“Sure, you can sleep, but then you’ll miss seeing your visitor.”
Buff stepped further into the room now that the examination was over. “Hey Boston, how you doing?”
“Buff? What are you doing here?”
Buff hooked his leg around the metal chair resting against the wall, dragging it closer to the bed. The plastic covered cushion hissed loudly when he sat down. “I came to see how you’re doing. You were a bit spacey when the doors were closing on the ambulance. How are you feeling?”
“I’d be feeling better if they’d let me sleep. I’m so tired,” she grumbled.
A smile stretched his lips, and his muscles protested a little at the action. It had been a long time since he’d spontaneously smiled. “Doctors always make the worst patients and you know why they have to keep waking you.”
“I’m fine. My head doesn’t even hurt that much now.”
“I’m sure they’ll let you out soon enough. But as I said you weren’t making any sense when the paramedics were treating you.” Buff had had to fight the desire to climb in beside her and hold her hand while they settled her in. Unfortunately, he’d still been needed to help extract some others who were trapped. Also he needed work with his team. Seemed a few of his teammates were looking for or working with their own women. Life had gone on around him while he’d been keeping to himself at the ranch, and only giving one sentence answers when talking with his friends while they’d been tending fires and stuff. If he’d paid attention and listened, he would’ve found out they’d been busy finding women who completed them.
Was Nadia that woman for him?
Where the hell had that thought come from? No way was he in any shape mentally to consider a relationship. Although twice she’d pulled him out of his attacks. And she hadn’t kicked him out of the room yet.
“How are you doing, Buff? Are you okay?” She asked and beneath the white bandaged covering the cut on her head, her brow furrowed and her eyes darkened with concern.
See even while lying in a hospital bed she was worried about him. He got up from his chair, this time the cushion squeaked, the medical center really needed to get new chairs. Leaning forward he pressed his lips gently over her wound. He then kissed her cheek before finishing with a brief brush across her lips.
What possessed him to kiss her like that, like he cared, he had no idea, but he had to admit it seemed right. There was no awkwardness. It was like he was meant to be in this room, right at this moment with her.
Buff sat back down and picked up her hand, being careful not to dislodge her IV. “I’m fine. I’m sorry for how I acted coming out of my attack. I remember now that I kissed you, not the other way around.” Even lost in his mental fog he’d sought comfort from her. It seemed that her touch. Her presence soothed the attacks and made them not so scary.
“I’m glad. Have you seen anyone about them? Do you know what triggers them?” The more she asked the stronger her voice got.
How many times had Pops said the same thing to him? His parents. He could talk to her further about them, but in a hospital with her recovering from a severe concussion and seriously bruised ribs, wasn’t the time or place. “Boston, now’s not the time to talk about it, but,” he held up his hand to stop her from protesting. “I’ll talk to you when your head isn’t hurting so much.”
“Promise, because that would mean a lot to me.” She yawned and he could see her energy was waning.
“I promise. Now go to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake.”
With his promise and declaration, he’d made the commitment he was going to see her again. Surprisingly the thought didn’t freak him out as much as he thought it might. Or should.
Nadia surfaced back to consciousness but kept her eyes shut. Her mouth felt like she’d been sucking on a big wad of cotton wool. The ache in her head was still there but faint. She shifted but her movement was limited due to the taping over her ribs. Not broken, just bruised. They’d taped them as a precaution anyway. The tape would probably come off when she was discharged. Now that was going to be painful.
A warm hand brushed the side of her cheek.
Buff.
She was becoming to recognize the gesture and his touch. Opening her eyes she looked into his blue ones. “You’re still here.” When he’d said he’d be there when she woke she hadn’t quite believed him.
“I said I would. Do you remember being woken up a few times after I arrived?”
“Vaguely.” The interrupted sleep had been annoying at the time and even though she grumbled about it, she understood the reasons for it. It’s what she would’ve recommended had a patient arrived in the ER presenting the same symptoms she had. Memories of before waking in the hospital room formed in her mind. “Oh my God, I threw up in front of you, twice.”
