by Rebecca Deel
She dragged her gaze to her boss.
“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
Tears trickled over her cheeks.
“Come here, sugar.” He tugged her into his arms, rubbed her back. “I take it the feelings are mutual?”
She nodded.
“Well, guess that means you two are taking a leave of absence for him to recuperate.” There was amusement in his voice.
Lily pulled back and wiped the tears from her face. “Yes, sir. As soon as he’s well enough, we’ll go to his parents’ house.”
“Good idea. Marie will get him on his feet fast. She’ll bully him into eating and resting.” He grinned. “She’ll probably do the same to you so be prepared.”
A tap sounded on the door. Rio walked into the office. “Remy’s going to be okay. Took six pints of blood and some fast work by Sorenson, but we got him here in time.”
She was almost dizzy with the relief flooding her body. Grateful beyond words, she asked, “When can I see him?”
“I’ll take you to him. I set up a cot for you beside his bed.” He smiled. “Figured you wouldn’t be leaving his side anytime soon.”
“You’re right.”
Brent squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll get your gear and bring it to the room.”
Lily followed Rio down the long hallway to the back of the building. A small operating room was on the right. Rio nudged her to the left room. Inside, Remy was asleep on a hospital bed, an IV attached to his arm. At his bedside, she laid her hand over his, thankful his skin was warm to the touch now. She wasn’t a doctor or a medic, but he looked better to her. His color wasn’t normal, but it wasn’t the deathly white she’d seen on the plane.
“Here,” Rio murmured. He set a chair beside her. “He’ll be out for a while. The IV is delivering antibiotics and pain meds.”
“When will he be able to go home?”
“A week, maybe sooner depending on how fast he heals and how much he nags Sorenson. If he aggravates the doc enough, Sorenson will kick him to the curb to get Remy out of his hair.”
He wouldn’t be here long, then. Remy hated forced inactivity.
Brent walked into the room with Lily’s Go bag. “You’ll need more clothes, sugar. Tell me your sizes.”
Her eyebrows rose, but she rattled off her sizes. Her boss nodded. “I’ll take care of it. When did you eat last?”
“Too long,” Rio answered for her.
“I’ll take care of that, too.” With that, he left the clinic.
“There’s a shower through there,” Rio said, indicating the door at the other end of the room. “If you want to freshen up, I’ll sit with him.”
“Thanks.” She grabbed her bag. In the seclusion of the steamy shower, Lily leaned against the tile, tears streaming down her cheeks, body shuddering as the adrenaline began to bleed off. She gave herself a couple minutes, then finished and dressed. Hair still damp, she strode back into the room.
Rio glanced up, smiled. “You clean up nice, Stanton.” He nodded at Remy. “No change. He probably won’t stir for hours.” He stood. “Do you need anything else before I go?”
“I’m fine. Thank you for what you did for Remy. I don’t think he would have made it to the clinic without you.”
“He’s a good man. We’d hate to lose him.”
“Are you and your team going home now?”
He grinned. “We have two newlyweds who desperately want to go home to their wives. Brent’s going to stay with you and Remy.”
“He doesn’t have to do that,” she protested.
“Someone needs to spell you once in a while, Lily. If you wear yourself out, you won’t be any good to Remy.”
Her hands clenched into fists. “I won’t leave him.”
“No one’s asking you to, sugar. We don’t expect any trouble, but you’re black ops, always prepared and alert. You need to sleep sometime and you won’t if someone’s not available to keep watch over him. Brent cleared his schedule for the week and wants to do this for you. Let him.”
She sighed. How many other bosses would do that for an employee? To refuse would be to throw his friendship and concern in his face. “Okay.”
Rio handed her a card. “Here’s my cell phone number. Call me if you have questions about anything. Sorenson will answer questions, too, so don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll be in contact with you every day to check on Remy’s progress.” With that, he left.
Lily scooted her chair as close to the hospital bed as possible. She wrapped her hand around Remy’s and settled in to wait.
