“You’re having a nap,” he stated. “I’ll get you something to sleep in. Sit.” He pointed at the bed.
She sighed, even as she sat. “Ed, I don’t need a nap.”
“You look exhausted. You’re just out of the hospital. You need a nap. And you haven’t been sleeping well for a while. You’ll need daily naps for a while until you build up your strength.”
“I will not!”
He shot a firm look at her. “Georgie-girl, when it comes to your health, I am not messing around. I’m still concerned about your heart, even though you’ve explained it. I’d still like to talk to Xavier about it.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “I’ll give him permission to speak to you.”
“Thank you.” He hugged her tight and her tense body relaxed as his arms surrounded her. She was engulfed by this big bear of a man. And while he was around, she knew nothing could get to her. Nothing physical. She wished he could hold the nightmares at bay.
He kissed the top of her head. “Right, nap time. I’ll get you one of my shirts to sleep in.”
“Ed, I’m not taking a nap. I haven’t napped since I was two.”
“Sounds like you’re overdue then.” He returned from the closet with a black T-shirt in his hand. “You need help getting into this?”
“No,” she squeaked. She wasn’t ready for that. Was she? She wasn’t sure. The thought of his hands touching her bare skin . . . okay, get your mind off that quick!
“You need the bathroom? You haven’t gone since we left the hospital, you must need to pee. You also haven’t drunk anything though. I’ll get you some water.” He was muttering as he took her hand and led her to the attached bathroom which was through the closet. The bathroom was surprisingly elegant. Marble tile, black fixtures, and crisp, white towels.
“Use the toilet, get changed then climb into bed. I’m going to get you a snack and some water. Need to write up some sort of schedule so I don’t forget to feed and water you.”
“I’m not a pet!” she snapped at him then noticed he was grinning. “You’re having me on.”
“Sort of.” He closed the door behind him before she could reply. What did he mean, sort of?
16
Ed grabbed his phone and called Xavier. It went to voicemail.
“Need to talk to you about Georgina’s health and care.” After ending the call, he gathered up a bottle of water then cut up some apple and put it on a plate with cheese slices and crackers. He wasn’t exactly a gourmet cook, but it was healthy.
His phone rang. That was quick.
“I can’t talk to you, Ed,” Xavier said immediately. “Patient-doctor confidentiality.”
Patient-doctor confidentiality could take a flying leap out the window as far as he was concerned.
“I have her permission, asshole.”
“Wow, this is going to be a fun conversation if you’re name-calling already. I need to hear that from her.”
“All right. But she’s about to have a nap so you’ll have to make it quick.”
“You got her to agree to a nap and to staying at your place? I’m impressed. She’s not tied to your bed, is she? Should I send one of your deputies out to check?”
“Haha, keep it up, asshole, and I’ll have them ping you every time they catch you speeding.” Xavier had a lead foot.
“Now, now, no need for that,” Xavier said hastily. “Is she there?”
Ed put the plate of food and water down on the bedside table. He looked over at Georgie where she sat in his bed, wearing his T-shirt, sheets around her.
They were going to smell of her when he climbed in there tonight.
Hell. Yes.
Satisfaction unlike anything he’d known before filled him. He sat facing her then put the phone on speaker and settled it on her lap.
“Right, she’s here.”
Xavier sighed. “I’m on speaker, aren’t I?”
“Yep. Georgie, tell Xavier that he can talk to me about your health.” He hated this. He didn’t want to have to ask permission to find out what was going on with her.
Georgie was his.
“You can talk to him, Xavier. Make him stop worrying so much. When he hears there’s nothing actually wrong with me, then he might give up this ridiculous idea that I need to take daily naps.”
“I wouldn’t say that there was nothing wrong, sweetheart,” Xavier said cautiously.
She moved her hand through the air dismissively. “Yes, but nothing serious.”
Xavier sighed. “Sweetheart, this is still serious.”
“But I don’t have a heart condition or anything.”
“Yes, but stress and anxiety can all impact your health negatively. You need to take this seriously. Stress can kill you prematurely. You collapsed the other day. I wish you’d consider speaking to someone, there are things that can be done—”
“I don’t want drugs.”
“There are other ways,” he soothed. “Techniques you can use to help. Running until you’re at the point of exhaustion and collapse isn’t a good coping technique.”
She sighed, but looked unsure.
“Can we table that for the moment?” Ed asked. “Is there anything else we can do?”
She sent him a grateful look. Oh, if only she knew that he intended to revisit the therapy idea. But after he’d talked to Xavier about who he would recommend and done his own research. Then he’d talk her into going. Because she was going to get everything she needed. Even if he had to use a bit of gentle pressure.
Or not so gentle pressure. But he’d use that as a last resort. With Georgie, he needed to tread carefully until she trusted him more.
“Anything to help her relax. Exercise is good, but not to the point of exhaustion. Something like yoga or Pilates might help. Sleeping and eating right is imperative. A good diet. Plenty of rest. But it can be hard to sleep well with anxiety. Naps are a good idea. Particularly as it sounds like you haven’t slept well in a while.”
