Victoria opened the door as he pulled into the driveway and stepped out onto the porch. Raylic unbuckled Shane and helped him out of the van, grabbing his tote and carrying it up the porch steps.
“Shane, Dexter, and Emily are in the living room playing with their new toys. Why don’t you take your things in there and show them what you got today? They opened some new board games from Santa this morning, so maybe the three of you can play one.”
Shane nodded, took his tote from Raylic, and went inside.
“Thank you, Victoria. I’ll try not to stay at the hospital too long. I know Shane needs me just as much as Heidi does, but I’m hoping to find out more about her condition before I come home. With some luck, she’ll be awake when I get there and can come home today or tomorrow.”
“Call and let me know how she’s doing. I’m sure Shane would like the updates, if it’s good news.”
Raylic nodded, kissed Victoria on the cheek, and then drove to the hospital. By the time he pulled into the parking lot, his hands were shaking. He went in through the ER entrance and stopped at the triage desk to ask about Heidi. The nurse had him fill out several forms, and then they showed him into the back where they were keeping Heidi. A doctor was filling out something on a tablet when he stepped behind the curtain.
“You must be her husband,” the doctor said, holding out his hand to shake. “I’m Doctor Treadwell.”
“I’m Raylic, and yes, Heidi is mine. How is she?”
“Her vitals are actually good, but I’m going to order a CT scan and an MRI just to be safe. Once we get the results of those, we’ll know more, and hopefully, she’ll wake up. We had to stitch two of the cuts on her face but the rest we just cleaned because they were surface abrasions.”
“Do you know why she hasn’t woken?”
The doctor shook his head. “There are too many possibilities to guess without running those tests first. You can sit here with her, if you’d like. I know the chairs aren’t the most comfortable, but if we have to keep her, she’ll move upstairs to a nice room with comfortable seating.”
Raylic didn’t give a damn about the chair. He just wanted Heidi to wake up and be okay. He eased around the side of the bed and picked up Heidi’s hand, mindful of the IV. He turned to ask what they were giving her, but the doctor had already left. Raylic pulled the hard chair over and sat down, not letting go of Heidi’s hand. After a while, an orderly came to take her away for testing, leaving Raylic alone with his thoughts and worries. By the time she came back, he’d received a few texts from Victoria with pictures of the kids playing, and she had assured him that Shane was fine.
It was another two hours before anyone came to check on Heidi, and he was more than a little relieved to see Xonos. His friend clapped him on the shoulder before checking on Heidi. He scanned her and studied the readout. The frown on his face wasn’t encouraging, and Raylic worried even more.
“There are no broken bones, and I don’t see any trauma to her neck or spine. Before you ask, the baby is fine. Heidi has cerebral edema, which is likely why she hasn’t woken yet. The doctor presiding over her case wanted to operate to try to reduce the swelling, but I told him to hold off. I ran by the clinic and picked up a little something to see if we can give her a boost and get her back on her feet.”
Xonos pulled a syringe from his lab coat pocket. He inserted the needle into her arm and pushed the plunger. The blue liquid rushed into her arm and Raylic watched her for any signs of improvement. How long would it take for the stuff to work? He knew some of the drugs from their world worked instantly, while others took a while. Her hand twitched, and her eyes moved back and forth rapidly behind her eyelids. Raylic reached for her as her fingers twitched again.
“Is she coming out of it?” he asked Xonos.
“Not just yet, but it looks like the serum is working. I’d give her a few hours and then she might open her eyes. The swelling should be gone by morning. They will probably admit her and keep her overnight. I’m sure they’ll want to run more tests in the morning to check on her progress.”
“But she’s going to be okay?” Raylic asked.
“She’s going to be fine. Stay with her until she wakes and then go home and give your son the good news. He’s going to need you tonight, but I wouldn’t bring him up here. The stuff I gave her should help her cuts heal a little faster too, and she won’t look quite so rough tomorrow. You don’t want to scare the boy more than he already is.”
