Operation Midnight

by Sharon C. Cooper

  Chapter Seventeen

  Hours after being checked out in emergency, Olivia stared out the window in Natasha’s office, looking at nothing in particular. Knowing how she felt about hospitals, Malik insisted she hang out in there until they got word on Wiz’s condition. As Chief of Staff, Natasha had done everything she could to make the process easy on Olivia. What her friend couldn’t do was guarantee that Wiz would make it through surgery. She also couldn’t make the memories go away.

  “He saved my life,” Olivia mumbled more to herself than anyone else in the room.

  “Of course he did.” Malik strolled up to her, his arm going easily around her shoulder. She didn’t know what she would have done without him or Natasha today. “You have to know by now that he would lay down his life for you.”

  “I know, but I don’t want him to,” she sobbed, bringing the crumbled tissue up to her face, trying not to shed anymore tears. It all felt like a bad nightmare and the fact that Wiz was still in surgery wasn’t helping. Malik seemed so sure that he would be fine, but Olivia wasn’t so sure. He had been so pale and had lost so much blood.

  Flashbacks of the shooting trampled across her mind. It was as if she could still hear the edge in Wiz’s voice, still feel the tenseness of his body when he yelled for her to get down. His skills, reflexes, level headedness, and the measures he took to keep her safe, gave her a whole new respect for his military training. Sure he had taken her to the gun range hundreds of times, but to see him in action felt like an out of body experience.

  There was a moment she honestly thought they were going to die, but Wiz had saved them. Watching the paramedics load him into the ambulance was even more traumatic than the shooting. She was sure her heart had stopped when they couldn’t get him to respond to anything they did.

  Big, strong, and fearless, it was easy to forget that Wiz wasn’t invincible. Seeing him on that gurney, not responding, and the paramedics working feverishly to help him, had been too much. She could barely remember calling Malik, the ride in the ambulance, or how chaos scurried around them when arriving at the hospital.

  “Olivia, you need to eat,” Natasha said when she walked into the office pulling Olivia out of her musing. Victoria and Travis strolled in next carrying enough food to feed a small army.

  “We weren’t sure what you felt like eating, but there’s soup, sandwiches, and salad for you to choose from,” Victoria said, placing the bags of food on the large round table in the corner of the room.

  Travis held up a large duffle bag that Olivia recognized as Wiz’s.

  “Where would you like this?”

  “By the sofa is fine,” Olivia replied.

  He and Victoria had gone to the house to gather a few items for her and Wiz. All they’d done for them in the last couple of hours reminded her that they were the family she thought she didn’t have.

  Olivia leaned against the wall between the windows. Her body felt as if it had been through the spin cycle of a washing machine. Watching as everyone helped unload the bags, she couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with love for them.

  She lowered her gaze. Thinking of family made her heart flutter. Soon her and Wiz’s family would be larger. She still couldn’t believe it. She was having a baby. Days ago, she had taken a home pregnancy test that came out positive, but it wasn’t until after her doctor’s appointment earlier in the day that she knew for sure.

  She just wished she had told Wiz the moment she found out. If he didn’t make it through … She shook her head to halt the thought. He had to pull through. He had to be okay.

  “Come on, sit down and eat something.” Malik held her elbow, walking her over to the table.

  Natasha and Victoria sat on each side of her, pushing items closer to her while filling their own plates. Travis set several bottles of water in the middle of the table before snagging a seat at the table.

  “I’m going downstairs for a minute. I’ll be back shortly,” Malik said to Natasha, kissing her on the cheek.

  Conversation flowed easily and Olivia appreciated everyone’s effort to take her mind off the situation. Unfortunately, it wasn’t working. One minute she felt like crying and the next she wanted to do physical harm to the people who tried to kill them.

  “Come on. It’s getting late,” Natasha said, her hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “Why don’t you stretch out on the sofa? One of us will wake you the moment we get word about Cameron.”

