Monroe, Marla - Double Montana Treats (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Marla Monroe

  One of the nurses who had chastised him spoke up. “Doctor Warner, she has a bullet graze to her left arm that will need a couple of stitches, but her thigh wound is bleeding like the bullet nicked a major vein.”

  “Let me see.” He pulled aside the sheet and the bandages and manipulated her wound.

  Marshall had to look away. It made him sick to watch the doctor do that. It angered him to see them treat her as if she wasn’t even human. He wanted to tell them that she was their lover, but he couldn’t say anything. He had no idea how Drew would stand on the subject of their relationship to the outside world.

  “Yep, she’s first. Prep her for surgery. I’ll take the shoulder second.” The doctor turned to Marshall.

  “Are you next of kin? Is she allergic to anything?”

  “She’s my girlfriend. She doesn’t have any next of kin, and I don’t know if she’s allergic to anything or not.” He might have just stuck his foot in a fresh pile of manure by calling her his girlfriend, but he wasn’t about to let them kick him out.

  “Well, she’s got a bleeder we’ve got to sew up in surgery. She’s lost a good bit of blood by the looks of her vital signs and the blood on the bandages. I’m going to have some lab tests done and depending on what those tell me, we might have to give her blood.”

  “Is she going to be okay?”

  “Barring any unforeseen circumstances, she should be fine after surgery.” The doctor turned to go, but Marshall stopped him.

  “What about Jeb? The shoulder wound? He’s my best friend and her other boyfriend.”

  The doctor stared at him for a few seconds then shook his head once. “The other patient is doing fine and will have to have surgery to remove the bullet. I don’t see anything major with his recovery, either. However, if he doesn’t calm down and watch his mouth, the nurses are going to take exception and treat him like the ass he’s being.”

  Marshall smiled at that. He could well believe Jeb was being a total ass.

  “I’ll talk to him as soon as I see to Drew.”

  The doctor huffed out a breath and walked out of the room. The nurses shooed Marshall out so they could prepare her for surgery. Outside the room, Kenny and Robert stood waiting with anxious expressions on their faces.

  “What did the doctor say?” Kenny demanded.

  Marshall repeated everything to them. Kenny ran a hand through his hair. Both men were holding their hats. Marshall realized he didn’t even know where his hat was. Somewhere out on the ranch, he supposed.

  “Look, watch her door, and don’t let anyone in there that isn’t a nurse. I’m going to go calm Jeb down before one of his nurses does something drastic to him.” Marshall hurried off to the other treatment room.

  He found Jeb fussing with one of the nurses about letting him go check on his girlfriend. The nurse had her hands on her hips, glaring at him.

  “Jeb, I’ll tell you about Drew, man. You need to calm down or they might knock you out. I can’t watch both of you.”

  “You’re supposed to be with Drew right now. I told you not to take your f—”

  Marshall interrupted him. “Calm down! They kicked me out to get her ready for surgery. Kenny and Robert are watching the door and won’t let anyone but a nurse in. I figured you needed to know what is going on.”

  “Is she all right?” Jeb’s voice shook.

  “She has a nicked vein they think. They’re taking her to surgery before they do you. The doctor says she’ll be fine.”

  Jeb seemed to relax all over at that. His friend had lines on his face that hadn’t been there before. Neither one of them was handling Drew’s injuries very well.

  “Have you heard back from the sheriff yet?” Jeb asked.

  “No, but it’s only been an hour. We should know something by the time you get out of surgery.”

  “Sir? I need to ask you to leave now. We need to get him ready for surgery.”

  “Jeb, cooperate with them so they don’t tie you down or gag you.”

  “Just watch after Drew, and I’ll be fine.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Drew fought her way through the dense fog, trying to wake up. She had never been this sleepy before. She’d always been able to wake up in an instant if she needed to. She needed to now. She wanted to know how Jeb was. She needed to know that he was all right.

  “She’s trying to wake up,” someone above her said.

