Merry Me

by Amanda Siegrist

  "I'll meet you there."

  "Lynn, honey, you're in hysterics. You can't drive. I won't have the possibility of you getting hurt on my conscience. I'm coming to get you."

  She inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. She had to stay strong and in control. Sound confident when she wasn't anything close to that. "He's your son. You should be there right away. I'll meet you at the hospital and that's final, Gregory."

  He gave in. Lynn hung up the phone before he could object any further. She ran to her room, her heart beating double time that she thought it would never come down from its high. She felt like she was on that ride again, except this time it just wouldn't stop. It wouldn't let her off to catch her breath. She needed it to stop. She needed all of her wits about her to drive safely. Gregory was right. Damn near hysterical. The panic coursed through each and every bone. The shakes consumed her. Her nerves stretched to the limit. Elliot had to be okay.

  Not once did her eyes or mind travel to the brown faded box hidden on the top shelf of her closet. Only Elliot's handsome face penetrated her frazzled mind.

  She grabbed the hem of her dress and yanked up a little too roughly. Her fingernail hooked the top layer of her skin, the pain almost unbearable as she started to lose her balance and hop on her foot. She landed hard on her butt, the dress halfway off and almost covering her eyes.

  The air felt thick with disgrace as she sat there frozen. Absolutely ridiculous. That's what she looked like. Dress halfway off. Dignity lost when she fell.

  Elliot needed her. So did Gregory. She had to calm down.

  She slowly finished taking the dress off and tossed it near her closet, unconcerned about putting it into the hamper or hanging it back up.

  Dignity slightly more intact, she stood up and rubbed her butt. "Gregory shouldn't worry about me getting in a car crash and hurting myself. I seem to be doing a lovely job inside the house."

  She lifted her right leg to the bed and inspected her cut. A long red scratch, deeper than she imagined, ran a few inches from her knee to the top of her thigh. Damn nail. Cutting her nails would have to go on her to-do list. Utterly ridiculous.

  She grabbed a pair of jeans and shirt from the closet and dressed quickly, but very carefully. She snatched her purse and keys from the kitchen, and all but ran to her car. Her feet did a slippery tango, almost losing her balance as some snow still lingered on the ground. More like a homemade ice pond right on her driveway.

  She flopped into her seat and released several breaths before jamming the key into the ignition. "Drive slow, Lynn. You can't be there for Elliot if you get into another crash."

  Her little pep talk did the trick. She made it to the hospital twenty-five minutes later, after following every speed limit sign she saw. She knew if she went even a mile over the limit she would've pressed the pedal to the floor without a thought or care in the world. It had been safer for everyone, including herself, that she took it slow and easy, even as her heart pounded rapidly with a twirling dizziness.

  As soon as she exited her car, she went from running like a maniac to slowing her steps down to a waddle as she made her way into the hospital. If anyone saw her, they probably wondered if she was heading to the mental ward. That's exactly how she felt. Way too many turbulent emotions to walk steady.

  Erin, the wonderful nurse who always seemed to be working whenever Lynn showed up at this dreadful place, was sitting behind the usual counter as she entered.

  "Where is he? How bad is it? Is it—"

  Erin rushed around the counter, grabbing Lynn's arm in a comforting embrace. Something she had desperately needed. "Lynn, calm down. He's fine. It's really not that bad."

  Erin led Lynn into exam room 10 where Elliot sat on the bed with Gregory next to him. The minute Lynn saw him not hooked to tubes and a small smile on his face, she almost collapsed to the floor. If not for Erin standing next to her, grabbing a hold of her arm again, she would have.

  "Lynn." Elliot started to get out of the bed.

  "No!" Lynn smiled appreciatively at Erin and rushed over to Elliot. "You need to stay in bed. You've been shot."

  She scanned him from head to toe. He still wore his nice gray slacks, but with a blue scrub for a shirt. "Where were you shot?"

  Elliot grinned, took her hand, and guided her to sit next to him. "I wasn't shot. A bullet grazed me. The extent of my injury was blown a little out of proportion."

