by Stella Brie
Turning into the pound, I ask the officer on duty to point out Kate’s vehicle. He gives me the keys and points me toward the black Range Rover in the back corner. As I walk up to the vehicle, my knees tremble and almost give out as I look at the wreckage. There’s not a place on the vehicle that didn’t receive damage. The front of the vehicle is crumpled, the ceiling and sides are caved inward, and the glass is shattered.
Moving closer, I look into the driver’s seat and notice the blood and twisted seat. Thankfully, the vehicle has front and side airbags. If they hadn’t, I don’t think she would have survived. Tears come to my eyes as I think about what could have been. My hand reaches up to rub the ache in my chest, and I have this urge to get back home and pull her into my arms. Before I leave, I take a few pictures of the vehicle so I can show them it is totaled. Cleaning out the vehicle, I take her few belongings to the truck.
As I pull up to the drive, I see Lowell getting out of his vehicle. He waits while I get out and grab Kate’s stuff.
“What are you doing? Where’s Kate?” he demands.
“Lev came home a little while ago. I left to check on her vehicle.” My voice is tight as I relay the state of her vehicle to him. “She’s so lucky to be alive.” Pulling out my phone, I show him the pictures.
His body sways as he reviews the damage. “I need to see her.” Turning around, he rushes off towards the house. “Hurry!”
Walking in, Lowell walks right over and plucks Kate out of Lev’s arms. Holding her tight, he carries her over to a chair and sits down with her in his arms. His hands go over every inch of her, as if to reassure himself she is alive, with only mild injuries. The look on his face is intense as he checks her out. Kate reaches up, clasps his head in her hands, and gives him a deep kiss. Stopping, he pulls back and looks at her. Blinking rapidly, he wraps his hand gently in her hair and kisses her like the oxygen she is to him. There is nothing controlled in his response only pure emotion.
Both my heart and cock ache as I watch them. Looking over, I see Lev watching me with his eyebrows raised before he turns back to the other two. Sending him the pictures of her smashed SUV via text, I wait for him to look at them.
As his phone buzzes, he pulls up the text with the pictures, and his face loses all color. Hunching over, his fists clench as he stares down at the wrecked vehicle. Looking up at me, I see tears in his eyes before he looks over to Kate in Lowell’s arms. He moves over to the chair next to them so he can reach out and touch her.
The moment feels too intimate, and feeling left out, I go to bed. Calling out goodnight to them all, I move towards the hall. I hear Kate call out to me.
“Thank you, Shaw, for everything. Goodnight.”
Slipping into bed, my thoughts go back to the wrecked vehicle and last twenty-four hours. In the Army, I’d known how brief life can be, but I’d forgotten that fact in safe Montana. My inability to make a decision stemmed from fear of getting hurt, and I could have lost her without ever even knowing or loving her. Not anymore. My decision is clear now. Sniffing, I smell Kate on the pillow next to me, which only serves to remind me how empty my arms are tonight without her here. I pull the pillow into my arms and drift off to sleep.
CHAPTER 25
KATE
Both Lowell and Lev’s bodies are wrapped tightly around me when I wake late the next morning. After seeing the wreckage, none of us really felt like being alone, so we all piled into Lev’s bed. Given how exhausted we all were, it’s no surprise we slept in this morning.
Stretching my body, it’s as if a heavy soreness accompanies even that smallest of movements. Unfortunately, I’ve got to pee. Sliding down to the end of the bed, I make my way to the bathroom. After I use the restroom, I brush my teeth and turn on the shower. Damn! I forgot about my cast. Either I need to find a plastic bag, or I’ll have to ask one of them to help me shower. Before I can decide, a knock sounds on the bathroom door.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?” Lev murmurs quietly against the door.
Opening the door, I pull Lev into the bathroom and explain my dilemma.
“Mmm, a shower with you? I’m in.” Grinning, he pushes me back into the bedroom so he can use the restroom first. Once done, he opens the door for me to come back into the bathroom.