  “You said she woke up in recovery. Why isn’t she still awake?”

  “They gave her something for nausea, and it knocked her back out. Don’t worry. She’ll wake up soon.”

  Drew recognized Marshall’s voice. Why wasn’t he looking after Jeb? Fear lanced through her chest. What if something was seriously wrong with him? She finally managed to open her eyes to mere slits.

  “Marshall?”

  “Hey, baby. You’re awake. Are you hurting? Do you need something for pain?”

  “Jeb?”

  “He’s doing fine. He’s still in recovery, though. They operated on you first.” Marshall squeezed her hand.

  “Operated? Why did I need surgery?”

  “That bullet wound you had in your thigh hit a vein, and you were bleeding pretty badly. They didn’t have to give you blood, but it was iffy there for a while.”

  “And Jeb’s okay?”

  “He’s fine. If the nurses leave him alone. He was acting a complete moron earlier.” Marshall grinned down at her and took her hand. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I was scared to death we were going to lose you.”

  “Naw, I’m tougher than that.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “I think I’ll take a nap now. Why don’t you climb up here with me? I like sleeping between you and Jeb.”

  There was a loud bang and then a “sorry” that jarred her eyes back open in time to see a nurse hurry out of the room.

  “Darling, I think you just scandalized that poor nurse,” Marshall said with a chuckle.

  “What did I do?”

  “Nothing, baby. You were just being you. Take a nap. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

  “Okay. When Jeb wakes up, tell him I love him. I love you, too, Marshall.”

  “I love you, Drew.”

  She drifted back and forth between sleep and consciousness for several hours before she woke up to find Kenny and Robert talking to Marshall beside her bed.

  “You three planning on ganging up on me or what?”

  “Aw, hell. Did we wake you up?” Kenny asked with a sheepish expression.

  “No, I was listening to you for a while before I opened my eyes. How is Jeb doing?”

  “He’s a hell of a lot better than you are. He needs his ass whipped,” Kenny told her.

  “What’s he doing?” She tried to sit up but found she didn’t have the energy to pull herself up in bed.

  “Here, don’t move. I’ll help you.” Marshall pushed the button to raise the head of the bed and then repositioned her leg so he could lift her a little higher. “How does that feel?”

  “Better than you feel.” She rearranged the covers so she could check out her leg. “That’s an awfully big bandage.”

  “The nurse said it’s a pressure bandage to be sure you don’t start bleeding again. They plan to take it off in the morning.” Marshall covered her leg back up and glanced at Kenny and Robert.

  Drew smiled. Kenny and Robert were more interested in each other than her leg, but it was touching that Marshall cared that someone else saw her.

  “I want to see Jeb. When can I go?” she asked.

  “Not ’til tomorrow after they check your incision. I already asked, ’cause I knew you would ask me.”

  “He’s really okay? You’re not just telling me that?”

  “He is just fine. Driving the nurses crazy, but fine,” Kenny assured her.

  * * * *

  “Either you get a damn wheelchair and take me to see her, or I’m going to walk over there and see her. If that means jerking this out of my arm”—he indicated the IV in hi
s arm—“then I’ll do it.” Jeb was just about ready to explode.

  He needed to see Drew for himself. It didn’t matter that everyone assured him she was doing fine. He wanted to see her, needed to see her. She was too damn important to him to take anyone’s word, even Marshall’s.

  “You are by far the most obstinate, rude, crude man I’ve ever had the misfortune to take care of. I’ll get your wheelchair, but you are going to promise me that you will stay in bed once I take you to see her.”

  “I promise I’ll stay in bed until I need to see her again.”

  The nurse growled at him then turned on her heel and walked out of the room, mumbling as she left.

  Jeb settled back against the pillows and sighed. He was tired and wanted a nap but not until he saw Drew. As far as he was concerned, they could set him up a cot in her room so he could be with her. Not only did he miss her, but he was worried someone would try and hurt her. They hadn’t caught whoever had been shooting at them yet. If they would shoot at them in broad daylight, they might try something in the hospital.

