When Ryan woke up, he felt terribly dizzy and had no idea where he was. He couldn’t see much in the darkness that surrounded him, but he was sure this was not his room. And the bed he was in wasn’t his, either.
His throat was dry as he turned his head and discerned the silhouette of a door, a sliver of light underneath it.
It took him a while to focus his eyes, and while he did, a painful throb in his right shoulder started to clamor for his attention. He lifted his left hand to touch the spot giving him this curiously dull pain.
He touched a thick bandage and realized his shoulder felt paralyzed. Running his left hand gingerly over the bandage, he thought about what might have happened, and then, in a flash, he remembered how he’d escorted the key witness to the courthouse, heard a shot ring out, and fell.
Ryan frowned as he remembered they’d ignored his protests, put him on a stretcher, and drove him to the hospital, where they’d cut open his jacket and shirt and then a young doctor, who looked like a teenager, had extracted the bullet from Ryan’s right shoulder.
Everything beyond that was hazy, but Ryan knew Kayleigh had dropped by, Heath had called him, and his mom had come to sit with him.
And then there was this other piece of memory: Jordan, standing by his bed crying, eyes puffy, telling him she’d been terribly frightened.
A grin spread across his face, and he leaned his head back.
Look at all the good a bullet in the shoulder could do!
Just when he was about to close his eyes again to try to get some more sleep, a small lamp lit up at the other end of the room.
Dumbfounded, Ryan watched from his bed as Jordan sat up in the big chair—lying there must have been terribly uncomfortable—combed her fingers through her hair, and turned to look at him.
“Hey.” Her sleepy voice hit him hard. “Did I wake you?”
Speechless, Ryan watched her rise and pad over to his bed, where she laid her hand on his forehead, stroked his hair, and smiled down at him.
The pain in his shoulder was forgotten at the sight of her smile, and he was afraid he was going to die of a heart attack, because the muscle in his chest couldn’t possibly sustain the rapid tattoo it was beating right now.
He had to swallow before he could utter a single syllable. “Did you sleep here tonight?”
“Looks like it,” she whispered and leaned down to kiss his forehead. “Are you in pain? Should I call the nurse?”
He stared into her eyes and shook his head weakly.
“Do you want something to drink? Or do you want me to fluff up your pillow?”
The corners of his mouth quirked in amusement. “You would fluff my pillow for me?”
“Mm-hm.” She sighed heavily and stroked his cheek, which felt incredibly wonderful. “Of course I would, darling.”
“Darling?” His eyebrows shot up. “Crap, I didn’t know my injury was that serious! Are they going to amputate my penis? Why else— Ouch!”
“Ryan Fitzpatrick,” Jordan chided, but her voice was softer than it had ever been before, even as she pulled at his earlobe. “Don’t joke about being in the hospital, okay?”
He grinned and tilted his head back, studying her soft face. “Okay.” He lifted his right hand, which sported an IV, and reached out for her hand, then raised it to his lips and kissed it.
“I’m so sorry for what I said, Ryan.”
“What did you say, love?”
Her eyes were suspiciously moist. “When we were fighting, I told you to go to hell.”
“It’s okay—”
“No, it’s not okay,” Jordan said with a suppressed sob. “I never should have said such a thing!”
“We were fighting,” he reminded her softly. “That’s when we tend to say things we don’t mean. All of us.”
“When I spoke with Brad for the very last time, I told him to go to hell, too. And just like you, he was shot the next day …”
As she struggled for words, Ryan sat up clumsily and put his left hand over hers, which was already captured in his right. “I’m fine, Jordan. I can go home tomorrow. Everything is okay.”
“You gave me such a scare,” she whispered fervently. “I’ve though about actually chaining you to my bed with your handcuffs, so I can always keep an eye on you, Ryan. And …” Jordan trailed off helplessly.
“And?”
She uttered a heavy sigh and chewed on her lower lip. “And I think I understand why you were acting like a caveman two days ago, telling me to quit my job.”
“You do?” he asked weakly. “Really?”
