Resisting Her Rebel Hero

by Lucy Ryder

  She jolted the instant his teeth closed over her bottom lip to tug on the sensitive flesh. Hot shivers scattered from the base of her spine into every cell and Cassidy thought, Oh, God, as her knees wobbled.

  Before she could protest again, Sam’s mouth opened over hers in a kiss that instantly spiraled out of control. It turned the moisture in her body to steam and sucked air from as far down as her toes.

  It felt like she’d been tossed into the center of a tornado. She told herself that if he hadn’t been holding her captive she would have pulled away. Broken free. Run for her life.

  At least she would have if she’d been able to formulate a single thought. Then she was being yanked up against all his hard heat, his arm an iron band across her back while he fed her hungry kisses that were all tongue and greed and stole her breath along with her mind.

  Cassidy’s breasts tightened and her blood caught fire. Just when she felt that insidious slide into insanity, he froze and pulled back.

  Wha—?

  Stunned by the force of emotions storming through her, Cassidy sucked in a desperate breath and stared back at him, wondering a little hysterically if the pounding in her head was a sign that her brain was about to explode. The man literally sucked up everything around him like a level-five twister.

  His hands tightened and his eyes looked a little wild—kind of like she was feeling—and it took a few moments to realize the pounding wasn’t in her head.

  A loud bang was abruptly followed by yelling that had Sam shifting from sexy and sleepy to sexy and…lethal. Without a sound he shoved her roughly aside to move on silent, deadly feet towards the hallway, his hand reaching for…a weapon?

  Awareness returned in a rush and Cassidy flung herself after him before he could launch a silent attack on some poor unsuspecting person. She grabbed for his shirt to hold him back and he rounded on her, eyes deadly and cold. It was clearly his attack SEAL face, Cassidy thought with a shudder. She could easily imagine the enemy quailing with terror. Heck, she was trembling.

  “It’s all right, Major, it’s just…it’s just a medical emergency.” At least she hoped it was and not an invasion by paramilitary groups that gossip said hid in the mountains. Then all bets were off. And when he gave no indication that he’d heard, she shook him. “Stand down, Major, I’ve got this.”

  For long scary beats he stared at her, his expression cold and flat. Just when she thought he meant to swat her like a pesky fly, he blinked, slowly, like he was coming back from…a flashback?

  Cassidy gulped, but then his face abruptly lost color and before she could move, he staggered. She reached for him but he threw out a hand to steady himself against the wall.

  “Go,” he rasped, giving her the sharp edge of his shoulder. She hesitated, watching his forehead drop against the bulge of his biceps. The muscles in his wide back bunched and turned hard. After a couple of hesitant beats she turned and took off down the hallway.

  One look at the couple in ER had all thoughts of Sam’s flashbacks flying from her head. The woman being propped up by a clearly freaked-out man was as white as a sheet and covered in sweat. She clutched her heavily pregnant belly, and Cassidy noticed blood and fluid staining the front of her maternity dress.

  “Help her,” the man yelled wildly when he saw Cassidy. “Help her. Oh, God, help her. She’s bleeding. It won’t stop,” he croaked pleadingly. “It just won’t stop and the baby…” He swallowed. “I think the baby’s stuck.”

  Cassidy grabbed a nearby gurney and met them halfway, swallowing the urge to yell at them for waiting so long. This had all the signs of a home delivery gone wrong. So dreadfully wrong. She just hoped it wasn’t too late.

  “What happened?” she demanded. “Why didn’t you come in earlier?”

  “She wanted a home birth, but the midwife’s not answering her phone,” the man babbled through bloodless lips, his eyes wide and wild. “I didn’t know what to do. What the hell do I know about babies? Nothing. I know nothing… Oh, God, what have I done?” As white as parchment, he swayed and Cassidy put out a hand to steady him. That’s all they needed. Another casualty.

  Before she could snap out an order for him to get a grip, the woman gave a low moan and her legs buckled. Yelling out a code blue and hoping someone would hear, Cassidy lurched forward just as the woman fell, her weight taking them both to the floor.

  Vaguely aware that the man was screaming and crying hysterically, Cassidy opened her mouth to rap out an order, but the breath had been knocked from her and all she could manage was a strangled gasp.

