“Doctor Marson, this patient attacked me. She hit me. I believe we have to sedate her. Or restrain her,” the nurse said.
“No!” she protested. Her heart started racing. She couldn’t be restrained.
“It’s all right, no one is restraining you,” Doctor Marson soothed. Something started beeping and he looked over at a monitor.
“Okay, sweetheart, my name is Xavier. Your heart is going a bit faster than we’d like. I want you to try and calm down for me. Take a breath in and hold it.”
She did as instructed. Her head was thumping and every so often her heart would skip a beat making her feel ill.
“That’s it. Good girl.”
For some reason she felt ridiculously proud of having pleased him. What was wrong with her? How did she end up here?
“What did you do, Greg?” Xavier snapped at the nurse.
“I didn’t do anything,” Greg whined. “I came in here to check her vitals. She was screaming, so I went to shake her awake before she woke up all the patients, then she attacked me.”
“So a patient was having a terrifying nightmare that was making her scream, a patient who is much smaller than you and female, and you thought the best idea was to shake her? To loom over her? Then what? Did you try to hold her down?”
“She was attacking me!” Greg defended. “And the sheriff acted aggressively towards me.”
He sounded so whiny.
The doctor turned his gaze towards her. The hard look softened as he took her in. “He is whiny.”
Oops. She’d said that out loud, huh?
“Whatever drugs you have got me on must be good. Because I never just blurt out what I’m thinking,” she told Xavier.
“That so?” Ed drawled, raising an eyebrow.
She had no idea what he was trying to imply. She was the queen of keeping things bottled up. Her mother had taught her how to do that.
“Greg, leave,” Xavier said firmly.
“I want to file a complaint against the sheriff. I think we should call security on him.”
The doctor snorted. “Security isn’t going to throw Ed out. Now you, on the other hand . . . “
The nurse grew pale and almost stumbled over his own feet to get out the door. “I’ll be speaking to HR and Mary-Lee about this.” He practically slammed the door behind him, making her jump.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Xavier said kindly. “Greg’s bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired.”
“Did he hurt you?” Ed asked in a low voice, staring down at her. “If he did . . . “
“No, umm, no.” She realized then that she was basically clutching onto Ed’s shirt like a lifeline. “Oh, sorry.” She forced herself to let go and with a trembling hand, reached out to smooth the wrinkles. “Sorry.”
“Been wearing this shirt for nearly twenty hours now. A few wrinkles aren’t going to make anything any worse.”
“That’s gross, man. Why don’t you go home and get changed?” Xavier asked
“I’m fine.”
Yeah, he didn’t look fine. In fact, he looked like he was about to explode.
Ed stared down at Georgie, trying to rein in his temper. He’d been so close to hitting that bastard, Greg. If Xavier hadn’t come in when he had . . . fuck.
He could tell she was trying to pull herself together. But she was still shaky. What the hell had she been dreaming about to scream like that? He’d been heading back here from the nurses’ station when he’d heard the blood-curdling yell.
“Where am I? How did I get here?” Georgina asked.
“You’re in Wishingbone hospital,” Xavier told her. “You collapsed last night. Now, why don’t you sit back, sweetheart, and I’ll take your vitals.”
Ed’s hands tightened into fists as possessiveness flooded him. What the fuck was Xavier doing? Did he flirt with all his patients like this? He should stop pushing his luck before Ed gave his pretty boy face some character. Like a broken nose.
Okay. Calm. Remember, you’re the sheriff. You’re the voice of reason. You’re not crazy like the rest of them.
“Come on, lie back for me,” Xavier encouraged.
Ed liked that her gaze shot to his. Almost as though looking for permission or reassurance. This was a side to her he hadn’t seen other than that night he’d kissed her. And when Loki had tried to kidnap her. She’d been vulnerable and afraid. Very unlike the uptight FBI agent she portrayed to the rest of the world.
