Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

" Y ou can see here by this nearly straight line a few inches above your ankle, that it's mostly a transverse break of your Tibia bone." Dr. Hillman, the middle-aged orthopedic doctor said, pointing to the spot on the x-rays in the light box mounted on the wall. "According to the MRI we did and these x-rays it's been set back in place." He turned to Connor. "You did a good job splinting it."

"Thank you, sir," he said, and Zoe squeezed his hand, knowing he'd been concerned he hadn't done it right, despite Katie's assessment that he had.

Dr. Hillman turned his gaze to her. "How did this happen?"

"We were doing some search and rescue training with Duke here," Connor said standing beside Zoe who was stretched out on the exam table.

"I got caught close to the edge of a ravine," Zoe said with a slight shrug. "My shoe got caught in some mud and the next thing I knew I was tumbling over like Jack and Jill. I hit a few trees on my way down and then boom, something snapped in my leg."

On the way to Columbus, they'd chosen to come to a private doctor and avoid a busy ER since her leg was already splinted—the same thing an ER doctor would do before referring her to an orthopedist. Also deciding on a story for the office medical staff that Zoe had been with him and Duke when she'd broken her leg, they'd brought Duke in to distract the medical team. They wanted to be remembered because they had a cute, friendly dog with them, not because Zoe was the patient. Katie had explained that the bone doctor would focus solely on her leg, not any other wounds like the gunshot wound in her shoulder. The skid mark on her head was crusted over enough to appear to be an injury from a fall as opposed to a bullet wound.

Once Luke was finally able to call and let Abby know they'd found Zoe and were on the way home, Abby made an afternoon appointment for her. After arriving in Columbus just before noon, everyone crashed for a few hours of sleep at the EIS headquarters—an old Victorian house Castello had renovated with offices and a formal conference room, as well as a more lounge-like conference area complete with kitchen on the bottom floor. The computer tech center in the basement and sleep rooms on the upper floor—before Matt drove them to the medical building for the appointment.

Dr. Hillman moved to the foot of the bed, his hands lifting her leg by the calf and heel. "And this was a few days ago?"

Zoe grimaced and squeezed Connor's hand. "Yes," she said through clenched teeth. "It's still a bit tender.

"I'm sure it is." The doctor laid her leg back on the bed. "And you didn't go to the hospital right away because?"

Zoe felt Connor tense beside her as he answered. "Because we were staying at a cabin down in the Hocking hills and the weather turned bad before I could get her seen to. I set it as best as I could."

"I heard how bad it was south of here, all the way into the Tennessee mountains. Columbus was lucky to only get a few inches of snow and only a little sleet this time." He stood, walked to the sink and washed his hands. "I'm going to have the tech fit you with a pneumatic walking boot."

"A pneumatic boot?" Zoe asked.

A gentle smile touched the physician's lips. "We inflate it with air to put pressure on your leg. It stabilizes the muscles around your Tibia—the bone you fractured—and will also reduce your pain. I can also order some pain medication if you need it. What have you been taking?"

"All I had with us was Ibuprofen," Connor said.

Dr. Hillman looked at Zoe. "Did it help? Or do we need to give you something stronger?"

"I don't need anything more, especially if the boot's going to reduce the pain."

He shrugged and gave a little nod. "If you've gone this long without strong drugs, I'm certainly not going to insist you have some now."

"I need to be able to walk," Zoe said, fixing him with her most intense gaze. "It's imperative."

"Since it's a clean fracture and not too high or low on the bone shaft, the walking boot should do the trick. I'd still like you to be off it as much as possible, but it will let you be mobile." Dr. Hillman opened the door and called out. "Tyler."

A young man who looked a little like a taller, lankier and younger version of the doc appeared at the door.

"We need to fit Ms. Edgars' leg with a pneumatic walking boot. Once you have it in place I'll double check the boot for proper fit. Okay?"

"Yes, sir." Tyler turned and trotted down the hall.

"My son," the doctor said with pride. "He works here part-time while in college. He's graduating in June and starts Ohio State Medical School in the summer. Wants to follow in my footsteps. Although he's planning to focus on sports medicine."

"Good money in that," Connor said.

