Cuff Master

by Frances Stockton

  “She’s way more than my girlfriend. She’s my wife. She will be, anyway. In my heart, she already is.”

  Dr. Gardner grinned. “I remember feeling that way when I fell in love. I told her then and there that she was the one. She thought I was crazy, but she married me three months later. You two set a date for the wedding?”

  “When I’m out of here, I’ll take care of it.” Ethan looked down at himself. He was covered in hospital blankets, his leg was heavily bandaged and IVs were feeding him fluids and blood. “By the way, when can I eat something? Or get a drink other than ice chips?”

  “We’ll keep you on a clear liquid diet for dinner this evening. If you listen to the nurses, you can have solid food by breakfast tomorrow.”

  “Damn. What’s that, Jell-O and chicken broth?”

  “Pretty much covers it. You were in surgery for two hours and on bed rest for the better part of two days. It took my best work to get you sewed up. I really don’t care if your older brother wants to take my head off because I won’t let you eat solids yet. My orders stand.”

  “My friend’s a surgeon, orthopedics, are surgeons always this cocky?”

  “I prefer confident. I met Dr. Hathaway. His reputation precedes him. I’ll go get your family and friends. You’ve got some of Boston’s finest and a damn good family standing by you. You’re a lucky man.”

  “Thanks,” Ethan agreed, watching the doctor leave.

  A couple nurses came over. One added a small glass bottle of fluid to the saline drip bag. The other took his vitals. Seconds after the nurses left, a parade of flowers were brought in, headed up by his soon-to-be wife.

  Carrying a small bouquet of wildflowers, Morgan wore an emerald-green dress, her hair was pulled into a braid and feather earrings hung in her ears. She was a breath of fresh air, his reason for living.

  “Hi,” she greeted, stopping in midstride and flushing prettily.

  “Hi back,” Ethan said. “Why stop there? There’s room next to me.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t do that.”

  Even her presence made him feel better. His leg hurt, his chest was bruised, but his heart was beating and his cock was wide awake.

  Yeah, despite the fact that his brothers and Cassie and Sam had filed into the room behind Morgan, his erection was massive and heavy. Thank fuck he was covered in white blankets and an ugly hospital gown that he doubted was even tied in the back.

  “I really don’t give a rat’s ass if the nurses fuss over this, Morgan. Get your pretty ass over here,” he commanded, patting the bed next to him.

  It was only a twin bed. But someone had raised the head. Belatedly, he noticed the parade of flowers were now placed everywhere.

  At last, Morgan came over, set her small vase on a wheeled table near the bed and climbed in so carefully, he chuckled. “You’re not going to hurt me, honey.”

  “You’re in pain,” Morgan said, looking over at him.

  “A little, I’ll live. Weirdly, I’m glad it feels as though Phalen worked me over with a two-by-four. It means that everything that should be working in my body is doing what it should be doing.”

  “For the record, I’d never hit you with a two-by-four,” Phalen objected.

  “This coming from the brother who regularly kicked our asses growing up,” Taran commented. “He’d break boards with his head, hands and feet to intimidate us.”

  “Keep that up, little brother, I will put my foot where the sun doesn’t shine,” Phalen warned.

  Ethan grinned. His brothers were back to their old tricks. Morgan was next to him. She smelled like sunshine and jasmine and sweet, sweet woman. He longed to kiss her. But he didn’t want anyone to know he was rocking a boner simply because she was near.

  “You can’t beat them up, Phalen,” Cassie objected. She looked pretty as ever, maybe more so. She glowed.

  He figured the honeymoon must have been good. That was the look Morgan had when she first woke up from subspace. It was the glow of a well-satisfied and thoroughly loved woman.

  “Why’s that, babe?” Phalen asked.

  “Who will we get to babysit if you hurt them? They did such a great job with Samson and Delilah. Imagine when they hold the baby for the first time.”

  Morgan gasped. “Babysit, emphasis on baby? Cassie, are you…having a baby?”

  “Yes. Taran and Ethan are going to make fine uncles, don’t you think? And you, Morgan, will be a wonderful aunt.”

  “I’m going to be an aunt?” Morgan repeated, her eyes widening and looking back and forth between Cassie and Phalen.