Buff laughed. A deep and throaty laugh that sent fissures of electricity zooming through her. “Yes you did.”
“I’m so embarrassed,” she groaned and closed her eyes, wishing she could turn the clock back and not throw up in front of him.
“Don’t be,” he said quietly. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Not after what you’ve witnessed me go through. Not to mention helped me out of.”
Nadia opened her eyes again. “I’m glad I could be there for you.” And she was, thank goodness he’d come out of his attack before she’d succumbed to the concussions symptoms. What would’ve happened if he’d still been lost in his mind? Would he have left her collapsed on the ground?
He shifted in his chair as if her words made him uncomfortable. “You should be able to get out soon,” he commented changing the subject. “You’ll probably have to stay home a couple of days until you’ve properly recovered.”
Home.
Shit, Cerise. She’d been hurt so badly. What happened to her? Was she okay? But she was scared to ask in case the news wasn’t so good. Only one way to find out, she had to jump off the cliff of fear and hope that the fall wouldn’t end up in tragedy. “God, I can’t believe I haven’t asked about Cerise. What sort of person am I? She was seriously hurt and here I am wallowing about having to be woken up to be asked questions.”
“Nadia, calm down, it’s not unreasonable you didn’t think about it. Your mind was a little jumbled after all you went through. But in answer to your question I believe she’s doing fine. She had surgery to repair a laceration to her liver. Her kidneys are bruised but she’s not going to have any lingering after-effects from her injuries.”
Relief swept through her that her friend was going to be okay. “I need to see her. See for myself that she’s okay.”
“And I’m sure once you’re discharged you’ll be able to go see her, but in the meantime you need to rest and recover from your own injuries.”
“A concussion. I just had a concussion. I didn’t have surgery on one of my major organs.”
Buff took hold of her hand and immediately her frazzled nerves settled down. Was this what it felt like for him when she touched him during an attack? Even lost deep in his mind, did his subconscious somehow pick up on the fact that she was nearby and calmed him like he did to her.
“Boston, your injuries, although different to Cerise’s, were just as serious. You know what can happen with a concussion. Now if you don’t settle down, the nurses are going to come in to see why your heartrate monitor is beeping like crazy and why your blood pressure is about to go through the roof. If that happens you’ll be stuck in that bed for longer than you’d like to be. And I’m pretty sure that’s the last thing you want to have happen.”
“Fine.” Buff was right and she’d already glimpsed the surgeon and doctor he’d been when dealing with an emergency, she was now getting a front row view of his bedside manner.
She liked it.
She liked it a lot and that was dangerous. No way could she let herself fall for Buff. But it may be too late. Which was completely ridiculous considering she’d only seen the guy three times. So what if he’d saved her and her friends from a crum
bling building. And coped with her tossing her cookies twice in front of him. She grappled for another neutral topic but her brain was getting foggy again and she wanted to sleep.
“You look like you’re about to pass out on me again.” Was that a hint of smugness in his voice? As if he expected her to wear herself out. Probably, if the roles were reversed she’d expect him to be falling asleep after being awake for a short period of time.
“Yeah I am. I’ll never be let out if I keep falling asleep.”
“It’s only six in the morning after the night before. I think if you get a good five or six hours sleep you’ll be back home by late this afternoon. The nurses won’t bother you as often now to check your vitals and your memory.”
“I hope you’re right.” As much as she wanted Buff to stay, it was selfish of her to ask him to. The guy looked dead on his feet. He’d worked hard all while she’d been in the hospital. Not to mention he’d had another attack which would be mentally tiring. “Umm, you don’t have to stay while I’m sleeping. You should go home and get some rest of your own. You have to be exhausted as well.”
Her words triggered a yawn from Buff. “I am, but I can stay. It’s not an issue.”
