Mended

by Stacy Eaton

  “Would I be any other way?” I laughed.

  “I assume that, at this point, they don’t know when you will return to work, do they?” There was a loaded question because now I really was wondering if I wanted to go back.

  “Yeah, we aren’t discussing that quite yet. I have a long road ahead of me first.” I changed subjects, “So why did you say that Josey probably could come out to help me if she wanted to?”

  Walker shrugged, “About a week ago when we were having dinner, she was talking about how she needed a break. She mentioned that she’d love to get away. The woman never takes a vacation, so she’s got weeks of time banked up.”

  “Really?” I said slowly. “Then she doesn’t have an excuse, huh?”

  “She’s not trained for that, you know.”

  “Yeah, but she’s a nurse. She would be able to care of me, right?”

  “If she wanted to.”

  “Why wouldn’t she want to?”

  My father piped in, “Because you’re kind of demanding she do it, not giving her a choice. How about next time you see her, if she even comes back, you ask her?”

  Walker popped an eyebrow up. “Might make a difference if you tell her why you want her to do it. Is there a specific reason?”

  I threw a quick look toward my mom before I replied, “No, not really. I trust her. I think she would be good. She understands me.”

  “Well, I’d suggest you do what your father says and ask her. Tell her why you think she would be helpful. Women like to be needed.”

  “I’ll think about how to phrase it and ask her next time I see her. So how are Jasmine and Tony?”

  “Good, Jasmine is worried about you. We told Tony you got hurt because he saw it on the news, but we didn’t tell him how bad. He’s worried about you, too, wants to visit to make sure you’re alright. Said if you had a cast he wanted to sign it.”

  “Luckily, no cast. They are going to give me a brace. As soon as I get feeling back in my legs, I’ll be moving around with the brace.”

  “Let’s hope that is sooner than later, huh?”

  Walker hung around for a few more minutes and talked with my parents before he said he had patients to see and said his goodbyes.

  My parents left around five that afternoon to spend some time with Marisha since I was doing so well. I was wiped out from all the moving around and the visitors. By eight, I was sound asleep.

  When I woke up, I found Camille sitting in the chair beside me, a huge bouquet of flowers and mylar balloons dancing in the air above them.

  “Hey,” she said softly and glanced at the arrangement, “from the squad.”

  “Tell them thanks,” I replied around a yawn. “Thanks for coming to see me, sorry I was sleeping.”

  “You need sleep more than you need visitors.” She smiled.

  “Yeah, but you’re like family,” I remarked, and I saw her face tense. “Come here,” I held my hand out and she came to the side of the bed. “Have a seat but don’t hit my leg.”

  Camille perched on the edge of the bed, careful to stay away from both my legs and took my hand, “I don’t know what I would have done if the guy had killed you, Tuck. When I saw that SUV barreling toward you, I didn’t even have time to do anything but yell your name and then you were flying through the air. I thought you were going to be dead when you hit the ground, but I heard you scream and then saw the guy standing over you. I couldn’t see the gun. All I knew was people were yelling at you, and I was so pissed off and scared that all I could think about was tackling the son of a bitch and beating the crap out of someone.”

  “I told you before, if you hadn’t jumped on him when you did, he would have put a bullet in my head.”

  She swiped under her eye. “It was the scariest thing I have ever had to deal with.”

  “Yeah, me, too. I’m sorry that you had to deal with it.”

  “I love you, Tuck. You know that, but after that, I’m not sure I can get back out on the street.”

  “Wait, are you telling me you’re working the desk right now?”

  “I took a little bit of time off for mental health. I haven’t been able to sleep since. Every time I close my eyes, I see you flying through the air and hear the gunshot.”

  “Oh, Camille,” I pulled her to me, holding her as tightly to my chest as I could with the pain. “I’m so sorry. You can’t let what happened stop you from doing the job. You have to get back out there.”

  “Are you going to go back?” She glanced toward my leg.

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to, and quite honestly, I’m not sure I want to. You know how I was feeling before this.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m starting to think the same way. There are so many crazy people out there that want to fight and kill us.”

  I cupped her check when she pulled back. “And there are a lot of people that really need our help.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “You need to decide what is right for you. I have no idea what the future is going to bring my way, but this decision needs to be made by you. Take this time off and get a hold on what happened, and then make a decision when you aren’t emotional.”

  “You know, if I wasn’t a lesbian, I’d be head over in heels in love with you.”

  “Yeah, me, too,” I winked at her, “but, since you are, I will have to find someone else to fall in love with me.”

  “Yeah, good luck with that,” she joked. “I’m not sure there is anyone around who could put up with you for very long.”

  I laughed and held my stomach. “You’re probably right, but I think I finally found someone I might just be interested in enough to try.”

  “Oh, really?” Her face lit up with excitement. “Do tell.”

  I was about to open my mouth to tell her about Josey when Josey walked into the room and stopped in her tracks as she took in the scene in front of her.

  “Josey, come in. I want you to meet my partner. Josey Napier, this is Camille Briggs.”

  Camille climbed off the bed quickly and shook hands with Josey. The two of them eyed each other carefully.

