by E. L. Todd
Layla sat in the chair, still in her scrubs. She watched Finn with a tear-stained face, her heart on her sleeve.
I slowly crept to the bed and felt the tears start all the way in my chest. “Shit…” His face was so bloody, I wouldn’t have even recognized him. He was bruised everywhere, along his shoulders and down his arms. I couldn’t see the rest of him because his skin was covered by the gown and the sheets, but I imagined he didn’t look much better there.
I moved to the edge of the bed and placed my hand on his. “Finn, it’s Colton. I’m right here, alright?” Even if he couldn’t hear me, I didn’t care. I wanted him to know I was there, that I was heartbroken over his. “What happened?” I turned to Layla for an explanation.
She shook her head. “The police are looking at the footage and trying to figure out what happened. I’d assumed he was mugged…but he still has his wallet. So I don’t really know what happened.”
Finn was the strongest man ever, so he must have been outnumbered. Otherwise, this never would have happened. “He’ll be alright?”
She nodded. “It’ll take a while for his ribs to heal, along with his other injuries, but the scans show no internal bleeding. He took a serious beating, but his core is so strong that it seemed to spare him serious damage.”
I guess all those hours at the gym paid off. “Fuck…I can’t believe this.” I knew I should call my parents and tell them what happened. And I should also call Pepper…even though it would rip her heart into a million pieces. I wanted to spare all of them of this terrible pain…but I knew I couldn’t.
An hour later, Finn woke up.
His eyes opened, and he looked straight at me. My hand was on top of his, and he moved his fingers in response.
I was glad to see him awake, but I wished he would keep resting. “Hey, how are you feeling?” Layla left once I was here, knowing he should be with just his family right now.
He cleared his throat and sighed, like he was battling the agony.
“You want me to get the nurse?”
When he spoke, his voice was raspy. “No.”
I scooted closer to his bedside, wanting to feel my brother alive and well under my fingertips. “Let me know if you need anything. I can get you anything you need.” I didn’t know what to do in situations like this. I wanted to make it better, but I didn’t know how. I’d never been confronted with something like this. It was ironic that Finn had served the military for a decade without getting a scratch…but walking to his car after work mutilated his body.
“What’s going on?” As usual, he became pragmatic. He didn’t complain about the pain or try to get out of bed.
“The doctor said you have a couple of broken ribs and severe swelling all over your body. Lots of bruises and cuts. But you don’t have any serious injuries that require surgery. You’re going to be okay.”
He closed his eyes and released a grateful sigh.
“The doctor said you can go home in the morning. They’re just watching you for the right. He wrote you a prescription for a lot of serious pain medications, so you’ll be comfortable while you heal. And obviously, you’ll need to take at least a month off work.”
He opened his eyes again, not saying a word.
“Do you remember anything that happened?” Was his attacker someone he knew? A patient who was displeased with his level of care?
He just shook his head. “No…not really.” He turned his head and looked at me again. “Where’s Pepper?”
I figured he would ask that. “She’s on her way. I’ll wait to tell Mom and Dad until the morning. They’ll just freak out and be here all night… I assumed you wouldn’t want that.”
He shook his head. “No.”
I patted his hand. “You’re going to be alright, and that’s all that matters.”
“Thanks, Colt.” He didn’t seem to be in a mood to talk, so he sat there quietly.
I didn’t ask any more questions.
A knock sounded on the door, and the police entered. “Finn Burke? I’m Officer Hewitt. We wanted to talk to you about the assault that took place here in the parking lot.” They helped themselves into the room and approached his bedside, dressed in their deep blue uniforms with their guns on their hips.
Finn turned to me. “Can you excuse us for a moment?”
“You want me to leave?” I asked blankly.
“You don’t want to hear this, Colt,” he said quietly. “Just give us some privacy.”
I wanted to argue, but it seemed insensitive to argue with a man in so much pain. So I nodded my head and stepped out.
20
Pepper
I was crying before I burst into the hospital room.
A man who carried himself with such strength had been reduced to a broken body in a bed. A veteran who had spent the previous twelve hours saving lives had almost had his taken away from him. Seeing someone so respectable stripped down like that was a difficult pill to swallow.
He was awake when I walked inside, his face swollen from all the injuries he’d sustained. I couldn’t see the rest of his body, but it was obvious he was injured everywhere. My eyes locked on his, and I drifted to his bed, the pain in my body matching the pain he felt in his.
Colton silently excused himself from the room because he knew we needed privacy.
I took his vacated seat at the bedside and grabbed his hand. “Colton told me you’re okay…but are you okay?” Tears kept falling down my cheeks even though I tried to stop myself from crying. The weight of moisture in my eyes was too heavy, and they cascaded down my cheeks.
Despite the swelling and discoloration of his face, he gave me a slight smile. “Baby, don’t cry for me…” His fingers interlocked with mine, and he squeezed my hand. “I’m alright.” His eyes softened as he looked at me, watching me sob over his crippled figure.
