Forever Mine

by April Zyon

  “Amen.” She let out a breath and looked up at the ceiling. “Just know that when this is all over and done with, your wife will likely make you stay home just like Mercy will likely ask Brant to stick closer to home.” Especially with Levi and Angel around.

  “Hell, I’ll beg her to let me stay home for a while. Not for long, but definitely for a time. Be nice to push all this bad shit out of the way for a time and enjoy life for a while. Brant, though, is usually home most of the time anyway. He’ll probably opt out of a few field operations for a time, though. I know he’s always worried about the what-ifs of potentially leaving Mercy, and Levi alone. Relatively speaking. In my family, ‘alone’ really isn’t in the dictionary. But you get my meaning.”

  “Yes, I know just what you mean.” She didn’t know what she would do if she lost Martin and they didn’t even have children yet. She couldn’t imagine losing him at all. “I’m sure that Eli will be more than happy to have you home with her. I’m sure you will be able to talk her into letting you stay home for as long as you want.”

  “Oh I know I will. But that’ll only last until I get antsy to go out and save the world again. Me and my damn hero complex that I apparently have.” He looked her way and rolled his eyes. “Don’t know why shrinks tag people that try to make the world a little better like that, makes it sound bad. I’m just trying to keep the bad shit from touching our little slice of semi-paradise here in Massey. For the next generation of Carvers. I don’t see anything bad about that, do you?”

  “Nope, nothing bad at all. In fact, I am happy that you have your hero complex because I want the next generation to have a great place to live and make their home. I hope to one day add to that future Carver generation.”

  “Yeah, Eli keeps talking about adding to the Carver family. May have to see about helping her out with that one of these days soon. Maybe while I’m doing not much of anything else.” He grinned, and then it fell away with a groan. Wiggling around, he hauled his phone out of his back pocket. “It’s Brant,” he said.

  Putting the phone to his ear, he listened. The look of relief that washed over his face for a moment was all she needed.

  “Yeah, she’s right here. Put him on,” he said. Then he handed her the phone. “Martin wants to talk to you.”

  “Martin?” she asked anxiously, and all but melted when she heard his voice. “Oh God.” She covered her mouth to keep from crying out. “Talk to me, honey, please?”

  “Hey, sweetheart.” His voice warmed her. “I’m fine, Athena. A little banged up, and the truck is definitely going to need some work. Assholes actually ran me off the road, can you believe that? What?” he said to someone. “Are you fucking kidding me? God damn it, I loved that truck.” He sounded like he was pouting now. She was thankful that they had been in the truck instead of in Eris, his most prized possession.

  “Martin, the truck is replaceable. You aren’t.” Athena rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’ve never been so afraid in all of my life as I was when they called me. Are you on your way to me or to the hospital? Where do I need to go?” She needed to be wherever he was. Now.

  “Stay put where you are,” he told her. “As soon as the paramedics give me a once-over, I’ll be coming to you. Shut up, Brant.” She could hear his brother saying something. “I’m going straight to her. I’m perfectly fine. Besides, she can take care of anything that might be wrong, not that there is anything wrong. I’m perfectly fine, sweetheart.”

  “We will meet you at the hospital,” she stated firmly. “Don’t argue with me, Martin Carver. I mean it. If Brant even says that you need the hospital, then you do.” She stood and looked at Frank. “Come on, Frank, let’s go.” She grabbed her purse and continued to talk to Martin. “I mean it. You let them take you or else you and I are going to have some serious fights happening in our near future.”

  “Damn, woman, I like you in this mood.” She was pretty sure he was grinning given his tone. “But you know what they say about fights, right? The make-up sex is supposed to be spectacular. I’ll let him drive me there, but I’m not staying no matter what anyone says. Period.”

  “You are going to be checked out, though,” she stated. “You don’t have to stay unless you need to. I do need for you to get checked out, though, and I mean it. If you have to stay, then I will stay with you, but please, do this for me?”

