“She was fighting the drugs, wasn’t she?” Jenny asked.
“Like the dickens. Thank God, Rori is letting us use him as a telephone. Otherwise, she would have to spell everything out on my palm. It’s a lot easier to calm her down this way. Are you two done celebrating now?” Del grinned widely at how Jenny was curled up in Kasey’s lap, wearing the ex-agent’s worn leather jacket.
“We’re done with what we can do in front of you,” Jenny shot back at the blonde.
“Thank God for that. I’m not sure the old man here could take it,” she laughed, pointing at Rori. “You guys have a plan for today or are you just sticking around here?”
“I’m gonna refer that to the new Deputy.” Jenny grinned as she gazed at her girlfriend.
Kasey groaned. “You two are going to drive me nuts with this, aren’t you? I figured we could hang around for today. The reality is, one of us is going to need to make an appearance in town, and I’m sure you’d rather stay with Raelin at least until that tube comes out. I’ll probably drop Jenny off here tomorrow and see if there’s anything they need me for in town.”
“You sure you don’t mind? I know I’ll have to go in at some point, but she’s worried I’ll leave her I think. With Rori and me being the only ones she can really talk to, I’m not sure it’s wise for me to leave her until she can talk again,” Del said, gazing sadly at her wounded witch.
“Not a problem...if you really want, we can head back today, and I’ll get a head start on the paperwork and requisition our uniforms, weapons, and whatnot. I’m sure that there are people already there going over Brito’s reports and arrest records. There’s gonna be a lot of work to do to get people to trust us,” Kasey stated, already mentally making lists.
“That and it’s hard to really celebrate a new job properly in a crowded public hospital?” Del asked with one eyebrow quirked and crooked grin on her face. “What the hell was I thinking when I decided to take a job upholding the law in a town where everyone hates me?” the blonde mused.
“You don’t know that Delaney,” Rori offered. “Some folks didn’t agree with what was happening, but had no choice. It was either keep quiet or lose their homes, and even though they didn’t own them, some had lived in them for generations. It’s hard to know exactly what to do in situations like that.”
“You’re right as usual Rori,” she smiled, reaching up to scratch his ears.
Jenny asked a question that had been on her mind all night. “What is going to happen to all the properties that the Kingsleys owned?”
Del took a deep breath and looked over at the young girl. “Actually, they all technically belonged to Arthur Senior. Jacobs read his will to Regina as a way to keep her distracted until the other agents could secure the house. It seems he left everything he had to his only daughter. Raelin now owns most of Leroy, along with what I assume is a fairly large inheritance fund.”
“Rae owns Leroy? Did she hear that when she was in the house?” the younger woman asked.
Kasey shook her head. “I don’t think so. I was standing right beside her, and I only heard it through the earpiece.”
“She doesn’t know and I’d like to keep it that way for now. I’d rather wait until she’s healed a little more before we drop something else on. She’s gone through enough with her father dying and finding out how her mother died. Let her have a little time to get better so she’s in a better place to handle it,” Del said after some thought. “I hate keeping things from her, but I don’t want to risk telling her and causing more harm than good.”
“I think that is wise Delaney. At least until she is off the medication, and she can process things better.” Rori carefully got up to walk to the foot of the bed. “I wouldn’t keep it much longer than that.”
“I know. It’s not my plan to avoid telling her forever, just until she’s a little more herself...” Del turned back to the couple on the other side of the room. “When do you plan on heading back in?”
“As soon as Short Stack here eats her sandwich we’ll get on the road. Do you want us to take Rori back with us?” Kasey received a poke in the side in reference to the short joke.
Del looked at Rori. “Are you going or staying? Keep in mind that nurses do regular check in the night so you’ll have to stay hidden.”
“I’ll come and go with Deputy Dawg and her sidekick for now. Just make sure that they don’t forget me.” The gray cat washed his face.