  Olivia glanced down at her half eaten food, barely able to stay awake.

  “I think that’s a good idea.”

  *

  Wiz floated in and out of consciousness, unable to keep his eyes open for any period of time. Despite his effort to wake up, sleep pulled him back under into a peaceful bliss.

  *

  Hours later, Wiz struggled to open his eyes, feeling as if there was duct tape holding them down. An annoying beeping to his left and muted voices in the distance filled the space as everything started coming back to him.

  Dark car. Tattooed hand. A gun. Olivia … hospital.

  Olivia.

  His eyes popped opened and he bolted upright.

  “Dammit,” he said through gritted teeth, nausea rising to his throat and pain shooting through his body. He slammed his eyes shut and dropped back down to the bed, feeling as if someone had stabbed him in the side and was now shoving the knife in deeper and twisting it.

  He cursed again, balling a fist full of the sheet in his hands willing the pain to cease.

  The door opened and Wiz open his eyes again, using the little energy he had to focus on the person who had just walked in.

  “It’s about damn time you woke up.” Malik moved closer to the bed. “I was starting to think they’d screwed something up while you were in surgery.”

  “Where is she?” he asked, his voice scratchy. Is she—”

  “She’s okay.” Malik pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat in it, leaning on the edge of the bed. “Olivia’s upstairs in Tasha’s office. She’s been checked out, and though shaken, she’s doing all right. Last time I checked, she was asleep.”

  Despite his foggy mind and the way his body was throbbing, relief flooded through his veins. “I have to see her.”

  “I know. She was down here earlier when you first came out of surgery. She met with the doctor. I have to say, man, based on how Ollie described the scene, you’re one lucky brotha. You took a bullet in the left side of your abdomen that passed through some muscle, but no major organs.”

  “My leg?”

  “A bullet grazed you, but you’ll live.”

  Wiz sighed. They took heavy gunfire and he knew it could have been a lot worse. His only concern was that Olivia was okay.

  “Go get her.”

  “In a minute. Let me catch up with stuff first.” Malik sat back in his seat. “A nurse’ll probably be back in here in a second to check on you. They’ve been coming in and out. And Sheldon was here earlier to ask you some questions. He got a statement from Olivia, but said he’ll stop by later this morning to talk to you.

  Detective Sheldon Baker was a good friend of theirs who they could count on for help during times like this. He was definitely an ally to the agency.

  “Olivia said that when you guys left the bakery, you saw a dark car with chrome wheels. What else?”

  “Tattoo of a serpent on the guy’s gun hand. Cidal Boyz.”

  “Damn. Anything else? Did you get a good look at the person?”

  “Barely.” Wiz closed his eyes, trying to relax and bear the burning pain in his side and the throb in his left leg. “Fair complexion, dark shades, and a dark skull cap.” Flashes of the scene darted in and out of Wiz’s mind. He reopened his eyes. “Everything happened so fast.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Anything on Midnight?” Wiz asked, sure that whatever was going on, she knew something.

  “She’s vanished. We checked the motel again. Nothing. The cell number she gave Olivia, disconnected. It’s like she’s fallen
off the face of the earth. I have Raeanna checking again to see if she can track her either via credit cards or by the car she’s been driving around in.”

  “Okay.”

  Raeanna was good. If he couldn’t do the behind the scenes work, she would be his first choice to pick up the slack.

  “What time is it?” Wiz asked, feeling himself fading.

  “One-thirty in the morning.” Malik stood and stretched. “They tried kicking me out of here, but I guess there are certain perks to being engaged to the Chief of Staff.”

  Before Wiz could respond, a nurse waltzed in.

  “Mr. Miller, glad to see you awake,” she said calmly, a hand on his shoulder while she fiddled with one of the machines.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “A lot of pain. Nauseous.”

  “I can give you something for the nausea and increase the pain medication if—”

  “No.”

  “Don’t.”