  “Have to admit, I’m looking forward to being Uncle Taran. Way to go, Papa Phalen.” Taran took Phalen’s hand and brought him close for a hug and slap on the back before turning to hug Cassie gently. “Is everything okay with the baby, Cassie? Do you need me to get you anything?”

  “I’m fine. The baby is fine, thank you.” Cassie hugged him again, stepping back to let Phalen wrap his arms around her from behind.

  Ethan watched them interact. Phalen placed his hand over his wife’s still flat abdomen. He swore big brother might start howling at the moon to let all of Mass General know he was going to be a dad.

  Marriage to Cassie had grounded Phalen, erasing the darkness that had once haunted his eyes. Ethan couldn’t be happier for him and his sister-in-law.

  Ma had been right. Cassie was expecting. Ethan hadn’t been dreaming. That meant Morgan was carrying his son. Wanting to say something then and there, he wisely kept silent. Pregnancy was her secret to discover and share at will.

  “Am I going to have to learn to change diapers?” Taran asked, smiling broadly.

  “Yes,” Phalen said.

  “Congratulations to all,” Sam interrupted. “Don’t worry, pretty boy, I’m sure you’ll handle diaper changing just fine with a little practice. Get a baby doll or something.”

  “Are you offering to give me lessons, Samantha?” Taran asked her.

  Sam scoffed. “Afraid you’ll have to teach me. I know nothing about babies.” Wearing a tomboy getup that included a sweatshirt and jeans, she had on absolutely no makeup and still managed to be a knockout.

  “Deal,” Taran accepted.

  “Congratulations, Cassie and Phalen,” Morgan said. “I’d come give you two a hug, but Ethan doesn’t seem to want me to move.”

  “No, I don’t.” Ethan hadn’t realized he’d put his arm on her leg, trapping her right next to him. “I’m looking forward to being an uncle, Cassie. And watching big brother deal with midnight feedings and spit-up.”

  “I’m looking forward to being a dad,” Phalen assured.

  “When did you know you were pregnant?” Morgan asked Cassie.

  “I suspected a couple weeks before the wedding. I was so tired and things such as coffee, which I love, turned my stomach. I didn’t want to drink wine or beer or anything with alcohol. During our honeymoon, I had morning sickness, literally.”

  “Oh god,” Sam grumbled. “Bet that made for some interesting days.”

  “Our honeymoon was perfect,” Phalen said, hugging his wife tighter. “But she did scare the fuck out of me when she passed out the second morning in Maui. I rushed her to a doctor, who examined her and did an ultrasound. We heard the baby’s heartbeat. She was six weeks along then.”

  Ethan imagined the sound of a baby’s heartbeat. “Any idea of the baby’s sex?” he asked.

  “It’s too early to tell,” Cassie answered. “We’re still deciding if we want to know, but have already scheduled checkups and I’m taking prenatal vitamins. The doctor in Hawaii did some blood work and everything was fine. Best of all, the worst of the sickness is over, I think.”

  “Better yet, morning sickness didn’t prevent us from enjoying the hotel room or sitting on the balcony looking out at the beautiful scenery. A lot of bed rest during the day made for long romantic evenings and dinners in bed,” Phalen boasted.

  “There’s something about pregnancy that made me, well, insatiab
le,” Cassie admitted, chuckling softly as she turned and nuzzled Phalen’s chin with kisses. “Phalen’s been amazing. I’ve no complaints about the honeymoon, if you know what I mean.”

  “I really didn’t need to know that,” Taran objected.

  Phalen laughed loudly. “When it’s your turn, Taran, you won’t mind dealing with morning sickness.”

  “I’d meant that I really didn’t need to hear about Cassie’s sex life,” Taran remarked. “It makes me want to defend her honor.”

  “Go ahead,” Phalen dared. “I’d love an excuse to kick your ass.”

  “You could try,” Taran boasted, flexing his muscle so that he looked bigger than he already was.

  “Nothing wrong with a woman having an active sex life,” Sam added, much to Ethan’s surprise. She didn’t usually divulge personal comments such as that, especially with Taran.

  “Glad you think that, Samantha,” Taran replied. “I aim to keep you very active.”