Raylic nodded. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“It’s my job, Raylic. But I’m glad it seems to be working. I’m going home, but call if you need anything else. And don’t worry about Shane. He’s fine right now, and we’ll keep him as long as you need us to.”
“Once she’s awake, I’ll pick him up.”
Xonos patted his shoulder and moved out of the curtained area. Raylic held Heidi’s hand, willing her to open her eyes. It was nearly three hours later before his miracle was granted. Her eyes fluttered and then opened. Her disoriented gaze landed on him, and she frowned.
“Where am I?” she asked.
“You’re in the hospital. What do you remember?”
“We were driving home.”
“A drunk driver hit us, or so they think. They were trying to track down the other driver. He apparently bailed after the accident. You were hurt, but Xonos came and gave you something to make you better.”
“Shane?” she asked. “The baby?”
“He’s fine. I dropped him off at Xonos’ house, and he’s playing with the kids, and the baby is fine too. You were the only one injured.” Raylic swallowed hard. “I’m so damn sorry, Heidi.”
“It’s not your fault. It was an accident, Raylic. You can’t protect us from everything.”
He knew she was right, but it didn’t make him feel any less guilty. She was his to protect, and he’d failed her. If he’d been paying more attention or had been a little faster to react… he knew all the what-ifs in the world wouldn’t change what happened though. All he could do now was be grateful that she was healing and would be fine by tomorrow. If it weren’t for the technological and medical advances of his kind, she could have very well died.
“I love you,” he said softly. “I didn’t understand what I was feeling for you until I damn near lost you. I don’t expect you to say it back. I know it’s too soon, but I needed to tell you how I felt.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but he placed a finger over her lips to shush her.
“Rest,” he said. “I need to get Shane and tell him you’re okay. I’ll come back tomorrow morning to see if you’re being discharged. I think it’s best if Shane doesn’t come with me though. I’ll see if Avelyn will sit with him for a little while. Maybe she’ll bring Lily, and they can all go swimming or something.”
Her hand lifted and stroked his cheek. “I’ll miss you.”
“I want to stay with you, but I know I need to take care of Shane.”
“I’d much rather you be with him than stuck in that hard chair all night. I’ll be fine.”
Raylic hesitated. “I’ll be back in a moment. There’s something I need to do before I leave. I promise I won’t go without saying goodbye.”
She nodded and closed her eyes. Raylic stood, releasing her hand, and left the ER area. He went in search of the hospital gift shop and was happy to see they were open. With it being a holiday, he’d had his doubts. Inside, he selected a few magazines and a romance novel he didn’t think she’d read yet. He also picked up a fluffy white bear with a pink bow, paid for his purchases, and carried them back to the ER. Heidi still had her eyes closed when he stepped behind the curtain, and he laid his gifts on the bed next to her.
Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to her brow, watching as her eyes fluttered open. She gave him a drowsy smile and looked at the presents he’d bought her.
“Thank you,” she said.
“I hate leaving you alone in the hospital on Christmas Day, but I thought this might he
lp you pass the time, and I thought the bear might make you feel a little less lonely.”
“You’re so good to me.” She yawned widely. “Go take care of our son. I’ll be fine on my own.”
Raylic kissed Heidi gently and then left to pick up their son and try to salvage what was left of Christmas, if he could. So much for the perfect Christmas Day.
Chapter Ten
Raylic had been pacing her hospital room for the last hour. Heidi honestly felt completely healed and was anxious to get out of the bed, but the doctor had insisted on running more tests to be certain she was well again. Even the Terran doctor had been by and assured the human doctor that Heidi was one hundred percent back to normal. The man wasn’t listening, though. So, after another CT scan and MRI, she was finally being released to go home.
“I know you probably want to listen to the human,” Xonos said, “but I can assure you that you’re perfectly fine and can return to your normal duties.”