Jordan nodded. He could see her swallow. Her voice was hoarse as she confessed, “Last night, I had similar thoughts. I wanted to keep you away from your job forever. The handcuffs were probably the most humane idea I had.”
He pressed on her hand sympathetically. “I don’t think I would mind being chained to your bed, Jordan, as long as I could do the same to you.”
Very cautiously, she leaned her pretty derrière against the bed frame and caressed his hand with her thumb. “As interesting as the idea of chaining each other to various beds may sound,” she whispered hesitantly, “I think we should find a less kinky method of dealing with our fears.”
“Kinky ideas sound good enough to me.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Jordan said brightly, shaking her head. “I guess in the end we’re going to have to act like the adults we are. You’ll have to learn to deal with me being a firefighter, and I’ll have to deal with you being a cop.”
“It’s a deal.” He chuckled. “And if that doesn’t work, we can always keep a couple pairs of handcuffs next to the bed.”
“Ha!” She leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth. “You will always be a pervert.”
“Well, this poor pervert could really use a little tender loving care,” he prodded, and his voice took on a pleading quality.
Thankfully, Jordan didn’t object. She slipped out of her shoes and walked around the bed to lay down beside him, snuggling up against his uninjured shoulder.
Ryan felt more satisfied than he had in a long time. He pressed a kiss to her hair. “Thank you for staying here with me,” he murmured sleepily.
“You’re welcome,” Jordan replied in a murmur and placed her hand on the spot where she could feel his heart beating. “How could I leave a man who confessed he didn’t want to sleep with any other women anymore?”
Ryan had no idea what she was talking about, but it didn’t matter, because she was right. He didn’t plan on ever having sex with anyone but Jordan ever again.
Epilogue
Kyle Fitzpatrick had to suppress a yawn. He was standing in his sister’s living room, looking for a suitable spot to set down his perilously full plate and eat undisturbed.
He had just finished a forty-hour shift at the hospital and had only come to Aidan’s birthday party for the food, since he had no energy left to stand at his stove and fix himself something. And since Kayleigh had driven the whole family crazy with her insistence that the surprise party for her boyfriend had to be a really special occasion, he’d been reasonably sure she would lavish a lot of attention on the buffet.
He wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone, but the thought of good food had been the only incentive to come here tonight, no matter how much he liked Aidan. And his assumption had been correct: Kayleigh had ordered a gigantic buffet, which was spread out in her kitchen, delighting the many guests.
His glance wandered over his plate, which he’d heaped ridiculously full. He stared despondently at the different dishes.
Kyle’s stomach was rumbling, since all he had eaten today was breakfast and a candy bar a few hours ago, but he balked at filling his stomach after his nerve-wracking shift. Today, two half-starved little boys had been brought into the ER, their gaunt bodies covered in bruises.
He was still speechless at the way some parents neglected their children, and he couldn’t fathom how people could beat small children black and blue and think they
had every right to do so.
He’d been close to ripping into the father, who had come barging into the ER, demanding they hand over his kids, whom Child Protective Services had taken from the unbelievable dump that was his apartment a short while earlier.
Kyle’s heart had ached for the two little ones, not even old enough for elementary school, who’d clung to each other, scared and crying, while their father was escorted out by security guards.
Jesus, what was wrong with the human race?
Kyle had had a very hard time leaving the two boys in the care of his colleagues when his shift ended and they were transferred to the pediatric ward. His next shift wasn’t for two days, but he knew he had to go check on the boys tomorrow, for his own sake.
He also knew he’d probably lie awake all night. During his time as a paramedic, Kyle had seen his share of bad and crazy things, but he’d never encountered two children who’d been abused and maltreated this badly. Where children were concerned, Kyle had problems maintaining the healthy distance required of a medical professional. He couldn’t help it, but he always felt a special connection with his small patients.
“Don’t you want to leave something for us, Kyle? I hope there are still some crumbs left in the buffet for me.” Shane stood next to him and gave him a good-natured pat on the shoulder.
