Bailey: Independence #1

by Karen Nichols

“My little tech girl,” he murmured, his laugh weak and dry. He stood stock still as they listened to the voices, the story unfolding for them both to hear.

  Natalie saw his jaw tense and looked at the fists his hands had curled into, the blood of the woman in his life still staining his skin. Just like her smile and passionate acceptance of his sexual lifestyle had seared her very essence into his heart and soul.

  “She was intent on killing you, Gabe,” she saw the realization of that on his face. “I’ll keep this and get it transcribed and entered into evidence. Fields has done nothing but scream and we have her on suicide watch,” she met the cold, flat eyes with a slight wince. “I know you don’t care…”

  “Wrong. I don’t give a fuck about that woman or the dead one,” he told her coldly and without hesitation. “You and your people find a way to keep her away from me. That’s the only warning I offer you, Lieutenant.”

  “I understand,” she said quietly, relieved to see the scrub covered doctor walking toward them. She blinked and blinked again. She’d never seen him in scrubs before. “Tre?”

  “We’re going into surgery to make the repairs. We have the bleeding stopped and she’s going to be okay, Gabe,” he kept his gaze on his friend. “She’s strong and not ready to quit. The bullet nicked a few things I need to fix. Should be a few hours,” he met the dark, hard stare. “I won’t lie to you, Gabe. You know me better than that. She’s going to be bruised and sore for a month or so, but she’s going to be fine.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Get something to eat and don’t terrorize my staff,” he said with an arched brow. “I’ll be out when we’re done.” He leaned over and kissed his wife. “Stay out of trouble, babe.”

  “Thanks, Tre.” Natalie nodded and watched him stride back down the hall, the sheet covered gurney wheeled out with IV and blood going into the unconscious woman.

  Gabriel turned and started to go into the waiting room when he paused and realized the condition of his hands and clothes. He shook his head and went toward the sign on the wall spelling out the restrooms. He couldn’t do anything about his clothes right now, but he could clean up his hands. Maybe a little or a lot of cold water on his face wouldn’t hurt, either.

  He didn’t know how long he scrubbed. Every time he thought he was finished, he swore he saw more of her blood. Finally he pushed himself away from the sink, dried his hands and wandered back to the waiting room.

  Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Bailey launching herself at the detective. He watched the blossoming circle of blood form just below her breast. Over and over again. He saw the already naturally pale features flooded with shock when she realized what had happened, her gaze wide and focused on him.

  And he heard her repeat words that meant more to him than all the things he’d acquired or the goals he’d met in his life. He had never realized how they could fill an empty space inside him so completely, so thoroughly that he swore his heart had stopped when he stared into those wide green eyes. But he still saw the color fading from her cheeks and the dazed nothing abruptly fill eyes that called to him in his sleep.

  “Gabe!”

  The sound of his name jerked him from the half-sleep state he’d fallen into and Emma was up and out of the chair, across the room and throwing herself into the surprised man’s arms before the final syllable left her lips.

  “Oh, Gabe! Colin called me! What’s happened? Where is she? Is she okay?”

  “Emma…” Jeremy winced and gently pulled her off Gabe, their eyes meeting and over the dark haired woman.

  “She’s in surgery. Tre Thorne is her doctor,” Gabriel said, looking from one to the other, his head shaking. “She found the murderers. One worked for my company, the other for the police. Janelle Harbridge and Casey Fields. Janelle is dead. She collided with Bailey and went down the stairs, breaking her neck. Better the stairs than me,” he finished dryly, striding to the window and staring out. His hands were shoved into his pockets. “Thank you for coming, but there isn’t anything you can do here. Obviously the club is the scene of a crime and closed for a few days. I don’t even know if they notified her parents…they’d be her next of kin…”

  “I’ll be back,” Emma announced, squaring her shoulders and striding off to talk to others in the same profession as her.

  “Her blood is all over the top of the stairs,” Gabriel said after she’d gone and without much thought. His vision was as red as the blood that had coated his hands when he tried stopping the spread.