“Who did this to you…?” Who would assault a doctor walking to his car at night? Who would do such a terrible thing?
“A group of guys. I don’t know who they were.”
“And they just attacked you?”
He shrugged. “Maybe one of them was a former patient…I don’t know. Doesn’t matter.”
“But it does matter.”
“The doctor said I’m going to be alright. Just some broken ribs and a few bruises. No big deal.”
“It is a big deal, Finn.” I squeezed his hand and felt the tears begin once again. When I got the call, I had been with Brutus at his penthouse. I dropped everything I was doing and left his place. He was smart enough not to try to come with me. “You don’t deserve this… You’re such a good person.”
“Bad things happen to good people…they usually happen to good people.” He lifted his hand and wiped the tears from my cheeks, even when he winced as he did it. “I like watching you cry over me. But I don’t want you to be in pain.”
“How can I not be?”
“I’m pretty strong, baby. I’ll get through it.”
He’d called me baby again, but this time, I didn’t object to it. I was so grateful he was still on this earth, I didn’t care what he called me. The world was a better place with him in it. I squeezed his hand a little harder because I didn’t want him ever to slip away. “I’m glad it wasn’t worse…”
His fingers gently caressed my hand, like he was comforting me instead of the other way around.
“Do you get to go home?”
“In the morning.”
“How long are you off work?”
“At least a month.”
Finn wouldn’t take any time off work if he didn’t have to. That meant his injuries were pretty painful. “I’ll take care of you. I’m not working as many hours at the store, so I have the time.”
Instead of rejecting my offer, he smiled. “That sounds nice.”
“You’d let me?”
“Definitely. Who doesn’t want a sexy nurse to take care of them?” Finn always made a joke about everything, even the most serious situations.
B
ut it was one of the things I loved about him. “Where’re your Mom and Dad?”
“Colton wanted to wait until the morning. You know how my parents are. No reason to wake them up just to have a heart attack.”
“Yes, your mom will definitely be upset.”
He rolled his eyes. “She overreacts.”
“I don’t think she could overreact to this.”
“Which is why I want to tell her even less,” he said with a slight smile. “I know she just cares, but I hate worrying her. The entire time I was in the service, she was terrified. Now her worst nightmares came true in her own backyard. She’ll think I’m never safe.”
He’d been all over the world, in the most dangerous countries, but the worst thing that had ever happened to him occurred in Seattle, a fairly safe metropolitan area. “I guess we really never are safe.”
“Which is why I like it when you borrow Soldier. He’s a good protector. If he’d been there, he would have eaten all of those guys.”
“Do you think the police will figure out who it was? There have to be cameras in the parking lot.”
He shrugged. “I don’t think it matters at this point. The police will continue the investigation and make their own decisions about it.”
“But they’ll ask you if you want to press charges.”
It was the first time he pulled his gaze away. “I have more important things to worry about than pressing charges against some thugs.” His fingers continued to caress mine. “So, were you serious about taking care of me?”
“Of course I was…” He wasn’t my problem, not after he’d left me, but I wanted him to make a full recovery. I wanted to help him get back on his feet and be strong again. I wanted to take care of him every day. It didn’t feel like a burden at all.
He smiled through the discoloration of his face. “Good. Because Soldier is a great service dog…but not a great caretaker.”
After his mother sobbed into his shoulder and his dad held his hand, his parents calmed down and appreciated the fact that Finn wasn’t worse off. His stomach was wrapped in gauze to support his broken ribs, and he was discharged with enough pain medications to last him through the month.
He managed to walk on his own, but at a very slow pace. He grimaced from time to time, the pain from his ribs making it difficult for him to move fluidly. But when offered a wheelchair, he turned down the offer like he was offended. He got into the truck on his own, and we headed to his place while I picked up Soldier on the way.
Finn made it into the house in the same scrubs he’d wore the night he was attacked. The clothes were covered in dried blood, and it was everywhere. It soaked into so much of his clothing that it seemed like his scrubs had been originally red instead of blue. He also had his satchel with him, which the men had left behind.
Which was odd.
Soldier understood Finn was injured, so he stuck to his side and whined, like he wanted to help in some way.
Colton came in with the medications and instructions for Finn’s care. He placed Finn’s satchel on the counter. “I’m gonna make some lunch. How do tacos sound?”
“I’m not hungry.” Finn took a seat at the dining table, slowly lowering himself and making a quiet grunt once his body was still.
I knew Finn had impeccable hygiene, so he wouldn’t sit in his kitchen in bloody scrubs. He would normally strip off his clothing right away and jump into the shower. He was clearly struggling with the pain but didn’t want to admit it out loud.
That broke my heart. “Colton, make some anyway. Finn might get his appetite back, and if he doesn’t, we’ll have leftovers.” He’d already started his pain medication, and losing his appetite was one of the side effects.
Finn continued to sit there, breathing through the pain.
“Need some help?” I asked, trying to take the attention off Finn so he wouldn’t be embarrassed.
