She stroked his chest, and he was asleep within minutes. She closed her eyes and snuggled into his side. How close she had come to losing him. Her chest tightened at the thought. But he was here, alive, and she was with him, feeling the deep rise and fall of his chest as he breathed normally. She let the rhythmic sound of his breaths and the humming of the machinery lull her to sleep by his side.
When she opened her eyes and looked at the clock, three hours had passed. Logan was still sound asleep, so she tried some more Reiki healing on him. Hopefully she could ease some of his pain.
She worked on him for a good twenty minutes before she heard the door creak open. She ignored it and finished her healing session before turning to acknowledge their guest. “Hi, Trent. He’s still asleep.”
Trent stepped through the threshold and clicked the door shut. “I see that. I came in about an hour ago, and you were both asleep. How are you holding up?”
“I’m good now. It’s been a rough couple of days.”
“It’ll get better. Especially once he sells the house. You won’t have to worry about that ghost anymore.”
“He’s going to sell his house? Oh, he can’t do that. I can clear out the ghost. I have to. It’s personal now.”
“Well, you’ll have to talk to Logan about that. He wants you to be safe. Have you eaten anything today? Maybe you should take a break.”
She looked at Logan before she met Trent’s gaze. “I don’t want to leave him alone.”
“I’ll stay with him. Go take a break. He’ll be fine.”
“All right. I guess I am a little hungry. I won’t be gone long, though.”
Trent smiled and opened the door for her. “Take your time.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Logan woke with a start, alone in his hospital bed. He lay still for a moment, waiting for the pounding headache to slam against his skull, but it never came. He tentatively stretched his legs. The achiness was gone. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the button on his bed to make him sit up.
“Allison?” He rubbed his eyes and tried to focus on the person in the room with him.
“She’s taking a break. She hasn’t left your side all day.” Trent lounged in a chair in the corner of the room. He flipped through an issue of Cosmopolitan and laughed. “And women gripe about our magazines being trashy.” He dropped the magazine on a table and stood.
“How are you doing? That was one close call.”
“Tell me about it.” He glanced at the clock. “How long have I been out?”
“A few hours. How do you feel?”
“Better. A lot better, actually.” He straightened his spine and rearranged the sheets to cover his lap. When did he change into a hospital gown? “How’d I get this thing on?”
“You know nurses. They’re always trying to get us naked.” Trent chuckled and sat on the edge of the bed. “What was Allison doing to you? When I came in, she had her hands on your chest, and she didn’t even notice me. She just moved around your body, touching you and taking deep breaths. It was a little creepy to watch, dude.”
“That’s how she heals; she does something with energy and passes it into you.” He smiled. “That must be why I feel so much better.”
Trent looked at his hands for a moment and licked his lips. Logan felt his friend’s confusion, and he saw it in his eyes when Trent looked at him.
“And it works? She lays her hands on you and you’re healed? Like magic?”
“Not exactly. She can’t cure diseases or anything. She just helps get your energy flowing right, so your body can heal itself. I don’t know how it works, but it does. She helped me get through one of my episodes the other day.”
“Really?” Trent raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, man. I was losing it fast, and she put her hands on me and told me to breathe. A few minutes later, I was fine. She’s amazing.”
“Sounds like it. You’re a lucky man.”
“I know.”
“Your mom’s trying to get out here, but she couldn’t get a flight till this evening.”
He rubbed his hand across his forehead. “Shit, she doesn’t need to come all the way out here. You told her I was fine, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but you know how your mom is. She’s worried about her baby boy.” Trent smiled and pinched Logan on the cheek.
“Fuck you, man.”
“Hey, how about a little appreciation? I’ve got a contractor taking caring of your leak. It should be done by tomorrow afternoon. And I brought you some clothes and your cell phone.” Trent handed Logan the phone.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“That’s more like it. Now, you better call your mom before she gets on that plane.”
“Ugh. You’re right.” He dialed his mom’s number and prayed she would answer. “Hey, Mom.”
“Logan! I’m so sorry I’m not there yet. I couldn’t book a flight until this evening, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. How are you, sweetheart? Trent told me all about it.”
“I’m fine, Mom. Listen, you really don’t need to come all the way out here. I’m going home in the morning, so there’s no sense in you making the trip for nothing. The doctor says I’m fine.”
“Nonsense, honey! You’re going to need someone to take care of you. You’ll have to take it easy for a few days.”
“Mom, it’s okay. I have someone to take care of me.”
“Who? Trent? Honey, I know he’s your best friend, but you’re going to need some TLC.”
He sighed and rolled his eyes. “No. Not Trent. I have a girlfriend. Her name’s Allison.”
Silence hung on the other end of the line as Logan’s mother processed what she heard. “You…have a girlfriend? Since when? And why didn’t you tell me?”
“It’s new; we haven’t been together for very long, but she’s amazing. You’ll love her. Lisa does.”
“What? Lisa knew about her before your own mother? Well, you’ll have to bring her to New York, so I can meet her.”
“I will, Mom. Soon.”