  “If Tre’s with her, then he would have talked to you first,” Jeremy said with innate confidence.

  “He said he’s repairing the damage and she’ll be fine.” He tipped his head back, eyes closed. “She told me it was alright because she got to love me for a little while. So that made it okay for her. Then she passed out. I’ve never seen her lose so much color before. Fuck, I screwed this up, Jeremy. I should have…she means so much to me…and I was too chicken-shit to be honest with her.”

  Jeremy didn’t have words to fill in the emptiness his friend was feeling.

  “I’ll go get you something from the cafeteria.”

  “You think I fucking care about food right now?”

  “You think she’s going to understand when you’re not there and healthy when she wakes up?” Jeremy threw back without hesitation, the stern Dom voice flat and hard. “Don’t be an ass now, Gabe.”

  “Coffee,” he said after a long breath. “Thanks. I think I needed the kick.”

  “I know you needed the kick. I’m your friend, it’s my job. I’ll try and keep my effervescent sub off your case.” Jeremy brought his palm down on the solid shoulder before striding off toward the corridors, snatching up his wife on the way to the cafeteria.

  “Thanks,” he said softly to the air, knowing his friend had gone off. He wasn’t exactly fit company at the moment. But at least his friends knew how to hit back.

  He wasn’t sure when he finally sat down. He was grateful Emma was subdued, assuring him that Bailey was with the best team in the area and doing very well. Nothing serious had been damaged, but a few leaks had to be repaired, which explained why she’d lost so much blood so quickly.

  Gabriel ate the large sandwich and drank the really bad coffee before he finally convinced Jeremy and Emma to go home. He didn’t want to find a comfortable spot in the very uncomfortably small chair so he was grateful for that. He was on his feet the instant Tre Thorne came around the corner, carrying a chart and the cap he’d had over his head. The mask dangled over his scrubs and he smiled.

  “Come down this way. I’ve got a more comfortable place for you.” Tre didn’t have to ask twice and almost laughed at the disheveled hair and blood spattered shirt and jeans. Very much out of the normal for his friend. “Bailey is fine, Gabe. Seriously fine. Stubborn as hell. She kept fighting the sedation, that’s what was taking so long.”

  “Now there’s a surprise,” Gabe managed to say without choking on the lump in his throat. He couldn’t remember the last time his knees shook or his stomach felt like it wanted to empty. He watched Tre raise his palm, the thin strip of leather with his initials on it dangled on the edge of his fingers.

  “She wanted you to have this. She ordered me to tell you she’d expect it back when she woke up,” Tre chuckled at the strong hand that came up and took the soft leather. He clapped a palm on Gabriel’s arm. “She is alright, Gabe,” he said firmly, without doubt in his tone. “She lost blood. She’s gotten most of it back through the transfusion. Nothing major was hit and she’s probably coming around now. I’ve got it cleared that you’re here for the duration, so relax and get some rest. I had a cot brought in for you. They’ll be bringing her food and she needs to eat. I’ll be checking back in the morning and the nurses will watch her and you tonight.”

  “Thanks, Tre. Seriously.” Gabe met his friend’s eyes with a little nod before continuing into the dimly lit room. Monitors beeped and a clear fluid ran down the tube into the back of her ha
nd where it lay taped to a piece of firm plastic.

  For the first time in his life he felt truly helpless. She looked so pale, so delicate. Images of his feisty little sub doing verbal battle with him even as he spanked her jumped into his mind and made the long sigh from him shudder out in its entirety.

  “Mr. Garrett?” A woman in her forties and a set of colorful scrubs came in behind him. She carried a chart and pen, her hand quickly making notes as she went over the monitors next to the bed. “I’m Sheila and I’ll be the nurse until one and then Deb comes on. You can breathe and relax. Her stats are really good and she’s very healthy. She should be coming around any time now and will probably need the bathroom. If you need me, just press the call button, alright? Oh, and get her to drink as much iced water as you can. I don’t know when she ate last, but food would be good if she wants it, too. I’ll check back and refill the ice for you in an hour or so. Any questions?”