An hour later, Brent returned with a couple bags, one of clothes, the other of food for the two of them. She eyed the grilled chicken sandwich, not sure the food would go down.
“You have to eat, Lily. Remy needs you strong. If you were the one recovering from a gunshot wound, he’d be forcing down food to better help you when you needed him.” He extended the sandwich and a bag of potato chips.
Knowing he was right, she took both and opened the chips first. After the first taste, her eyes nearly crossed as the salt and flavor exploded on her tongue. Huh. She was hungry after all.
Brent waited until she started on the sandwich before handing over a soft drink. Then he pulled another sandwich from the bag and began eating as well. Neither said anything until the food was gone and the trash disposed of.
“I hear you met your birth mother.”
Lily wrapped her hand around Remy’s again, his touch anchoring her through the emotional turmoil. “I did. It was strange, but nice. She’s a good woman with a family who loves her.”
“How is she doing physically?”
“Not very well. Her husband was arranging a second mortgage on the house to pay for more of Montgomery’s treatments the day we arrived.”
“Then you showed up just in time.”
“Just in time to shatter her hope.”
“Lily.” He waited until she glanced up before he continued. “You and Remy gave her a chance to live. She would have died for sure without the truth.”
“Doesn’t make it any easier to be the bearer of bad news. They were devastated, Brent.”
“Understandable. What are they going to do now?”
“She had an appointment with the best cancer doctor in the area today.”
“You should call her, find out how the visit went.”
Her gaze dropped to Remy. “I will later. She needs time to rest before talking to me. Besides, I also promised to let her know when Remy and I were back in the country. When she hears he was injured, she’ll want to know how he’s doing.” She stopped, blood draining from her face. “Have you contacted the Doucets? Brent, you have to contact them before the Wilders talk about what happened. We can’t let the Doucets find out Remy was shot from someone besides us.”
“I already took care of that. I assured them he was going to be fine and contact them when he was awake.”
Tension drained from her muscles. Thank goodness. “That’s great.”
“Let me know when you want to make the call to your mother. The Doucets would love talking to you as well. I’ll sit with Remy while you’re on the phone. In the meantime, I’ll be out in the waiting area with the cats, dogs, and a parakeet waiting to see Sorenson.” He grinned. “I brought my laptop so I can work while I’m here.”
“You don’t have to stay, you know. I can protect Remy and myself.”
“I know you can, sugar. I wouldn’t have hired you otherwise. You both are mine to watch over. It’s my turn to keep you safe. You just concentrate on your man and helping him get back on his feet.” After a salute, he left the room and closed the door behind himself.
Lily dragged her chair closer to the bed and settled back to wait.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Remy drew in a deep breath, winced and wished he hadn’t. He’d forgotten how painful it was getting shot. Wasn’t any picnic on the wrong end of a knife, either. Though it took a massive effort, he forced his eyelids up. Blinked
. It was dark. He frowned. What time was it?
He tried to raise his arm to glance at his watch and realized he couldn’t. A warm weight held his arm motionless. He glanced down. His heart turned over in his chest. Lily’s blond hair spilled over his arm, her cheek pressed against his hand. She was so beautiful, a woman with a heart of gold and courage in spades. He never knew he could love someone so much in a short span of time.
Remy reached over with his free hand and, unable to resist the temptation to feel her velvet-soft skin, cupped her cheek. She gasped and sat up. “Hey, sweetness,” he murmured.
“How do you feel?”
“Peachy, except when I breathe.” He smiled. “You okay?”
“I will be now. You scared me, baby.”
“I know. Scared me, too.” He gestured for her to come up beside him. When she crawled up by his uninjured side, he wrapped his arm around her and drew her close. “I’m sorry, honey.”
“Don’t do it again.”
A kiss to the top of her head. “I’ll try to dodge faster next time. How soon before I get out of here?”
Lily scowled at him. “You just had major surgery. A few days at least. What’s your hurry?”
