her away. He lurched, but Stella put her hand on his arm. “Let her get settled in her room before you barge in, Mr.—?”

  “Johansen. Major Leif Johansen, US Army, retired.”

  “That explains it. I can’t remember the last time I actually lost in a battle of wills. At least it was to a retired major.” Stella looked up at him and laughed. Leif gave a tight smile in return.

  “If it will help you keep your street cred intact, you can tell them I was in Special Forces.”

  “Were you?”

  “That’s classified. Look—”

  “Are you her boyfriend? Because I didn’t see any ring.”

  “I’m a friend.” He really didn’t like being questioned. He preferred to be the one doing the questioning.

  “Okay, we’ll leave it at that for now,” the nurse said, looking up at him. “What you need to know is that the woman you brought in is being well cared for. Dr. Bowers doesn’t think it is anything more than a bad infection, but we’ll have to wait for the test results to confirm.”

  “What do you think?” Leif knew that often the tenured nurses had a better handle on things than the younger physicians. She hesitated. “I won’t hold you to it. I’m just asking for your opinion.”

  “She doesn’t exhibit the mottling or the other signs of sepsis, so I’d say she has a bad infection and should be out of the hospital in a couple of days.” Leif breathed his first full lungful of air since seeing Isabella in the motel room.

  “When can I see her?”

  “I asked them to page me when she’s settled. I—” Her pager beeped. She looked at it. “That’s them. I’ll take you up to her room.” Leif followed Stella to the elevator.

  They were soon in a semi-private room. Isabella was in a hospital gown with her leg propped up on a pillow. “Why isn’t her leg bandaged?”

  “They need to let the puss drain and let the air get to it. They’ll bandage it in a couple of hours.” Isabella was asleep with IV bags of saline being administered, as well as painkillers and antibiotics.

  “How long will she be asleep?”

  “At least eight hours. I suggest you go and get some rest. She will probably want some company when she wakes up.”

  “Thank you, Stella. I appreciate all of your help.”

  “I’ll check on her periodically. I expect I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, Major.” She left on her soft-soled shoes. Leif went over to stand beside the hospital bed. He couldn’t believe how pale Isabella looked, despite her caramel-toned skin. They no longer had an oxygen mask on her face, but her hair was in disarray from when they removed the mask. He instinctively knew she would have hated that. He pushed back the riot of curls from her face. It soothed him to touch her. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and pressed the speed dial for Caleb.

  “Yo.”

  “You on the road?”

  “Affirmative.” Leif could hear a crying baby in the background.

  “How many children?”

  “Twelve, along with two babies less than a year old.”

  “Jesus.” Leif looked down at Isabella, picturing her handling all of the children while she was injured and sick. He was amazed at this tiny woman’s courage and strength. “Did you decide where you want to go?”

  “First, how’s Isabella doing?”

  “I’m sorry, Caleb! I should have given you an update first thing. They think it didn’t go into sepsis, or if it did, it’s treatable with antibiotics. She should be fine.”

  “Good.” In that one short word, Leif heard the level of relief in his friend’s voice. “I’ve decided to take the kids to our place. I want to talk to law enforcement I can trust, and that means Charlie.” Leif gave a slight grin at the thought of their friend who had ended up serving as sheriff of Fate Harbor.

  “You know Charlie’s going to hate dealing with a bunch of kids.”

  “Yeah, but he’s a straight arrow, and the thought of bad cops will send him through the roof. The fact that the kids will drive him up a wall is just my way of making a bad situation enjoyable.”

  “How are the kids doing?”

  “Remarkably well. Isabella paired each of the older kids with a younger child, and they are still working in pairs, which is great for me. Hey, I’ve got to concentrate on driving. You take care of our girl.” Leif was left with a dial tone. Apparently, he and Caleb were on the same page. Isabella was no longer a woman they were just interested in. She was now theirs and she just needed to be let in on the situation.

  * * * *

  Isabella finally felt like she was swimming to the surface after having been under water for a very long time. She was pretty sure she was in a hospital. She had never been in one before. The smells were unlike anything she had encountered before. They weren’t quite like cleaning supplies, but almost. Then there was the constant sound of walking back and forth outside the door. There was an empty bed beside hers. She had dreamed of a large blonde man who often sat beside her near the window. Mr. Johansen. Leif. He must have been part of her underwater dreams.