And he had a pretty good idea which one was the real Georgie. Question was, why did she hide that side of herself? Because of her job? Or another reason?
As Xavier checked her temperature and blood pressure, she kept her gaze on Ed. He gave her a small smile. “You gave us quite a scare.”
“I did?” She frowned. “I don’t really remember what happened. How did I collapse? Why am I hooked up to an IV and heart monitor?”
“You don’t remember any of it?” Ed asked, worried at the sound of that. He glanced over at Xavier but he had his poker face on. “You don’t remember going for a run?”
“I went for a run? Wait, yes, I do remember that.” She bit her lip, obviously trying to think.
“I went to the motel to look for you. Kiesha was worried because she hadn’t heard from you all day. I tried calling you, for Kiesha, not for me. So I thought I’d see if you’d left, you know, to put Kiesha’s mind at ease. Not because of any other reason. I mean, I figured you’d been called away on a job, not that you ran off like last time . . . shit.”
Both Xavier and Georgina were gaping at him. He didn’t blame them. He was rambling. Only problem was, he couldn’t seem to stop.
“You weren’t there, of course. But the guy in the motel room next to you said you’d left for a run earlier. We both went looking for you. I found you out on Old Road. It’s quite a bit out of town, seems you were running for over an hour and a half.” He frowned down at her. “Why were you running for so long? And in the dark with a cold front coming in? When I found you, you’d collapsed on the side of the road. It had just started to rain, you were unconscious. Someone could have run you over. You could have died of pneumonia. What were you thinking?” He crossed his arms over his chest, scowling down at her.
“I’m sorry you were put out having to come find me, sheriff,” she said stiffly.
Wait. That wasn’t what he’d meant. Fuck. “I didn’t mean that I was put out. You could have been really hurt. I was worried.”
“About me?”
“Yeah, about you.”
She appeared puzzled. “I didn’t think you liked me. Why would you care?”
“Umm, well, we’ve worked together. And I am the sheriff. While you’re in my territory you’re under my protection. It’s part of my job to take care of you.”
“Dear God, this is like watching a train wreck,” Xavier uttered.
Ed sent him a quelling look.
“I can assure you, sheriff, that I can take care of myself,” she said stiffly. Then she turned to Xavier. “I often run that long without problems. What happened this time? Why am I in here?” That mask was back. No emotion leaked through to give him any idea what she was thinking.
Fuck.
He’d messed up. Why did he say that stuff about it being part of his job?
Because you’re worried that if you tell her you actually care that she’ll run or go all cold on you.
Which she’d just done. Because he’d acted like an ass and pretended to only care because of his job. Because they were work colleagues.
Xavier gave him a sympathetic look. Great, now he was being pitied. What else could go wrong?
“Before I answer any medical questions, I should ask if you want Ed to remain here. You’re entitled to your privacy.”
Georgina looked from Xavier to him. Her eyes were guarded. What he wouldn’t give to go back to ten minutes ago when she was clinging to his shirt. Even though he hadn’t liked that she’d been so frightened, at least she’d looked at him like he meant something.
She’d looked to him for protection.
“You probably want to go home anyway, sheriff. I’m sure it’s not normal to stick around like this for everyone you bring in. What time is it?”
“After midnight now,” Xavier said. “And you’re right, I can’t remember the last time the sheriff stuck around for hours, even sleeping in the chair next to a patient’s bed.”
What the fuck was Xavier doing? He gritted his teeth.
“You were sleeping next to me?” Georgina asked him.
He saw something soften in her face, some emotion leaking through. Gratitude. The knot that had formed in his stomach when he’d realized he’d messed up started to unravel.
“Yeah, I was sleeping, I just got up to page Xavier. Should have waited until you were awake, then you wouldn’t have woken up to that asshole looming over you.”
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “The nightmare would have struck if you were here or not.”
Yeah, except he felt like if he’d been here, he could have done something. He could have at least kept Greg away from her.