  “Thank you. I think…thank you.” Gabe tried but couldn’t pull his gaze from the woman in the bed. “We’ll be fine.”

  He carried a chair from the other side of the room but didn’t sit. He couldn’t pull himself from taking physical inventory. She wore a thin strip of fabric across her breasts and he could make out the outline of her panties beneath the thin blanket. She had a smock on, the front buttoned just to where the wrap began across her breasts. Thin wires were taped to her chest and rose with each breath she took.

  Bailey felt the world floating slowly back inside her head. The glaring lights weren’t fighting to get inside her eyelids, so she was glad of that. Then she heard the chair move.

  “Oh, boy…I bet I’m in some serious trouble,” Bailey whispered, opening one eye just a tiny bit before both of them slammed wide.

  That was when Gabriel realized what he looked like from another person’s standpoint. It probably didn’t help that it was her blood all over him.

  “Breathe, pet.” He moved next to the bed, his palms framing her face and forcing her eyes to his. “Look at me. I’m alright. Just my face, Bailey. Nothing happened to me other than you scaring the living daylights out of me. And we’ll discuss your trouble in a few months when you’re all healed.”

  “You’re okay? Honest?” Fear edged her eyes and she blinked against the hot moisture there.

  “Baby, I can’t remember ever being better,” he told her honestly, lowering his head and brushing his mouth ever so softly over lips slowly getting their color back. “Christ, you scared me, Bailey.”

  “I’m sorry,” she felt her lip quiver and pulled it between her teeth. “I hate being drugged. I didn’t say anything too crazy, did I? Sometimes my mouth gets me in trouble.” She would have laughed at the arched eyebrows but it hurt too much. He looked so worn out. She realized she’d never seen him less than perfect before, even in the mornings, he woke smoothly and without fighting it like she did. She reached her free hand up and stroked the side of his face. “I’m okay, Gabriel.”

  “I won’t believe it for a few weeks, Bailey, so don’t try convincing me differently.”

  “Weeks?”

  He laughed this time. The high little squeak in her voice, the wide eyes that told him she’d be pushing every limit out there as far as her recovery was concerned. He’d never been happier to have a pool and hot tub for her to recuperate in.

  “The nurse said you might need the bathroom,” he lowered the side of the bed and looked at the wires and IV drip going to her hand.

  “I…you…oh, hell no.” Bailey shook the last bit of fog from her brain and glared. “There’s a call button for a girl nurse who can help me. You…you need to…to be…” she flipped her free hand up and waved it off to the entrance to the room. “Somewhere else. We are not anywhere close to bathroom duties in our…this…”

  He leaned in until their noses touched and waited.

  She swallowed hard and her eyes got impossibly large.

  “It’s called a relationship. We have a relationship. We are a couple. You are my friend and my lover,” Gabriel stated each sentence slowly and succinctly, waiting in between only long enough for her to nod. “I’m not going anywhere. I don’t give a flying fuck what people walking the company halls think of who I choose to have in my life. Have I made that abundantly clear? Forget that other crap about it just being about the play and sex. I was an idiot and I’m past it. You are the woman I want in my life and in my bed…and unless you intend to tell me I’m wrong in that assessment…”

  Then her lips started to quiver and she started crying.

  Now didn’t that make him feel good. Gabriel carefully collected her against him, one hand gently surrounding her back while the other held her head against his shoulder.

  “That wasn’t what I expected.” He stroked his palm over the mass of red hair, his lips next to her temple.

  Sheila came around the open door, relieved at the sight and clearing her throat to let them know she was there.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt. But I need to remove the IV and leads so you can go to the restroom.” She eased around the left side, lifting a box of tissues from the cabinet next to the bed and laying them over Bailey’s legs. “I wondered when the emotions of the event would catch up with her. But it looks like she’s in good hands.”

  She worked quietly, glancing up at Gabriel and gesturing for him to lay Bailey back on the bed’s surface. Sheila had the IV removed and let him hold the thick gauze pad over the entry spot, lifting it above Bailey’s head.

