by Arianna Hart
Work. Oh, hell. This wasn’t a man, this was Mac. Okay, so he was a man but not in the real sense of the word. He was a patient.
Shaking her head to clear the confusion, Caitlyn jumped off the futon and ran over to the lamp where she had strung the IV bag. It was down to its last two cc’s of fluid. Time to switch bags.
How long had she slept? Looking at the clock on the mantle, she figured she’d been asleep two hours. Caitlyn tried to calculate the rate of flow from the bag but couldn’t do the math without coffee in her system. It seemed about right for a man with a hole in his stomach. She’d do a chart later to keep things straight.
After switching the IV fluids, Caitlyn felt his pulse again. Heat rolled off him in waves and he was still ghostly pale but his pulse felt steadier. His body fought off the infection by raising his temperature. She’d let it do its work for now but if his fever got much higher, she’d have to intervene. The next twenty-four hours would decide whether he lived or died.
A chill chased its way down her back. How could someone normally so full of life have it snuffed out in seconds?
Caitlyn tried to remember the last time she saw Mac. Tom had been home from Washington D.C. on vacation at Christmas. He’d started working with Mac shortly before that. He was from somewhere up north, Maine maybe?
Tom had gotten a call after Christmas dinner, and the next thing she knew, he was packing his bags. Mac was driving down and would pick him up on his way back to Washington. Caitlyn had only seen her brother’s new partner for half an hour or so while he stopped and visited before they were on their way. If it weren’t for his eyes, she probably wouldn’t have recognized him at all.
Brushing her hand over his forehead, she let her fingertips drift down over his razor sharp cheekbones. His face was all angles and planes with intense eyes that grabbed her attention immediately. Those sky blue orbs seemed to take in everything around him, process all the data and file it away without giving away a hint of what he was thinking.
Jim and her other brother, Liam, had picked on her mercilessly about mooning over Tom’s partner. She’d brushed them off with some well-placed insults but the truth was he had made a definite impression on her. An impression that hadn’t waned in the ensuing months.
Midnight black hair and light blue eyes were a striking enough combination but paired with an angular face and fabulous body, well, she had no trouble remembering him six months later. Even with a scrubby growth of beard darkening his jaw and skin pale from his adventures, he still looked good enough to grace the cover of a magazine.
Caitlyn’s gaze drifted over the muscular frame revealed by the sheet that grazed his hips with only the barest hint of propriety. Corded muscles bulged in his arms, his chest, and across his stomach. Dark hair liberally covered his arms and chest, trailing down to a thin line leading from his navel to—
What was she thinking? This man had come to her for help, trusting her to save his life, and she was ogling his unconscious body! That wasn’t exactly something they taught her in nursing school.
Shaking off her irrational thoughts, she checked the rate on the IV fluids again. Must be the lack of sleep getting to her. It was normal to notice his body, she was human after all but becoming fixated on it probably wasn’t a good idea.
Still, she’d better get away from temptation. Bending over, she scooped up the bloody towels and used dressings. As she walked to the bathroom, she stripped off her soiled uniform and threw it into the washer with the bloody towels.
She disposed of the dressings before casting a weary look towards the futon. Making sure Mac was still asleep, Caitlyn hustled to her room in just her bra and panties. He might be out of it but she didn’t feel comfortable prancing around half naked in front of a strange man.
Especially this strange man. If her brothers found out, she’d have hell to pay.
Collecting a clean tank top and some boxer shorts, Caitlyn wrapped her robe around her and headed back to the bathroom to take a shower. Her brain was starting to kick into gear and questions were running around in her head like a hamster on a wheel.
What did she know about Mac? Not much. Why didn’t he want Tom to be called? And what was he doing on assignment in Connecticut anyway? He and Tom worked in D.C. Or at least they had the last time she spoke to Tom.
She’d talk to Jim and Liam when she could function well enough not to slip up. Turning the water on as hot as she could stand it, Caitlyn stepped under the stinging needles and willed her brain to work again. There was something major happening here. She had a feeling she was going to need all her wits about her to figure it out.
Stepping out of the shower, she peeked out the window. The sun was starting to break over the horizon and she still had to clean up the mess from her impromptu surgery, put the wet clothes into the dryer, and move her Jeep so her neighbors could get out of the driveway when they left for work in a few hours. She was never going to get any sleep.
She slipped into clean pajamas, and combed out her dripping wet hair. One last check on Mac showed him to be resting quietly. He was going to have to go to the bathroom when he woke up but he should be all right for a couple hours.
She had so many questions, and wouldn’t be able to get any answers for a while. Liam was working days this week, so she’d have to wait for him to get home tonight before she could call him. Jim would be sleeping, and she couldn’t call Tom. That didn’t leave her many options at five in the morning. She should get some sleep. Mac was going to need a lot of help when he woke up, if he woke up.
Stop thinking like that. He would wake up, and when he did, he was going to need a whole bunch of things. She’d need to get him some pants, loose shirts, and boxer shorts. Eventually he’d want to eat something, so she should go grocery shopping. It was on her list of things to do anyway since she’d eaten her last carton of yogurt for breakfast yesterday.
