Strength of Love: Book 3 in the Heirs of Orion Series

by D. Anne Paris

  Her finger gently slathered the ointment on the wound. His hand shot out and grabbed hers.

  "Look at what she did to me, Elle."

  Elle looked at the exposed wound. The cut was over four inches long with over dozen stitches. The seams had just begun to heal, but the remnants of the pain probably still lingered in Tiny's mind. It should have been healed weeks ago, but for some reason Tiny wasn't able to heal like normal. He probably had pain every single day from ordinary tasks like sitting up or even carrying things. How could anyone do this to another human being?

  Tiny's other hand tilted her face towards him. "You did the right thing, Elle. Don't ever think otherwise."

  "That's what I keep telling myself, but I have a hard time believing it."

  "Then believe it when I tell you." His fingers gently caressed her chin. Sparks moved up her face. She wanted to desperately kiss him, because her body craved him and she wanted to take away his pain.

  "Tiny..."

  He placed his fingers across her lips. "Elle, just believe me, okay?"

  His fingers sizzled and a warm feeling came over her. What was he doing to cause this? She was always in control but being around him just made her want to do things she only heard about.

  Her head slowly nodded and he removed his fingers from her lips. "Ok, so what's your favorite food?"

  His question shook her from the trance and she focused back on his wounds. She wasn't going to try to go to sleep again, so she might as well enjoy his company. "Pad Thai, you?"

  "Chicken Alfredo."

  She stopped at looked up at him. "Really?"

  "What were you expecting that I would say?"

  "Steak or even a burger." She smiled and grabbed a fresh gauze pad and applied it on the wound. "Hold this." She took his hand and had him hold the gauze in place while she grabbed the tape and ripped a piece off.

  "Now who's sexist?"

  Elle placed the tape on the gauze and shook her head. "You're right. I'm sorry, I guess I just had this preconceived notion that you are a steak and potatoes guy."

  "Ha! That's my dad, not me."

  Elle took off the next gauze pad and looked at the wound. It looked fine. She grabbed the tube and squeezed some ointment out. "So what's your dad like?"

  Tiny laughed. "He's a hard ass who means well."

  "Is he the one with powers in your family?" She grabbed another packet of gauze and ripped it open.

  "Nope, that's my mom. Although she would say that it's really not a power." His hand held the gauze as Elle ripped off a piece of tape and taped over it.

  "What is it that she can do?"

  "Manipulate light."

  Elle stopped and looked up at him, confused.

  "She can take light and either make it go to a different direction or she can make it into a ball and throw it. That kind of stuff."

  "Wow, I never heard of that before." She took the last gauze pad off of him.

  "It's pretty cool. When I was younger and was afraid of the dark..."

  "You? Afraid of the dark?" Elle snickered as she rubbed ointment on his wound.

  "Yes, Angel, as a young boy I was afraid of the dark just like all little boys." He smiled at her. "Anyway, my mom would take the light from one of our lamps and make a ball and place it by my pillow. It would glow all night until morning. Made me feel protected."

  Elle grabbed another gauze packet and ripped it open. "Sounds like you had a nice childhood."

  "I can't complain. My parents did their best, even though there were times I knew they wanted to ground me for life."

  Elle placed the gauze on his wound and Tiny placed his hand over it while she ripped some tape to tape it.

  "Sounds like they deserve a metal."

  "They do."

  She finished and took off her gloves. "There. I'd like to check them again tomorrow." She looked back up at him and saw his intense gaze.

  "Thank you, Angel."

  "I just want to make sure you don't get an infection. You're not healing fast enough, as it already is, and having an infection would slow your progress down even more." She babbled as she got up and took her medical bag back to the bathroom.

  "I'll be fine," he told her.

  Elle threw the gloves into the garbage and put the bag back under the sink.

  "I'll be the judge of that." She scrubbed her hands in the sink.

  "So you do care," he taunted her.

  She dried her hands on the towel and walked back into the bedroom. "I care about all my patients."