"True. That's why I wanted him to work with me. Best to learn how to care for people of any type or economic situation before dealing with super-wealthy people. Our job is to heal people first." He bent over to scratch Duke between his ears then stepped to the doorway. "Anyway, we should have you good to go soon."

"Thank you, doctor," Zoe said.

"You sure you don't want something stronger for the pain?" Connor asked when they were alone. "You were squeezing my hand pretty tight while he was examining your leg."

"Sorry about that," she said and tried to pull her hand away, but he didn't let go.

"I'm not complaining. If you need to break a few fingers, I'll volunteer them," he said seriously, but his eyes had a little twinkle in them.

Her face heated at his teasing. "Be careful what you volunteer for. I'm stronger than you think."

The humor left his eyes and he stared at her intently. "I think you're the strongest woman I've ever met."

"Thank you." She didn't think it was possible to blush more, but she did. Clearing her throat, she tried to pull her hand away once more and this time he let her. Duke popped up and laid his head on the bed, wagging his tail. She laughed and scratched his head. "And yes, I'm sure I don't want stronger pain meds. I might've taken it those first few days, but as long as no one's turning my foot or rubbing over the fracture, it's tolerable."

The door opened and Dr. Hillman's son and a thirty-something nurse, whose name tag read Joan R.N., entered carrying the supplies and a couple of different-sized odd-looking contraptions for her leg. Duke lifted his head and wagged his tail but didn't move.

"Hey, fella," Tyler said. "He's very well trained."

"He's training to be a search and rescue dog," Zoe said.

"Awesome. I've never met one, but I watched some documentaries where they went into collapsed buildings to look for people," Tyler said as he washed his hands.

"Some of those dogs are cadaver dogs," Connor said.

"Yeah." The young man pulled a rolling footstool to the side of the bed as the nurse measured Zoe's lower leg and foot. "The documentary talked about how there were different kinds."

"I have thirty-two inches from toe to knee." The nurse laid down the measuring tape and picked up a cardboard chart. "That's in the section two size of boot."

"Got it," Tyler said, picking up the larger boot and putting the smaller of the boots to the side, edging Duke back a little.

"It's getting a little crowded in here." Connor stood. "I'm going to take Duke out to do his business. You okay with that?"

He'd gone a little pale. Of course. She should've realized the small exam room would remind him of prison. Add in more bodies?

Zoe squeezed his hand. "Duke's been awful patient. I'll be fine while they do this. How long do you think this will take?" she asked.

Tyler looked at the nurse.

"Probably about ten minutes to fit and have Dr. Hillman double check it," she said. "And then we can test walk you. So, give us fifteen?"

"I'll be back before that," Connor said and stepped out of the room with Duke happily trotting beside him.

"Was it something I said?" Tyler asked, looking at the closed door.

Zoe shook her head. "He's not comfortable with small places."

"I bet," the nurse said with a bit of a smile. "He rather fills it up, doesn't he?"

"That he does," Zoe said, returning the smile. Might as well let the others think he didn't like the small, crowded room because of his size, even though she knew it was because of his time in prison. He'd trusted her with that information, and she wouldn't betray that trust.

Joan pulled a stocking on her bare leg up to just under her knee, then Tyler slipped the fiberglass and Velcro boot into place, adjusting the strap across her foot then the two straps around her leg to secure it in place. He showed her where the pneumatic pumps were to fill the air bladders to the right pressure and how to use them.

"That feels good," Zoe said surprised at how the pressure relieved her pain.

"It will keep it stabilized and let the bones heal," Tyler said. "You can take it off to shower, but leave it on as much as possible, especially the first week or two."

"And I can walk on it without crutches?" she asked.

Tyler grinned at her. "That's the point. Movement will keep the muscles strong while the boot stabilizes the bones for healing. Pretty cool, huh?"

The door opened and Dr. Hillman stood in the doorway. "How we doing?"

"Got it measured to fit and I showed Ms. Edgars how to use the pneumatic pumps to make it fit securely, but not too tight," Tyler said, and Zoe suspected he was repeating to his father the instructions he'd been given when learning how to do the process.

"Okay, let's get you up and see how you do bearing weight on it," Dr. Hillman said.

Tyler and Joan stood on each side of her, grasping her arm and assisting her to the floor. Tyler pulled on her left arm a little and she couldn't help but hiss at the pain from her still healing gunshot wound.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, looking to his father.