“Before Thanksgiving. We don’t want to overwhelm her with the whole family the first time she meets us. You know how your Uncle Jim can be.”
He chuckled. “Okay. Before Thanksgiving. I promise.”
They exchanged a few more “I love yous,” and Logan hung up the phone and glared at Trent's smirk.
“I don’t want to hear it.”
Trent raised his hands in a show of innocence. “What? I wasn’t going to say a word. In fact, I’m jealous. I wish I had that many women looking out for me.”
“That many women?”
“Well, yeah. You’ve always had your mom and Lisa. And now you have Allison too. You’ve got it made.”
He’d never thought of it that way. With so many people who wanted to use him, sometimes it was easy to forgot about the people who actually cared about him. He was pretty lucky.
“Hey, boys. I hope I’m not interrupting.” Allison slipped through the door, balancing three cups of coffee in her hands. “The nurse said it was okay if you had some coffee.” She handed a cup to Trent and one to Logan before she sat on the bed.
Yeah, he was damn lucky. He took a sip of the coffee and pulled Allison into his arms. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too. How are you feeling?”
“Much better, now. Thanks to you, I hear.”
Endearing color flushed her cheeks, a shy smile curving her lips, as she glanced at Trent and turned her gaze toward Logan’s.
“I did what I could. I’m glad you’re feeling better.” She leaned down to kiss him, and her mouth lingered over his. Her breath warmed his lips, and even with the oxygen blowing up his nose and the beeping monitors in the background, she still managed to get him worked up.
Trent cleared his voice. “It looks like you two have got things under control here, so I’m going to go.”
Allison smiled and turned her head. “Bye, Trent.”
When the door clicked shut, she got o
ff the bed and closed the mini blinds that separated his private room from the nurses’ station. “Now, where were we?” She slid her hands under the sheets, resting them on his stomach. “Oh, yeah. Now I remember.”
She kissed him again, sending blood rushing to his groin. If he hadn’t been hooked up to so many damn contraptions, he’d have taken her right there in the hospital bed. Good lord, this woman was amazing.
She slid her hand down his leg and paused as she glided it up to his hip. “You’re not wearing anything under this gown, are you?”
He chuckled. “I think the nurse just wanted to see me naked.”
“I can’t say I blame her.”
“Yeah, but now look what you’ve done. How am I going to hide that when they come in to check on me?” He nodded to the rise in the sheets.
She bit her bottom lip and arched an eyebrow. “Maybe I should help you with that.”
“How would you?” She wrapped her hand around his length, and he sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh!”
She stroked him tentatively, and he pulled her face to his and kissed her.
“I think this is against the rules,” he whispered against her mouth.
“Maybe I should stop.” She stilled her stroking, but thankfully didn’t release her hold. “This probably isn’t good for you in your condition.”
He wrapped his hand around hers and guided it up and down. “I think it’s very good for me. Just let me take this thing off. I don’t want to have to explain the sudden jump in my heart rate.” He slipped the monitor off his finger and laid it beside him on the bed. “There. Now no one will ever know.”
She glanced at the door and quickened her rhythm, squeezing and stroking him into ecstasy. Her skin felt soft against his, her rhythm perfectly timed. He chewed his bottom lip to hold in the moans threatening to escape from his throat.
Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her lips, her cheeks, her forehead. “I love you, Allison.”
“I love you too.”
He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, reveling in the sound of her voice and the feel of her hand wrapped around him. “Say it again.”
“I love you, Logan.”
He leaned his head back and softly moaned. “Mmm…I just can’t get enough of that.”
Allison trailed kisses from his shoulder, up his neck to his earlobe. “I love you, Logan,” she whispered into his ear.
“Oh God, Allison. I love you.” He took her mouth with his as his hips writhed beneath the sheets and she pushed him to release. His body felt boneless as he held her against his chest and stroked her silky hair.
She reached for the tissue box on the table and cleaned him up. Dropping the tissues in the trash, she chewed her bottom lip and gazed at him. “So...” She looked at his chest and picked imaginary lint off the sheet.
She was so damn cute when she acted shy. He chuckled. “You gave me a hand job in my hospital bed.”
Her eyes widened in horror. “Don’t say it like that! You make it sound so…”
“Incredibly hot. Allison, you are so sexy. How did I get so lucky?” He pulled her into his arms. “Just wait till I get you home. The things I’m going to do to you.”
She giggled. “I can’t wait.”
He let out a contented sigh and closed his eyes, unable to remember a time in his life when he’d ever been happier. He was in love with the most amazing woman, and she loved him back. He was finally happy with his life, and nothing could spoil his mood.
A sharp rap sounded on the door, and he reluctantly opened his eyes. “Come in.” He sat up straighter and held Allison close to his side. His father’s commanding energy washed through the room before he stepped through the door, and Logan tightened his arm around his girlfriend.
“Hi, Logan.”
“What are you doing here, Dad?” His tone was sharp, unwelcoming.
His father stood there wringing his hands as he looked at the floor and then at Logan. “Lisa called me. I already had the jet chartered, so I dropped by to check on you before I head to California.”