“Would you like Ed to leave, sweetheart?” Xavier asked.
Ed glared at him. What the hell? Why was he pushing this?
“I, umm, I . . . “
God, she looked so lost. So unlike herself that it made his stomach hurt. “I could wait outside, come back in after Xavier has finished,” he found himself offering. Even though he didn’t want to leave at all. He was worried about her. She was pale with dark smudges under her eyes.
He also didn’t like that Xavier was monitoring her heart. Was there something wrong with it? Was that why she’d collapsed?
A look of relief filled her face. “Thanks. Just if you don’t mind. If you’re too busy or anything, I’ll be fine.” She was trying to put on a brave front, but her shields had slipped a bit, and he saw something lost and vulnerable pushing through.
Fuck. Had he totally misread her all this time? Maybe the cold, hard front just hid a softer inner side. Yeah, he was still pissed that she’d run off and hadn’t answered his texts. But maybe there was something going on. Some reason that she’d come back here that had nothing to do with work.
Had she come back here to see him?
Nah, that couldn’t be right. Could it?
“It’s my day off. I don’t have anywhere else to be. Oh, I did get my deputy to find your emergency contact. August James, right?”
Her eyes widened. “Did you call him?”
He looked to Xavier who also appeared concerned at her reaction.
“No, I didn’t,” he told her in a low, calm voice. “That’s why I was paging Xavier. To see if he wanted to call him. There some reason you don’t want him called? Who is he? Are you scared of him?”
“What? No, I’m not scared of him. Just don’t call him.”
Ed stared down at her. Was she lying to him? Was he an abusive ex or something? Why wouldn’t she want him contacted?
“Is there someone else we can call then?” Xavier asked.
She shook her head. “No. I’ll be fine. Just tell me what’s going on and discharge me.”
Xavier gave her a concerned look then glanced over at Ed. “How about I talk to you about what’s going on and we’ll see how you feel then?”
“Yeah, fine. But do not call my brother,” she said firmly to Ed.
Her brother. Okay, that made him feel better. He just hoped there wasn’t some reason why she seemed scared of calling him.
Georgina watched Ed leave the room.
She felt surprisingly bereft and alone.
Idiot.
Georgina felt bad now that she’d ignored Ed’s calls and everyone who had come to her motel room. She just hadn’t been up to talking to anyone.
But it didn’t explain why he’d slept for hours by her bed.
“If you want Ed, I can call him back.”
“What?” She startled and looked over at Xavier. She gave a shaky laugh. “No, why would I want him?”
Xavier gave her a firm look. “There’s nothing wrong with asking for help if you need it.”
“I don’t need help. I’m thirty-four years old, I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself.”
“Age doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with taking care of yourself.”
That was an odd statement. What did he mean?
“Even the most capable person sometimes needs a break, for someone just to take care of them for a while.”
“I think you’re mistaking the sort of relationship that the sheriff and I have, doctor,” she told him stiffly. “We’re just work colleagues.”
“It’s Xavier. And Ed’s a good guy. One of the best.”
She softened slightly. “I’m sure he is.” She knew he was. He hadn’t been cheating on Kiesha. In fact, he seemed very protective of her and her friends. And the fact that he’d come searching for her when he was off-duty also spoke to his professionalism.
“I don’t know of any work colleagues who would sit by my hospital bed for hours. Just saying.”
She narrowed her gaze at him. “I get your point.”
“Good, now let’s talk about your health. When Ed brought you in, you were unconscious. Your heart beat was erratic and too fast. We’ve been monitoring it all night and while it has slowed and become steadier, I would still like to run some further tests. Is there any history of heart conditions in your family?”
“No, I . . . I think it’s just due to stress.”
He studied her. “You’ve been under a lot of stress lately?”
“Well, I am an FBI agent,” she said dryly. Then she glanced away from him, hoping he couldn’t see more than she wanted him to. “But yeah, I’ve had a bit of stress lately.”