“I’d rather be doing something.”
“Well, suck it up, buddy. You aren’t going anywhere for a while. Sorenson will not be happy if you rip out his beautiful stitches by getting up too soon.”
“Am I missing a part?”
“Nope. Your liver had a nick in it, like Rio thought. Other than that, everything is intact.”
Good to hear. He was almost afraid to ask Sorenson how long he’d be laid up. However many weeks, it would be too long. Enforced bed rest was not on his list of fun things to do. He was a lousy patient, complete with a short temper and cranky attitude.
A light tap sounded on the door.
Lily’s hand was up, her Sig pointed at the door before it swung open. When Brent walked in, she visibly relaxed and slid her weapon back in her holster.
Brent saw Remy was awake and smiled. “Well, Sleeping Beauty finally woke up. Welcome back, Remy.”
“How is Christine?”
“At the hospital. James is with her. She appears fine, but the doctor is keeping her overnight to be sure.”
Remy settled deeper into the pillow. At least Christine was safe.
“I talked to your parents. When you’re awake enough, you should call them.” He smiled. “If you don’t, I suspect they’ll be at your bedside tomorrow.”
A small smile curved his lips. Yep, his mom and dad would camp in the room with him if he didn’t assure them he’d live. Remy really didn’t want to subject his parents to days of boredom watching him sleep or listening to him gripe because he wasn’t recuperating fast enough to suit himself. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Durango already returned to Otter Creek. Josh said to tell you he owes you one, anytime, anyplace.” Brent grinned. “After his honeymoon, of course.”
Remy waved that aside. “He would have done the same for me if the situation were reversed. Cahill’s unit is amazing. Those men are incredibly good.”
“I’m not surprised, but it’s good to hear my assessment confirmed anyway.”
“Any news from Mexico?”
“You’ll be surprised to learn that a small army from a drug cartel descended on a private citizen’s estate and killed fifteen people including the humanitarian doctor Charles Montgomery.”
“Shocking.”
“Despite the odds against the two of you and Durango, you rescued the principal and saved countless people’s lives by exposing Montgomery’s operation as a fraud. Good job all the way around.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“You can thank me by taking off the next eight weeks from work.”
Remy’s mouth dropped. “Eight weeks? Is that what Sorenson said?”
“His estimate was six weeks.” His boss folded his arms over his chest. “I suspect you’ll be up and moving in about three weeks. That gives you and Lily five weeks to spend time with your family and her mother. Take the time, Remy. You and Lily will remain on the payroll, of course.”
The idea of spending that much time with Lily was no hardship. He planned to pamper her as much as the lady would allow. But eight weeks? “Why so long?”
Brent’s gaze shifted to Lily who was still snug against Remy’s side. “Do you have any objections to remaining Remy’s partner from now on?”
Remy glanced down at her. Her mouth curved into a bright smile.
“I can’t think of a better partner to watch my back.”
“Thought that might be the case.” He turned and grasped the doorknob. “Rest, both of you. I’ll be right outside the door, keeping watch. I’m not anticipating any problems, but if one crops up, I’ll take care of it.”
Silence filled the room for a minute, then Lily said, “Guess he doesn’t have a problem with us dating.”
Remy’s eyebrow rose. “Dating? Elf, we’re long past dating. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I might have been losing a lot of blood on that plane, but I remember you telling me you loved me. I want to share my family with you and establish a home of our own.”
She leaned over, careful not to put any pressure on his body, and kissed him, a soft, gentle kiss. “I love you and your family, Remy.”
“That’s settled, then. We’ll make it official after I get out of this bed and on my home turf.”
Another kiss before Lily eased back against his side. “Sleep, babe. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
At sunrise, Sorenson came in. “How are you feeling, Remy?” He lifted the sheet, tugged up his shirt and checked the wound.
“Pretty good, considering.”
“Rio did a good job. If he hadn’t, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. You are a very lucky man.”