“Darn it, you weren’t supposed to back him up,” she grumbled.
“So keeping her relaxed and her mind off negative thoughts,” Ed reiterated.
“Right. If you can think of ways to do that, great. Also cutting down on caffeine. That won’t be helping the heart palpitations or the headaches. Drink lots of water. Did you fill the ‘script yet for her iron tablets?”
“No, I was going to go out and do that soon,” Ed replied.
“Try to take them with vitamin C to aid absorption. They can upset some people’s stomachs, so just watch out for any nausea, constipation, or vomiting.”
“Xavier!” she protested, going bright red.
“I’ve got to know what to look for,” Ed told her firmly. “It’s my job to keep you safe and healthy.”
“I’ve been doing that myself for over twenty years.”
He thought it probably wasn’t prudent to remind her that she’d just ended up in the hospital because she’d collapsed. And that she was underweight and stressed.
“Call me if you need me, all right?”
“Thanks, man,” Ed told him gratefully, putting him off speaker and holding the phone to his ear.
“So I’m no longer an asshole?”
“Nah, you’re always an asshole,” he replied. “Gotta go. Got to take care of my girl.”
“I’m glad you’ve found her. I’m off speaker?”
“Yep.”
“There’s a prescription for sedatives with her discharge papers. She’s not keen on taking them, but if she’s having real problems sleeping she might need to.”
“Got it. Don’t worry I’m going to take good care of her.” He stared down at Georgina as he told Xavier that.
“Never doubted you, man.”
He ended the call then put his phone down. She tried to smile for him. “See? Nothing that bad.”
“Bad enough, Georgie-girl.”
“I’ll have to think of a nickname for you. Maybe pumpkin lips.”
“Pumpkin lips?”
He gaped at her with pretend-horror. No, wait, that was actual horror. Because if she ever called him that in front of Kiesha, then he’d never live it down. “You best do better than that, brat.”
She just grinned. He was enjoying this light-hearted side of her too much to tell her that he’d put her over his knee if she ever called him that in public.
Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head. “I’m going to go grab your stuff from the motel. I know you paid for the week, but Arnie is unlikely to give you a refund. I can put the pressure on him—”
“No, it’s fine,” she told him. “I really don’t care about the money. Honest. But umm . . .” She trailed off looking uncertain and miserable.
He definitely didn’t like her looking that way. Reaching out, he ran his fingers down her cheek. “What is it?”
“Well, shoot. See there is something I need that you might not find.”
That wasn’t mysterious or anything.
“What is it?”
“Under the pillow is a toy, a parrot.”
A parrot? That was interesting. And under the pillow? Why would she keep it there?
“I know it’s stupid to want a stuffed toy when I’m an adult,” she said, shame clear in her voice.
Nope. He wasn’t having any of that.
“Hey.” Reaching out, he tilted up her chin. “Listen to me.”
Her eyes flared at the firmness in his voice. Good. He wanted her to know he was serious about this. “There is nothing wrong with needing a comfort object. Whether it’s a toy, a blanket, some sort of keepsake. All right?”
She still looked uncertain but she nodded. “All right.”
“Do you need it to sleep?”
Her cheeks went bright red but she nodded. “Well, I don’t really sleep much but yeah, I feel better when I have him.”
He frowned. “You should have asked me to get it for you when you first woke up in the hospital.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that. I mean, I was worried about what you . . . “
“About what I’d think? Because you always have to be strong? Make all the decisions? Be confident?” he asked gently.
Her shoulders slumped. “Something like that.”
Placing his hand under her chin, he tilted her face up. “You don’t have to do everything. You can let all that go when you’re with me. You can give me your fears, your burdens.”
“I don’t need someone to make decisions for me,” she told him. But there was a look of indecision on her face.
“Is that what you truly believe or what you think you should say?”
She gulped.
“Letting someone help isn’t a sign of weakness. It takes a lot of courage. And trust. You need to know that they will protect you, keep you safe, have your best interests at heart. You can lean on me.”
“I’m not sure I know how to do that,” she admitted.
“I can help you.”
She looked unsure. And exhausted.
Inwardly he cursed himself. She’s just out of the hospital, dickhead. But maybe he could subtly Top her. Help her. It seemed she had a lot of misconceptions about herself. He stood. “Are you going to be all right if I head out and grab your stuff as well as fill your ‘scripts?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I want all this water gone and at least half the food by the time I get back. And rest,” he bossed.
She flung him a salute. “Yes, Sir Pumpkin Lips.”
“Not happening, brat,” he growled at her. “Maybe I should have gotten someone to sit with you. What if you get out of bed and collapse?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I’m not going to get out of bed and collapse. I’ll be fine. I don’t feel dizzy at all.”
“Even so, I don’t want you getting out of bed unless it’s an emergency, understand?” he said sternly. Shit. The pharmacy closed earlier today. If he waited for someone to come sit with her, then he might not get these ‘scripts filled.
“And what if I have to pee?” she challenged.
“Not an emergency. I can change the sheets when I get home.”
“Ed!” she squeaked.
He grinned at her.