  Tiny was already sitting up and slowly put his shirt back on. "I doubt you take care of your patients the same way you take care of me."

  "I don't..."

  "It's okay to admit you're attracted to me." He cut her off as he stood up and walked over to her.

  "I'm not..."

  "Because I'm attracted to you." He stopped a foot away from her.

  "You know I can't..."

  "I know, and like I said I won't force myself on you."

  "Maybe we should avoid each other."

  He walked up to her and placed his hands on her arms. "Elle, if I make you that uncomfortable than I will try to stay away from you, but that still won't stop me from sleeping on the other side of that door." He pointed to the bedroom door. "I will make sure you don't sleepwalk out of here again."

  "Tiny, you don't..."

  "I will. That's one thing I will not back down on. I have enough problems with sleeping at night and adding being worried about you won't help."

  "But you can't just sleep on the floor out there."

  "I've slept in worse places."

  Her heart sank as ugly images penetrated her mind. She couldn't bear the thought of him sleeping on the old worn out carpet in the hall, but she knew he wouldn't back down.

  She walked over to the wooden chest at the foot of her bed and opened it.

  "Here." She pulled out a comforter and blanket and handed it to him. "At least sleep on this and take some of my pillows, too. I'll go find some more blankets in the morning."

  "This is enough, Angel." He took the items from her. "I'll see you in the morning." He walked to the bedroom door, opened it then walked out.

  Elle sighed when the door closed behind him. This was the best decision for this situation. Why did it feel all wrong?

  Chapter 10

  "What do you mean it didn't work?" General George Green screamed at his cell phone as he exited his parked car.

  "The subject shows no physical difference, sir," technician Alan Ward repeated on the other end of the line.

  "I thought you said the notes we found had the whole formula listed?"

  "It did, but we can't figure out what one of the items listed is."

  Green grabbed his badge and slid it on the door sensor. When the light on the panel turned green he opened the door. "Well, figure it out! We're in a new century. There's nothing they had in that era that we don't have today!"

  "Yes, I know, sir, but this one we can't find. It's called Orioperium."

  Green's steps quickened as he moved through the hallways. "Isn't that in the periodic table of elements?"

  "No, it's not. We can't figure out what it is. We've scoured all the databases and there is no record of this Orioperium."

  Green turned right and swiped his card in front of another door. The door unlocked and he walked into his office. "What the hell kind of a team do you have working for you!?" He couldn't hold back his temper. He’d spent far too much time and resources on this project to just have it come to a dead end. He wanted enhanced soldiers, and he would do anything to get them.

  "Sir, we have the best people on our team..."

  "It doesn't sound like you do if you can't find a simple element." He shrugged his coat off and hung it on the back of the metal door. "I don't care if your team has to work twenty-four- hour shifts. Find that missing piece!"

  He hung up before Ward could respond and threw the phone across his desk. It skidded and hit the base of h
is monitor.

  He didn't like failure. He was so close to finding the enhancement formula. When the old WWII research facility was put up for auction he grabbed it and had his team of scientists comb through the facility. It took months to go through and find every secret nook in the facility, but they had. A few weeks ago the team had uncovered old notes relating to the Orion project. Overjoyed, he’d demanded his team figure out the formula and get some volunteers to test it. He’d thought he had it, but now it looked like he didn't.

  His phone dinged, grabbing his attention. He grabbed it and unlocked it to read the new email.

  It was another status update on Karen. Still the same as before. He’d told her not to go after Brinks, but she hadn't listened. Now she couldn’t communicate with anyone. Brinks must have some sort of powers. People in the general public weren’t known to have powers, but Green had come across a few individuals who could do things that he could not explain. The ones he found he placed in a team together and watched them. After the battle of Ramadi he knew they had to be enhanced in some way. That made him determined to learn where enhanced individuals came from. He didn't dare try to control the team he put together. He knew they would resist, but if he had enhanced individuals who already followed him that would be an incredible asset for him.