  He and Malik spoke at the same time.

  “O … kay.” She looked from him to Malik. “Well, the doctor will stop by soon to check on you. If you need anything, just press the call button.”

  More pain meds was tempting considering how his body felt like one big, aching muscle, but he needed to be alert. More meds would just knock him out. He and Malik needed to figure out next steps. More importantly, Wiz needed to see Olivia.

  “Go get Olivia,” Wiz said to Malik the moment the nurse left the room. Not only did he want to see that she was all right, he needed to find out if he had heard her correctly. Was she pregnant?

  *

  Olivia released an anxious breath as she walked down the hospital hall, flanked by Malik and Travis. She felt bad that she was moving a little slow, her hipbone tender from when Wiz pushed her to the ground.

  She stole a quick glance at Malik and then Travis. They had to be tired. The both of them had been overseeing security detail for her and Wiz since they arrived. They had barely taken a break. At least she had dozed off a couple of times. Granted her brief moments of sleep were restless, but they had helped.

  “Okay, Ollie,” Malik started as they neared Wiz’s room. She didn’t bother giving him a hard time about the nickname. As a matter of fact, she welcomed it today, needing some since of normal. “Either me, Travis, or Hank will be outside this door at all times. No roaming around without one of us. Understand?”

  She nodded. She didn’t know if she would ever feel comfortable roaming around anywhere alone again. Normally she wasn’t so jumpy, but since arriving at the hospital, every sudden move around her had her jumping.

  Malik nodded toward the door. “You can go on in.”

  “Thanks.”

  Olivia sucked in a deep breath then released it slowly before pushing the door open. Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest. She hadn’t been to Wiz’s room since earlier in the day, skittish about seeing him so pale and unmoving. The doctor said he’d make a full recovery, but she’d believe it when he opened those beautiful eyes and talked to her.

  Walking farther into the room, she wrung her hands, trying to calm her erratic nerves. The beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the cool, semi-dark room. Olivia stopped near the foot of the bed, glad to see some of the color had returned to Wiz’s face, but he was still. Too still.

  She wasn’t sure how long she stood there unmoving, thinking how she wanted her gentle giant back. He might recover physically, but how would he be mentally?

  She startled, her hand moving to her chest, when his eyes popped opened. There was an immediate awareness in his gaze. She teared up, relieved to see those intense green eyes staring back at her.

  “Hi.” She moved slowly to the side of the bed, unsure of why she was still maintaining a distance. His gaze did a slow stroll down her body before returning to her face.

  “Hey,” he finally said.

  Her throat tightened and her hand went to her mouth trying to hold back a sob. Her eyes blurred with tears. The magnitude of what they had gone through hours ago hit her harder now that she was standing next to him.

  “Sweetie, don’t cry.” He slowly stretched his hand to her, pain showing on his face.

  She grabbed hold of his hand, never wanting to let him go.

  “The doctor said you’re going to be okay.” Her voice trembled despite trying to be strong. She swiped at a tear that slipped through and pasted on a wobbly smile. “I … I.” She wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Come here.” He pulled on her hand. “Come up here.”

  She frowned. “I can’t. The bed is too small, and you’re in pain. I don’t want to hurt you more. Besides, you need to get some rest.”

  “If you want me to get some rest, you need to climb up here with me. I need to hold you.”

  She folded her lower lip between her teeth and glanced at the door, Wiz still gripping her hand. He was a risk taker, she wasn’t. What would the hospital staff say if they found her in his bed?

  He tugged her hand again, regaining her attention. “Come on.”

  Oh what the heck.

  He held onto her as she climbed in on the right side of the bed. With his arm wrapped around her, she placed her head on his chest, careful not to touch his bandages. The stress from earlier immediately evaporated when she snuggled against him.

  He placed a kiss on her forehead. “I needed to hold you.”

  “And I needed to touch you.” She sighed.