The sweetness of the gesture wasn’t lost on her. Buff didn’t have to go out of his way to stay with her. The fact he was willing to spoke volumes to her. He was beginning to lose the gruffness that was his outer shell. Well he was losing it around her. “I appreciate the offer, but it’s fine. You need to go home.”
Buff studied her and she willed the longing in her to have someone by her side wasn’t showing on her face. Clearly she managed it hide it because he nodded. “Okay, but I’ll be back here in a couple of hours. You’ll need a ride home and that’s me. I’m just going to check on Randy before I leave.”
“Geez, another person I forgot about. What’s the news for him?”
Buff stroked her fingers and she melted a little inside. “He’s got a broken pelvis and broken fibula in his left leg. He’ll be laid up for a little while, but that’s okay, the Hellhole needs to be rebuilt.”
“Oh no, that’s terrible. He must be devastated that he’s lost his livelihood. At least he’s got his wife who will be there to help him recover.” How many other people had lost their livelihood from the tornado? She wanted to ask Buff more questions, but another yawn hit her and her eyes drifted shut. Trying to open them again would take too much effort right at that second. Warm lips brushed her forehead and she felt her lips stretch into a small smile. She liked the gentle touch.
“I’ll be back later, Boston. Have a good sleep.”
“Mmhmm.” Nadia snuggled down as much as she could in a hospital bed restricted by an IV and bandaging across her chest. Being called Boston was growing on her.
Chapter 8
Nadia unlocked the door to the house she shared with Cerise, conscious of Buff’s hulking figure behind her. As he’d promised, Buff had entered her room just as Jerry, one of the neurologist on staff, cleared her for discharge. She’d been awake for a couple of hours by then, and had eaten a sandwich and had some juice, all of which she had no issue keeping down. Thank goodness for that, throwing up was her lease favorite thing to do.
Now here she stood and she didn’t have a clue as to what to do next. Should she invite him in? It would be the right thing to do considering all he’d done for her since she’d thrown up in front him. Would he even want to come in?
Buff stood behind her and it did nothing to detract from the heady scent of his citrusy aftershave. The smell reminded her of just peeled oranges.
She loved oranges.
Once she had the door unlocked she gripped the knob, getting ready to turn it. Instead she rested her head on the hardwood.
Immediately a warm hand landed on her lower back. “Boston, are you feeling okay? Do I need to take you back to the hospital?”
Nadia shook her head, annoyed at herself for the way she was acting. She was a grown woman, not to mention a kick-ass ER doctor and yet indecision about asking Buff in was almost crippling her. Talk about being over dramatic.
Taking a deep breath she lifted her head from where it rested and turned so that her back rested against the door and her front was almost pressed against Buff’s chest. She inhaled deeply and looked up at him. He was gazing down, his blue eyes intense, but clear. Oh so very clear that she could almost see into his soul.
Her tongue darted out to moisten her dry lips. His eyes tracked the slide of her tongue and he moved a little closer to her. Nadia’s eyes drifted down to his lips and she remembered the feel of them against her own. The kiss they’d shared last night seemed more intense than the one she’d laid on him all those months ago. How that could be when both had been shared while he’d been lost in his head?
What would it be like to kiss him when he was aware of her and their surroundings? “Umm do you want to come in?”
Buff rested his hand against her cheek, gently brushing his thumb under her chin. Her skin jumped to life and a flash of desire arrowed through her, firing her blood. “Yes, that would be nice.”
Fumbling behind her, she twisted the knob to open the door. Losing her back support she started to fall toward the ground. In a flash Buff had scooped her close to his chest and hustled them inside. The door slammed shut but she didn’t move away from him. She didn’t want to. Buff’s arms surrounded her and everything clicked into place inside of her.
Giving into her earlier thought about kissing him while he wasn’t under the influence of a panic attack, she went up on tiptoe and pressed her lips against his. He groaned, the sound reverberating around the small hallway.