He pressed a kiss to Lily’s forehead. “Believe me, I know.”
The vet pulled down the shirt, patted Remy’s shoulder. “Looking good, buddy. No signs of infection. How’s the pain?”
“Manageable.”
Sorenson snorted. “Yeah, that’s the pain meds talking.”
“When can I get out of here?”
“A few days. We’ll try getting you up in a few hours. You’re a lot weaker than you think, Remy.”
Galled Remy to admit, but the doc was right. When Brent and Sorenson helped him out of bed, he almost couldn’t stand without help. Both men stayed on either side of him while he made a circuit of the room. By the time he climbed back in bed, he felt like he’d just completed a marathon. Yep, getting shot was officially his least favorite thing to recover from.
The next four days passed in a blur of slowly easing pain and trips up and down the hall when the clinic was closed, circuits of the room when pets and their owners were in residence.
Finally on the fifth day, Sorenson pronounced him fit to travel. “Don’t do anything strenuous for the next four weeks. No lifting anything heavier than a platter of food. Rest, Remy. That will get you on your feet faster than anything else.”
Remy shook the vet’s hand. “Thanks for patching me up.”
“Glad to be of help. Hope I don’t see you again for a very long time.”
Outside the clinic, Brent waited in a rented SUV to drive them to the airport. “Plane’s fueled and ready. Next stop, New Orleans.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Lily shoved the Go bags into the cargo section of another rented SUV while Remy climbed carefully into the passenger seat. Hadn’t taken too much persuasion for him to agree to let her drive. That told her more than words how tired he was. Though she still worried about him, she reminded herself frequently that he was making great progress.
She closed the hatch and slid behind the steering wheel. “Since I’m driving, you’re navigating.”
“Deal.”
An hour later, she slowed to a stop in the Doucet’s driveway. Aiden and Marie Doucet hurried to the SUV.
“Welc
ome home, son.” Aiden supported Remy as he eased from the SUV.
Lily winced at his pained expression. She knew he’d stiffened up on the ride from the airport. While his parents helped him into the house, she grabbed their gear and hauled it inside. She followed the murmur of voices up to the room Remy had slept in two weeks earlier. He was lying on the bed, propped up on pillows against the headboard, his face drained of all color.
She deposited their bags on his closet floor and dug into the side of his. She pulled out the bottle of pain pills Sorenson had pressed into Remy’s hand outside the clinic. Though Remy didn’t want to take them, Lily knew he’d need at least one to help him with the travel aches. After that, he could take over-the-counter meds if he preferred.
“I’m fine, Mom. Just tired and sore.” Remy sounded cross.
Marie leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. “We’ll let you rest, then.” She turned to Lily. “We prepared your room as well, little one, though I suspect you’ll be spending most of your time with Remy. The kitchen is open. Get whatever you and Remy need. I’m already working on dinner, something not quite as spicy as I normally prepare. When he’s stronger, I’ll go back to preparing his favorites.”
“I’m right here,” Remy groused.
“Hush, babe,” Lily said with a smile.
Aiden chuckled. “We’re going to have our hands full with this one. He’s never been a good patient. I’ll leave him in your care, Lily. I’m needed in the fields. You let Marie know if you need anything.”
After his parents left, Remy sighed. “I should have holed up in a hotel someplace. At least there, I could order room service and have a bad attitude without an audience.”
Lily laughed. “I don’t think your crankiness is upsetting your parents that much. Looked to me like they expected it.”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve been injured on the job. I always come here to recuperate. They put up with attitude. Mom plies me with fabulous food. Dad threatens to sit on me to make me rest. All things considered, I heal faster under their care.”
She crossed the room and leaned down to share a long, sweet kiss with him. “I know you don’t want to take prescription pain meds for any length of time, but take one now. You won’t be able to rest otherwise after the travel. It was a hard trip for someone healing from a gunshot wound.” She smiled. “I know from personal experience.”