“I just worked more than forty hours straight,” Kyle defended himself patiently and held out the overloaded plate. “No offense, Shane, but you seem to have put on a little pot belly. And yet I will gladly share my delicious food with you.”
“Pot belly? Just ask Thorne! She’ll tell you all you want to know about my fabulous abs.”
“What abs? Are you joking?” Kyle picked up a tiny pig-in-a-blanket and stuffed it in his mouth, balancing the plate in his other hand.
Shane sighed, raised a bottle of beer to his lips, and gazed around at the guests spread about the spacious living room. Then he pointed the bottle toward the sofa, where Ryan was sitting and his girlfriend was feeding him from a shared plate. “Your brother should be done playing the invalid soon. It’s really getting old.”
Of course Kyle knew who Shane was talking about, but he swallowed the remnants of the tiny sausage and pretended otherwise. “Which brother’s that?”
Shane snorted. “Which one do you think? I’m talking about the clown trying to turn us all into his personal slaves because he suffered a tiny scratch two and a half weeks ago. And his loving girlfriend isn’t helping, treating him like a helpless puppy. Next thing you know, Ryan’ll be asking her to chew his food for him!”
Shane might act all irritated, but Kyle knew quite well how worried he’d been when Ryan was shot. After all, Ryan had always looked up to and emulated his older brothers, especially Shane, which could’ve accounted for the fact that Ryan had chosen to become a policeman like his brother. Kyle knew the idiosyncrasies of his siblings very well, and he guessed that behind Shane’s impatient act, he was really concerned and blamed himself for the injury Ryan had suffered in the line of duty.
“Oh, come on, leave him alone,” Kyle said mildly as he watched his twin purse his lips and Jordan obediently give him a kiss. Then she moved to put a pillow behind his back, to make him more comfortable. “Not much longer now and Jordan will be showing Ryan who’s wearing the pants,” Kyle promised Shane with a grin. Ryan’s very demanding when he’s sick. Remember the flu when we were fifteen? Mom threatened to pack her things and immigrate to Antarctica, she was so fed up with his demands.”
Shane laughed weakly. “Poor Jordan.”
“Poor Ryan.” Kyle grinned broadly. “Believe me, he’s going to be begging for mercy pretty soon.”
Both of them were silent for a moment, and Kyle stuffed another pig-in-a-blanket in his mouth.
“Since even Ryan has managed to take himself off the market,” Shane ventured, “you’re now the last Fitzpatrick who can wreak havoc on Boston’s womenfolk. So how’s business?”
“Business?” Kyle said with his mouth full. He rolled his eyes.
“Yeah.” Shane shrugged one shoulder. “You have a reputation to uphold here. The Fitzpatricks are—”
“Looking at you and Ryan, the Fitzpatricks are one thing above all,” Kyle interrupted him.
“And what would that be?”
“Overbearing bigmouths with grossly inflated egos.”
His brother seemed to find that funny, for he laughed out loud, patted Kyle on the back once more, and only fell silent when Kayleigh tapped her glass with a knife and asked for silence.
Curious, Kyle watched as his sister walked over to Aidan, who was standing by the fireplace and now put an arm around his girlfriend. He kissed her on the temple.
Kayleigh beamed at the expectant guests and cleared her throat. “It’s so great you all came to celebrate Aidan’s birthday with us,” she said excitedly. “But I’m also thrilled you’re all here to witness as Aidan open my present for him this year.”
“Hey,” Ryan protested from the couch. “We don’t want to watch you engage in some perverted role play, Kayleigh!”
“Shut up,” his older sister warned him, but she didn’t sound offended. She seemed far too happy to get angry. Instead, she handed her confused boyfriend an envelope, which he opened with a clueless expression.
The easygoing workman’s face first showed incredulity, and then bewilderment. He stared at his girlfriend of three years, who seemed about to burst with happiness.
Aidan was the most reserved of the extended family, but now he yelled as loud as he could, “I’m going to be a father!”