Thinking of practical things helped ease the worry all the unknowns gave her. One thing at a time, she could only do one thing at a time. And right now, she needed sleep more than anything else.
Chapter Two
Mac woke feeling as if something had crawled up and died in his mouth. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth like it had dried onto it, and he had a desperate thirst. Opening his eyes, he looked at his surroundings and remembered nothing.
Where the hell was he? Rolling to his side caused stabbing pains to shoot through his abdomen, taking his breath with the force of it. That’s right, he’d been shot.
It was coming back to him now. He’d been walking through the park on his way back to the apartment. It should have been safe enough, or so he’d thought.
Mac had been headed for the place he shared with several other gang members when he’d felt fire burning in his back, then an explosion of pain in his gut. He’d looked down to see blood blooming through a hole in his stomach.
Not knowing if his cover was blown or if it was just a random act of violence that had become so prevalent in the city, Mac had taken off looking for shelter so he could evaluate the seriousness of his injuries. He’d headed towards the nearest parking garage, hoping he wasn’t leaving a trail of blood to mark his path. The shot had been more serious than he had thought because he had felt his legs getting weak and his eyesight had gotten blurry. Seeing a familiar SUV parked in the shadows, he’d rolled under it. He’d barely managed to dig his badge out of the hiding place in the sole of his shoe before he’d passed out.
It was just dumb luck that he managed to find Caitlyn’s Jeep. Tom’s very pretty sister. who happened to be an emergency room nurse. He’d headed towards the hospital garage because it was close and he’d hoped he could find someone to help him on the down low. Tom had mentioned Caitlyn worked nights but it was a one in a million chance he’d find her Jeep when he needed her most.
He vaguely remembered the ride to her place, or at least he assumed it was her place. Taking a better look around, he noticed an IV strung to his arm and clean sheets over his bo
dy. The bed he was on was small and hard. His feet hung over the edge and his head was at the very top. Must be one of those futon things, cheap and practical as it turned into a couch too. The room was dim, with light peeking in from behind drawn shades. What time was it anyway?
He searched the room for a clock and noticed one on the mantle of a bricked up fireplace across from him. Seven o’clock, but a.m. or p.m.? It was bright outside, but that was no clue. It stayed light out until eight or nine this time of year. Mac tried to turn again and get a better look, but stabbing pains halted him in his tracks. He wasn’t going anywhere for quite some time.
There was a funky looking lamp on the table next to him. It looked like a mermaid with her arms out, one of which held the IV bag that dripped into his arm. He pushed the thought of an IV in his arm out of his head. Man, but he hated needles. There was a picture on the table in a seashell-crusted frame which showed Tom, his two brothers, and his sister Caitlyn laughing on a beach somewhere.
Looked like this was her place all right. Now the question was, had she called Tom or not? And where was she anyway? He could turn his head without too much pain at least, and as he did, his nose brushed the soft cotton of the pillow and the scent of baby powder drifted into his nostrils.
Lifting the sheet, he inspected his injury. A neat strip of gauze wrapped around his body, covering a thick pad over his wound. Nothing covered the rest of him.
How’d she manage to get his clothes off? Did she have help? Damn, he wished he could remember something. If he was going to get undressed by a beautiful woman, he wanted to remember it.
And man, was she ever beautiful.
Mac looked at her picture again. Long brown hair blew in the breeze from the ocean. Her tanned body was displayed nicely in her cut off shorts and bathing suit top. Laughing brown eyes the color of his favorite whisky twinkled from the picture like she found the whole thing funny. High cheekbones and a narrow nose gave her an elegant look. Her mouth was full with generous lips and a dazzling smile. Yup, she had the whole package.
And that package included three older brothers, one of whom was his partner, who wouldn’t hesitate to pull his guts out with hot prongs if he so much as looked at her cross-wise. The one and only time he’d asked Tom about her, his partner had let him know in no uncertain terms that she was off limits. There’d be no trifling with the youngest O’Toole, or there’d be hell to pay.
Too bad he’d put her life in danger just by crawling under her Jeep.
He had to get out of here, had to find some place to hole up in until he recovered and could do some damage control. He needed to find out what was going on in the city and there was no way he could do that if it meant putting Caitlyn O’Toole’s life in danger.
Getting out of here could be a problem, seeing as he was as weak as a newborn kitten and buck-naked. He couldn’t even get out of the bed, forget out of the apartment. There was nothing he could do the day after taking a bullet, and if memory served, tomorrow would be even worse. If he could lie low for a few days, he might be able to get out of here without passing out from pain. It wasn’t like he had much choice in the matter at this point.
“Oh good, you’re up.”
Mac jumped at the sleep filled voice coming from behind him. Caitlyn moved in front of him and looked into his eyes. She wore a white tank top and palm tree covered boxer shorts. Her miles and miles of legs were shown off to an advantage that he wasn’t too hurt to appreciate.
“Yeah, I just woke up.” She didn’t have to know how up he really was. The tight shirt outlined her nipples, and if it weren’t so dry, his mouth would have watered at the sight.
“I’ll bet you’re thirsty. The IV will help to keep you hydrated, but your mouth has to feel pretty sticky.”
