“You’ll need to wake her every two hours.”
Daxon remained silent.
“I’ll take care of it, doctor,” Aqua insisted. Daxon gave her a warning shot.
“You think it’s not advisable,” Dr. Isakson asked Daxon.
“I don’t think it’s advisable,” he agreed, “but causing more stress for her isn’t advisable either.” He turned his focus on Ivy. “Ivy Jones, do you solemnly swear to do what you are told to do by your doctor, regardless of whether or not you want to?”
She paused.
“She should stay,” he announced.
“Oh good grief! Yes, I do.”
“You do what?” Daxon asked with a smirk
Ivy narrowed her eyes, and Blake walked into the room.
“I heard you were back,” he smiled as he walked to the side of her bed, “and already causing trouble, I understand.”
“You should probably check your sources,” she declared.
Blake hooted, “I don’t know, Daxon, she looks pretty dang with it to me.”
Ivy shot a look at Daxon, “You’re fired.” Turning her attention toward Blake she asked, “Will you be my doctor if the kind Dr. Isakson agrees to release me?”
“Well, that depends. Do you solemnly swear to do what you are told to do by your doctor, regardless of whether or not it is something you want to do?”
“You guys are impossible.”
“There’s your answer Dr. Isakson, we’ll be back to pick her up tomorrow.” Blake looked at Aqua and inclined his head toward the door. She narrowed her eyes in response as Blake and Daxon made their way toward the door.
“Alright, alright. You win. Yes, I solemnly swear to do what my doctor tells me to do even if I don’t want to—within reason.”
“I think that’s as good as it’s going to get,” Blake offered to Daxon.
“Probably,” Daxon agreed.
“Is it good enough?” Blake asked.
Ivy bit her bottom lip, she knew better that to stir the pot any more.
“It’s good enough,” Daxon confirmed. If only Ivy knew how much he wanted to get her out of this hospital and take her home where he could watch over her and take care of her. Getting her to agree to this was better than he could have hoped.
Chapter 17
“Before we leave, I want to see Wren,” Ivy insisted, as they helped her into the wheelchair required for discharge by the hospital.
Blake exchanged glances with Daxon, “This is going to be more difficult than I anticipated.”
“We can always give her back,” Daxon suggested.
“Oh, stop you two! She wants to see Wren. Ivy, I’ll check with the nurses’ desk at ICU and see if we can get you in. Typically they only allow family members, but they may make an exception in this case.” With a scathing look at Blake and Daxon, Aqua quickly turned to catch the head nurse.
After some discussion, the staff agreed Ivy could visit Wren if Blake were with her since he had visiting physician privileges at the hospital.
Wren was awake when they arrived, and Blake wheeled her over to her bed. Ted McKnight was there, by her bedside; he and the other RGB team members took turns, ensuring she was never left alone.
When Ivy spoke her name, Wren opened her eyes and turned to her.
“Wren, I’m so sorry…” Ivy started out.
“Hush,” she whispered. “I wouldn’t have had it any other way, and wild horses could not have kept me from your side.” She offered a weak grin.
Ivy took her hand, tears forming in her eyes, “I will never be able to repay you, Wren, but I want you to know that you have my promise that I will always be there for you, and if you need anything—and I mean anything—I will be right there by your side, too.” Ivy couldn’t explain the bond she felt with this woman she barely knew, but she meant every word she said.
Wren squeezed her hand. “I’ll be out of here in no time, and when I am we’ll catch up. I’ll be staying in Burnt River for a bit until I’m back on my feet. The bastard might have slowed us down, but we won, Ivy, we won. You’re safe.” She whispered before she closed her eyes to sleep.
When Ivy’s tears finally subsided, it was Blake who slowly reached for Ivy’s hand. She didn’t want to let go, but she knew that Wren was going to be okay, and there would be no permanent impacts from the bullet that took her down.