The muscles in his jaw tensed as he spoke through clenched teeth. “Didn’t she also tell you I was fine, and I’m going home in the morning?”
“Yes, she did. But I wanted to talk to you, Logan. I wanted to apologize.”
“Maybe I should leave you two alone.” Allison started to get up, but he held on to her. He needed her grounding energy. Her support.
“Anything he has to say to me, he can say in front of you.”
“But I really don’t mind waiting outside.”
“Please stay.” He gave her a pleading look. He didn’t want to be alone with his father. No amount of apologies could make up for the way he'd treated Logan and especially the way he'd treated his mother. It was inexcusable; he couldn’t stand to face the man alone.
“Okay, I’ll stay.” She settled back on the edge of the bed and rested a hand on his chest.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” his father asked.
“Dad, this is my girlfriend, Allison Gray.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Mitchell.”
“Please, call me Roger.” He started to offer her his hand, but let it drop at his side. “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend, Logan.”
“Maybe that’s because you told me you didn’t care what the hell I did when I left New York, because once I was gone, I wasn’t your son anymore.”
His hands clenched into fists. “I made a mistake. I’m sorry. That’s why I came. I wanted to apologize. To mend my ways.”
“It’s too late for that. Lisa might be able to forgive you for what you’ve done, but I can’t. I won’t. You used me, and when I’d had enough of it, you disowned me.” He was happy now, damn it, and there was nothing this man could do to take that away from him.
Tears flooded his eyes, but he didn’t fight them. Crying in front of his father was surely a sign of weakness to him, but fuck it. He didn’t care what the man thought anymore.
“I want you to leave, Dad. Visiting hours are almost over, and I want to say goodbye to Allison…alone.”
He looked at the floor. “All right. I’ll go. But think about what I said. I really am sorry…for everything.” He stood there and looked at Logan for a moment. But if he was waiting for a response, he wasn’t getting one. Logan was finished with the man. His father shuffled out the door and closed it behind him.
Allison held his gaze, but said nothing.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” He sighed and wiped the tears from his face.
“Okay. But you know I’ll listen when you’re ready.”
“He thinks he can waltz in here and say he’s sorry and everything will be okay. It’s not that easy.”
She rubbed his shoulder. “I know. It’s hard to let go of that much hurt. It takes time.”
“Thank you for understanding. Most people don’t.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“Mr. Mitchell.” A nurse peeked her head through the door. “Visiting hours are over. Your guest will have to leave now.”
Allison squeezed Logan’s hand. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” The emotions rolling off him clearly said he wasn’t, but the stubborn set of his jaw indicated he was done talking about it.
Her chest ached to leave him alone when he was feeling so bad. “I’ll come get you in the morning. Call me if you need to talk.”
“I will.”
She blew him a kiss and slipped out the door. Some time alone would do her good. She had to figure out how to get rid of that ghost. She needed to get rid of that ghost. Not just for Logan, but for herself too. So she could to prove to herself that she was over her fears. That she had regained control, and spirits could not ruin her life again.
She made a hard left to head back to the lobby and nearly ran right into Logan’s father. “Oh, Mr. Mitchell…umm…Roger. I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
“That’s okay, Allison. Do you need a ride
home?” He had a pleading look in his eyes, and she could feel pain and sadness rolling off his skin. She sighed. Why couldn’t these Mitchell men just keep their emotions to themselves?
“I was going to call my friend, but if you don’t mind…”
“It’s no trouble at all.” Roger’s face lit up at the chance to help, and she knew everything he said to Logan was true. He really was sorry for everything. She could feel it, and she wasn’t even trying to read him.
She followed Roger out to his rental car, a gas-guzzling Hummer. Big surprise. He opened the passenger door for her, and she climbed inside, chiding herself for being so judgmental. She'd had a low opinion of Logan in the beginning, and he turned out to be an amazing man. She should at least give his father a chance.
“So, Roger. How does one charter a jet? Logan’s mom couldn’t get a flight until this evening.”
He started the engine and backed out of the parking space before he answered. “I own it.”
“Oh, well that’s convenient.”
He rolled the car to a stop in the middle of the aisle. “Yes, it is. Allison, have you eaten dinner?”
“No, I’ve been with Logan all day.”
He gripped the steering wheel and stared straight ahead. “Are you the one who found him? Did you save his life?”
“Yes, I did.”
Roger closed his eyes and dropped his head back on the seat. Then he let out a heavy, burdened sigh. “Can I take you out to dinner? To show my appreciation for saving my son’s life?”
She stared at her hands clasped in her lap. Spending the evening with Logan’s father was the last thing she wanted to do. “Oh, that’s really not necessary, Mr. Mitchell.”
“Please? I’ll be leaving first thing in the morning, and I’d like to get to know my son’s girlfriend. God knows it’s probably the only chance I’ll get.”
The pain he carried weighed heavy in the car, like an iron blanket draped over their heads. There was more to it than he was letting on, and she could tell he wanted her to know. He needed her help, and she couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
“There’s a great little Italian place just up the road.”
To Catch a Spirit Page 20