“Whatever you gave me must have been a miracle drug.” Heidi smiled. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
Xonos waved away her thanks. “It’s my job. As a mate to one of my kind, your treatment falls to me, but since Raylic panicked and called the humans in after the accident, you were brought to the hospital.”
Raylic glared at him. “I did what I thought was best for her.”
“Yes, well, in future, bring her to me,” Xonos said. “I can do much more for her than these humans can.”
Raylic sighed and nodded, then went back to staring out the window. From what Heidi could see from where she lay, everything outside was covered in snow. If she knew her little boy, he would want to go out and play in it. Raylic had handed her his cell phone when he’d first arrived today and let her call Shane to talk to him. Her poor, sweet boy was so worried about her, but she could tell he was trying to be brave. Just like his daddy.
“I’m going to sign off on the forms to turn your care over to me,” Xonos said, “and then they can process your discharge papers. You should be able to go home in about a half hour if you’d like to go ahead and get dressed.”
Xonos moved closer and worked on removing her IV and unhooking her from the machines. He also removed the stitches from the cuts on her face, which were almost completely healed already. When he was finished, Heidi stretched and sat up a little straighter in the bed. Once the doctor left, she stood up and reached for her clothes on the nearby chair. Raylic hovered, as if he worried she’d topple over at any moment. True to his word, Xonos brought her discharge papers a half hour later, and she was free to go home.
“Weren’t you due back at work today?” Heidi asked as Raylic helped her into the van.
“Yes, but they gave me another day off for obvious reasons. I told them I’d call today and let them know if I was coming in tomorrow.”
Heidi narrowed her eyes at his tone. “You’re going. I’m perfectly fine, just like Xonos said. You can stop worrying about me.”
“You could have died,” he said softly. “I nearly lost you and I… I don’t want to go through that again.”
Heidi reached over and took his hand. “People die every day, Raylic. From something as simple as choking on a piece of food, to stepping off the curb at the wrong time. Accidents happen all the time, and you can’t protect me from them. Just because I got hurt doesn’t mean I’m going to live my life afraid of my own shadow. I’m going to live every day to the fullest, and I hope you’ll be right there beside me.”
He sighed and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “I’ll try not to worry so much, but it may take a few days for the fear to subside. I can handle lots of things, Heidi. I’ve been shot and stabbed, I nearly lost my life in a battle years ago when I was still on my world, but none of that compared to seeing you unresponsive and bloody. I’ve never been so scared in my life as I was when I realized you wouldn’t wake up.”
Heidi settled back and tried to relax, but her heart raced when they neared the stop sign where the accident had occurred. It wasn’t until they were safely home that she was able to breathe a sigh of relief. She’d barely cleared the door before Shane was hurtling toward her. He threw his arms around her and held on tight.
“Hello, sweet boy. Did you miss me?”
He nodded, and she felt dampness on her clothes from his silent tears. Heidi went down on her knees and wrapped her arms around Shane, stroking his hair and murmuring words of comfort to him. She heard Avelyn and Raylic talking quietly and then heard the front door open and shut.
“Did you have fun playing with Lily today?” Heidi asked.
Shane nodded. “I was worried about you, though. Daddy said you could come home today, but it took forever.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be here with you yesterday, for Christmas.”
“Daddy played games with me yesterday, and we went swimming and played in the snow. I just wish you could have been here too.”
“Next year we’ll all be together, and you’ll have a brother or sister too. Won’t that be fun?”
He nodded eagerly.
“What do you want to do today? Daddy goes back to work tomorrow, so it’s our last day together until he’s off work again.” Heidi smoothed his hair back from his face. “Anything at all.”
“Can we go to Puck’s Pizza Palace?” Shane asked.
“I don’t know that your mama is up for that just yet,” Raylic said, coming back into the kitchen.
“I can sit while we’re there,” Heidi said. “Shane’s never been before, but I’ve heard it’s secure. He should be able to run and play while we sit and talk.”
