“It’s not deep,” Zach said. “I didn’t need surgery or anything. I’ve seen worse, believe me. Much worse. It’s just a nick. They wouldn’t have let me out of the hospital if it was bad.”
“How can you still want to be with me after I did this to you?”
“You didn’t do anything. It was Diablo, last time I checked.”
“Still…”
“Darlin’, you’re my woman. I want you. Nothing will change that.”
If only that were the case, Dusty thought. No matter. Right now Zach needed her, and she wasn’t going to let him down. She saturated a cotton ball with peroxide and cleaned the wound. The solution bubbled as it touched the injury, and Zach tensed.
“Okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. Fine,” he said through clenched teeth.
Once she felt it was clean enough, she smeared it with antibiotic ointment and covered it with gauze and a clean bandage.
“Do you have any pills you need to take? Pain pills? Antibiotics?”
“I took both of them with dinner.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“Just you in my arms. That’s all I need.”
She smiled. “I guess I can handle that.” She shed the robe she wore and crawled into bed next to him. “No funny business. I want you to sleep. You need your rest.”
“You take the fun out of everything.” He yawned.
“See? You’re exhausted.”
“Mmm,” he said. “Maybe a little sleep wouldn’t hurt.” He wrapped his arms around her. “As long as you’re here when I wake up.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah.”
For now, anyway.
Chapter Twelve
Heat. Blind heat. And trembling. Something was shaking next to her. Dusty woke from her dreams to find Zach clamped to her body. He was burning with fever.
She started to move, but he tightened his grip on her. “C-C-Cold,” he said through clenched teeth. “D-Don’t go.”
“Zach, sweetheart, I have to get up. I have to take care of you. I think you have a fever.”
“M-More covers,” he said.
It killed her to leave him, knowing she was his source of warmth. She checked the clock on the night table. Two-thirty. “I’m sorry. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I need to check your wound. I told you it didn’t look right earlier. It must be infected.”
“D-Don’t leave me.”
“I won’t. I’ll be right here.”
She scrambled away from him and out of bed and pushed the sheets and blankets around his shivering body. She turned on the lights and blinked at the harsh invasion. “Zach,” she said, “I have to look at your leg. I’m just going to get your leg out from under the covers, but I’ll keep the rest of you tucked in, okay?”