  She tried to move her arm, but found that there was a needle embedded into her vein that led up to an IV drip. As she was marveling that her swollen ankle was no longer throbbing, but propped upon a soft pillow, she suddenly remembered everything. She remembered the Velarde family, the camp, the children at the motel. She remembered being so sick. Mr. Johansen and Mr. Samuels had somehow found her! She thought she remembered being carried and a ride in a car. No wait, it was a truck. She heard the door to the room open. Mr. Johansen strode in carrying a Styrofoam cup.

  Isabella watched Leif walk over to her bed. He was enormous, towering over her. He stood perfectly still just staring down at her. She couldn’t stand the silence.

  “How long have I been here?” Her voice was hoarse and she started to cough. He set his cup on the table beside her bed, poured a glass of water for her from the pitcher, and got a straw. He looked at where her arm was connected to the IV and walked around the bed. He put one arm around her back, and gently lifted her up, placing the cup and straw at her mouth.

  “Your throat has to be dry. Take a slow sip.” Isabe
lla looked up at him and did as she was told. She slowly took two sips of water from the straw. The cool, silvery liquid felt wonderful on her parched throat. She took another drink and then he pulled the glass away. “Wait, baby! Let’s make sure that settles.”

  She ducked her head and asked, “You think I’m a baby?” She didn’t know why that hurt, but it did. She knew she was a lot younger than he was, but she was a woman. Isabella heard him put the glass down on the nightstand on his side of the bed. Then he used his knuckle to gently tip her chin so that she was looking up at him.

  “I think you’re my baby, mine and Caleb’s. You’re ours to take care of.” Just like that it felt like the water was rushing up over her head again. She took a deep breath, and thanked God that she didn’t start coughing again.

  “Mr. Johansen, I don’t understand.”

  “Leif. Call me Leif.” She wanted to. She’d wanted to from the beginning.

  “You didn’t want me to, when we first met. You liked it when I was formal with you. Even when you told me to call you by your first name, you were pleased when I continued to call you Mr. Johansen and Sir. So was Caleb.” Isabella didn’t quite understand it, but she was certain that both enjoyed the decorum she had extended to them after their introductions at the school. There was a teasing energy that emanated from each of them that made her want to please them. When she found that they seemed to enjoy that small courtesy of a formal address from her, she was happy to provide it to them.

  “You’re right. I did like it when you called me Mr. Johansen in the beginning. But only in the beginning.” He stood up straight and ran his hand around the back of his neck as if to ease the tension there. Suddenly he stopped all movement and speared her with a laser-sharp gaze. “It meant something, Isabella. It meant that on a deep level you understood us. You responded to us in a very specific way, in a way that we would like to explore with you.” She swallowed and then licked her dry lips. She sighed involuntarily as his eyes dropped to her mouth, seemingly transfixed by her tongue. She tried to take a deep breath and found that she couldn’t. The fabric of her hospital gown that felt fine only moments ago now felt itchy, especially against her nipples, causing them to distend. She felt uneasy and uncomfortable under his intense scrutiny.

  Without ever letting his gaze waver, he reached down to pick up the glass and bent back down to her, gently lifting her so that she could sit up and sip from the straw.

  “Now I would really like it if you would call me Leif. Would you do that?” As the diamond brightness of his eyes softened, his face was transformed, making it warmer somehow. He still wasn’t smiling. She’d only seen him smile when he was dealing with the children. Then he would reassure them and sometimes smile. The children never ran to him like they did to Caleb, but she had seen him talk to children and gain their confidence, as he was attempting to do now with her. He was really handsome. She’d noticed before that even though his hair was almost white-blond, his eyelashes were darker, framing those beautiful blue eyes. She could tell his nose had been broken at some point, and it saved him from being pretty. She watched as he began to frown, little lines forming between his darker blond eyebrows.

  “Isabella, are you listening to me?”

  “I beg your pardon?” He had asked her something, but she couldn’t remember what, and that made her feel like she was being swallowed up under water again. He must have seen the panic on her face because once again he put down the glass on the stand.

  “I asked you to call me Leif and to tell me what happened for you to end up at the motel with all of those children.”

  “The children!” That cleared her head. The water rushed away, and suddenly everything was in focus. She looked down at her leg and realized why it was starting to hurt again, and what had happened. She struggled to sit up on her own, trying to get out of Leif’s arms, but his hold was gently immoveable.

  “Calm down, baby. Your chicks are just fine. Caleb took good care of them. Now answer my question.” Isabella gripped the huge bicep that was currently wrapped around her waist and looked up at the man who belonged to it. She wanted to ask more questions about the children, but she trusted him. Instinctively, Isabella knew that she could trust both men to take care of any child, any situation, maybe…maybe even her. Her eyes widened as she looked at Leif. She stared up at him, realizing he had seen her every thought.

