Next of Kin

by Jae

  It seemed like hours, but her accurate sense of time told Kade it was just a few minutes before a doctor stepped out from behind the curtain. He looked barely old enough to be a doctor, and Kade frowned. She wanted only the best care for Del.

  "Ms. Vasquez tells me you found her?" the young doctor asked without much preamble.

  "Yes." Kade shot up from her seat, eager for news. "How is she?"

  The doctor tilted his head. "She has a concussion, but so far, I think she'll be fine."

  So far? I think? That wasn't good enough for Kade. Not where Del was concerned. Maybe I should call Doug and have one of his doctor friends check Del out. "You think?" she repeated, not even trying to hide her skepticism.

  "I'd like to do a CT, just to make sure there's no bleeding under the skull," the young doctor said, looking too tired to care about what Kade thought about his competence. "And I need you to answer a few questions."

  Kade nodded briskly. "Ask away."

  "Did she lose consciousness after her fall?" The doctor looked down at his clipboard.

  "Yes." Kade was sure she would never forget those heart-stopping moments after finding the motionless Del.

  "For how long?" the doctor asked.

  How long? Kade knew it had probably felt longer than it had actually been. "Not long. Couldn't have been more than a minute after I heard my neighbor scream for help, but I can't be sure how long Del had already lain there until my neighbor found her."

  The doctor scribbled more notes on his clipboard. "Did she seem confused when she regained consciousness?"

  "A little. She couldn't remember what happened, but she recognized me immediately." That's good, right?

  The doctor thanked her, and Kade settled back onto her uncomfortable seat for more waiting. Kade hated waiting.

  A woman in a nurse's uniform hurried down the hallway and skidded to a halt in front of Kade. "DDA Matheson?" she asked, looking confused and upset.

  Kade looked up into her face. She frowned at the stranger until she remembered where she had seen her before. The woman was Dawn's mother. "Mrs. Kinsley..." She didn't know what to say to Del's best friend.

  "One of the ER nurses told me they brought Del in. Is she all right? What happened?" Grace Kinsley was not even pausing for breath between her questions. She stared at the blood on Kade's clothes. "Oh my God! Is she...?"

  Kade quickly stood and pressed Grace onto the chair she had vacated. "The doctor said she should be fine. They're just doing a few more tests."

  Grace slumped back against the wall. "What happened?" she asked, a little calmer now.

  "Del doesn't remember, but it seems she wanted to bring me coffee and fell right in front of my apartment door." Kade felt guilty for that although she hadn't even known about Del's intentions to visit her. "Maybe she tripped with the coffee in her hands, or maybe she got dizzy because she hadn't eaten." The paramedic had given her Del's jacket to hold on to, and she had found two squished muffins in the pockets.

  "Tory," Grace called out to another nurse walking down the hallway. "Can you find out what's going on with Del Vasquez? She's a friend of mine."

  Grace and Kade waited in tense silence until the nurse returned with information on Del. "They're just getting her settled into her room," she reported. "It's room 1019."

  Kade silently followed Grace through the maze of hospital corridors to room 1019. Kade, unsure how to act, lagged behind as Grace strode directly toward Del's bed.

  "Del." With just that single word, Grace bent down and took her friend in a full body hug, kissing her cheek with a tenderness that made Kade stop right next to the door. The hot wave of jealousy surprised her. It was a completely unfamiliar feeling to Kade. She had never been jealous about anything or anyone before. In most things in her life, she had always been the uncontested number one, and when one of her lovers had shown an interest in someone else, it was mostly her pride that had been hurt. Kade had simply moved on without a lot of heartache.

  "They told me they'd rushed you into the ER, bleeding," Grace said, her voice shaking. "Suddenly, it was Jimmy all over again."

  Del's hands made soothing circles on Grace's back. "It was nothing like that. I wasn't even on duty. Clumsy old me just fell; that's all."

  "You're not clumsy," Grace said, finally moving out of Del's arms to look at her. "Tell me what really happened."

  "I don't remember how it happened, but I probably just slipped and fell," Del said.

  Grace studied her. "What are you hiding?"

  Hiding? Kade stared at the pale woman in the hospital bed. She hadn't noticed Del hiding anything, except in how much pain she was. But I guess Grace knows her a lot longer and better than I do. They have so much shared history. How could I ever compete with that? For the first time in her life, Kade was coming in second.

  "Nothing," Del said, winking at them. "You can't exactly hide a lot in these flimsy hospital gowns."

  Del's nod directed Kade's attention downward. For the first time she realized that Del was indeed only wearing one of the unattractive hospital gowns. It made the usually strong Del look strangely vulnerable.

  Kade listened to Grace and Del's conversation while the three of them waited for the results of the CAT scan. It took longer than Kade had expected, and she began to get nervous and impatient.

  Finally, the young doctor from before stepped into the room with a patient file in his hands. "The CT is clear," he told them.