Raylic reached out and stroked her cheek. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to overdo it your first day home.”
“I’m fine, Raylic. Really. Never felt better.”
“All right. Why don’t you go shower and change clothes since those are bloodstained from the accident? I’ll make a call to the insurance company while you do that. I need to get my SUV replaced. While we’re out, I should probably pick up a rental until they can get things sorted. I don’t want to take the van to work and leave you without transportation.”
Heidi nodded and went upstairs. She showered quickly and dressed in a comfortable sweater and jeans. She put on a pair of boots Raylic had purchased for her and then dried her hair and pulled it back in a messy bun. When she got downstairs, Raylic and Shane were waiting patiently in the living room, flipping through channels on the TV.
“I’m ready if you two are,” she said.
Shane sprang up from the couch and went running to the garage. Heidi smiled and shook her head. Reaching for Raylic’s hand, she stopped him long enough to press a kiss to his lips. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her harder, deeper, before taking a step back.
At Puck’s, Heidi had to wonder if she’d made a bad decision. Kids were running and screaming everywhere, the machines dinged and whistled, and harried looking servers delivered pizza and soda to the tables scattered throughout the place. They found a table in a quieter section and Raylic took Shane to the counter to order their drinks, pizza, and get a wristband for Shane.
Their son was off like a shot running from one place to another as he rode the rides, played the games, and climbed through the tunnels. Raylic returned to the table and sat next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders and holding her close to his side. She tried to keep an eye on Shane, but having Raylic so close was a distraction. She’d missed sleeping in his arms last night and couldn’t wait for the day to end.
They let Shane play for a few hours and ate their pizza. When it looked like their little boy was tiring out, Heidi insisted they go home. The rest of the day was spent by the pool, and by the time night fell, Shane was yawning and could barely keep his eyes open. Raylic carried him up to bed, and Heidi helped him put on his pajamas and then tucked him in.
Raylic grabbed her hand after they closed Shane’s door and he practically dragged her down the hall to their room, shutting and locking the
door. Heidi watched Raylic prowl toward her, every inch the alpha male, and a flutter of excitement made her lick her lips as she reached for him. It had only been one night since they were last intimate, but it felt longer.
Her sexy cop pulled off his clothes and dropped them on the floor, advancing on her until her knees collided with the side of the bed. He reached for her, a hungry expression in his eyes, and began removing her clothes. It seemed whatever reservations he’d had about her health had been resolved as his mouth slammed down on hers in a kiss that curled her toes and heated her from the inside out.
Raylic toppled her to the bed and dragged her ass to the edge of the mattress before falling to his knees. His fingers teased her pussy before parting her folds. His tongue swiped against her, flicking her clit and making her cry out in need. He teased her, as if savoring every moment, his tongue drawing lazy circles around her clit before plunging inside of her. He sucked on her tender flesh until she was crying out his name, her orgasm crashing through her and leaving her breathless, and still, she wanted more.
He leaned back, his hands braced on her thighs, as his gaze roamed her body. He seemed to be taking in every inch of her, memorizing her curves. Her body hummed from her orgasm, but her pussy still ached and felt empty. She reached for him, curling her hands around his wrists and tugging.
“I want you,” she said. “I need to feel you inside of me.”
“Never let it be said I don’t give my mate what she wants, what she needs.”
His body covered hers, his cock brushing against her. He nuzzled her neck as he sank into her, her pussy stretching to accommodate him. It felt like heaven as he thrust into her again and again, each stroke harder and deeper than the last. With every plunge of his cock, she lifted her hips, needing more. Heidi could feel another orgasm cresting, and her nails bit into his shoulders.
Gazing up into his eyes, she felt more complete than she ever had before. She knew, at that moment, that what she’d been feeling for him wasn’t just affection. It was an all-consuming love that made her dizzy and a little frightened. Heidi had never felt anything like it before, and tears pricked her eyes.
Heidi and the Alien Cop Page 10