When she gestured for him to go ahead, he gently pulled back the covers. Her legs were covered with gauze patches and medical tape. He eased the gown up. The cuts were all over her thighs and shins. “Sick bastard. He’ll pay. We’ll make sure he pays.”
Tansy squeezed his hand, trying to comfort him when she was the one who was injured. “They’ll heal. I’ll be fine.”
Sam grunted and ran his fingers gently over all the wounds. “I’m so damn sorry, Tansy.”
“It’s not your fault.”
Then why did his soul ache?
Tansy took his hand. “I love you, Sam.”
That produced a whole different kind of ache. This incredible woman not only didn’t blame him, she loved him. He could hear the truth and conviction in her voice.
And he returned the feelings completely.
Sam smiled. “I love you, too, Tansy.”
Maybe it was time to let go of the rest. Love was a hell of a starting point for the rest of his life.
With A Little Help From My Friends
By the time the hospital discharged her, Tansy was more than ready to go home. They’d insisted on keeping her overnight for observation, but she’d refused to stay a second night.
Sam had pulled an extra gurney into the room, and he’d spent the night beside her. Every time she’d awakened, he’d been there, holding her hand, touching her hair, making her feel safe.
The doctor hadn’t been impressed with her. Apparently, she was showing physical signs of stress and sleep deprivation. They’d hooked her up to an IV to help with dehydration.
She was also wearing a cast for her fractured tibia and wasn’t allowed a walking boot for at least two weeks.
All she really wanted was to get home and get into a hot shower, which wasn’t allowed.
Then into bed. With Sam.
A knock sounded on the door, and Graham walked in grinning. “Hope you’re decent. Wait. What am I saying? Hope you’re not quite decent.”
Sam growled, but Tansy laughed. The hours she’d spent yesterday with Graham yesterday had taught her that he was full of fun and kindness, but that he carried something that had hurt him. He wouldn’t talk about it, was always ready with a joke to cover it.
She hoped if he didn’t want to talk to her, that he’d talk to one of his friends about it.
Graham was followed by Joe, who cuffed his head as he walked into the room. Nico, Troy, and Marcus followed them.
“What are you all doing here?”
The men looked at Sam. His skin flushed, and he shrugged. “We originally all rushed down here in Red. You need more space to head home.”
Okay, she couldn’t fit in any of the cars with six large men. She turned to Troy and Graham. “I thought you went home last night?”
Their turn to flush a little while they shrugged. “We did. Brought back an extra car. Thought you might need an escort.”
An escort?
Was the mess not finished?
As if reading her mind, Joe sat on the opposite side of the bed from Sam. “We don’t think there are any more threats, but we want to be sure.”
Nico nodded. “We’ve got agents in a few FBI offices digging into Howard’s network. We want to make sure there’s no continuing threat.”
She’d thought it was over. Would it ever be over?