  “I didn’t mean to cry. I’m okay,” Bailey told them both with a sniffle, several tissues crushed inside her good hand. “I got me all over your shirt.”

  “I doubt a few tears are going to make a big difference at this point.” Gabriel brought Bailey’s hand down and let Sheila finish setting the bandage. He waited until she had the monitors and IV stand collected and left them alone. “Bathroom?”

  She nodded, sighing. “I can probably manage…”

  “To be quiet and accept help like a good girl,” Gabriel finished the attempted evasion. “Listening to you pee isn’t going to change how I feel about you, Bailey. Deal with it. If you can strut behind me wearing one of those sexy corsets in the club, this should be a slice for you.”

  “Every time I think I couldn’t possibly get myself into a more embarrassing situation, I amaze myself,” she said, pulling in a long breath and letting his strength help her to sit up. She felt the bandages and looked down at her chest and then up to see him waiting patiently. “Did you see the hole?”

  “You had clothes on when I got to you,” he answered softly. “All I saw was the blood.” His fingers shook when he stroked them lightly over the side of her face. “I couldn’t get it to stop. Then you talked to me and before I could answer you, you passed out. If Tre hadn’t been there with the Lieutenant…”

  “I’m okay, Gabriel. I heal quickly,” she tried assuring him, her hands around the thick wrists as she sidled to the edge of the high bed. “I think I had hoped I could grab her hand with both of mine…and shove it aside. I didn’t mean to get shot…it was weird…it didn’t hurt. Not right away…then I kind of started floating. I heard you and the others around you. I saw Colin and heard the doctor talking to the paramedics…I’m sorry,” she said softly, raising one hand to his face and using her thumb to swipe the tear that had eased free. “I really need to pee…seriously…”

  Gabriel kept his hands away from the thick gauze on her left side.

  “Put your hands around my neck and use me to ease to the floor, Bailey,” he said with a soft laugh. “I can’t lift you because of the angle of the bullet.”

  “Did it go out the other side?” She tried straining to look behind her but only saw the back of the smock. A smock that barely came to the end of her panties. She really should be used to being half naked by now.

  “It did. Which helped you lose too much blood too fast,” he told her, her head nodding where it rested against his shoulder. He swept one hand beneath her knees and lifted
her against him. “I’ll lower you just next to the toilet and discretely step out if you promise to call me. If you try walking yet, I swear…”

  “I promise,” she answered immediately, counting the steps into the bathroom and waiting a scant second before his back was turned and she was sitting down. Relief made her sigh, her temple against the cool tiles at her side.

  “Bailey?”

  She knew it would be useless to even try and deny him the need to care for her right now and she really didn’t have a lot of fight in her at the moment. She sighed and lifted her head, managed to stand up, flush and pull her panties into place. Thankfully, the sink was an arm length away.

  “I’m good…almost…just need…” she jumped when the door was pulled wide in time to see her clinging to the edge of the sink with both hands. “Gabriel!”

  “Put it away, Bailey,” he ordered instantly, his hands out and adjusting the water for her. “Wash and back into bed.”

  She did as ordered but stared into the mirror. “I want to see.”

  “No, Bailey, you do not. Not right now,” before she could protest, he had her right side against him and striding back into the hospital room. “Give it a couple days to heal and close up. I’m going to go to the cafeteria and get you something to eat. You’ve got a lot of strength and blood to rebuild.”

  “You’re very nurturing and sweet,” she said as he arranged the blankets around her, her eyes watering when he pulled the slim leather out of his pocket, showing her he had it. “They wouldn’t let me keep it on. I kept waking up…”

  “Tre said you were a difficult patient.” He tucked the leather back into his pocket before leaning over and kissing her. “Stay here, Bailey. I’ll be right back.”

  “Yes, Sir,” she offered with a little smile.

  Gabriel Garrett didn’t give a second thought to his appearance or the people staring occasionally as he made his selection in the cafeteria. He paid and was heading back when he saw Tre leaving the hospital room.

  “She’s asleep. Not surprising.” Tre looked him over. “Little chance of you going home and getting a shower and some rest, huh?”