“I’m sure you have ways of getting their attention. My back still remembers how you got a hold of mine,” she thought back wryly. “He says he’ll prefer to come and go with Deputy Dawg and her sidekick, just make sure you don’t forget him,” Del relayed, trying to hold back her chuckles at Kasey’s irritated sigh.
Getting out of Kasey’s lap, Jenny shook her head and grabbed her sandwich. “I can eat this on the way home,” she walked over and hugged Del. “Is there anything that we can bring you in the morning other than a change of clothes?”
“No, I should be okay. Maybe my laptop and some of the paperwork I know Kasey and I are going to have to do. Thanks for being here and for everything you’ve done so far,” she answered, squeezing Jenny tight for a moment. “Make sure Rori gets fed. He’s cranky when he’s made to wait.”
“Speak for yourself, blondie.” The feline carefully walked back up the bed to rub his head against Raelin’s cheek. “Take care of our girl, and tell her that I’ll be back in the morning.”
Jenny went over to the bed and picked up the cat to put him back inside Del’s go bag with the dirty clothes. “This will only be until we get to the car,” she leaned over and kissed Raelin’s forehead. “Get better soon,” she whispered.
“I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Thanks again.” Del smiled.
Kasey walked over and hugged the older woman. “I didn’t say it before, but thanks for offering me the job. It means a lot to me that you recommended me for it.”
“There’s no one I would rather work with. We make a damned good team Spaulding. Those interrogations with Brito? Best time I’ve had in a while.” Del smiled returning the hug.
“I’ll be sure to tell Rae that,” the taller woman joked. “Come on Jenn; let’s not keep Rori in the bag any longer than we have to.”
Jenny gave Del one final hug, and then they were gone.
Del sat back down in her chair and let her head fall back to rest against the back of it. She closed her eyes, trying to stave off the headache she could feel coming. She knew it was from a lack of sleep, but she’d been unable to rest comfortably knowing that her witch was in such bad shape. Before she could really contemplate further, she’d drifted into an uneasy sleep.
j
“Well, let’s see...” The rest of whatever the doctor was going to say and he came face to face with a wild eyed blonde, standing defensively near Raelin’s bed.
Del realized who had walked in and immediately relaxed, placing her hand on her knees and taking a deep breath. Straightening back up, she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “I’m sorry about that. You startled me awake, and after everything that’s happened in the last week or so I guess I’m a little quick on the draw. I’m a private investigator; you develop certain habits with the job.”
“Ah, okay. Well then, I shall make sure that the nurses knock before they come in. Let’s take a look at your girl.” The doctor once again checked her chart and noted the readings on her monitors. He checked Raelin’s pulse, looked at the IV bags and noted they needed to be replaced. Finally, he took another listen to her lungs, and smiled faintly. He turned to the exhausted looking blonde. “She’s doing well all things considered. I don’t wish to wake her right now, but overall, there is some improvement.”
He walked over to stand next to Delaney. “Her skin tone is starting to return to normal, and her lungs are sounding much better. I think we should be able to take the tube out tomorrow. I’m going to adjust her meds just slightly. What we have her on now is fairly potent, and I’d like to wean h
er down to something a little less severe. We’ll set up a manual morphine drip for her. That way she only needs to be loopy when she feels she needs the meds. I’ll have a nurse come in and set that up shortly and administer some pain reliever that should last the night, but come morning she’s probably going to feel some pain. Just explain to her that she can simply press the thumb button next to her hand, and the morphine will kick in shortly afterwards. Now, your cot is waiting outside to come in, and I suggest you use it. You aren’t going to be any help to her if you make yourself sick. Any questions?”
“No Doctor, you’ve explained it all pretty clearly. I’ll try to get some rest, thank you,” Del replied, watching as he made notes on Raelin’s chart once again.
“It’s my pleasure. I’m going to head out and the nurse will be right in with your cot, and to fix her IVs. Good night Ms. Delacroix,” he smiled at her and left the room, pausing to offer instructions to the nearby nurse, and then he was gone.
j
If Raelin carefully turned her head, she could see blue sky and white clouds, and she smiled inside as it was a beautiful day for her father to be laid to rest beside her mother. They would be together in the hereafter even though they could not be together in life. And while she couldn’t be there in person, Delaney was there as her stand in.