  “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything,” Josey stated after she said hello to Camille.

  “No, I was getting ready to leave. I remember you from when he came out of surgery. Are you one of his doctors?”

  “No, I’m a surgical nurse. I was in both of his surgeries.”

  “And you visit with all the patients you assist with?” she asked curiously.

  “No, Tuck is friends with Walker Hunt. Walker and I are close friends.”

  “Ah,” Camille looked over her shoulder at me and winked, “so is this the one?”

  “The one what?” Josey asked quickly.

  “Weren’t you just leaving, Camille?” I asked quickly.

  She threw her head back and laughed. She knew me so well. I guess that’s what happens when you work so closely with someone for five years. “Yeah, I’m going, but we have more to catch up on.”

  “Yeah, we do.”

  “I love you, Tuck.” She kissed my forehead. “Get better, I’ll see you soon.”

  “See you later, tell everyone I said hello.”

  Camille said goodbye to Josey and scooted out the door, grinning.

  “You said partner, you mean police partner, not girlfriend, right?”

  “Oh, yeah, Camille and I work together. There is nothing romantic going on with us.”

  “Okay,” Josey said slowly.

  “So, Josey, I was thinking about what I said yesterday. I probably should have come up with a better way to have said it.”

  “Did you change your mind?” she asked.

  “What? No, I’m still very interested in you helping me.” I paused, “Come closer, please.”

  Josey came to the side of the bed, and I took her hand. “I trust you, and for some reason, I am really comfortable with you. What I am about to go through is not going to be easy, but I think with your help, it will be more bearable.”

/>   “You do?”

  “Yeah, I do. I know that you won’t let me do something that will hurt me, and you’ll make sure I get the medical attention that I need. I know you have an important job here, but if you would consider taking a few weeks off just to help me get settled and moving through treatment, I would be really grateful.”

  I watched her while her eyes studied my face as she contemplated what I had said. “And what if it doesn’t work?”

  “Then you come back, and I hire another nurse.” I squeezed her hand, “Come on, what do you say?”

  “I must be crazy, but I’m going to say okay.”

  I burst into a huge grin, “Are you serious?”

  “I told you I’d never been to Texas, and I could use a break from the operating room.”

  “You are going to love it there,”—and maybe if things went well, she’d love being with me, too.

  Chapter 11

  Josey

  I’d had every intention of saying no, I really did, and my resolve even hardened when I saw the beautiful woman sitting on the bed beside him early the next morning.

  Yet somehow when he told me that she was his partner at work, and began explaining to me why he wanted me to come, my resolve quickly melted and dripped right down the drain. Well, hell.

  His soft husky voice, square chin, full lips, and those amazing green eyes just did me in. I was pretty much screwed. He obviously thought I could handle it, and I was always one to take on a challenge. Only, the big challenge with this was going to be not falling for another guy who looked at me as something other than what I wanted to be.

  I could do this, though. I told myself that I could handle this. It would be fun, something different. As I entered the elevator after I left him, I groaned. What the hell did I get myself into? Why didn’t I just take a singles cruise, or jet off to the Bahamas for a few days?

  Because I was a glutton for punishment, that’s why. For the rest of the night, I warred with myself and my decision. I couldn’t wait until tomorrow afternoon when I would get a chance to hang with Ember and Jasmine for a little while and talk it out.

  The rest of the night went quickly, and I left the hospital to get home without stopping in to see Tucker again. I’d left him my phone number and had told him that I was off work. So forty minutes after I got off, I was in bed ready to nap before I met Jasmine and Ember for lunch and then shopping.

  It wasn’t just a girls’ day out to shop. No, we had wedding shopping to do. Both of them were engaged and, as strange as it sounded, they were having a small double wedding the weekend before Christmas.

  Jasmine had asked me to stand as her maid of honor, and I’d been floored that she had thought to ask me. I was so excited for both of them, and so happy to be part of their special day. Trudy Parker, a college friend of Ember and who was engaged to Ward Young, was Ember’s maid of honor, and unfortunately, she wasn’t able to be there today. Ward was Colt’s best man, and the last I knew, Walker was supposed to have asked Tucker to be his best man. I wondered if he had, or if that might change now.

  I envied the hell out of these two women. The men they were going to marry were exceptional—ones that would treat them like gold and cherish them like the most precious things in the world. I wanted a man to treat me that way.

  I fell asleep and dreamed I was walking down the aisle, only when I got to the front, there was no man standing there, and when I turned around, the church was empty. I stood at the altar decked out in an elegant dress and was alone.

  When I woke, the feeling of being alone stuck with me, and I had to push through the melancholy emotion that settled around me as I joined the women at lunch.

  I’d only been seated a couple of minutes when Jasmine gave me a Cheshire smile and asked, “Well?”

  I eyed both her and Ember. “Well, what?”

  “Are you going to do it?”

  “Do what?” I really had no clue what she was talking about, and Ember looked just as confused.

  She rolled her eyes. “Go to Texas with Tucker?”

  “What?” Ember shrieked. “Why would she go to Texas with him?”

  Jasmine turned to Ember and told her about the offer Tucker had extended. Why had I told Walker about this yesterday?