  Sam narrowed her eyes, fighting against knocking Taran flat. Ethan waited for it.

  “Maybe you’re the one who’ll need to rest up for a spell. Newsflash, pretty boy, I’m not one to be bossed around. I’m the boss. Get it?”

  Sam did the most girly thing Ethan had ever seen, she flushed and scooped her hair out of her face, blatantly flirting with Taran.

  Captain Morrison came in a second later, keeping Taran from responding to Sam’s challenge.

  “They’re next,” Morgan whispered in Ethan’s ear.

  “Maybe, maybe not,” Ethan said. “Hey, listen, looks as if our Samhain plans are ruined. But I’ve something else in mind. Will you trust me to figure out a way to see them to fruition once I’m out of here and able to make love to you?”

  “Yes, I will. I’m committed to you, Ethan. I’ll wait and I’ll be there through thick or thin, bad guys and migraines.”

  “Hopefully, we’ll keep the migraines to a minimum and the bad guys never win.”

  Already rethinking how he could collar Morgan when the time came, he looked at the feathers dangling from her ears. Now that she wore her hair out of her face, letting everyone see how beautiful she really was, he thought earrings would be a nice way to collar her.

  Next he had to get a ring and a license.

  “Detective Maddox,” Captain Morrison said in a deep baritone. “Glad to see you’re recovering well. You’re too good of a man and detective to leave us so soon.”

  “I’ve got my woman and my family and partner, Captain,” Ethan told him. “I’m not going anywhere. Naturally, Detective Riley and I wore our vests and will always do so in the future.”

  “We couldn’t ignore shots fired,” Sam added. “We had backup. Unfortunately, we were too late.”

  “You two did fine, Detective Riley,” Morrison said. “Thanks to your persistence in reopening Jennifer Bailey’s case, we were able to stop a very sick couple from ever hurting another teenaged girl.”

  Ethan looked at Sam, who quickly signed the number six, adding seven and spelling Erica White’s name with it. American Sign Language was a method of communication they’d established when they became partners.

  Sam told him they’d found the bodies of six girls in the orchard. The seventh body was that of Erica White. Damn, seven!

  “Captain, may I introduce you to my lady?” Ethan asked.

  “You may, but I figured the beautiful woman beside you was Morgan Everhart,” the captain commented, looking at Morgan and smiling.

  “Nice to meet you,” Morgan said, offering her hand. They shook and introductions were official.

  “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Morrison dropped his hand. “Friends of yours, Remington Sinclair and Evelyn Stratham, are out in the waiting room. They were cleared of arson charges yesterday. Salem police also have footage from a security camera installed outside of Ink Master’s tattoo shop that shows Maura Andrews setting the fire to Sinclair’s vehicle and your store.”

  Morgan bowed her head gratefully. “Thank you, Captain Morrison. I’m glad they’re okay.”

  “I’ll send them down, if it’s all right with you, Detective Maddox?”

  “Yes sir,” Ethan agreed. Morrison left. “Phalen, I thought that camera you installed was aimed toward the parking lot.”

  “It was,” Phalen said.

  “Could have been a miracle,” Morgan suggested. “My grandma’s been known to move things from time to time.”

  Ethan was beginning to believe in Grandma Everhart. Who was he kidding? He believed in miracles. Tightening his hand on Morgan’s knee, he grinned when she laid her hand over his.

  “My money’s on Grandma,” he said.

  “Whatever the explanation, I’m installing cameras all over that lot. Anyone who messes with Maddox businesses will get caught,” Phalen stated.

  “Amen,” Cassie said.

  “Who’s up for a round of poker?” Taran suggested. “I picked up a pack of cards in the gift shop downstairs.”

  “I’m in,” Ethan agreed. “Morgan?”

  “I’m a terrible poker player. I’ll play if you show me the ropes.”

  Ethan leaned in. “No ropes with me, honey, cuffs,” he whispered in her ear, kissing her softly.

  “Promise?” she asked. “No matter what, will you promise you’ll keep using them with me?”

  “You bet. You learned the other night what I can do with bondage chains made out of handcuffs.”

  “And a cocksicle,” she reminded.