Suddenly exhausted, Ivy released Wren’s hand and turned to shake McNight’s hand; he hastily blinked away the tears from his eyes. She took his hand in both of hers, “I have no idea what I could ever do to repay you, Ted, but please know that you’re my family now—the whole BRG team is—and Daxon and I will forever be grateful for what you’ve done for me. We’ve got your back.”
“And we’ve got yours, Ivy. Always. Daxon is a lucky man.”
She smiled, “I think I’m the lucky one… but please don’t tell him I said that.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” he chuckled.
Suddenly exhausted, Ivy turned to Blake. “Let’s go, doc, I’m ready to go home.”
* * *
“Are you kidding me, Dax? Please just let me sleep!”
“Come on grumpy, you know the routine, I get to see your gorgeous brown eyes every two hours. Here, take a sip of water and some meds.”
“I don’t want them, they make me groggy.” She insisted as she sat up to take a drink of water.
“What happened to doing what the doctor ordered?”
“I believe I agreed to do that within reason, did I not? I get why you have to wake me up every two hours—how much longer do you have to do that, by the way?”
“Twenty-four to forty-eight hours, depending on how good you are.”
“We’ll go with twenty-four, and I’ll be good. It’s easier to be good for twenty-four hours versus forty-eight,” she admitted. “But I don’t want the pain killers. Really, I don’t need them so that falls under the ‘unreasonable’ category.”
He snorted. “You never cease to amaze me, you know that don’t you?”
“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet, Dr. Jones.” She promised.
“Go back to sleep, Ivy. I’ll see you in two.”
“Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“I will tonight, but right now I have few things to take care of.”
“Dax?”
“Yes, babe,” he said, turning back toward the bed. “Is he really gone?”
“As near as we can tell, yes. We know there were four men in the helicopter, plus the pilot, and all sources indicate that Timhailov had three men with him here in the US.”
“Okay, thanks,” a big yawn escaping as she placed her head back on the pillow.
“How did it go?” Blake asked as Daxon closed the bedroom door and entered the living room.
“About the same as the others,” he offered with a short laugh.
“I’ll do the next one, she’s a bit less ornery with me.”
“She’s worried about Timhailov—she wants to make sure he’s really dead. Are the DNA results back yet?”
“Not yet. I just spoke with Hopkins, and he has a rush on it, but there’s nothing definitive yet. Until we know for sure, he has two of his security team full-time on our house.”
“It’s probably wise, and hopefully will prove to be unwarranted. What’s the latest on Wren?”
“She’s out of ICU, and in the regular ward. They expect she’ll be released within the next two to three days. Now that she’s in a regular bed, she’s proving to be as difficult as Ivy was—but from what I understand those BRG SEALS won’t budge an inch. I guess they’re tougher than we are, ole buddy.”
“Yes, well, they have medical training, as all SEALS do, but they’re not medical doctors. There’s no way they will let her out early.”
“Would they release her to us?” Blake offered.
“No. Only to family, and since her family in Burnt River is older, she’s better off in the hospital. Her injury was more complicated than Ivy’s.”
“You look exhausted, and that’s saying something for a SEAL,” Blake said as he offered a glass of water to his friend.
“I’m tired, I’ll admit it. There’s no way to understand how difficult it is to see someone you care about hurt—until it happens. Truthfully, Blake, I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost her.”
“The good news is, you didn’t. The next question is, what are you going to do about it?”
“Well, technically we’re married, so I’ve got that going in my favor. I’m not sure what the next step is, but I have the feeling she needs to get better before she’s going to be able to figure that out.”
“Are you ready to settle down?”
“I’m not sure. A week ago I would have said yes, but Hopkins asked if I wanted to join BRG, and after the way they performed, so damned impressive, I have to say it is tempting.”
“You sure you’re ready for it?”
“Not completely, but it’s different from the SEAL operations. BRG has a choice in the operations they choose to participate in, and reliable Intel and analysis from which to create their mission—that is the difference maker.”