  A few minutes later, the nurse returned with a wheelchair and a pill. He eyed it suspiciously.

  “Either you take the antibiotic, or I won’t take you to her room.”

  Jeb swallowed the pill with a sip of water and then climbed carefully out of the bed to sit in the wheelchair after the nurse disconnected him from the IV. She arranged a blanket around his legs, and he appreciated that when he realized he had a gown on. Hell. He should have realized that a long time ago. He really was worried about Drew. Not even the sling on his right arm bothered him as much as he was worried that Drew could have been killed.

  The nurse wheeled him down the hall to another room and knocked on the door. Marshall came to the door and smiled when he saw him.

  “Should have known you’d figure out a way to get here.” He stepped back and let the nurse push him into the room.

  “He’s bossy and needs to be in bed himself,” the nurse complained.

  “I’ll watch him and call you when he gets tired.” Marshall took the chair away from her and hurried her out before Jeb said something to piss her off.

  Jeb was standing up and walking over to Drew’s bed before Marshall could get to him to stop him.

  “Man, you’ve had surgery. You need to be in bed yourself.”

  “I’m fine. Just a little tired. Has she been awake?”

  “Yeah, she was while Kenny and Robert where here. She just drifted off again. She’s tired but doing okay.”

  Jeb took her hand in his on the uninjured side. He gently squeezed it and brought it to his lips. He couldn’t bend over. He was scared he’d fall on her. His shoulder hurt like the devil, but he wasn’t taking anything for pain until he saw her. He was sure whatever they gave him would knock him out.

  “Love you, Drew. You scared me to death when I saw all that blood on your leg. Don’t you ever do that again.” He leaned against the bed, watching her sleep.

  “Here, sit in the chair, and you can hold her hand,” Marshall said, pushing the wheelchair closer to the bed.

  “I’d rather get up in bed with her,” he complained.

  “Yeah, well, she’d rather be between us, too, according to what she said earlier.”

  “She really said that?”

  “Yep, right in front of a nurse. The poor thing dropped her clipboard and ran out of the room.” Marshall chuckled.

  “Marshall?” Drew’s voice stole both of their attention.

  “Hey, baby.” Jeb squeezed her hand and leaned forward so she could see him.

  “Jeb. You’re supposed to be in bed. You were shot,” she whispered.

  “So were you,” He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips before wincing and sitting back.

  “I’m fine, Jeb. You need to go back to bed before the nurses get us in trouble,” she teased.

  “No one is going to keep me from seeing about you.”

  “But I’m okay. You can see for yourself now that I’ll be out of here before you will.”

  “I kind of doubt that, baby. You lost a lot of blood. They were going to give you blood, but the doctor said he’d rather you just make more of your own since you weren’t going anywhere soon.” Marshall looked at Jeb when he told her that.

  Jeb understood what his friend was telling him. She had almost lost too much blood. They had to figure out who was trying to kill her now and stop him. One way or another. If that meant he would go back to jail, then so be it. He knew Marshall would take good care of her, and Kenny and Robert would watch out for her as well.

  “Jeb?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you right back, Drew. You mean the world to me.” He squeezed her hand again.

  “Don’t make the nurses mad so they won’t let you come see me. I like knowing you’re okay.”

  “Jeb is going to be on his best behavior now that he’s seen you, aren’t you, Jeb?” Marshall nudged Jeb’s leg.

  “I’m going to be a perfect gentleman as long as they let me come see you when I want to.” Jeb smiled.

  “That’s not really what I said,” Marshall pointed out.

  * * * *

  Two days later, they let Jeb go home and promised Drew she would be able to leave the next day if she didn’t spike a temperature. So far, she was feeling fine, other than being tired. They assured her, Jeb, and Marshall it would pass. She was surprised Jeb hadn’t insisted that she stay longer and said as much once the doctor had left.

  “The only reason is because I think I can take better care of you at home where we can watch out for you. There are too many damn people in and out of here for my liking,” Jeb complained.