  “Oh my god, you have to go!” Ember gushed. “Tucker is amazing, and you would be so good for him.”

  “Ember, I’m going as his private nurse, not his girlfriend.”

  Jasmine burst out, “You’re going?”

  I took a deep breath, “Yes, I decided to go. I could use some time off, Tucker could use a hand, and I’ve never been to Texas.”

  Jasmine grabbed my hand. “I’m so excited for you, and you might not be going as his girlfriend, but you better not be all work the whole time you are there. Tucker is interested in you.”

  I pulled my hand away and sat back laughing uncomfortably. “No, he’s not.”

  Both of them hooted. “We have both seen the way he checks you out,” Ember concurred. “He asked Walker and Colt not long ago if you were seeing anyone.”

  “Just because he asked that does not mean he’s interested himself. Maybe he was looking to set a friend up with someone. Besides, he has this gorgeous partner that he works with, and the two of them are really close.”

  Jasmine snorted, “And Camille is a lesbian with a very nice girlfriend named Reba.”

  “She’s gay?” My heart beat a little faster.

  Jasmine grinned and nodded dramatically, “Yes, and very close to her girlfriend. Camille and Tucker are close like I’m close to Tucker. There is nothing romantic about it.”

  “Oh, okay,” I said quietly.

  “And, if you’re going as his nurse, why would you even care?” Ember asked with a piqued brow.

  “I don’t. I just don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea.”

  “Yeah,” Ember and Jasmine shared a look, “okay, whatever you say.”

  “You guys, seriously,” I whined, “I’m going out there to help him—nothing else.”

  “What color are his eyes?” Ember asked quickly.

  “Green? Why?”

  “What is the cutest thing about him?” Jasmine asked just as fast.

  I paused. “He has cute ears,” I answered, and they both burst out laughing.

  “She’s checked out his ears!” Ember cackled. “No, she’s not interested in him.”

  I held my hands up in defense against the onslaught as my cheeks began to burn with warmth. “Hey, he was lying down, what the hell else was I supposed to check out?”

  Jasmine sobered and leaned on her forearms. “You know you really like a guy when you notice the little things about him, like his ears and his fingers, and not just his wide shoulders and firm ass.”

  “Like I said, he was lying down,” I commented and took a gulp from my wineglass.

  Jasmine put her hand on my forearm again. “Look, whatever reasons you have for going out there, that’s fine. Just don’t overlook the fact that you are going to be working very closely with a very sexy man who has shown an interest in you.”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t go.” I stated quickly.

  “What?” Ember spouted.

  “Why?” Jasmine asked at the same time.

  “I don’t want a guy to care about me just because I can take care of him. I don’t need another guy looking at me like I’m just a friend.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I glanced at Jasmine guiltily.

  “I know you care a great deal about Walker. I’ve always known, and I’m so appreciative of the fact that you didn’t push him or make him uncomfortable about it.”

  “Jasmine, just so you know, I did care a great deal for Walker, I still do, but not the same way as I did. I know how much he loves you, and I envy the hell out of you guys for it. You, too, Ember. I am so happy for both of you, and for them.”

  “You’ll find the right guy someday, Josey. Just be patient,” Jasmine consoled.

  “I know, I’m just tired of wait
ing.”

  Ember sighed, “We do know what you mean. Maybe Tucker is the guy for you, or maybe he’s not and you two will end up being good friends. Whatever happens, I’m really glad that you are going to help him.”

  “Me, too,” Jasmine added. “You’ll keep us updated on how he’s doing and if he needs anything, right?”

  “Of course, I will.”

  With that, the conversation about me and Tucker ended, and the rest of the day was filled with giggles and jokes and lots of oohs and ahhs as we all tried on dresses.

  Well, we didn’t speak about Tucker specifically again, but Jasmine did toss a sexy nightie my way and made a comment about the fact that I should pack something delicate just in case.

  “He’s in a wheelchair, guys, I don’t think sex is part of his rehab plan.”

  “You never know,” Ember had winked at me, “I used to use it for all kinds of rehab.”

  “Until you found the only man who can fix you with just a look,” Jasmine called out from across the clothing rack.

  “Yeah, he sure can,” Ember sighed wistfully.

  Ember and Colt had met the year before, and at the time Ember had been reeling from some serious trauma. She’d used sex to numb herself from the pain, and Colt had come into her life and changed it all.

  I so wanted to feel what they were feeling and to have it reciprocated. Was it possible that Tucker might be the guy who could make me sigh with such loving abandon?

  A text message notification called out from my cellphone, and I pulled it out of my purse to find a number I didn’t know. One look at the text, and I realized it was Tucker.

  You haven’t changed your mind, have you?

  No, Tucker, I haven’t.

  I missed seeing you today, Josey.

  Sorry. I told you I had plans today.

  There was a long pause before he responded. Hot date?

  My thumbs hovered over the keyboard, and I considered my reply. Should I play with him a little bit? Yeah, why not. No hot date, planning a wedding.

  Ten seconds later my phone rang. “You’re getting married?” he said by way of a greeting.

  I laughed. “No.”