  “I’ll let them take a look, but I’m not staying. I really, really hate hospitals, love. Not even joking about that. I should be in full hyperventilation mode by the time you arrive, so don’t panic. It’s perfectly normal for me. But if there’s a lawsuit when I punch out the doctor, I’m totally blaming you. Ow! Bloody hell, that hurts! Do you mind? I’m on the phone with my fiancée here, you buffoon.”

  “You can blame me all you want.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes at Frank. “We will be there in ten minutes. Less if your brother doesn’t drive like a big baby.” She loved all of Martin’s family, but it was actually funny how the boys drove when one of the women were with them.

  “I’ll be driving at the posted speed limit,” Frank said as they all hustled out of her building. Bonita was in handcuffs under guard when they passed by her toward Frank’s truck.

  “He damn well better drive at the speed limit. Especially with my woman in the car with him. So don’t get on his case, love. You need to arrive there in one piece, too, you know. Though we’ll be a little further behind you since we haven’t left yet because the paramedic is enjoying torturing me so much. We’ll be there in about six weeks at the current rate. Could one of you maybe get behind the wheel and drive? Today would be preferable since I have a bed at home I’d like to see in living fucking memory.”

  Athena just grinned as she listened to him. Shaking her head, she glanced at Frank and then said, “Just make sure that you aren’t giving them too hard of a time or they will knock you out just so that they can have peace and quiet.” Thank God he was feeling okay, and he was or he wouldn’t be giving them as much trouble as he was.

  He snorted into the phone. “It got them moving at least,” he muttered. “Dude, you point that needle anywhere near me and we’ll be having a serious issue. Yeah, I saw you. Are you texting these guys with suggestions, Athena? That was a little too creepy even for me.”

  “No, I’m not.” She was snickering now, she couldn’t help it. It was too damn funny, the way he was acting as if he was going to die if someone so much as touched him. “Don’t give them a hard time, Martin. They want to be able to make sure that you are okay. So stop it. Please let them take care of you?”

  “As I seem to have to keep telling everyone here, I’m perfectly fine. Jesus, I’ve suffered worse injuries out with the herd. Bunch of sniveling little shits afraid I’ll sue them if they don’t do everything in their power to ensure the biggest fucking medical bill possible at the end of this. I swear to God, you come at me with that needle again, and it’ll take the surgeon days to figure out where I shoved it.”

  She laughed out loud. “Oh lord. Too funny. Please just get to the hospital and do what they say? I need you to be okay, please?”

  “I’m perfectly fine, love. I swear it. We’ll be right behind you, though. I think I managed to scare the guy driving into actually putting his foot down so it isn’t a six-hour trip. Geez, you’d think these country boys would know how to drive. Where are you guys? Are you there yet?”

  “No, we are about ten minutes out. Frank is driving as slow as molasses uphill in winter. I’m good, though. You just worry about you and getting your too cute ass to the hospital.”

  “No worries there, I’m not even the one driving.” For a second, she lost whatever he was saying by a loud rattle and some cursing. “Sorry about that, they obviously forgot about the cattle guard and took it way too fast.” He was laughing like a kid. “That was too funny. I’d suggest going back to do it again, but they both appear seriously rattled by that.”

  “I think that they have shot you with some medication or you woul
dn’t be laughing like you are.” Athena looked at Frank and shrugged. “Does he always act like this when he’s hurt? If so, I need to know now.”

  “Giggling like a schoolgirl whose crush just grinned at her?” he asked. He shot her a look and she nodded. “Yeah, he tends to be a little on the giddy side of things. Perfectly normal. He doesn’t feel pain quite like a normal human being does, which is likely why he keeps insisting he’s fine. Broke his arm when he was nine, I think, the bone sticking out of his skin, and tried to keep on doing what he’d been doing before he broke it. He was pale, a little shaky, but ready to keep on going despite the injury. Had Brant and Travis both barfing in the bushes because he didn’t feel it the same way most folks do. We’ve all had at least one broken bone over the years, hard to avoid when you’re on a working ranch and are a bunch of rambunctious kids really. He does feels pain, don’t get me wrong, just has a hell of a massive tolerance for it.”