Her purse and keys clattered to the ground as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her whole body singing from this tenuous connection. Being with Buff was more like home than any other man she’d kissed or had relationships with.
How could she be feeling this way about a man she barely knew? A man, until the previous evening, had only seen once before. Was it leftover emotions from surviving the largest tornado Tarpley had ever seen? She knew they’d forged a connection when they’d worked together to help Randy, Cerise and the others, but had thought it was a professional one. Which they certainly had, but they’d forged a personal connection so unique she didn’t know how to process it all.
Nadia had never believed in love at first sight. Lust at first sight for sure. But the forever kind of love, no. To her, love should grow over time, like planting a seed. The more you watered and cared for it the more the feeling of love took root and then spread to the surface to be all encompassing.
Yet what she was feeling now, being held in Buff’s arms. His lips caressing hers was like the magic bean feeling. Overnight the stalk had grown until it was out of sight and she didn’t think she could climb it.
Not yet anyway.
Placing her hands on Buff’s firm chest she gently pushed. Immediately his arms loosened their grip around her and she was able to take a couple of steps back. Put some breathing space between them.
They looked at each other for endless moments. What should she say? Should she apologize for initiating the kiss? No, there was no need for that. A quick glimpse down to his crotch she could see the outline of how much he’d been enjoying the kiss. And she’d been enjoying it to, her nipples were still hard, pushing against the lace of her bra.
“Do you want a drink?” she blurted out.
“Sure.” His voice gruff. Would he sound like that first thing in the morning? She quickly banished that thought, no matter how tempting it was to imagine waking up beside him.
Nadia bent down to grab her purse, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. She swayed and reached out a hand to try and steady herself. Her fingers were grabbed by Buff’s strong ones and in a slick movement he scooped her up—again.
“You’ve got to stop almost fainting on me, Boston.” Buff walked down the short hallway until he found the living, which wasn’t hard, it was the only open door. The house wasn’t huge
either. “Do you want me to call the medical center?”
He settled her on the couch and she bit her lip to stop the moan of disappointment from escaping. She was beginning to like being in his arms far too much. “I’m fine. Jerry said I could have some dizzy spells. His only concern was if it happened to me all the time. This one happened because I bent down. I should’ve squatted.”
Buff looked at her, he’d switched into doctor mode and was assessing her for himself. To see that she was really all right. “You know head injuries aren’t things to be taken lightly.”
Annoyance replaced the joy she’d felt while being in his arms. “Yes, Buff, I’m well aware of the head injuries. In case you forgot, I’m also a doctor. And I’m not one of those stubborn ones who ignores signs of ill health.”
“Really?” There was a wealth of skepticism in that one word and she rolled her eyes, making sure Buff saw her reaction.
“Okay, so last night I didn’t, but I can honestly tell you, once you arrived any pain I felt disappeared. I know it was pure adrenaline racing through me that kept me going. If I didn’t have to help the others, I know I would’ve been in a lot of pain and would’ve got help sooner.”
Nothing she said was a lie. How many times had there been stories about women who were injured but found superhuman powers to lift off a large lump of wood from their babies pram to save their child. She’d experienced that phenomenon last night.
“I supposed you’re right.”
“Yes I am.” Nadia scooted to the edge of the couch and stood, standing for a moment. No dizziness. “Can I get you that drink now? I’m not sure what we’ve got but I’m pretty sure there’s soda, water and juice. Cerise has a bit of a Coca Cola habit.”
“I’m as bad as Cerise, I’ll take a Coke, thanks,” Buff said, a wide grin on his face. Looking at him she never would’ve guessed the man could suffer from traumatic PTSD attacks. She supposed that was normal too. He seemed to smile more freely around her than she suspected he did around others. How she knew that, she didn’t know, she just did.
Fighting For Nadia (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha) (Tarpley VFD Book 6) Page 7