The racket that followed this announcement began with the birthday boy hugging his girlfriend tightly and kissing her enthusiastically, and it didn’t even end when Ellen Fitzpatrick called for champagne.
Kyle watched everyone crowd around Kayleigh and Aidan, hugging them or patting on their shoulders. People laughed and cried and congratulated, and then the first bottle of champagne was popped.
“Jesus, what a fuss,” Shane murmured beside him.
Kyle saw it differently. “They’ve been trying for a year and a half now. Let them enjoy their big moment.”
“Oh.” Shane sounded surprised. “I didn’t know that.”
Kyle shrugged and remained silent. Only a few weeks ago, Kayleigh and Aidan had considered starting hormone therapy, because Kayleigh just couldn’t conceive. Fortunately, that was no longer necessary.
“Another little Fitzpatrick,” Shane sighed heavily. “Will mom ever be content with the number of grandkids she has?”
Kyle took the last of the pigs-in-a-blanket from his plate. “Sorry to correct you, Shane, but this baby will be an O’Shea.”
“You think so? I don’t see a ring on our sister’s finger.”
“Well.” Kyle nodded at his sister, who beamed and then winked at him, sending him a grateful smile, for he’d known for a week now that she was pregnant and hadn’t told anyone.
He also knew Aidan had been carrying a ring in his pocket for at least a month now but was still waiting for the right moment to propose.
But he didn’t tell Shane that, either. Instead, he said, “You really don’t possess a shred of imagination, my dear brother.”
Also by Poppy J. Anderson
The heat is on (Boston 5 Book 1)
When Hayden's fiancé breaks off their engagement, her whole world falls apart. After all, she has loved Heath Fitzpatrick since they were children. Though she can hardly believe he really wants the breakup, she picks up the pieces of her life and tries to accept the new situation.
But her efforts are thwarted time and again by the rest of the Fitzpatrick clan, who have always been part of her life—and who are notorious for being outspoken, persistent, and downright meddlesome. None of Heath's siblings are above adding their own two cents. Or twenty.
Even Heath himself, a daring firefighter, seems to be having trouble adjusting to his new single life. So how in the world is Hayden supposed to move on, forget the plans
they made for the future, and get Heath off her mind? And even more difficult—she'll need to banish him from her heart, forever.
Blast from the past (Boston 5 Book 2)
Shane Fitzpatrick is irresistible and he knows it. Tall, dark, and handsome, the detective with the Boston police has women swoon over him left and right. So far, the stubborn Irish Romeo hasn't complained about it, but recently he feels increasingly ready to skip the many dates, and look for the one woman to settle down with. Too bad that the only woman he's ever had real feelings for doesn't even know his real name. To make matters worse, she also has every reason to wish he were roasting in the deepest recess of hell.
More than a feeling (Boston 5 Book 3)
As the only girl in a family with four brothers, Kayleigh Fitzpatrick learned to assert herself at a young age. She had to, if she didn't want to end up tied to the stake. These days, she stands her ground as a physician in a chaotic emergency room. She knows how to deal with all kinds of emergencies, even rioting patients that try to attack helpless nurses.
As the unmarried daughter of a Catholic mother however, she is sick of listening to the continuing admonitions to start looking for a husband and make babies. Kayleigh knows that her take-charge, tomboyish attitude and her hot temper tend to frighten off most men anyway, and she doesn't want to change for anyone, because she simply likes herself the way she is.
The only thing she needs right now is a date for her brother Shane's wedding. She bragged in front of all her brothers that she wouldn't have a problem finding a companion for this special occasion. When her plan doesn't quite work out and she can already hear the jeers and mockery of her merciless siblings, help arrives from someone she did not have on her radar at all.
Let’s kiss and make up
Going back to the little Texas town where she grew up seems like the perfect plan for Kate. After catching her fiancé in flagrante with their neighbor, she only wants to put distance between herself and her life in L.A.’s bustling chaos. The fact that her grandmother bakes the best cakes in the world is only further incentive to return to Hailsboro for some tender loving care.
All Tied Up (The Boston Five Series #4) Page 17