  “Wow, well, that’s impressive,” she said with a frown. “I don’t like it, but I’m glad that he does have such a high tolerance for pain so that he can deal with all of this.” That was something at least.

  “If you two are done talking about me,” Martin said in her ear. “There’s such a thing as endorphins, you know? I’ve heard rumors that when the body suffers a bad enough trauma, either it shuts down or you get a rush of endorphins that mutes the pain almost entirely. So don’t you be listening to Frank. He was barfing right along with the other brothers. I noticed he didn’t mention that part.”

  “Oh God, you guys are priceless.” She remembered Martin breaking his arm. For weeks Athena had felt the pain for him. “I remember that. You refused to let me sign your cast. I was one of the only ones that you refused to allow to sign it. Your mom was the other. That hurt me like crazy.”

  He was silent for a long time. “Shit, I totally forgot about that,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. You know I’d never do anything to hurt you. I know I didn’t want Mama to sign it because then I might actually have to acknowledge the fact it was serious. I didn’t want you to sign it because you’d see me as broken.”

  “I would never see you as broken, ever. You are so much larger than life that it’s hard to think of as you being broken. You would never be something like that. I get it now, but then I didn’t. It took me many years to come to terms about why you didn’t want me to sign it.”

  “I was nine, Athena. Not exactly all that big on thinking, but that one I knew in my heart. I’m still sorry though, sweetheart.” She heard the sigh he let out. “Oh look, the edge of the town. We’re almost there. At this rate, we might actually beat you and your grandmotherly driver.”

  She laughed and looked at the hospital. “Well, you won’t beat us because I see the hospital there in front of me right now. Hurry, Martin.” She looked to Frank. “Can you make them go any faster?”

  “I could, but you won’t like it any. Besides, the driver’s fairly nervous, not cut out for this kind of work, I think. You might as well head inside. Wait in the ER, though, we’ll be there soon enough. And I definitely want you to be in there with me. Have I mentioned my severe dislike of hospitals?”

  “Yes, you have,” she said with a smile. “I will be there at your side, so don’t worry about it. Promise. There isn’t anything that they could do to keep me from you, I can assure you of that.”

  “Good to know. Oh, making another turn. Hey, look at that, I see the sign. Has your driver found a parking spot that is perfectly placed for a quick escape yet or is he still circling?” he asked with clear amusement in his tone.

  She snickered. “Frank is my driver. He’s already gotten us a spot and we are walking up to the hospital now.” They stood at the side of the emergency room doors, watching the traffic as it approached. “You just stop giving them trouble and hang up with me, if you would, please. I think that would be a good idea, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’ll pass it over to Frank when I get in there. I’m sure Brant will want to know about the texts that Mercy’s been sending him since he let her know all was well. They’re really rather racy, though I swear I only read the first two before I started pretending selective blindness. Some things I really don’t need to know about my big brother. All right, love, we’re slowing for the turn now. See you soon,” he said.

  Athena laughed. She couldn’t help herself. She was giggling so hard that she had to bend over. “Oh God. That’s priceless. I love it. It’s too much. But just keep in mind, I send you racy texts sometimes as well.” She saw the ambulance and added, “Goodbye, see you in a second.” She hung up the phone and looked to Frank. “Ready for incoming?”

  “This is such a cliché, but it’s the truth. I was born ready,” he said. He gave her a wink as the ambulance turned off the siren and slowed at the doors. The paramedics hopped out, and soon she could see Martin—who definitely didn’t look fine given the amount of blood on his shirt. They wheeled him inside, and he passed Brant’s phone off to Frank before taking her hand in his. “Hello, sweetheart.”

  Athena took Martin’s hand and looked at him with wide eyes. “Holy shit, Martin.” She felt a little ill at the sight of all the blood on him. She might be a doctor, but she was a shrink, not a medical doctor, and for a damn good reason. “How the hell are you not passed out from the pain?” Her hand hovered an inch from his cheek that was swollen and black and blue. “God, I hope like hell you guys kicked the shit out of them for hurting him like they did.”