“Lift your arms.” He quickly peels off my shirt. Inhaling sharply, his fingers trace over the bruises standing out all over my body. Gently pulling me in for a hug, he stands there for a second, just holding me, while a tremor shakes his body. His voice is strained as he tells me, “Fuck, I’m so glad you are okay. I can’t imagine my world without you in it.” I wrap him in my arms and hold him.
After a minute, he kneels down to help me take off my underwear. He strips off his boxer briefs and, taking my hand, steps into the shower. He places my left arm, with the cast, on the wall and directs the spray more towards the right. Moving under the spray, I moan as the hot water gently massages my sore body.
Behind me, slippery hands wash down my backside. Lev is careful as he skims the cuts and bruises caused by the accident. Turning me around, he adjusts the spray again and continues to wash my front. A moan slips out as he skims my breasts.
“Does it hurt or feel good?”
“Good. Don’t stop.”
Opening my eyes, I watch as he soaps each breast and nipple carefully before slipping down to wash me between my legs. I whimper as his hands wash every inch of me. Heat rises in me, but I know I’m too sore right now.
Finally finished with my body, he washes my hair. Blood had seeped into it during the crash, and while I had tried to rinse it out, I missed some spots. The water turns pink as he washes it the first time, but by the second time it finally feels clean. Smiling, I turn around and give him a hug.
Groaning, he rubs his wet body on mine. “Damn, you feel good, sweetheart. Too good, especially right now.” Turning me back around, he pushes me out of the shower, swatting my ass as I leave.
“Thank you for the help.”
Laughing, I take the time to dry every inch of my breasts while he watches. His cock, already hard with morning wood, is now almost purple. Licking my lips, I watch as he fists it. Starting out with slow strokes that go from base to tip, he gathers up some soap to make it slick.
“I want you to see you. Drop the towel.” His demand is husky as his hands move faster.
I drop the towel. Spreading my legs wide, I lean back and thrust my hips out so he can see the edge of my pussy.
“That’s it, sweetheart. Show me your sweet pussy.” His hands are stroking his cock fast and tight now. “Fuck, you’re so beautiful. All I could think about when I was in Las Vegas was how you felt the last time we were together. Dripping all over my cock as you sat in my lap and rode me hard. Your breasts bouncing up and down, nipples hard and tempting. Tell me, are you wet?”
Trailing my fingers down, I slide them into my pussy, stroke a few times, and pull them back out, wet and glistening. Showing them to him, I slip my fingers into my mouth to lick them clean.
“Fuck, that’s hot. Taste that sweetness.”
Moaning long and low, he strokes his cock a couple more times and comes hard a second later. Panting, he leans against the shower wall for a second as pleasure rolls through him.
Picking up the towel, I wrap it around me and leave the bathroom so he can finish his shower. As I enter the bedroom, Lowell’s propped up against the headboard. His face is stern as he looks over the bruises showing above the towel.
“What the hell is he thinking...”
Holding up a hand, I explain to him it was a solo performance. I only watched; I did not participate. “Although I wish I could, my body is way too sore for any extracurricular activities. I definitely watched.”
Dropping the towel, my hands are slow as I pull on my underwear, leggings, and a soft shirt. Combing my hair, I let it air dry. Once I’m finished, I walk over to Lowell and give him a kiss.
“I’d like to watch you sometime, too. Would you like that?”
>
His eyes narrow, as if he has to think about it, but the heat riding his face makes it a mockery. “Maybe I will let you. Not today. I’m going to get a shower and get dressed. Ask Lev to make us some breakfast.”
Pushing back the covers, he stands, and the first thing I notice is his cock tenting his very loose boxers.
Damn, he’s so long. I guess hearing me with Lev turned him on.
Wrenching up my gaze, I watch as he smirks and stalks off.
CHAPTER 26
THAYER
Fear makes my heart pound as I wait for the guys to arrive. I asked the doctor to give me my test results once my brothers got here, so they could hear them directly. I feel some sensation in my legs, but I’m not sure if it’s enough. It was so stupid to let that baby announcement get to me so badly. It’s not like I even miss Nessa anymore, but I had thought I’d have a family by now. She has everything I so badly wanted. Now, I just want to walk again.
Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I drop my head and close my eyes for a few minutes. Hearing the door open, I watch as Shaw, Lev, and Lowell enter the room.
“Hey, guys. You all look worse than I feel. What’s up? You didn’t get any news from the doctor, did you?” I tense, worried he told them the news before me, so they could help ease any impact.
“It’s nothing to do with your prognosis. We’ll explain after the doctor leaves. He’s on his way now.” Shaw swipes his hand over his face before coming around to grab my shoulder.
Lowell looks at Lev, and they have a silent conversation. Lev’s brows furrow in disagreement. My frustration builds. Usually I’m involved in those conversations, but I guess I’m out of the loop tonight.
The doctor enters the room and explains the diagnosis. “Hello, everyone. Let’s get to the point, shall we? Thayer, your spinal cord is severely bruised in your lower lumbar region. At this moment, we’re not able to identify the severity of the injury until the swelling goes down. If moderate, it will go away with time and rehabilitation. If severe, we’ll assess and determine if surgery is required, or if the loss of some function will be permanent. We’re giving you medication to bring the swelling down. Once it’s down, we’ll determine if our next course of action is rehab or surgery. I’m optimistic, given that you have sensation in both legs, but regardless, you have a long road of recovery ahead of you. Do you have any questions?”
After our questions are answered, the doctor leaves. I swallow hard as I take in the information. Everyone’s somber as they look at me. Shaw, of course, is already in planning mode, given the look on his face.
“We’ll start getting the house ready. I’m assuming you’ll be in a wheelchair while you recover, which means we’ll need ramps installed in the house. In addition, I’ll switch out our rooms so you can have the ground floor when you get home. If rehab becomes an option, we can set up a room for your therapy, too,” he tells me, placing his hand on my shoulder.
“Shaw, damn it. Give me a second to breathe here,” I demand, shrugging off his hand. “What if I don’t walk again?”
“Then we’ll deal with it. We count our victories and start planning our next moves.” Arms crossed, he stands steadfast as he looks me in the eye.
Frustrated, I stare at him. “What victories?”
All three of them look at me like I’m stupid. Shaw spits out, “The fact that you are alive is our biggest victory. Until last week, when you woke up from the coma, it was looking like we would have to plan your funeral. This week, we found out your spinal cord isn’t severed and you have sensation in both legs. Those are the victories we will celebrate. We can only take this one day or one week at a time. So, fucking wallow in your pity for a day or two, but then we’ve got work to do. Do you hear me?”
My gaze travels from Shaw to the other two, and I can tell I’m outnumbered. Unable to see through today’s news, I grit my teeth. Shaw has never steered me wrong in the past, and he’s not about to abandon me now.
Deciding to change the subject, I assess each one of them in return, noting their exhaustion and anxiety. “What’s going on with you three? Am I the cause?”
Lev takes point as the spokesperson, which surprises me. Usually Shaw or Lowell lead serious discussions. “While you’ve been in the hospital, we employed a doctor to take over your practice. Dr. Kate Michaels.”
“Is it not working out? What happened?”
“Damn, give me a second,” he snaps. “She’s a fantastic doctor. The practice is doing fine.” Relief pours through me. “It’s...both Lowell and I have started dating her.”
Now I’m confused. “That’s unusual for you and Lowell to be interested in the same person. How long has this been going on?”
“I started dating her first, and then Lowell. She fits us both.” Looking at Lowell, he continues. “Two nights ago, she was in a serious car accident. Thankfully, she came out of it with minor injuries, but we’ve all been taking care of her the last few days.”
Relief makes me smile. “So, she’s dating you and Lowell? Well, I’m happy you guys found someone to date who likes you both. Just be careful, because I will want my practice back someday and she’ll be leaving.”
“While she is only dating us two right now, she also has feelings for Shaw. They haven’t moved on them yet. As for me and Lowell, we’re serious about her.” Lev stares at Shaw, silently asking him to say something.
Stunned, I try to digest the meaning of the three of them interested in the same woman. Again. “Wait, all of you? Shaw, you, too?”