“I don’t think so,” Colton said. “I already preheated the oven, and I’ll sauté the meat in a second.”
“You can get me a beer,” Finn said.
I ignored him. “How about we get you out of those clothes and into a shower?”
He eyed the stairs like the task was daunting. “Sure. But I think I’m going to need some help, Colton…”
“Sure thing.” Colton left the pan on the stove and helped him out of the chair. While holding most of his brother’s weight, he got him up the stairs and into his bedroom.
I came behind.
Finn sat on the bed, rubbing his ribs where they were broken. “Thanks, man. I can take the rest from here.” Finn would never ask for help unless he absolutely needed it, so the carefree attitude he gave off was just a cover-up of the agony he felt inside.
I got the shower started and set up the towels. When I returned to his bedroom, his bottoms were on the floor because he’d untied the drawstrings, but the rest of his clothes were still on.
I refused to look at the bulge in the front since that was inappropriate. “Let me help you.” I grabbed his shirt and slowly lifted it up his body. When I got to the top, he finally lifted his arms above his head long enough for me to get the material off.
He lowered his arms again, grimacing from the stretch.
I saw the bruising across his abdomen as it peeked out from under the gauze wrapping. He looked mutilated.
“It’s not as bad as it looks.” It was a lie—an obvious one. He said it just to make me feel better.
I wanted to cry again, but I kept my emotions in check. Seeing me pity him would only make him pity himself. “Can you do your boxers?”
He rubbed his ribs. “I don’t think I can bend over that way.”
I looked into his eyes and realized I was about to strip him down until he was naked. I hadn’t seen him in just his skin for a long time. I was seeing Brutus, so I felt like this crossed a line. “Maybe Colton should help you…”
“I’d rather do it myself than let Colton see my junk. But if you don’t want to, it’s fine.” He grabbed the waistband of his boxers and prepared to bend over.
“No.” I grabbed his hands and steadied them. “I can help you.” I grabbed the top of his shorts and pulled them down, closing my eyes as I got to my knees so he could step out of the material.
“Baby, you’ve seen me a hundred times.”
“But still…I want to respect your privacy.” I got to my feet again and kept my gaze on his face.
“We both know I don’t want you to respect my privacy.” He started to walk into the bathroom, moving slowly because his body was too sore to move the way his mind wanted him to.
I opened the sliding door for him so he could get inside easier.
“You want to join me?” He stepped under the water inside the shower we’d shared so many times. He flashed me his charming smile as his hair became damp.
“I’m here to take care of you—not sleep with you.” My motivation to be there was completely out of love, loyalty, and even friendship. To ask such a thing was slightly offensive. How could I be aroused when he was so injured? How could I hop in the shower with him when I was still with another man? Maybe he was joking, and maybe he wasn’t. Either way, I didn’t like it.
His smile faltered. “I’m sorry. That was a stupid thing to say.”
I pointed to the towel on the rack. “I’ll wait in your bedroom until you’re done…just in case you need help.”
After he dried off, I replaced the gauze around his chest as he instructed and got him into his pajamas so he could get into bed. I tucked him in and pulled the sheets to his chest.
Once he was lying still, he released the breath he was holding, as if he were relieved that the pain from his movements had stopped. He closed his eyes for a moment, his hands lying by his sides.
I sat beside him and ran my fingers through his hair. “Hungry? I’m sure Colton is finished with dinner.”
“No thanks.” He kept his eyes closed. “My doctor wrote me a prescription for Vicodin. Could you bring a tablet up with
some water?”
I didn’t know anything about medications, but I knew Vicodin was a major pain killer, one of the biggest you could take. If he was asking for it, then he was suffering in a world of pain, unable to do anything but lie there and take it. “Yeah…sure.” I pulled my fingers out of his hair and left his bedroom, keeping the tears back long enough to get into the hallway.
By the time I made it downstairs, tears streaked down my cheeks.
Colton didn’t have tears the way I did, but his eyes were filled with the same pain. “Are you alright?”
I looked through the prescriptions until I found the right bottle. “It’s just so hard to see him like this. He’s trying to put on a brave face for us, but I can tell he’s suffering so much…” It killed me inside that this had happened to him. He didn’t deserve this kind of treatment, not when he made sacrifices for strangers all the time. “I wish I could take all of his pain for him.”
“I know…” The tacos were ready to be eaten, but it seemed like no one had an appetite. “It’s not right.”
“What if something worse happened to him?” I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms over my chest. “What if…?” I didn’t want to say the words out loud, so I refused to finish the sentence. “I couldn’t live without him. I couldn’t go on if we lost him… I love him so much.” I cupped my mouth with my hand to stifle my tears so Finn wouldn’t be able to hear them up the stairs.
Colton wrapped his arms around me and hugged me in the kitchen. “I know…but thankfully that didn’t happen.”
Soldier walked out of the kitchen and ran up the stairs, his collar making a gentle noise as he made it all the way to Finn’s room. He was probably going to lie in a ball right at his side, to comfort him the way he comforted me.