  “You’re right to trust us.” His arm tightened. It didn’t hurt. It made her feel safer, but it made the cotton gown even itchier. “Tell me. I want to know everything.” His voice had deepened. His eyes had grown even paler as if that were possible. She was now looking into a glacier, freezing her gaze in place.

  “I needed to get the children to the school,” she started, wetting her suddenly dry lips. Holding her with one arm as he scrutinized her, Leif easily picked up the glass and held it so she could take some sips.

  “Thank you.”

  “From the beginning, Isabella. Tell me why you left your apartment in Snoqualt,” Leif requested, in a soft but compelling tone, setting the glass down. Realizing that she had no choice, Isabella began to explain. When she got to the part where she had attempted to climb over the fence and cut her leg, she felt Leif’s arm turn to granite beneath her fingers. Not once did his facial expression change, but Isabella watched as the vein in his left temple became more pronounced. She could actually see the blood pulsing. Isabella was unaware that she had been stroking Leif’s arm, trying to soothe him, until his other hand came from behind her and gently, but firmly, held her fingers, halting the soothing patterns she had been tracing on his arm. She looked down at her trapped hand, and then back up at him.

  “No, you aren’t going to be able to placate me. Never about your safety, baby.” Isabella couldn’t help the shiver that went through her. She actually trembled. It wasn’t just a phrase and it wasn’t because she still had a fever. It was because this huge man that had his arms around her actually seemed to mean what he was saying. He cared about her safety. The last time she had felt cared for like that was when her parents were living.

  “So you sliced your leg trying to climb over a barbed wire fence?” His voice was soft, inviting her to continue, so she did. She explained how she eventually talked to the Velardes, then discovered that both the Sheriff and the State Police were part of the operation forcing the families to work in the fields. She went on to explain how she went back to the camp to deliver supplies, again noticing the vein throbbing on Leif’s forehead. When he tightened his grip on her hand, she realized she had been tracing his palm with her thumb.

  “Finish it. I want to know how you ended up with the children,” he demanded, his voice sounding hoarse. Though there was still no change in his facial expression, she was beginning to read him. That throbbing vein, the muscles turned to granite, and now the voice that was just a little bit raspy told her that he was not a happy man. Isabella tried to tug her hand away from his grip, but it was of no use. He was not letting her go, and he meant to hear everything. He was not going to be happy with this next part.

  “Mr. Velarde told me that there was going to be real trouble for his daughter Carmen. Do you remember her from the school? She is only fourteen. Do you understand?” Isabella stared into Leif’s pale eyes, making sure he understood. When she saw his slight nod, she continued. “I bought the largest SUV that I could find, and then I went to the big hardware store and bought the wire cutters that contractors use. They were very heavy.” It took every ounce of her considerable will to continue looking Leif in the eye. She knew he was angry, but she didn’t regret her decisions. She had done the right things, so she just continued with the story, speaking quickly.

  She wasn’t able to meet his eyes, however, when she had to admit to letting Carmen drive the car to get supplies. She regretted having to make that decision.

  Leif lifted her chin, directing her gaze to his. “It was an emergency situation, baby. You did what you had to do. I’m proud of you.”

 
She tried to shake her head, but once again he gently, but firmly held her eyes with his. “No, I made a child do more than she should have,” Isabella protested.

  “Isabella.” Leif’s voice was sharp with command. Isabella held her head in place and looked at him. “You did what was necessary. That’s what mattered. You were in a difficult position. You were ill. The children needed food and supplies. You made the decision any leader would have made. It’s what I would have done.” She was finally able to take her first deep breath in days. She had been feeling so guilty, but with just a few sentences Leif had been able to absolve her.

  “Where are the children now?” Isabella prayed they hadn’t been turned over to the authorities. She knew that some of them had come here with their parents on temporary visas to pick fruit. Without their parents and those work visas, she worried that they would be deported to Mexico with no one there to take care of them. She also knew some of them had come over illegally, like her father had, and she agonized over their fate.

  Leif’s thumb brushed against her chin, this time soothing her. “I told you we took care of the children. We have them staying with families in Fate Harbor until they can be reunited with their parents.”

  Everything he said made her feel better. Isabella relaxed back into his hold, and for the first time she saw his expression change. Leif smiled and she let out an audible gasp, because the man who had been handsome suddenly became devastating. His grin got even bigger, a dimple formed, and his eyes twinkled when she saw that he realized the effect he was having on her. He definitely knew his impact on women, and seemed to be inviting her to laugh about it. She couldn’t help smiling in response. Oh dear, this man was dangerous.