“True, but as you saw with Wren, sometimes things happen that you can’t expect, and there is always the possibility of losing someone.”
“I know, Blake, and that is the very thing that has caused me to say ‘no’ the last five times he asked me. I don’t have the answers right now, we’ll just have to wait and see. I can tell you this much, I won’t abandon Ivy; she deserves to have someone she can count on in her life.
Ivy quietly closed the door, tears coursing down her eyes. She hadn’t heard Blake and Daxon’s entire conversation, but enough so that she realized that she could never hold Daxon back from doing what his heart desired. He’d said he wasn’t sure if he was ready to settle down—and she’d be damned if she was going to be the one who tied him down.
Her heart ached, but she was too tired to figure out what this meant for her future. Obviously they would have to get a divorce—but would she take back her former name? She couldn’t imagine it—she felt like Ivy Jones now and in more ways than one, Kirsten Bell was dead.
Chapter 18
“Hey Ivy, it’s time to wake up.”
“I’m awake—now go away,” she responded with a big yawn.
“As many times as we’ve been through this, you’d think you would know by now that you have to open your eyes, wake up, and in this case, get up and eat something.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You know something, Ivy, you agreed to do what you were asked to do, and we’re still within the twenty-four hour period so I can take you back to the hospital, if needed. Is that what you want?” His voice was sharper than intended, but damn it, he was tired too, and more than a little tired of her refusal to cooperate.
Aqua’s knock interrupted their exchange. “Hey Ivy, I brought you some soup for lunch. Blake said you need to eat something, and I know all you want to do is sleep. So wolf this down for me and I’ll make Daxon leave you alone, I promise.” She teased.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Daxon promised as he turned to leave the room.
“What’s gotten into him?” Ivy rolled her eyes.
“Hmm. Let’s think about that. I heard a certain someone promise to do what was asked of her, but from what I understand from Daxon and Blake, you’ve made it pretty difficult.” She inclined her head toward her friend.
“I suppose I deserve that, but it does seem a bit ridiculous, Aqua. Obviously I’ve been okay the last five times they’ve woken me so it stands to reason that I’m okay.”
“I hear your logic, but I was there by your side, Ivy. You couldn’t wake up for three days, and that’s not a slight concussion. You’ll be lucky if the guys don’t make you go through this for forty-eight hours, just to make sure you’re okay, and honestly, they would be justified if they did.”
“It just seems so counter intuitive—people need rest in order to get better.”
“While that’s true, Ivy,” Blake interjected from the doorway, “if you were dazed or confused at any point in time when woken up, we would need to rush you to the ER. At that point it becomes life threatening. After twenty-four to forty-eight hours, the danger of that happening lessens.”
Ivy hung her head. “I’m sorry, Blake. I know I’ve been a royal pain. I’ll be better about it, but tell me this. If after twenty-four hours you see that everything is and has been fine, will you let me sleep then?”
“We’ll see.” And with that he closed the bedroom door.
“You’d better eat all of this soup. Let’s stack the deck in your favor.”
Ivy rolled her eyes. She wasn’t the least bit hungry, but there was no point in arguing when she’d agreed to be cooperative. “I’ll tell you what—let me take a shower and then I’ll join you at the island for soup. Have you eaten yet?”
“I haven’t,” Aqua responded. “Do you think it’s okay?”
“Considering they want me to be awake, I don’t know why it wouldn’t be.”
“Okay, but I’ll stay here while you shower. Yell if you need me.”
“Will do.”
Ivy was back in her room, showered and dressed within five minutes.
“You look better,” Aqua confirmed.
“I feel better. Maybe the secret is to just stay up, get past the twenty-four hour mark, and then sleep like a baby.”
“You never stop thinking about how to outwit them, do you?”
“Heh. I hadn’t looked at it like that, but you might be right. Let’s look at it as a sign that I’m better.”
“I’ll carry the soup. After you, my lady.” Aqua followed Ivy to the kitchen and poured a fresh bowl of hot soup from the pot, one for each of them.