  She wasn’t a bit surprised by his statement. Ever since the sheriff had admitted they didn’t have anything on the man, or men, who were after her, he’d been like a momma bear and prickly as a pear. They’d found a couple of shell casings, but the fingerprints didn’t match anyone they had on file, so they had to wait until they had someone in custody to take their fingerprints to charge them.

  Even with the bullet from Jeb’s shoulder, they needed the gun to match it. All of this meant they needed probable cause to arrest someone. So far, they only had suppositions.

  “I don’t want to stay here another night, Jeb. Let me go home now. I can’t sleep in this bed.” And it was true. Since she’d come out of the drug-induced sleep, she’d been awake but tired ever since. “I’ll sleep so much better at home.

  “We’ll take you there tomorrow, like the doctor said. Not before.” Jeb leaned over and kissed her.

  When she attempted to deepen the kiss, he pulled back and shook his finger at her.

  “No hanky-panky while you’re sick.”

  “I’m not sick!” she yelled.

  “Shhh, they’ll make us leave if we’re upsetting you,” Marshall reminded her.

  “They already look at us funny. One of the younger nurses actually asked me if I was really living with both of you.”

  “What did you tell her?” Jeb asked with a glint in his eye.

  “That I was actually living with three men, but only two of them slept with me.”

  “Aw, baby. You didn’t.” Jeb closed his eyes and hung his head.

  “What? It’s the truth. I’m not ashamed of it.” Drew pouted at him.

  “Once you get completely well, I owe you several spankings,” Jeb warned her.

  “For what?” she demanded.

  “For coming back for me when you should have hightailed it out of there once the shooting started, for one.” He stuck up one finger then another and said, “Two, you went and scared the crap out of me by getting shot. Not once, but twice!”

  “Shhh, hold your voice down, or the nurse will come kick you out.” Drew winked at Marshall.

  “Drew, baby. I know this probably isn’t the right time or anything, but I can’t wait any longer. Marshall and I want you to be our wife. I know that’s not very conventional,
and this isn’t all that romantic, but I love you and can’t stand not knowing if you feel the same way.”

  Drew felt her heart plop in a flip at Jeb’s words. She’d wanted to hear them for a long time now but was too afraid to put her hopes into words. She smiled, knowing there were tears in her eyes.

  “Yes, I’ll be your wife. Both of you. I love you both very much, and I don’t care if it’s not conventional. As long as we’re not hurting anyone, it shouldn’t matter what goes on, on our land.”

  Jeb jabbed Marshall in the side with his good elbow. Marshall fiddled in his jeans pocket and pulled out a ring.

  “It’s not much, but we didn’t figure you would wear something fancy out on the ranch, and I know you’re going to always want to work out there even when you don’t need to. Marshall insisted that it be a diamond. I wanted to get a stone the color of your eyes.”

  “I told him to get you one for our anniversary.”

  Marshall and Jeb both took her left hand as Marshall slid the ring on her finger. Drew’s eyes teared up to the point where she couldn’t see anything. She swiped her eyes and held out both arms to her men.

  “I love you both. Thank you so much! It’s perfect. And you’re right, I wouldn’t have worn anything any bigger, ’cause it would have gotten in the way. This is perfect.”

  “I know you can’t actually marry both of us, but we felt like you should marry Jeb for real, so that if we had any children, they’d have his last name.” Marshall bent down and kissed her.

  “Robert and Kenny are going to witness all three of us say our vows out at the ranch,” Jeb added then bent down and kissed her as well.

  “That’s a wonderful idea about the vows. I love it. As for marrying Jeb, I’m glad you two decided, because I couldn’t have made a decision like that. Did you flip a coin?”

  Marshall chuckled. “Actually, we almost did, but I told him he was the oldest, and the foreman, so he should marry you.”

  “Marshall, I’m not pretending that you’re not my husband and lover, too, when we are out in public. I won’t hide our relationship.”