  "Grazed? I think that still counts as getting shot." Her brows dipped as she took him all in again.

  "I agree," Gregory added.

  "I'm fine. I don't know why Officer Johnson called you and told you the way he did, Dad." Elliot kissed Lynn's hand, obviously trying to calm her down. It barely worked. "I'm fine, sweetheart. I promise."

  "You didn't call me, Elliot." Keeping the accusatory tone out of her voice was impossible. Although, with Gregory in the room, she should've controlled it better.

  He winced. "I busted my phone in the process. I would never intentionally ignore you about something like this."

  "Where are you hurt?" she asked, still trying to figure out where he was grazed, as he put it. Not to mention, having an argument in front of Gregory wasn't ideal. She sensed one brewing in the air. Her fault, of course, for attacking him like that with her sharp tone.

  "My shoulder. It's not that bad." He started to lift his arm to show her he barely felt it, except he winced in pain, not able to lift it any farther. "Dr. Pearson had to stitch me up a little. But really, it's just a graze."

  "Stitches do not constitute, 'just a graze', Elliot." Did he think this was funny? He could've been seriously hurt.

  Gregory must've sensed the growing tension. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and grinned. "I'm going to call Gabby. I'll be right back."

  As soon as he left the room, Elliot pulled Lynn closer, kissing her with intense passion. A passion that calmed her down a tiny bit from the fear that had gutted her. He tugged on her bottom lip. "I'm sorry if I scared you. My dad said he was worried about you driving here. I was worried myself until you walked in."

  She brushed her lips against his, savoring his intoxicating taste. Just a little bit more reassurance that he was safe. "It was a bit of a shock. One right after the other."

  He leaned back, his one hand still holding hers. He reached up with his sore arm, wincing, yet gently caressed her cheek. "You're talking about Marybeth? My dad told me what you said. What happened? Whatever she said, it's a lie."

  She took his hand that still held her cheek and slowly brought it down to her lap. Instant relief hit his eyes. Yet, she knew he still would've comforted her in any way he could. That’s just the sweet man he was. "She came to my home."

  "How in the hell did she know where you live?"

  "She said you told her."

  He grabbed her hand harder. "I would never tell her that. Never. Do you believe me?"

  The pain wasn't just in her hand from his fierce grip, but also in his eyes. "She said some interesting things. I had a moment of panic and needed to hear your voice. You didn't answer your cell, so I tried the house phone. Then Gregory said he had to tell me something and her words rang true for a moment. I had no idea it was something like this."

  The torture increased in his expression as he puckered his eyebrows. "Lynn, you ignored my question. You don't believe me."

  "I believe you."

  "Then give me a smile."

  There wasn't much to smile about when they talked about that woman. But he was okay. She could smile about that. She produced a small smile for his benefit.

  His deep frown remained. "What else did she say?"

  "It doesn't matter."

  "It does. I want to know. No matter what she said, it's not true. She stopped me in town today. I turned her advances down and she didn't like that. She told me that she would tell you we slept together. But I would never do that. Please believe me, Lynn."

  "I do. I even told her I didn't believe her."

  He gripped her h
and again. "Why does it sound like you do believe her?"

  She leaned in and kissed him. "You scared the living daylights out of me, Elliot. You were shot. Forgive me if I'm having a hard time getting past that."

  His frown slowly died as a sexy grin formed. "So we're still on for tonight?"

  "I'd like that."

  "We need to leave. I need you now," he whispered as he pulled her closer and nibbled on her bottom lip.

  "You're hurt."

  "It's a graze. It's not going to stop me from having you under me tonight."

  "Elliot, don't say things like that so loud." She laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows in playful delight. "I am really starting to hate this hospital. I don't ever want to see it again."

  "I agree. It's much easier when you're by my side, though."

  "You didn't tell me how this happened. Who shot you?" She brushed a hand across his cheek as the sadness came back into his eyes.