  "See?" Del gave all of them an exasperated glare. "I told you I was fine."

  "Yes, but I'd like to keep you overnight for observation anyway, just to make sure that no unforeseeable problems develop. I'll send in a nurse with your pain medication." The doctor turned to leave.

  "I'm fine," Del repeated with more determination. "I want you to release me."

  The young doctor turned back to her with a frown. "Do you live with someone who can keep a close eye on you for the next twenty-four hours?" he asked.

  "I'm sure I can find someone," Del said even though she lived alone.

  The doctor looked at Kade. He probably thought Grace was one of the ER nurses. "Make sure she gets a lot of bed rest and enough fluids. I'll prescribe a mild pain reliever for her. You have to wake her every hour tonight. If you have trouble waking her up, or if she's not able to give a coherent response to questions or her headache or nausea keep getting worse, immediately take her to the nearest emergency room."

  Grace nodded while Kade just stood there passively for a change. The complications that the doctor had described sounded serious, and she didn't want to take on that kind of responsibility for Del's well-being.

  When the doctor finally left, Grace softly touched Del's hand. "You'll have to wait here a little longer while I try to find someone to take my shift. If I can't, I'll call Dawn and ask her if –"

  "No," Del said. "Let Dawn enjoy her weekend. Kade is going to stay with me."

  Years of experience in the courtroom and at the Matheson dinner table had taught Kade how to keep a poker face, but this time, her impressive self-control failed. She stared at Del in disbelief, not sure if Del was joking or not. "I am?"

  "Yeah, sure, it's the perfect solution," Del said casually.

  "I think your head injury is more serious than we thought! How is this a perfect solution?" Kade energetically shook her head. "It's crazy, Del! Grace is a nurse. She's trained to watch over injured people. I'm a lawyer. The only thing I know about concussions is that they can be the result of assault and battery!"

  "You don't have to do much," Del quickly soothed. "Just wake me every hour and chat a little. Everything will be fine. I've had concussions before, so I have more than enough experience for the both of us."

  Kade stared at her in confusion. Why was Del insisting on her playing nurse when she had a real, qualified nurse as a best friend?

  Grace leaned across the bed and looked at Del from a distance of mere inches. "Are you sure that's how you want to do this?"

  "Very sure." Del
smiled at her old friend. "Go back to your work, nurse. I'm in the best of hands."

  Grace still looked a little doubtful, and Kade couldn't blame her.

  "Look," Del said, giving Grace's hand a reassuring squeeze, "Kade can work from my apartment, but your work is here. Kade staying with me is the most logical choice. You don't mind, do you, Kade?"

  Mind? Kade minded a lot, but of course, after all Del had done for her, she couldn't tell her that. Del had been injured while bringing her coffee, so how could she turn her back on Del now? Kade silently cursed a long row of Matheson nannies, who had drilled the importance of politeness into her. "I don't mind," she said through gritted teeth. She would bring up the subject again when they were alone.

  Grace glanced at her watch. "Okay, if you're sure, I should get back to pediatrics. I'll call you later to make sure you're okay." She kissed Del again and left.

  Kade took her place in front of the bed and stared down at Del. "Why are you doing this?"

  "I thought you didn't mind?" Del smiled calmly.

  "I don't. But it's still not a good idea! Grace would have been better suited for this job. If any complications develop, I can't help you." Kade felt herself get more and more agitated with every word. In her mind, she replayed the endless minutes of sitting helplessly next to Del without being able to help her in any way. She wasn't used to feeling so uncertain and helpless.

  "Hey." Del sat up with a groan and reached for Kade's hand. Kade didn't move away. "No one expects you to pull a Dr. Weaver and miraculously save my life. You just have to keep an eye on me and call 911 if you think I'm in trouble. You can do that, right?"

  Kade nodded reluctantly. Still, she didn't like this. "I'll let it go this time, but don't you ever put me on the spot like this again," she warned. "You should have asked me in private before you announced to Grace that I would stay with you."

  "I know it wasn't fair, but I had my reasons. I'll explain later," Del promised. "Let's get out of here first. Would you hand me my clothes?"

  Kade turned around and spotted Del's clothes on a small table next to the wall. She picked them up and carried them to the bed. When she looked up, Del was just slipping out of the hospital gown. With a small sound of surprise, Kade quickly turned back around.

  "What?" Del laughed. "You've already seen me half-naked twice, so why the sudden shyness?"

  Kade slowly, deliberately turned back around. No one had ever called her shy, and she wouldn't stand for it from Del. "Maybe I just like looking at you better when you aren't bruised and battered?" she shot back with a lingering, challenging smile.

  Del gaped at her. She hadn't expected that comeback. "Do you?" she asked, her smile now gone.

  "Of course. Cuts and bruises are not a particularly attractive sight." She got enough of that at work, and she didn't like seeing Del injured.

  "No, I mean... do you like looking at me when I'm not bruised and battered?" Del asked. The teasing smile that Kade had expected to accompany that question was missing. Del's dark eyes looked at her with a serious expression.