  Sam’s face appeared overhead and before she could blink at his abrupt appearance he’d bent and lifted the woman off her with easy strength. Sucking in air, Cassidy scrambled to her feet.

  “You okay?” he demanded in a low tone as he gently placed the woman on the gurney.

  She should be the one asking but even as she opened her mouth to voice her concerns, she noted that other than a faint pallor and a hard, closed expression, Sam seemed to have recovered. His eyes were clear and sharply focused.

  “Cassidy?”

  She shook her head to dispel her misgivings and noticed he’d pulled on a lab coat that strained the shoulder seams and rode up his strong wrists. He’d also slung a stethoscope around his neck. He met her pointed look with a raised brow, silently telling her she had more important things to worry about. Things like their distressed patient.

  “I’m fine,” she rapped out. “Get her details.” And took off down the hallway with the gurney, hitting the emergency button as she streaked past.

  The next few minutes were a blur as she wheeled the gurney into the OR, where she checked the woman’s vitals. Her concern ratcheted up a notch at the patient’s labored breathing and erratic pulse.

  “Dammit, dammit, dammit,” she muttered, grabbing a pair of scissors to cut away the blood-soaked dress. She needed another experienced professional. Preferably someone who had done this before. She needed Dr. Montgomery.

  By the time the night nurse burst into the OR, Cassidy had finished intubating the mother. With swift, competent movements she hooked up a saline drip and rapped out orders for drugs.

  Ripping open a syringe package with her teeth, she fitted the needle and shoved it into the first vial the nurse handed to her. “Prep her for a C-section,” she told the nurse briskly, injecting the contents into the port. “And then call Dr. Montgomery. I’m going to need help on this one.”

  “You’ve got help,” a deep voice informed her from the doorway and Cassidy looked over her shoulder to see Sam striding into the OR.

  Cassidy’s eyes widened. “Major—”

  “Her name is Gail Sanders,” he interrupted in a voice as deep and calm as though he did this every day. “She’s a kindergarten teacher. This is her first pregnancy—no history of problems.” His eyes were calm and steady on hers. The silent message was clear. They didn’t have time to wait for the elderly doctor or discuss his mental issues. “Moving her when you’re ready.”

  Cassidy frowned and held his gaze for a couple of beats, conscious of the look of wide-eyed apprehension the nurse flashed between them.

  “Dr. Mahoney…?” Heather prompted, breaking the tension filling the room.

  “Major Kellan will need the ultrasound,’ Cassidy said briskly with a curt nod in Sam’s direction, before moving to Gail’s feet. They transferred her to the operating table as Heather rolled the ultrasound into position. Cassidy took the proffered tube of gel and squirted a thick line over the apex of the patient’s distended belly.

  Sam lifted the probe. “Go suit up,” he said quietly, eyes on the screen as he rolled the probe through the gel. “I’ll handle this.”

  “Major—” she began, breaking off when his golden eyes lifted. “This is…” She bit her lip and ran her fingers through her hair in agitation. “Are you…?” Damn. How did you ask someone if they were sane enough to handle a delicate procedure like this one was going to be?

  His face darken
ed with impatience, and Cassidy knew he wasn’t going to discuss what had happened in the hallway. Watching the expert way he wielded the probe, she was forced to admit he looked fine. More than fine. As though he hadn’t had a flashback—or whatever had happened—just minutes earlier.

  “I’m fine, Doctor,” he snapped, returning his attention to the patient. “But they aren’t and unless you get your ass into gear, they won’t be for much longer.”

  Cassidy hesitated another couple of beats. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said quietly, unsure whom she was addressing.

  It took her less than a minute to throw off her clothes, pull on clean scrubs and scrape her hair off her face. By the time she’d finished scrubbing Sam was behind her, holding out a surgical gown that she slipped over her arms after a searching look up into his dark face.

  He must have correctly interpreted her probing look because his mouth pulled into a tight line. “This is a job for two people who know what they’re doing.”

  “Monty—”

  “Isn’t here,” he interrupted smoothly. His eyes caught and held hers. “We can’t wait, Cassidy. And you know it.”