“Where are the guys?”
“Not sure. They left together and said they’d be back within two hours, even though I assured them I was perfectly capable of waking you up at the designated time, and determining if you were acting dazed. But alas, they clearly don’t believe me.”
“Don’t let it get to you, Aqua. There are some things that will always remain inexplicable about men—and sometimes I think it’s a good thing that we don’t understand them.”
They shared a laugh just as the door from the garage opened.
“Well speak of the devil,” Ivy offered.
“Hey, how are my two favorite women,” Blake asked as he kissed Aqua on the forehead.
“Great,” they replied in unison, giggling.
“Well, it’s good to see you’re in a better mood,” Blake observed.
“Yes, about that—I’m sorry, to both of you. My behavior has been unacceptable, and I’m embarrassed and promise to be the model patient for the remainder of my twenty-four hour stint,” bringing another giggle from Aqua.
“What’s in your glass?” Daxon asked, picking it up to sniff.
“Water and lemon, what do you think?” Ivy asked, giving him an incredulous look.
“Well, that lasted all of about ten seconds, wouldn’t you say, Blake?”
“Hmm. Yes, or maybe seven. You know, Daxon, grumpy behavior is often a side symptom of a concussion, and usually indicates that the patient is still in the healing stage.”
Ivy rolled her eyes, and stuck out her tongue at Daxon. “Okay, I deserved that,” she conceded. “So, let’s talk about something other than me for a change. What’s the latest on Wren?”
“We just came from the hospital and she’s being discharged tomorrow. They wanted to keep her for at least another day, but it seems she’s refusing to stay, so they compromised on tomorrow morning.”
It was a set up, Ivy knew, and she bit her lip to avoid responding, which did not go unnoticed by Daxon, his pointed look a sure sign that he knew her response whether she voiced it or not.
“I’m glad she’s going to be okay.” Ivy’s eyes teared, “I nearly died when I saw her go down, but then the helicopter rotors stirred up the
dust and I couldn’t see anything let alone which direction to head in. Thankfully, my horse knew the way.”
It was the first time she’d talked about what happened since she asked a few questions in the hospital—it was a good sign.
“You’ll find out where she’s staying, Dax, and let me know. I want to visit, and send flowers, maybe make a meal.”
“Of course, I will.”
“The soup is good, guys, you should have some. Thanks for making it, Aqua. I’m going back to my room—I’ll see you guys later.”
“You okay, Ivy?” Daxon’s eyes filled with concern.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“I’ll join you.”
“I don’t need anyone to walk me to the room, Daxon, I’m perfectly capable.”
“I wasn’t just suggesting that I’d walk you. To be honest, I’m tired and could use some rest myself.”
“You do look like you could use some sleep.” For the first time it dawned on her that by insisting that she come back to their home, she had impacted their ability to sleep, as well. How selfish of me, she thought, as she hung her head. “I’m sorry, guys, I didn’t even think about how this was impacting you. That was so thoughtless of me.”
“When you have a concussion, Ivy, it’s not really possible to think straight, or the way you normally would. We all wanted to bring you home, so that’s not on you.”
“You did? Ivy asked as Daxon took her arm and headed toward the bedroom.
He opened the bedroom door and closed it behind them. “Yes, I wanted you here so badly, Ivy, and would not have left you at the hospital, anyway. I would be sleeping by your side in a chair if we weren’t here.”
“Well that makes me feel really terrible” she said, sitting on the bed. “I’ve been such a nudge.”
“I won’t deny that, but you’re the cutest nudge I’ve ever seen,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.
“Hold me?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
She shouldn’t have asked, she thought, but it was out of her mouth before she could stop it. Moments like this were going to make what was inevitable just that much harder, but right now she didn’t care. All she wanted was to be in the arms of the man she loved—yes, the man she loved. It took losing him to realize that, but she loved him enough to let him go.
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