  "Grazed, remember." His smiled died as the next words left his mouth. "Fred showed up at his wife's house, even after the judge ordered him to stay away when he was released on bail for assaulting Stu. The judge felt like he was a danger not just to Stu, but to his wife as well. He was right. I went there to defuse the situation. I didn't know he had a gun. I don't think he meant to fire it, but it went off before I even knew he had the thing. Luckily, he missed."

  Lynn hovered her hand over his injured shoulder. "He didn't miss."

  "You know what I mean. I dropped to the ground to dodge any more bullets, pulling my weapon out at the same time. That's how I busted my phone. Before I could even point my gun at him, he was on the ground crying, weeping like a baby how sorry he was."

  Elliot sighed heavily, moving his shoulder a little and winced. "I think I'm done trying to help my friend out of these situations. I told my officers to quit calling me and just do their job from now on concerning him. He shot the chief of police, so I don't think he's going to get a nice bail from the judge this time."

  "Shot you, huh? I thought it was a graze." She smirked at him playfully, receiving a small chuckle from him.

  "I have serious plans for you tonight."

  She cupped his face and kissed him, expressing everything in that simple kiss just what she wanted to do tonight. "You might not be getting everything you want tonight. You're hurt."

  "I'll get down on my knees and beg if I have to. I want you, Lynn, and I'm having you."

  She smiled tenderly as she stood up from the bed. "I'll go find Dr. Pearson about discharging you. It's too bad about the stuff I bought."

  "What did you buy?"

  She walked toward the door, glancing at him with desire in her eyes. "I stopped at Wacky Wowza's. I ventured into a certain aisle, picking out a few things I thought you'd like."

  He sat up in bed, shifting a little. The desire spiked in every facet of his body. "And just why is it too bad you bought this stuff? Tell me what you bought."

  "You're hurt, Elliot. Some of the stuff requires certain movements and you can't move your shoulder without wincing. I guess I'll save it for another day. Or maybe even return it all." She sighed heavily, turning toward the door as she tried to hold in her laughter.

  Laughter felt good. She was starting to develop the same aversion to hospitals as Elliot. She couldn't stand the sight of him in that bed.

  "You're not returning anything, sweetheart. Get over here. I want to know what you bought. Screw Dr. Pearson, we're leaving now."

  She looked over her shoulder at him, unable to stop the laugh from escaping. "Now, now, Elliot, you'll wait for me to find Dr. Pearson."

  "I'm not waiting. You're in for it when we get to your house." He adjusted his position again.

  "You promise?"

  "Damn right, I promise."

  This time his promise rang with truth and sincerity.

  ***

  Two hours later, after filling his prescription, visiting with Gabby, who came the minute Gregory told her what happened, and receiving the discharge papers from Dr. Pearson, Elliot and Lynn made it to Mason.

  The minute they walked into her house, Elliot tried to veer Lynn to her bedroom, but she insisted he eat first. He reluctantly let her play mother as she fed him, made sure he was comfortable as he ate, and practically shoved a pain pill down his throat as she obviously continued to notice him wince in pain.

  For some reason, he saw pain in her eyes. He didn't think it had anything to do with his injury.

  "What's the matter, Lynn?"

  She stopped grabbing for his empty plate from the table and glanced away. "We need to talk."

  Words a man never wants to hear.

  He snatched her hand before she could actually grab the plate and pulled her into his lap. She gasped with surprise, giving him the perfect opportunity to dig in with a deep kiss. She hesitated for a moment, then wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on for the ride. He savored her sweet taste for a long time before gently nipping her bottom lip and drew her away. Just a few inches from his lips in case he needed to kiss her words away again.

  "What's wrong?"

  "I have your money for fixing my car. I want to give it to you."

  "I don't want your money."

  She started to open her mouth to protest. He dove in again, kissing away her words. She trailed her hands up into his hair, weaving her fingers through his thick locks. Then, surprisingly, she grabbed tightly and yanked his mouth away. He winced from the slight pain.

  "You can't keep distracting me with a kiss every time we talk about money."