Shaw steps forward. “You should know, all of you, the accident changed things for me.” He looks down at me. “I fought my feelings for her, because I didn’t want another Nessa in our lives, especially one who could leave us again. And I didn’t want to make life decisions with you in the hospital. But one look at her mashed-up vehicle, and the fight drained out of me. She’s an incredible woman, and if she lets me, I want more.” His eyes are apologetic as he waits for me to process the information.
Angry, I take in the serious looks on their faces. “No, this cannot be happening. We don’t need another Nessa tearing up our lives. It almost killed us last time. And look at me. In the hospital because I couldn’t deal with a baby announcement.” Smirking, I ask, “Am I supposed to just fall in line and fuck her, too?”
Lowell steps forward. “Watch your mouth, Thayer.” His fists clench as he stares down at me. “I know this comes as a shock. We’re all figuring things out. Regardless, Lev and I are in it for the long haul. If Shaw and Kate work things out, that’s up to them. We are brothers no matter what, and we will be here for you always.”
Dread pools in my stomach. While I was out in a coma, life started throwing some pretty big fucking curveballs. I know these guys, though, and if I try to fight them on this, they will just get pissed and dig a trench. I’m suddenly very motivated to get better, get home, and meet Dr. Kate Michaels.
“Like you said, let’s just take things one week at a time. If you could get the house ready, that would be great. I will need room to maneuver in a wheelchair.” The words are like ash in my mouth. Swallowing my anger and resentment, I ignore the Kate conversation for now and focus only on getting to the next step.
They’re all engaged in the usual wordless conversation when I ask them to leave. I’m tired and need time to process. They each squeeze my shoulder and head out, leaving me to the thoughts swirling around in my brain.
CHAPTER 27
KATE
Sarah’s awesome the next week as she steps in to handle most of the patients. My bruises are transitioning from deep purple to lighter blue, and the soreness is easing the more I move. Either Lev or Lowell has stayed with me each night at the apartment. Having them around to take care of me has been enlightening, and my feelings are deepening as I think about what it would actually be like to live with them permanently.
Groaning, I stretch my body to ease the stiffness in my muscles.
“How are you doing today?” Sarah asks
as she rounds the corner.
“Good. The soreness is disappearing. What’s our patient roster look like today?”
“It’s quiet today. If you don’t mind, I might go out for lunch?”
Staring at her, I watch as she blushes. “Lunch, hmm. Is that what you’re calling it?” Laughing, I watch as the blush deepens to red. “Is it the actor?”
“His name is Remington Foster, and yes, we’re having lunch.” She pauses and looks at me seriously. “I can’t believe it myself, but we haven’t had sex yet. It’s weird, but we’re enjoying this merry-go-round of continuous foreplay.”
“Hmm, Remington...that’s a sexy name. Go have fun, and a great lunch.” Looking at the roster, I notice we only have three patients this afternoon. “In fact, just take the rest of the day off. I can handle this afternoon.”
“Seriously?” She thinks about it for a second. “Thanks, I’m taking you up on that offer.” Pointing to the hall, she tells me Mr. Dorser is ready for me in Room 3.
Later that day, I finish up the last patient. The office is pretty quiet for four in the afternoon. Walking upfront, I let Paula and Brittany go early, too. Turning to go back to my office, the phone rings.
“Hello, Lockeland Valley Medical Practice, how may I help you?”
“Where’s Paula or Brittany?” a demanding male voice asks me.
“They are not available right now. I’m Dr. Kate Michaels. Can I help you?”
Silence reigns on the other end. “This is Dr. Thayer Bradford. Is Sarah around?”
Thayer? “Hello, Thayer. Sarah is not here either. I’m glad to hear from you, though. I know the guys have been really worried about you. How are you doing?”
“Dr. Bradford, please. While you might be dating my brothers, we don’t know each other well enough to be informal.” His voice is full of animosity. "Don’t worry about me, Dr. Michaels. I’ll be back to take over my practice soon, and you had better be taking excellent care of my patients. Tell Sarah to call me when she gets in tomorrow. Goodbye.”