  The trials weren't working, though, so he had to figure out something else.

  He stared at the email. Maybe Karen was on to something.

  He forwarded the email to his team and told them to go through everything of hers.

  One way or another he'd get what he wanted.

  #

  Elle dipped her roller into the pan filled with paint. It was a sun yellow color that Missy swore would make the living area of the resort pop when guests entered. She took the roller out of the pan and rolled the paint onto the wall. Even though the roller wasn't heavy, her arms were getting tired from the exercise. She finished her section of the wall and put the roller into the pan. Part of her hair escaped from her pony tail, so she grabbed it and fixed it.

  Missy and Evan were on the other side of the room, working on the other wall. They both laughed at something Evan said. Missy leaned over to kiss him, her engagement ring caught the light from the hall light making it sparkle like a star. Elle sighed. Her cousin was so lucky to find a guy like Evan. Elle glanced toward the entrance hall where Tiny worked with Keith to remove the old wood paneling.

  "Whoo hoo!" Tiny screamed as he threw a small piece of paneling onto a pile and kicked it. "Die, 70s, die!" he screamed. "No more ugly decor and no disco!" he mocked the pile.

  Elle giggled at his antics. He really was different from any other man she’d met.

  "You are obviously feeling better." Christina walked past them with a gallon of paint in each hand.

  "Yes! I killed the 70s!" Tiny reached out and pulled out another piece of paneling with his gloved hands.

  The Bee Gees started playing. Elle looked over at Evan holding his phone up as it started playing “Staying Alive”. He started swaying his hips. Missy started to dance with him.

  "Arg! No! No!" Tiny yelled as he ripped a small piece of paneling and threw it at Evan. "That's probably the music my grandparents made sweet love to! Arg!"

  Evan's face scrunched up and he stopped dancing. "I didn't need that image, Tiny!"

  "I can give you another image." Missy tip toed up and whispered in his ear.

  Smiling, he twisted and kissed her lips. When a rag hit them Evan let Missy go and looked in Tiny's direction.

  He held both his hands up. "It wasn't me!" He pointed to Christina, who was smirking.

  "I happen to like older music, and now I'm going to have that image in my head every time I hear that song." She stared daggers at Evan.

  "Sorry, little sister." He smiled at her innocently.

  "Just you wait. One of these days I'm going to have a boyfriend and I will suck the life out of him in front of you!" she playfully fired back.

  "Oh!" Tiny yelled. "Can I watch?"

  Christina grabbed another rag from the table and flung it at him. "No!"

  "All right, kids," Keith interrupted them. "let's get back to work."

  "Aw, sounds like there was fun." Jeri walked in with some trays and brushes. "What did I miss?"

  "70s sexy dance party." Christina grabbed a screwdriver and opened the paint can.

  Jeri turned to Keith. "And you stopped that? You party pooper!"

  Keith walked up to her and pressed her against the table with his body, keeping his dirty gloved hands away from her. "I prefer to have a private sex party with you."

  She smiled and gave him a quick kiss.

  "Aw, Sarge. You're so romantic!" Tiny mocked him. He reached over and pulled another part of a panel from the wall.

  Keith turned back to him and pointed.

  "Christina!" A yell came from down the hall.

  Christina turned towards the voice.

  Dean emerged, his face full of panic.

  "It's Anne." he puffed out through breaths. "I think she's going into labor."

  Christina dropped the screwdriver onto the floor. "Tell me her symptoms." She followed him back down the hall, taking off her gloves.

  Following them, Elle turned back to the others. "I'll let all of you know what's happening."

  She ran to keep up with Elle and Dean, who raced up the stairs to the second floor. They turned down the hall and sprinted into the third room. Anne sat at the edge of the bed, gripping the comforter on both sides of her. Smiling through the pain, she looked up when Dean raced into the room.

  He took hold of her hands. "How are you?"

  "I think a contraction just ended."