  Kade shifted the bundle of clothes in her arms and nervously licked her lips. "Yeah, well, the dancing mice boxer shorts were cute," she tried to avoid the answer with a joke.

  Del simply continued to look at her.

  Kade finally nodded. Looking at Del's half-naked body across the chessboard had been worth all the long hours studying the game in her childhood. "You're an attractive woman," she said.

  "Do you find me attractive?" Del dug deeper.

  "Yes." She had no problem admitting that much. She might have been straight all her life, but that didn't mean she had been blind. Besides, Matheson women were supposed to look at other women, if only to judge the competition. Granted, in Sophie Matheson's eyes Del probably wasn't much competition for a Matheson woman, but Kade ignored that for the moment.

  Del looked as if she wanted to ask another question, but then just nodded and took the clothes from Kade's hands.

  * * *

  Dawn jumped out of her car and almost forgot to lock it in her haste to reach Del's apartment building. She hurried across the street and pressed the buzzer.

  "Yes?" an unfamiliar voice answered after long seconds of silence.

  Dawn frowned. Only then did she remember that Kade had offered to stay with Del. "Hello, Kade. It's Dawn Kinsley," she said quickly.

  Kade buzzed her in, and Dawn took the stairs, not wanting to wait for the tiny, slow-moving elevator.

  When she reached the third floor, Kade was waiting at the open door. Kade greeted her without a word and let her into the apartment. She followed Dawn back into the living room but didn't make herself comfortable or offer Dawn a seat. It was clear that Kade felt out of place and not comfortable yet in Del's apartment.

  Or maybe it's me, Dawn thought. Maybe she's uncomfortable with me seeing her here. "How's Del?" she asked.

  The door to Del's bedroom opened, and Del appeared in the doorway. "I'm fine. Would everyone please stop acting as if I'm at death's door?"

  Dawn rushed over to her for a careful hug. "You're really okay?" she asked when she finally stepped back. She looked at Kade for confirmation.

  "She's playing the hero," Kade said curtly. "She checked herself out of the hospital against the doctor's advice."

  Since she had grown up around cops, Dawn wasn't surprised. She rolled her eyes at Del. "At least sit down and rest," she ordered.

  Del trudged over to the couch and sank onto the worn, comfortable leather.

  "I'll leave you two to talk," Kade said and disappeared into the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

  Kade in the kitchen. Dawn remembered the cheese-grating incident and hoped Kade wasn't trying to cook anything for Del. "Offering to take care of you was really nice of her," she said. She knew taking care of other people didn't come naturally to Kade.

  "Well..." Del grinned and turned her head a little so that the small dressing on the back of her head wasn't pressing against the couch. "She didn't exactly offer. I told your mother that Kade would look after me, and Kade graciously agreed."

  "Graciously?" Dawn could imagine how Kade reacted to other people making decisions without asking her first. Graciously wasn't the first word that came to mind for describing that reaction. "Del, really, why didn't you call me? You know I would have come right away. Send the poor woman home and let me stay with you."

  Del shook her head, then grimaced and stopped. "No. I know you would be there for me, and I appreciate it, but... no. Kade is staying."

  "Delicia Vasquez!" Dawn eyed her old friend. "You're not using your injury to force Kade to spend time with you, are you?"

  Del looked at her with a serious expression. "My intentions are honorable."

  Dawn smiled and softly touched Del's arm. She had never doubted that. Del was nothing if not honorable. "I know that."

  "But I admit I'm killing two birds with one stone," Del added with a grin. Then her expression became more serious. "There are other reasons why I want Kade to stay, but I can't go into them right now. And I think it will be good if Kade feels she can be there for me too. She's very independent, so she'll never accept a one-sided relationship."

  That seemed like a sound strategy for building a relationship with Kade. It had been more than a decade since Dawn had last seen Del so serious about anyone. "What is it about Kade Matheson that has you so interested?" she asked.

  Del gave her a knowing smile. "Don't you mean really what is it about Kade that had me and Carlisle so interested?"

  "No. I know exactly why Aiden was interested in her," Dawn said. "And please stop calling her Carlisle. She has a first name, you know?"

  Del shrugged and grinned.

  Dawn knew she didn't plan on stopping to call her "Carlisle" anytime soon.

  "So, what is it that had your girlfriend so interested in Kade?" Del asked.

  "I think it was the image Kade projects. The confident, aristocratic, and a little unapproachable DDA. Aiden knew sh
e could never have her, and that was what made her so interesting. She could safely admire her from afar, without taking the risk of emotional involvement," Dawn explained. "And, of course, it also doesn't hurt that she's really beautiful." She glanced at the kitchen door to make sure it was still closed.

  "No." Del smiled softly. "It sure doesn't."

  Dawn tilted her head. "But I take it you're not attracted to Kade for the same reasons why Aiden found her so interesting?"