  His hand slid up and down her right side. Not intimately, but more in a soothing way. Less than twenty-four hours ago, they had literally been running for their lives. She tried not to think about how everything could have turned out, but she couldn’t help it. She could have lost him. She could have lost the only man she ever loved.

  She jerked slightly when his hand slid over her hip and he stiffened.

  “You’re hurt,” he ground out. “Malik said you were okay.” His words came out probably harsher than he meant them to.

  “I am okay.” She went back to rubbing his chest, hoping he’d calm down so the machine he was attached to could go back to the slow rhythmic beeping. “My hip is a little bruised. Nothing a long soak in some warm water can’t fix.”

  “I’m so sorry. I never meant for you to get hurt. I reacted without—”

  “Stop.” She lifted slightly. “Cameron, you saved my life. A little bruise is nothing compared to what could have happened. Honey, you’re my hero. Your quick thinking is why we’re both still here.”

  He didn’t say anything. She knew he was still beating himself up for something so minor instead of realizing what could have happened.

  She lowered her head again and her eyes drifted closed as peace settled around her. This was where she belonged, in his arms.

  His love for her evident in the way he cradled her close.

  “So we’re having a baby,” he said quietly.

  Her eyes popped open and she leaned back to look at his face. “You heard me?”

  “I did.”

  “Well … that was my surprise, part of it at least. I had a nice romantic night planned for us and I was going to tell you the news once we got home.”

  “I guess I ruined the surprise, huh?”

  A small smile touched her lips as she cupped his cheek, a two-day scruff growing on the lower part of his face.

  “Surprise!” She put as much enthusiasm in her voice as she could muster, not sure how he felt about them having a baby.

  He chuckled, but stopped and winced. “I guess laughing makes the pain worse.”

  “Cameron, me laying here with you probably wasn’t a good idea.” She started to raise up, prepared to climb off the bed, but he stopped her. “I really should let you get some rest so that you can heal.”

  “Stay here.”

  She studied him, his eyes barely open, but his gaze steady on her. He looked so tired and since he wasn’t a complainer, he was probably in more pain than he was letting on.

  “Okay, but just a little while.”
She settled back against him.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about the baby sooner?”

  “I had just found out officially yesterday morning.” She told him how Natasha had suggested that maybe her flu weeks ago wasn’t just the flu, but Olivia had shot the idea down. She assumed she couldn’t get pregnant again since they hadn’t used protection since getting back together and she hadn’t gotten pregnant. Her cycle had always been inconsistent so the possibility never came to mind.

  It wasn’t until a few days ago, when she was still feeling queasy weeks after having the flu, that she decided to take a home pregnancy test.

  “I had made an appointment for yesterday with my doctor and Victoria took me.”

  “She didn’t say anything when I called to check on you,” he mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper.

  “I swore her to secrecy.”

  He grunted. Olivia glanced up at him. His eyes were closed, but the arm he had around her remained firm and protective.

  “Are you asleep?” she asked quietly.

  “No. Tired, but not asleep. And no I don’t want you to leave. I need you right here with me.” He cracked his eyes open, meeting her gaze. “How far along are you?”

  “Eight weeks.”

  “Wow … we’re having a baby.” He closed his eyes again. His hand that was originally on her hip moved to her flat stomach and a wistful sigh slipped through his lips.

  Olivia lowered her eyes. She placed her hand on top of his, grateful their baby was okay considering what they had just gone through. Neither of them could handle another miscarry.

  We can’t lose this baby.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Wiz woke with a start. He wasn’t sure how long they’d been asleep, but probably not long considering it was still dark outside.

  He remained still and listened. Someone other than them was in the room. He focused, his gaze slowly roaming around the space, which was larger than most hospital rooms. He froze when he saw a lone figure in the darkened corner.

  “It’s good to see your senses are still as sharp as usual.” Quinn stepped into the low stream of light created by the wall sconce near the head of the bed.