“You could say that.”
“Let’s try some ice chips first, and we’ll work our way up to clear liquids from there. Until I know how much damage that bullet did, I can’t risk anything else.”
“You’re the expert. You, ah, wouldn’t happen to have a spare toothbrush though, would you?” At this point he’d to chew razor blades to get the nasty taste out of his mouth.
“I might have one around somewhere. Let me get you the ice chips then I’ll go hunt it up for you.” She brushed her fingers against his cheek and walked towards what he thought was the kitchen.
Her shorts just barely covered her butt and he stared unashamedly. He was in too much pain to do anything more than look, but he’d have to be dead not to enjoy the sight.
Caitlyn came striding back into the room, her strides eating up the floor as she moved. She held a plastic cup with a local pub’s logo on the side, and thank the Lord, a toothbrush, toothpaste and a little basin.
“Here, chew on this for a little while.” She gave him a spoonful of ice chips. “When you have a little moisture in your mouth, I’ll help you brush your teeth.”
“Uh, thanks. I think I can handle it though.” He’d brush his own damn teeth.
“Ever brush your teeth lying on your back before?”
“I can sit up.” Maybe. She had a very smug grin on her face.
“Go ahead and try, let me know when the stitches start to pull.”
Those laughing eyes weren’t so damn attractive when they were laughing at him. Mac rolled the few remaining chunks of ice in his mouth, then braced himself to sit up.
Flaming arrows of pain shot through his body as he moved his stomach muscles. His skin stretched and pulled with every movement. He probably hadn’t moved an inch before the pain got to be too much and he fell back in defeat.
“If you turn your head to the side, I can help you get that taste out of your mouth without you choking on spit.”
He was surprised that she didn’t say, “I told you so.” She efficiently brushed his teeth and wiped his mouth. Having his teeth brushed like a two year old wasn’t something he wanted repeated in this lifetime, but he had to admit having that decaying taste out of his mouth was worth a little slap to his pride.
“If you’re up to it, I have a few questions I’d like answered.”
Mac considered faking unconsciousness for a minute, but knew he’d have to answer some of her questions eventually. “I’ll tell you what I can without compromising your safety or the success of the assignment.” There, that should give him some room to tap dance around the truth a bit.
“I know that. I have a brother in the police department and one in the FBI. I know all about ‘need to know’. What I want to know is why can’t I call Tom?”
How much to tell her? There was a lot at stake here but if he lied outright, she could easily get caught in the middle of a situation he was in no shape to get her out of.
“Tom and I aren’t on this case together.” That much was true. “If you call Tom and start asking questions, my location could get picked up by the wrong people.”
“Tom would never reveal your location.”
“He wouldn’t but that doesn’t mean the people after me can’t find out if you call. A twenty dollar police scanner can pick up most cell phone conversations.”
“Okay. I’ll give you that one. Do you know who shot you?” Her eyes were focused on his, and he worried she could read through his carefully constructed half-truths. He had to make sure she didn’t.
“No. I was in the park and thought I was alone. It could have been a drive-by, or it could mean my cover is blown. Until I know for sure, I’m going to act like I’m busted.”
“Better safe than sorry. Okay, how did you know it was my Jeep? I’ve only met you that one time.”
Mac laughed a bit, until his stomach hurt and reminded him that wasn’t a good idea. “Pure, blind luck. I knew you worked nights there but I was just looking for a secure place to hide until I could get my strength back and find shelter.”
“Talk about lucky. You get shot in the back, manage to avoid getting any major organs hit, and find your partner’s sister. You must have been born under a good star, Mr. McDougal.”
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“Under the circumstances, I think you can call me Mac. Normally when I get naked with a woman, she calls me by my first name.”
Her laugh was boisterous and full of life. “I hope you normally aren’t bleeding that badly when you share a bed with a woman.”
“Share a bed?” He watched a blush color her cheeks.
“Yeah, I ah, fell asleep beside you for a little while after you were all stitched up.”
“Sorry I missed it. Naked and in bed with a beautiful woman and I slept through the whole thing.” Her blush deepened and she moved to check his IV. She obviously wasn’t used to getting compliments. He’d have to talk to Tom about that. Damn, he had to get his mind back on the problems in front of him and off the woman in front of him.
“It’s a good thing Jim was working at the clinic last night too, or I don’t know how I’d have been able to get the IV fluids and antibiotics.”
“You didn’t tell him about me, did you?” His voice was sharper than he wanted.
“No, I told him it was for a stray. I didn’t say stray what.”
“A stray? Like in dog?”
“Yeah, when I see a hurt animal, I just can’t help myself. I try to fix him up the best I can, then let him go. I’ve been doing it since I was a little kid. I guess that’s how I knew I wanted to be a nurse.”
“So your brother brought you medical supplies in the middle of the night for a stray animal? And didn’t ask any questions?” Mac asked in disbelief.
“No, he didn’t. He’s done it before. I always pay him back or replace the supplies.”
“Then why go to him in the first place?”
“Because it was after midnight and there wasn’t a convenient pharmacy open. He could get the supplies from the clinic where he works part-time per diem a lot easier than I could have that late at night.”