  Knowing he was right, Cassidy ground her back molars together. “You’re right,” she admitted briskly, moving towards the OR doors, “but you assist.”

  Heather Murray had already positioned the colored electrode pads and was fitting a saturation probe over the patient’s forefinger when Cassidy hit the doors with her shoulder. Tying the surgical cap at the back of her head, she slipped her hands into surgical gloves the nurse held out.

  She watched as Heather hooked Gail up to the heart monitor, a wrinkle of concern marring her brow when a rapid beeping filled the silence. Stepping closer to the ultrasound screen, Cassidy studied the strip of images Sam had printed out, before gently palpating the woman’s belly. A quick examination revealed the baby lying breech, with its spine facing upward.

  She felt rather than saw Sam come up behind her. “I’ve delivered babies in worse positions than this,” he said at her shoulder.

  “So have I,” Cassidy agreed, “but not without an OB/GYN on standby. The bleeding is also a major concern.” When he remained silent, Cassidy lifted her head to find him studying her intently. Her heart gave a little lurch. “What?”

  His eyes lit with a warm smile. “You can do it, Doc. Have a little faith. Besides, I’m right here.”

  She was about to ask if he’d done this before but the monitor beeped and Heather called out, “Heart rate increasing, Doctor,” and Cassidy realized they didn’t have time to hang around debating his experience.

  Sam shoved his hands into latex gloves while the nurse tied his gown and mask. Cassidy moved to the patient’s side and hoped she wasn’t making a terrible mistake. As the doctor on duty, she was about to trust a man who thought parachuting into hostile territory armed to the teeth was like making love. “Major—” Cassidy began, only to have him cut her off.

  “I think we’ve had this conversation before, Cassidy,” he drawled, putting her firmly in her place as a colleague now. He looked big and tough and impatient—and most of all competent. After flicking a pointed look at Heather, he returned Cassidy’s gaze meaningfully. “We’re good.”

  Biting back a sigh, she opened her mouth and said, “Let’s do this.”

  Heather called anxiously, “Blood pressure dropping, Doctor.”

  Cassidy’s gaze snapped to the monitor. “Keep an eye on the baby’s vitals and let me know if Mom’s BP drops below fifty.” Sam expertly swabbed the woman’s belly with iodine as Cassidy waited, scalpel in hand. The instant he was finished she felt for the correct place with her left hand and then made a clean incision with her right. The scalpel sliced through layers of skin, muscle and uterine wall. Sam gently coaxed the baby into position while she slid her hands into the exposed uterus. Within seconds the infant’s head and shoulders emerged and Cassidy could see why the baby had been lying breech—and why the mother was bleeding.

  The placenta had detached from the uterine wall and the umbilical cord was looped around the baby’s neck and under her arm. The infant was blue and flaccid.

  Cassidy’s heart gave a blip of alarm. Dammit, dammit, dammit, she chanted mentally, getting a firm hold on the infant while Sam gently unwound the cord. He accepted the heated towel the nurse offered as Cassidy slid the infant free and handed her over. Deftly cutting the cord, she applied the clip and looked up briefly to catch Sam’s intense gaze over the top of his face mask. His gold eyes were dark and solemn on hers. “She’s yours,” Cassidy said simply, and turned back to save the mother. Gail Sanders’s time was running out.

  “I’ve got this,” he said, but Cassidy had already tuned out everything, instinct telling her that Sam really did have it. She didn’t have to make a choice or leave the endangered infant to the nurse.

  Besides, there was nothing she could do for the baby now that Sam couldn’t do just as well.

  Over the next half-hour she communicated with the nurse in terse bursts until she finally managed to get the bleeding under control. Heaving a relieved sigh, she wiped her burning eyes against her shoulder and ordered additional units of blood. Then she set about closing the uterus, the layer of muscle and finally the incision wound.

  Lastly, she inserted a drain and stepped back to check the patient’s vitals. Finding her still critical but edging toward stable, Cassidy stepped back, wondering for the first time in more than an hour if Sam had managed to save the infant.