“Stop teasing me,” she grumbled. “Jesus, I thought you were serious. Thought you were going to whip out a pair of adult diapers.”
“Hmm, you’re so small, I think toddler-sized ones would fit you.”
She grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.
“Hey, where did these violent tendencies come from?” He shook his head. “You think you know someone . . . “
“Idiot,” she muttered but he saw her fighting a grin.
“Rest,” he commanded. “Stay in bed unless it’s an emergency or you need the bathroom. Where’s your phone? I’ll put it on the bedside table.”
“I don’t know, I guess it’s in my handbag.”
“I’ll go get it for you.”
He returned quickly with her handbag. “What? You didn’t go looking for it yourself?”
“Hey, I know better than to go through a woman’s handbag. I’m not a complete caveman. Kiesha taught me that when I was younger. She likes to keep Kit Kats in her bag and I used to go in and steal them. One day, she booby-trapped her bag with a mouse trap. No idea how she managed it but to this day, I’ve never gone into another woman’s handbag without permission. Unless it’s for work, of course.”
She grinned. “I love Kiesha.”
“She loves you too.”
Her grin disappeared. “Do you think so?” She drew out her phone and tried to turn it on.
“I know she does.”
“I’ve never had a friend.”
Never? What the hell?
“What about at school? At work?”
She shrugged. “I was homeschooled when I was younger. Then when my father finally put his foot down and sent me, I was the strange kid. The odd one out since everyone else knew each other. And once I was older . . . well, any girls who did try to be my friend, it was usually because they wanted to get close to my brothers.”
“I’m sorry, honey. They’re older?”
“Yeah, and they’re the bane of my existence. I’m thirty-four years old and they still think they get to boss me around and stick their noses into my business.”
“Big brothers can be protective of their little sisters.”
“They can also be big, fat jerks,” she muttered in a surprisingly sulky voice. This was a new side to her he hadn’t seen and while he shouldn’t encourage sulkiness, it was kind of cute.
“Your phone’s dead?”
She nodded. “Yeah, the charger is at the motel.”
“I’ll get mine. It’s the same model. You shouldn’t let your phone die.”
“I know. I’m going to pay for that.”
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing. I’m kind of tired. I think I will have a nap.”
Oh, now she wanted to nap? Uh-huh. He gave her a knowing look and she at least looked a bit guilty.
He leaned in. “I’m going to learn all your secrets, Georgie-girl.”
She gazed up at him. “Will I know all yours?”
“Not much to tell, but everything is yours to know.”
“What if you don’t like my secrets?” she asked. “What if they make you think less of me?”
“Not possible. Right, your phone is charging. When you can, turn it on so you can call me if you need me. You still have my number?”
She nodded. “Yes. I do.”
“Do you need anything from the store?”
“Dr. Pepper?”
“Yeah, nice try. Xavier said you have to cut down on caffeine. That’s not happening.”
“But I can’t live without caffeine,” she said dramatically.
“You’ll survive,” he replied dryly. “Now, I need my hug before I go.”
She bit her lip but held her arms out. Sitting on the bed beside her, he drew her against him.
“Home soon, Georgie-girl.”
<
br /> “Drive safe, snicker-doodle.”
17
You can’t hide, my sweet Daisy.
I’m right here, watching you. You should never have tried to run. You know what happens when you run.
It makes me angry.
Georgina woke up with a gasp, nausea bubbling in her stomach. She half-fell out of bed. She was disorientated, unsure where she was. She landed hard on her knees and let out a gasp of pain. Standing, she glanced around frantically.
Finally, it registered that she was in Ed’s bedroom. She dived through the closet and into the attached bathroom. Falling to her knees, she vomited up what she’d managed to get down of the snack that Ed had left for her.
Gasping, shivering, she sat back on her ass and curled herself into a ball.
Why were those nightmares coming back? Because she’d been shot? Was it because she couldn’t handle it? It was like being shot had triggered something in her mind. She placed her hand over the scar on her stomach. How would she explain that to Ed? She couldn’t lie to him. But that meant talking about it.
Something she tried to never do.
This is never to be spoken of again.
Yeah, that was working really well for her, wasn’t it? If she’d been able to speak about it then perhaps she wouldn’t be having these problems right now.
Dead. He was dead. He wasn’t coming for her.
She forced herself to stand, her legs shaking. Splashing some water on her face, she looked at herself in the mirror. Was she even more gaunt? Were those dark smudges under her eyes worse?
Darn it. If Ed came home and saw her right now he’d have a fit.
In college, she’d decided that to be normal, she needed a boyfriend. She’d set out to find a man who was the exact opposite of her brothers. Someone easygoing, who would let her do whatever she wanted. Rex had been a really nice guy, but she’d been the dominant one in that relationship. She’d thought that was what she wanted.
Turns out, it wasn’t.
She’d ended up pushing him for a reaction. Doing things to see if he’d protest or try to stop her. He never had. And now, she might have gone in the complete opposite direction. She already knew that Ed wasn’t going to let her get away with half the stuff that Rex had. Like running at night. Like skipping meals.
Sheriff Daddy (Montana Daddies Book 10) Page 13