The doctor had told them the evening before that she would be getting the breathing tube out sometime today and she hoped that it would be before Delaney got back. The witch really missed kissing the blonde and telling her that she loved her. Rori helped when he was there, but nights were hard for her.
Tapping on the door the Doctor stepped into the room a cheerful smile on his face. “Okay, Ms. Montrose. I’m just going to give you a quick check, and then we’ll have the nurse come in and take that tube out. It’s going to be uncomfortable and it might make you gag a bit but that’s pretty normal,” he went about checking her over, making notes on her charts, and taking a quick listen of her chest. “Looking much better. I’ll call the nurse in and she’ll take care of that tube for you okay?” He gave her a quick nod and stepped out the door. A nurse stepped in a few minutes later.
Closing her eyes, Raelin waited as the nurse untaped the tube and gave instructions on what she needed to do. Opening her eyes, she nodded her head when asked if she was ready.
Swallowing when she was asked, she gagged a couple of times, but soon the tube was out, and she was taking a sip of water.
“Thank you,” Raelin whispered.
“It’s no problem, dear. Now your throat is going to be sore for a little while, but you should be fine soon enough. Just take it easy and use your drip when you need to.” The older woman gave Raelin’s knee a gentle pat. “Is there anything I can get you?”
Shaking her head, Raelin declined, and just enjoyed being able to move her head around. Turning her head, she looked up at the sky and suddenly tears started to fall. She hadn’t really cried when her father died and now she couldn’t hold anything back.
Del tapped lightly on the door and stepped in; loosening the tie she’d worn to the funeral. “Hey Darlin’, I’m back.”
Quickly wiping her eyes, Raelin smiled and whispered, “Hi.”
“Well, if that isn’t the prettiest thing I’ve heard in a while. Good to hear your voice again.” Del approached the bed and smiled down at Raelin; she then noticed the red-rimmed eyes and grew concerned. “You okay?”
Nodding her head, the brunette reached out for Delaney’s hand. “I’m good...how was it?”
Taking a seat next to the bed, Del took Raelin’s hand in hers, playing with her fingers gently. “It was beautiful. The whole town came out to the church. Seems like your father was a very respected man. Everyone had nothing but good things to say about him. There were flowers everywhere just like you wanted, and he looked very dapper in his suit.” Del smiled gently.
Raelin carefully swallowed the lump in her throat, and took a moment to catch her breath. “Did you put the picture of Momma in with him?”
“Yes, but Jenny and I decided that he would want you with him too, so we put in a picture of you and your momma together. Was that okay?” Del asked.
Tears began again and Raelin brought up her hands to cover her eyes. She nodded her head and sniffed.
“Jenny played a really nice piece on the piano and we kept the graveside ceremony private.” Del stood up to kiss her witch’s forehead.
Looking up at the blonde, Raelin asked, “Can I have a kiss?”
“You can have as many as you like.” Del grinned leaning down for a gentle kiss.
Threading her fingers in golden hair, Raelin gently brushed her kips against Del’s marveling at their softness. Murmuring against them, she breathed, “I missed this.”
“Me too, more than anything, just like I miss waking up with you wrapped around me.” Del stole another kiss, this time letting it linger and soothe all the hurt and jagged edges of the last few days.
“Mmm, I miss that too. Soon I hope we can remedy that.” The witch looked up at the blonde. “Thank you for going today. I know that you didn’t want to go and leave me here, but I thank you.”
“It was the least I could do. Were you all right here alone?”
“Yes, but I’m so glad that you’re back. Would you mind if I took a nap?” Raelin caressed the blonde’s face.
“I wouldn’t mind at all. I’ll be right here, just going over some paperwork while you snooze.” The blonde smiled. “Now you have a good sleep, and sweet dreams,” Del said quietly, tucking the sheet around Raelin a little tighter.