  "Why? There's nothing to talk about. I don't want your money. Consider it a Christmas gift."

  His hands tightened on her waist when it felt like she wanted to get up.

  "It's not just about the money, Elliot."

  He wiped a tear as it slid down her cheek. "What did I do? What are you saying, Lynn?"

  "You asked earlier how I got that much money."

  "I am curious."

  She hung her head down. He wouldn't let her pull away from him like that. He grabbed her chin and lifted. Her beautiful brown eyes shimmered with so much pain. "Fine. I'll take the money. I hate arguing with you. Just don't say I'm losing you, Lynn. I don't want to hear that."

  "Don't you want to know how I got that much money?"

  "Short of robbing a bank, it doesn't matter. When you want to tell me, you will."

  "You seem too good to be true sometimes."

  He scooped her body close to his chest and stood up. "I just want to make you happy."

  "You have no idea how much you do."

  He started for the bedroom. "I can't wait anymore."

  She rested her head against his chest, then must've realized what he was doing. "Put me down, Elliot. Your shoulder."

  "It’s fine." Besides the small shooting pains converging down his arm. Completely fine. He'd be damned if he put her down.

  "You've never lied before, Elliot, don’t start now."

  He sheepishly smiled as he set her down on the bed. "Okay, it hurts a little. But not enough to keep me from loving you. Where are the things you bought me?"

  He didn't give her time to interpret his words about love. He had meant them more than just loving her between the sheets. After the near scare she gave him out in the dining room, he needed to show her just how much he loved her. She hadn't exactly reassured him everything was okay. She was holding something back from him. Something she deemed important.

  But that was okay. He was holding something back from her. That damn present.

  She giggled. "We'll save that for when you are up to full power."

  "I'm not a patient man. I want it now."

  "Tough, mister. My house, my rules."

  "I'll remember that." His smile said that she would be in for it the next time she spent the night at his house.

  "Fair enough." She pushed him back to let her stand up. "Let me help you get undressed."

  "By all means. I like this pampering."

  "Wel
l, that doesn't mean you can get hurt like this again just so I'll pamper you."

  "Sweetheart, I swear I'll try never to get shot—grazed again in my life. Trust me."

  The slip-up of his words had her gathering him in her arms and resting her head against his chest. "I was really scared tonight when your dad said you were shot. I can't lose you…especially like that."

  "You'll never lose me." He kissed the top of her head, then bit his lip. He couldn't profess his love yet. He had to stick to his plan.

  "Hey, you're supposed to be undressing me," he whispered into her ear, taking a nibble, then chuckled as she moaned at the touch.

  He started to place small, light kisses from her ear down her neck before she finally pushed him back. "I lead this time. No touching."

  "No promises there, sweetheart. I can't help myself."

  He kept his hands to himself as she helped take his shirt off. When she pulled down his jeans and started to reach for his boxers, he couldn’t contain his control. He reached out for her, but she moved out of the way laughing.

  "Nope. No touching." She pointed to the bed.

  He cocked his lips in a devious grin, debating whether to listen. Her saucy smile had him climbing on the bed with delightful anticipation. Damn, what a gorgeous woman!

  He rested against the pillow, only finding true comfort when she started to slowly take off her shirt and pants. She did a little dance, moving her body to a sensual tune as she unhooked her bra and slid her panties down. She crawled onto the bed like a predator looking at her prey, then removed his boxers with slow precision.

  "I can't take much more," he groaned roughly.

  ***

  "Shh, let me take care of you." She started at his mouth, kissing him lightly. She laughed a little when he growled at her departure.

  She carefully placed kisses on his chest, taking her time to cover every curve and groove. The smooth feeling of his body, the hard ridges, the sprinkles of chest hair that made a nice little trail to the heat she craved drove her wild with need. So brazen. She never acted like this.

  She followed the trail like a pirate looking for treasure. When she finally made contact with her prize, he lifted up slightly and groaned with desire. She took him fully into her mouth, playing, teasing. Her desire spiked every time he moved with her.