“You’ve been having heart palpitations?”
“When I feel stressed, sometimes my heart starts racing, and it will skip a beat.”
“You drink a lot of caffeine?”
“I think it’s the only thing keeping me going most days,” she joked.
He gave her a small smile. “I hear ya, however, caffeine can cause heart palpitations. That combined with stress could be the cause of your palpitations and elevated heart rate. You run a lot?”
“Yeah. And I’ve never collapsed before.”
“Gotten dizzy? Felt ill?”
“Um, yeah, a few times I guess,” she said guiltily.
“Have you lost weight recently?”
“A bit.” Maybe more than a bit.
“You work long hours, I’m guessing. Do you ever take time off? When was your last vacation?”
“Um, well, it’s right now.”
“Oh, I was given to understand you were here for work,” he said.
“That’s what I told Ed,” she admitted. “But I, uh, my boss wanted me to take some time off. I . . . “ she sucked in a breath, “I had an issue at work.”
“An issue?”
“Panic attack,” she admitted. “I passed out.”
He let out a breath. “Right.” He asked half a dozen other questions about her sleeping habits, her thoughts about work, her emotional health. They were tough to answer. She wasn’t used to speaking about these things with anyone.
“Sweetheart, sounds to me like you’re really stressed and suffering from anxiety.”
So she was weak. Because there were lots of people in far more stressful jobs than her and they did fine. “I’ll be all right.”
“You will be, if you take care of yourself,” he told her sternly.
“That’s what this week is about.”
“Hate to tell you, but I don’t think a week is going to be long enough. You talk to your doctor about any of this?”
“I thought a week away might fix everything.”
“Sweetheart, your stress is affecting your health. Things are getting to a critical stage. I think you’d benefit from talking to someone.”
“No,” she said firmly. She rubbed her tummy unconsciously, then noticed Xavier watching. She froze. Shoo
t.
“All right. I know I’m not your doctor, but I really would advise you to make some changes. Maybe see if you can get some more time off.”
Yeah, that wasn’t going to be a problem. Convincing her boss to let her go back to work would be the real issue. She kept telling herself she was just taking a week off. But she knew better.
“Exercise is good, but not to the point of being excessive. There are medications you can use to help with the panic attacks, a therapist would—”
“No medication.” She couldn’t afford to have her senses dulled.
“A sedative to help you sleep?”
“No. No medicine.” She’d be too vulnerable.
He sighed. “Why don’t I prescribe some and then you have it in case you need it? Something light.”
What if she took them and got stuck in a nightmare? Or worse, someone tried to hurt her while she was out?
“Do you often get a sore stomach?”
Shoot. She was still rubbing it. “Sometimes.”
“Does it hurt to eat?”
“Yeah, sometimes.”
“I’m going to keep you in here while we run some more tests. Check there’s nothing else going on with your heart and your stomach. Are you sure I can’t call anyone? I’d rather you didn’t leave here on your own.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said firmly. “And you can send Ed home too. I’ll be all right now. I just want to be on my own.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’m sure.” Coming here had been stupid. She knew that. Ed wasn’t interested in her. It was time she buried that fantasy. For good.
11
She was so ready to get out of here.
Georgina paced up and down the hospital room as she waited for the nurse to come back with all her paperwork. She had had to stop herself from snapping at the woman several times for how slow she was moving.
“I guess it was too much to ask that my most troublesome patient be waiting quietly in the wheelchair for me to come and get her.”
She turned to find Xavier standing in the doorway. She flushed guiltily then straightened her shoulders. “I really don’t need a wheelchair. There’s nothing wrong with me.” Nothing physically wrong with her. She kind of wished there were. That would be easier to deal with. But being stressed, suffering from anxiety, those weren’t things that people could see and understand. It wasn’t something her mother would accept.
Sheriff Daddy (Montana Daddies Book 10) Page 9