  Christina stood in front of her and took out her cell phone. "Tell me when your next contraction starts so I can time them."

  Elle walked over and stood on the other side of the bed. Christina's specialty was pediatrics and obstetrics, so she was perfect for this situation. Elle could be her backup if needed, but it was Christina's show to run.

  "Do you think this is really it?" Anne looked up at her friend.

  "Most likely. You're at full term, and you said the last time you went for your prenatal visit they said that you looked ready."

  Anne's face scrunched up. "Physically probably yes, but emotionally..."

  Dean leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "You're not doing this alone, Anne. I'm going to be here the whole time."

  When Anne looked back at him tears formed in her eyes. "I love you."

  "I love you, too, and soon we'll have a tiny little person to love."

  Elle felt tears in her eyes. She longed for that kind of love with someone.

  Dean rubbed her back and she looked back at Christina. "Thanks for being here to help."

  Christina kneeled down and rubbed her hand. "We'll all get through this, okay?"

  "Are you sure you want to have the baby here? We still have time to go to the hospital," Dean told her.

  Anne shook her head. "I'm not going to the hospital. The paparazzi will get wind of this and somehow my who ha will end up on every trash magazine out there. Not to mention I don't want to risk the Agency getting their hands on the baby."

  "She'll be fine, Dean. All the tests during the prenatal visits showed everything looked fine. I've delivered so many babies that it's second nature to me." Christina reassured him and motioned to Elle. "Elle's here to help too. Everything will be fine."

  "Ah!" Anne screamed and squeezed Dean's hand tighter. Christina pressed a button on her phone and watched Anne. A few moments later she let go of Dean's hand. "It's gone." She tried to catch her breath.

  "That was over 90 seconds long. I'm going to track how often they come." Christina let go of her hand and typed on her phone. "You need to get up and walk around as much as you can. It will help with the delivery."

  "Oh, I will be so happy when this is over,"

  "That's what every mom says." Christina smiled. "Come on, let's go walk the halls a bit."


  Anne nodded and stood up. Dean and Christina followed her, walking out to the hall.

  Elle offered, “Christina, I'll go get everything."

  When Christina nodded Elle ran up to Christina's room to grab everything they had put aside for the birth.

  #

  Thirteen hours later Elle slowly climbed up the stairs to her room. A little girl. Anne had a little girl named Natalie, after Dean's mother. By the time they cleaned up, a line of friends and family formed outside the door to see the new family.

  Elle stood by Anne's bed during the happy commotion and looked on. Natalie was the cutest little baby she ever saw. When Dean leaned over and took hold of her tiny hand with his finger she grabbed hold of it and didn’t want to let go. Everyone joked that she was definitely going to be Daddy’s Little Girl. To which he replied ‘Damn, straight!’ Anne couldn’t stop staring at her and had a hard time giving her to her mother to hold. In her field she saw more death than life, so this miracle was a welcome change.

  She wanted something like what Anne and Dean had, to have her own family and to be loved by a man unconditionally.

  She wiped a tear from her eye as she stopped at her floor and turned to go towards her room. She smiled at the figure sitting outside her door.

  "Tiny, it's late. Why didn't you go sleep in your cabin?"

  He turned and stood up. "I told you, Angel. I need to sleep outside your door to make sure you don't walk outside again."

  Elle walked up to him and smiled. "You're sweet, you know that?"

  "I only believe it when you say it." He flashed her a smile. "So I heard Anne had the baby."

  Elle nodded. "A little girl, Natalie."

  "After Dean's mom."

  She cocked her head. "You remember that?"

  "Of course I do. Our team was very close. We knew everything about each other."

  "Wow. It sounds like you guys have an incredible bond."

  "Yup, and tomorrow we celebrate the new arrival!" He smiled. "How does she look?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Tell me she got Anne's looks, because if she took after Dean..."

  Elle playfully slapped his shoulder. "That's mean, Tiny!"

  He laughed. "It's all in good fun! Dean knows it!"