  She caught sight of him waiting just beyond the lights. For long moments their gazes held, his eyes so intensely gold and solemn her pulse gave a painful little jolt. Had she…? Oh, God, had she imagined that feeble little cry? Then his eyes crinkled at the corners in a rare moment of shared accord and gestured to the pink bundle in his arms.

  Suddenly tears burned the backs of her eyes and she sucked in a quick breath at the blaze of emotion blocking her throat. They’d done it, she thought on a burst of elation that she attributed to their accomplishment and not…well, anything else.

  She sent Sam a wobbly smile, rapidly blinking away her emotional tears as she turned back to recheck the patient’s vitals to give herself a minute. She clamped off the anesthetic, leaving the shunt in place. “We’ll keep her sedated while we wait for the chopper,” she told Heather, conscious of Sam’s silent scrutiny as they transferred the patient to the gurney.

  “You’re not keeping her here?” he asked, as they covered Gail with a cotton spread and then a thick woolen blanket. Cassidy shook her head and went to the OR refrigerator, withdrawing a couple of vials of antibiotics.

  “The hospital doesn’t have the facilities for such a critical patient,” she explained, hooking up another saline bag. “Besides, mother and child both need proper neonatal care. I want them in a large center with access to hi-tech facilities and equipment if anything goes wrong.”

  Pulling down her face mask, she took a new syringe, slid the needle into first one vial and then the other, finally injecting the cocktail into the new saline bag.

  “I’ll go speak to her husband,” she said, when she finally ran out of things to do, her emotions suddenly as fragile as the lives they’d just saved.

  Disposing of needle, syringe and surgical gloves, she quickly wrote down the details of the procedure and the drugs she’d used. With a sigh of relief she turned to leave, stiffening in surprise when long fingers closed over her shoulder.

  Looking up into Sam’s shadowed face, Cassidy sucked in a startled breath. Illumination from the surgical lights slid across the bottom half of his face, leaving the rest in deep shadow. It made him appear bigger and darker and…hell, more dangerous than ever.

  Unbidden, images of what had happened in the suture room flashed through her head and she winced. Darn. One look into his dark gold eyes brought on a flashback of his mouth closing over hers in a hot, greedy kiss. She’d hoped to escape before he remembered that she’d almost climbed into his lap and rubbed her b
ody against his. She licked dry lips.

  “What?” she asked huskily, her throat tight with awkwardness and a sudden baffling anxiety.

  “You want to see her?”

  Sam watched confusion chase wariness across Cassidy’s face until he gently handed over his precious bundle. She’d been instrumental in saving the infant and deserved to share the joy of that new life.

  Drawn by the subtle scent of her, easily discernible even over the antiseptic smells of the OR, Sam moved closer. He’d been immensely impressed with her ability and the efficient way she’d handled the crisis. She’d never once hesitated or panicked. Hell, he’d seen seasoned soldiers panic in less dire situations and had to admire how she’d kept a cool head.

  It had been touch and go there for a while, but the newborn was finally pink and glowing with life. Tiny hands were tucked against a petal-soft cheek and the infant looked, Sam thought, like a cherub praying. Huge dark eyes stared up into Cassidy’s face with such mesmerizing intensity that the hair on his arms and the back of his neck rose. It was as though she knew she was being held by someone…special.

  Her expression both delighted and enthralled, Cassidy gently touched a pink cheek and the tiny folded hands. “Look, Sam,” she breathed, “she looks like a little angel. Like she’s praying. Isn’t she the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”

  For long silent moments Sam found his gaze locked on Cassidy’s face, unable to utter a sound. Her expression was one he’d never thought to see on her beautiful face—soft and sweet and glowing with uncomplicated delight.

  God, he thought painfully, she really is beautiful. And so much more than he’d thought. Swallowing the lump blocking his vocal cords, he finally managed a raspy, “Yeah. Beautiful.”

  Oblivious to his chaotic emotions, she continued to murmur softly to the infant, laughing when the little rosebud mouth opened in a wide yawn.

  Feeling like he’d been shot in the chest with a high-powered rifle, Sam forced his emotions under control and moved to untie her gown. He finally gave in to the urge to brush his lips against the long elegant line of her throat as he leaned forward to murmur, “You did great, Doc.”