  “Hey, lovebirds, get into the game here,” Taran interrupted.

  Phalen had gone to the nurse’s station to ask for some extra chairs, brought enough back and they decided to use an L-shaped table for a makeshift poker table. It wasn’t ideal, but they were able to get Q-tips to use as chips and the game was on.

  Eve and Remy came in, saw what was going on and joined in. Even Sam stayed to play.

  All in all, Ethan’s leg hurt. But that was okay. Pain meant he could feel and that he was still with his friends and family. And the woman firmly at his side was his reason for being able to laugh and love right along with them.

  Chapter Fifteen

  YES! Three letters, one simple word, stared back at Morgan from the test stick in her hand.

  Ten minutes ago, she’d tried a different kind of test. That one had lines. Two lines meant pregnant, one meant not pregnant. Her test stick had two lines!

  Before that, Morgan used a plus/minus-style test kit. Result? Plus.

  The first of them all was digital. The display read pregnant.

  It was surreal! Yet she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she and Ethan were having a baby.

  She suspected when Ethan was still in the hospital. But then thought maybe she was overly tired and missed her period because she was stressed out from being there and slept in a special cot that Phalen had procured for her use at night.

  Morgan only left Ethan long enough to go to the brownstone with Taran, take a shower, change clothes and eat. She’d returned as soon as she could, helping Ethan in and out of bed the way a nurse and a technician showed her.

  The cot wasn’t cozy. But it was better than sleeping alone. She’d rolled the cot right up against his bed. All Ethan had to do to calm her down at night was take her hand.

  He was released a week after he’d been shot. It still scared the hell out of her knowing that he had a dangerous job. But she wouldn’t balk or ask him to change.

  Ethan had been amazing the last six and a half weeks. He’d been sweet, romantic and loving, taking her on actual dates after long days of physical therapy at Doc’s clinic. He helped her choose a college to apply to and she’d been accepted into UMass, Boston. They had an online program that meshed perfectly with classroom learning.

  After Christmas, she’d start earning her bachelor’s degree and eventually apply to a graduate program. It would take awhile to become an archaeologist. That was okay. She was grateful to know Ethan would be there every step of the way.

  The
most surprising thing of Ethan’s recovery was his physical therapist, Avery Grant, Alexander’s sister. She’d moved to Danvers and taken over the lease on Ryan Hathaway’s apartment that had once been Cassie’s.

  Morgan met Avery when she’d come to Alex and Ryan’s wedding. They’d become friends in an instant. Avery was an excellent therapist. Because of her, Ethan had graduated from using crutches to a cane to walk around. The other day, he’d rejected using anything at all and was beginning to do light workouts with Phalen.

  Morgan knew Ethan was anxious to return to work. He was planning to do so at the end of November, although his captain told him he’d have to pass a psych evaluation after having been shot in the line of duty.

  She had no doubt he’d pass. He was still very confident and strong, both mentally and physically.

  But both Ethan and Samantha had to deal with the fact that two terrible people had bought and killed seven teenaged girls over the last six years for their own perverted reasons. During that time, one had been Jenna Bailey. Erica White had come to Massachusetts to expose Spencer Bailey for the cretin he was, but she ended up a victim too.

  It was tragic. And Samantha was still coming to terms with the fact that she used lethal force to stop Alisa Bailey’s rampage. Morgan was sad for the lost soul Alisa had been, but grateful that Samantha saved Ethan’s life.

  Alisa had made a choice that fateful day, opting to avenge her daughter, sacrificing her life to do so. Sad as that was, Morgan found a sense of peace in believing Jenna had finally crossed over.

  Temporarily, she and Ethan moved into Phalen’s studio apartment above his tat shop because it was easier for Ethan to get around. It wouldn’t be long before they returned to the Southie townhouse.

  She looked forward to it. They were a couple and Ethan constantly referred to her as Morgan Maddox, even though they weren’t technically married.

  And here she was, staring at another positive pregnancy test.

  A sharp knock on the bathroom door startled Morgan, causing her to send the test sticks flying. “Crap,” she muttered.

  “Morgan? You okay in there, darlin’?” Phalen asked. “Ethan told me you don’t like small places. Open the door.”