“I don’t care what you do. I love you Delaney...thank you for today and for loving me,” Raelin whispered.
“I love you too Darlin’. Now off to sleep with you,” she brushed one last soft kiss across Raelin’s lips before the witch settled in for her nap.
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“There is no way that I’m gonna be running anytime soon.” Raelin was breathing hard by the time they reached the end of the hallway. “And I thought that I was in good shape.”
Taking just a little more of Raelin’s weight, Del brushed damp hair away from the witch’s face with her free hand. “Darlin’, you were. All that changed when you were shot. It’s only been a week and a half. You’re doing really well, all things considered. Now, you make it back to the room okay, and I’ll give you a bath. Sound okay?”
“It had better be one hell of a bath,” the witch panted.
“I’ll do my best. Now you take a minute to get your breath back, and we’ll see about getting you back down the hallway.”
Closing her eyes, Raelin dug in deep and put one foot in front of the other and headed for the haven of her room.
About halfway there they needed to rest again, but Raelin was determined and eventually they made it to the room. Del helped Raelin straight into the bathroom and sat her on the closed toilet lid seat, allowing her to sit back. She opened the duffel bag Jenny had brought in with her that morning and held up two sleeping shirts: a simply button up and a regular t-shirt. “Which one?”
“I think the button up would be easier.” The brunette was still trying to catch her breath.
“Sure thing.” Del hung the shirt on the back of the door and moved to start the water in the sink, giving Raelin’s head a kiss on the way by. Having gotten the perfect temperature she stopped the water and turned to her witch. “Ready? Same plan as the last one. I’ll help you get undressed, and then we’ll get you cleaned up.”
Taking a deep breath, Raelin nodded. “Yeah, let’s do this.”
“Darlin’, it’s not torture. At least I try not to make it that way,” Del chuckled working the buttons of Raelin’s shirt. She finished quickly and gently pushed it off the woman’s shoulders, offering a kiss as a peace offering. “We don’t have to if you don’t feel up to it. You can have a nap first if you want.”
“No...if I do that, I’ll feel really yucky when I wake up. Besides, you already got me naked,” Raelin joked.
�
��Yes, and in any other situation I’d take shameless advantage, but not today. Let’s get you feeling less yucky then, shall we?” Del asked, dipping a washcloth in the warm water. She rung it out gently and like she usually did, she started with Raelin’s face and neck. She ran the cloth softly over Raelin’s skin, letting the witch bask in the attention as she wiped off the grime of the walk down the hallway and back. She rinsed out the cloth and put it in more hot water, running it gently over Raelin’s well-formed shoulders and arms. “Starting to feel better?” she asked, being careful not to pull Raelin’s side as she washed her right arm.
“Almost human...I can’t wait until I can soak in my tub. I may not get out for days,” Raelin groaned. “You’ll have to tempt me to get out.”
“Or I could just join you, exhaust you, and then you wouldn’t put up much of a fight.” Del grinned devilishly, nipping at Raelin’s chin. Once again warming the cloth back up, she began at Raelin’s collarbone, taking her time over perfect breasts to prove her point, mindful of the bandaging still present on Raelin’s right side.
Sharply inhaling, Raelin bit her lip and sighed. “Uhh, that sounds like a plan to me. Please Del...”
Del looked up at her witch and wasn’t sure if she was begging her to stop torturing her or keep going. Deciding torturing her witch when she wasn’t able to fight back was a little mean, she decided to move on, running the cloth over a firm tummy, and across both hips. She rinsed the fabric once more before starting on toned legs. “Sorry Darlin’. I’ll make it up to you when you’re up to it.”
“I’m not dead Del...you can touch me. Don’t you remember what our love can do?” Raelin quietly asked.
“Well, you very nearly were. This is a bit different than some bruises and a cracked rib. Do you think it will help?” In reality, she really missed her witch and the way she felt when they were intimate. She’d barely been able to feel Raelin since they got here; there were too many people and that muddled her ability to feel Raelin’s presence.
Insight Page 54