"It's okay," she hurried to reassure them both. "I just hit it on my tumble."

"Maybe I should take a look at that, too?" Dr. Hillman moved forward.

Zoe shook her head, holding his gaze as she spoke. "It's really just a sore muscle, doctor. Nothing that needs anything more than time and exercise to heal." When he looked doubtful, she lifted her brows in the don't-push-me-on-this affect. "I promise."

The last thing she wanted was him finding the through and through bullet holes in her shoulder. And the last thing he needed to do was get himself, his son and employees involved in anything other than fixing her leg. Reporting her injury could bring all kinds of trouble to his doorstep, especially if Markus was sending out hitmen for her.

Finally, Dr. Hillman gave an I'm-not-arguing-with-you shrug. "Okay. It's your call. Let's get you walking."

She stood and stayed in place, getting a feel for how steady her leg was. Then she took a step forward with her right leg and then her left. Tyler and Joan still held onto her arms at her elbows in case she stumbled. After a few steps, she was in the hallway. She paused and saw Connor standing at the end of the hall next to the check-out desk waiting for her.

"I think I'd like to try it on my own," she said to Tyler and Joan. They released their hold on her arms and took a step back.

With a deep breath, Zoe stepped with her left foot, bringing the right one up beside it. She'd maneuvered this start-stop walking at Connor's cabin. She repeated it, each time moving more to a regular stride and not stopping as long with her right foot until she stood a foot in front of Connor.

"Good job," he said, and even though she'd been depending on herself and not others for so long, his praise pleased a spot inside her chest.

"Thank you."

Her body felt a little shaky from the exertion. He held out his hand and she slipped hers inside, letting him give her some support before turning to the trio standing in the hallway. "I think I'm good to go, doc."

The older man gave her a gentle smile and a nod. "I do too. Just don't push it too much the first day or two. You do still have a broken leg." He walked up to join them at the check-out desk. "I'd like to see you back here in two weeks to evaluate how it's going." He took a sheet of paper from Joan. "Follow these instructions. You're sure I don't need to give you something for the pain?"

She took the printout and shook her head. "Haven't needed it this far, and this boot really does lessen the pain I was having."

"Okay, I'll see you in two weeks." He shook her hand and then Connor's, before heading to another room.

She made an appointment as instructed, paid her bill, then walked out holding Connor's hand. More for subtle support than intimacy, although she liked having both from him.

"Did you leave Duke in the car?" she asked as the exited the building.

"Matt has him. Probably playing with him and ruining all the training I've been instilling in him."

She laughed. "Luke might've. Matt is more a rule follower." She considered that thought. "Well, he used to be. Since meeting and marrying Katie, he's a lot looser than he used to be."

He paused, forcing her to stand still. "You know, your whole family is or was in some sort of law enforcement. They're not going to be happy to have a felon hanging out with them. Maybe I should stay somewhere else or head back to Virginia."

"No!" She said, her heart rate surging and a sense of panic settling on her.

Dammit. What was wrong with her? She never panicked, no matter what was going on around her—not even the moment she realized Markus was going to shoot her. Why did the idea of Connor leaving fill her with dread? She swallowed and fought to calm down.

"It isn't safe for you to go home yet," she hurried to say when he looked surprised at her outburst. "You were the one who said Markus will send another hit team once he doesn't hear from the others. I don't want anything bad to happen to you or Duke just because you helped me out."

"I can take care of myself," he said, compassion taking the edge of arrogance out of his words.

"I know you can. I'd just," she hesitated. "I'd just feel better if you were here with me until this thing is over."

He stood so still staring at her with such intensity, that she thought he was going to refuse her request. Finally, he cupped her face with one of his hands, the callouses rubbing against her skin. "I will stay as long as you need me."

She smiled and leaned on his arm a little as they slowly walked towards the SUV Matt stood beside with Duke sitting, obvious on his best behavior, the tip of his tail the only thing moving. "Good. Besides, my family is a lot more accepting than you give them credit."

"They'd be okay housing someone who did time for basically betraying his oath and selling drugs while in the Army?"