  “I’m fine,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Not that anyone seems to believe me. But the stats don’t lie, and I’ve been at a nice steady rate the entire time here. Take that medical science.” He grinned at her. It was more than a little lopsided given the swelling to his face. “Come on, sweetheart. You stay close to me while we get wheeled into some airy space where I get to be poked and prodded.”

  “But if they need to take x-rays or something, you will have to let me go.” But until then, she would hold onto him as long as she possibly could. It was the best thing in her opinion. “Heavens, I can’t believe that you are as hurt as you are and still making jokes.”

  “It’s either laugh or cry. And my face is puffy enough without adding crying to the mix. Besides, you look like you’re about three seconds from bursting the dam wide open, and having us both in tears would freak everyone out.” Squeezing her hand while he was wheeled into the exam area, he watched her. “I hate to sound like a broken record, sweetheart, but I am really just fine. Banged up definitely, but I seriously doubt they broke anything. Hell, you hit harder than any of those bozos could.”

  “I seriously doubt that. I’ve never left a bruise on you.” She stroked her finger to his cheek and sighed. “I just hate seeing you hurt. Ah, you were saved by the doctor.” She told him when she was about to say something else.

  “I’d rather have you touching me,” he said under his breath. But he allowed the doctor and nurses to strip him down and clean him up.

  All in all, there were only a few cuts, some more bruising, but the general verdict after a few hours and several x-rays, was that he had no broken bones. In the end, the doctor said he could go home in a couple of hours if he was still doing as well. Which Martin did not like. He was looking more and more stressed by the hour. Frank and Brant both teased him, but eventually, even that wasn’t enough to keep his mind off of where he was. And the man wanted out.

  After assuring the doctor, and all of the men that seemed to be milling around in the room, that she would make sure that he got rest, she got Martin out of the hospital. In the car with Martin, Frank driving, she slipped her hand into his. “How are you doing, honey?” She was worried about him, but thankfully, he seemed to be doing well with the pain.

  “Much better now that I’m out of there,” he muttered. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Thank you for helping to get me out. I was really not happy at all with the way they were dragging their feet.”

  “I know that you weren’t.” She stroked he
r hand up and down his. “And now that I know you aren’t dying, I’m totally fine with you coming home as well. I’m actually very shocked, however, that you aren’t hurt any more than you are. You really do have a hard head, don’t you?”

  “Told you so,” he said. Sighing, he squeezed her hand and shifted around a little to rest his head on her shoulder. “Though I would kill for a shower right now. And maybe a really strong drink, too. Then bed, with you in my arms, for hours and hours.”

  “The shower we can do, not a problem. The drink, however, is off the table until tomorrow. They dosed you with medication in the emergency room so there is no way in hell I’m letting you drink any alcohol. I mean it.” She smiled. “However, the thought of you holding me all night long, I’m perfectly happy with.”

  “Two out of three isn’t bad, I suppose. Especially given I get the best one, you in my arms. I am willing to settle for that, but especially the shower. God, I feel like I’ve been dragged through a cow patty minefield.”

  Frank let out a snort. “You don’t smell all that much better either.”

  “You really do smell bad, but considering that you were held captive, I’m sure we can all excuse your scent, can’t we, Frank?” she asked pointedly. “In other words, big brother, don’t poke fun at my man.”

  “What are you going to do about it if I keep it up, pipsqueak?” Frank asked with a look at her in the mirror. “Not much, I’m thinking. Besides, we’re here, so he gets a reprieve.” He pulled over to the side and parked in front of her house. Getting out, he helped get Martin up to his feet, and then walked with them to the front door. “You going to be okay from here with him, Athena? Or do you need a hand to get him up the stairs?”

  “I’m good with him,” Athena assured him. “You will be good with this, right? You will be able to help me get you up the stairs without falling on your face?” She glanced at Frank. “Thank you. For everything.” Even if the man wouldn’t get Martin clothes to put on and instead made him put on spare scrubs from the hospital.