"You didn't do that," she said emphatically, not because he'd said he didn't, but she knew this man. He'd never do either of those things. "They'd give you a chance to explain things. And besides, you've already proved to them you can be counted on in a fight. That goes a long way in my family."

"Let's be clear. I will stay because you asked me to, not for anyone else. If they don't want me staying at the house or office or whatever it is, then Duke and I will find a place close by. You need your family around you. I will be good on my own. I'm used to it."

"Used to what?" Matt asked as they drew near.

"Being on my own," Connor said and Matt looked confused.

"He thinks he would be unwelcome to stay at EIS headquarters," Zoe explained as Connor opened the door and assisted her inside. Once she was settled in the backseat with her leg elevated, he called Duke to come in and lay on the floor in front of her.

"Of course we want you staying at headquarters." Matt climbed in behind the wheel. "It's the safest place for you to be. Luke and Abby designed the high-tech alarm and security systems. No one's getting in without us knowing it."

"I've seen the alarms and camera surveillance. Zoe should definitely stay there," Connor said, taking the shotgun seat. "I'm not sure I should."

"Why not?"

"Because of my past," he said, turning to stare out the window.

Matt's eyes met Zoe's in the rearview mirror. She wasn't going to explain Connor's hesitancy. That was his story to tell.

"I know you don't know us," her cousin said with a glance at Connor before putting the car in gear. "But trust me, we don't hold people's past against them. If we did, I wouldn't be married and have the twins."

That got Connor's attention. "What do you mean?"

"Katie wasn't always Katie. That's her name change when she went into witness protection."

Zoe leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes as Matt explained his wife's past.

"She was in WitSec?" Surprise laced Connor's question.

"Yep. When she was a kid, her mother joined The Prophet's cult."

"The Prophet. He was the guy convicted and put to death for the Pennsylvania Post Office bombing, wasn't he?"

"That's the one. Katie was the star witness in his prosecution. He'd threatened her in court, so she went into WitSec. She was living very comfortably, if, as she says now, very lonely in the program. Had even graduated nursing school and was working as a nurse when her cover was blown."

"Literally," Zoe added. "Wasn't her car blown up?"

"Yep. That's when I got involved in things. Apparently, the Prophet sent one of his devout cult members out to find and kill her. He wanted it done before his execution. With Luke and Castello's help we managed to prevent that from happening."

"Castello?"

"You haven't met him yet," Zoe said.

"He was the Deputy U.S. Marshal in charge of Katie's protection."

"Doesn't sound like he did a good job."

"I thought the same thing at first," Matt said. "Turns out there was a leak in their department and his partner was tortured and killed by the hitman. Castello proved his worth and we've sort of adopted him into the family, too."

"Then there's Jake and Sami," Zoe said, steering the conversation their direction.

"Sami is your sister?" Connor asked Matt.

"Yep. Jake kidnapped her."

"Your brother-in-law kidnapped your sister?"

Matt chuckled. "Yeah, he did, but he had a good reason. He was undercover FBI at the time, and his witness needed medical attention. Jake couldn't risk going to a doc or the hospital. He'd been shot and didn't want it reported. So, his solution was to kidnap Sami out of a hospital parking lot."

"Did the witness make it?" Connor asked.

"Yes. He was about nine at the time. He was an orphan and is now my nephew. Sami and Jake adopted him." Matt pulled into the drive behind the EIS house, parked and turned to Connor. "Whatever you think is bad in your past, let me assure you, the fact that you rescued Zoe, patched her up and helped us keep her safe? It's a wash with us. Like it or not, you're part of the team now."

He was staying . She could lie to herself and say her anxiety had been for his safety. But that wasn't true. She spent her life lying to others, but she never lied to herself. It was a line in the sand she refused to cross. Having Connor here? It made her feel safe. In her line of work, she never depended on someone else to keep her safe. Even when she brought the family into her cases, it had always been to help her because she didn't trust Areneum or whatever government agency using them to get the job done right, not half-assed for political reasons. She'd never brought them in for protection. From the moment she'd awakened in bed with Connor in his cabin, confused and in pain, she'd felt safe, protected.

Zoe reached down to scratch Duke between his ears. She relaxed and listened to Matt fill Connor in on the lives and quirks of other EIS team members. He was staying for now and that was enough.