Chapter 14

14

C alvin reclined against the hospital bed, moving his gaze along with every stride Jenna made across the curtained-in cubical of the room. "If you don't sit down, I'll have a nurse come in with a tranquilizer. You're making me dizzy."

Jenna scowled then lowered herself into a chair beside the bed. "This is ridiculous. You shouldn't have to wait this long to be seen."

"Not being seen right away is a good thing. It means I'm not in the worst shape here. If other people need more desperate medical attention, they should get it." Hearing the concern in her voice was almost worth having a bullet tear into his flesh.

She shifted in the chair. "I'm so tired and the chair's so hard." The end of the sentence came in a huff. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands like a child trying to keep her tears from falling.

He bit into his cheeks to stop a smile from forming. Jenna had never handled lack of sleep well. "Come here." He extended a palm toward her, unsure if she'd take it.

She clasped his hand in hers and squeezed. "Where do you want me to go? I'm as close as I can get."

The feel of her soft skin against his gave him the courage he needed to press on. "There's room on the bed for two. Who knows how long we'll be here? You can close your eyes for a little bit."

She nibbled on her bottom lip. "I…don't want to make you uncomfortable."

He bit back a grin. He still knew her so damn well. Tonight, he needed comfort and support as much as she did. "Please? I'd like to rest, but I can't when I'm too worried about who you're harassing. Hell, if I don't keep a close watch on you, you might grab a needle and try to stitch me up yourself."

"You know I could." Jenna hiccupped out a laugh that morphed into a sob. "Fine. I guess I'm not in any shape to perform sutures."

Victory hummed a triumphant tune in his ear, but he kept all signs of his success from his face. He curved his body, allowing enough room for Jenna to fit beside him, then hooked his arm over her head. The motion stretched his side, which screamed in pain, but he didn't care. He'd endure torture to lay this close to her.

She placed one hand on her flat stomach and lifted the other to the neck of his shirt. Shifting the fabric between her fingers, the way she always used to when her mind wouldn't rest, but she didn't want to voice her thoughts.

His heart raced and desire dipped deep into his gut. Her messy hair skimmed against his face. He squeezed his eyes shut, sealing the way her body felt against him in his mind. He may never get another chance, another moment, to savor her beside him. The idea crushed his soul, clogging his throat with tears he didn't want to shed. Not now. Not when she was so close that the smell of her shampoo invaded his senses, and he could forget for one damn second she was no longer his.

"I can't believe you took a bullet to protect me and Oliver," Jenna whispered.

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I should have pulled the trigger sooner and this mess would be over." Guilt sliced into him. If he hadn't been distracted by Boo, the bastard would either be dead or wounded enough that he wouldn't have escaped.

Jenna stopped the motion of her fingers, twisting to face him, and laid her palm on his chest. A hard glint shone from her eyes. "I heard your statement. You did everything you could. If you had died…" Tears spilled over her long lashes and coated her cheeks.

Unable to resist, Calvin lowered his arm around her shoulders and pressed her against him. He moved his hand up and down her arm as the moisture from her eyes leaked through his shirt. "If I can't beat myself up, neither can you. None of this is your fault."

Lifting her head, she faced him with her red-rimmed eyes, wide and with a world of confusion shining through, as if she couldn't trust what was happening between them. "Thank you."

Calvin furrowed his brows. "For what?"

Jenna lifted the corner of her mouth. "For keeping me safe even after I stopped fighting for us."

His heart stalled, and he held his breath. What did her apology mean? Was she ready to pick up the proverbial sword and find a way to bring them back together? Fear stole his words, afraid of what her answer might be. "I will always protect you, Jenna. No matter where things stand between us."

Holding his gaze. Jenna swiped her tongue over her lips.

Calvin held back, even though his lips tingled with a need to brush against hers. She had to make that choice.

She pressed closer, her warm breath caressing his face. He closed his eyes, waiting for the invitation, praying it was more than comfort and lingering fear that urged her on.

"Sorry about the wait, I'm Dr. Pryor. It's been?—"

Calvin's eyes flew open.

"Good evening, Dr. Simon. I didn't mean to interrupt. I'd say I'll come back, but I need to get you stitched up and out of here before anyone else comes in." Dr. Pryor averted his gaze, but he couldn't quite hide the smile above his square jaw and dimpled chin.

Jenna scrambled off the bed, landing on the chair she'd complained about being too hard.

Calvin sighed and straightened, but a burst of hope lightened his mood. He just needed to be patient, to show Jenna that he wasn't going anywhere, then the rest of her walls might crash to the ground.

A sheen of sweat covered Jenna's forehead as Dr. Pryor readied the instruments to stitch Calvin's side. The strong scent of disinfectant collided against her unease at seeing Calvin laying injured on a hospital bed, making her nauseous. Standing, she pressed her fingers to her mouth as saliva pooled on her tongue. "I'll be right back."

The need for fresh air had her fleeing from the room. It would still be a little while before Calvin was discharged, even if the stitches took mere minutes, and she needed to get her head on straight before heading home.

If that was possible. Tonight's intruder paired with Calvin's heroics wreaked havoc on her nerves.

Then when she'd heard that gunshot…no. She couldn't go back to that moment. Because when the possibility of Calvin being ripped away from her life again struck her, she'd almost crumbled. The idea of him being killed had nearly dropped her to her knees.

A nurse wheeled an elderly man with a cast on his ankle down the wide hall. Jenna dropped her gaze, avoiding an eyeful of the uncovered legs and thin white hospital gown that flapped up and exposed way too much skin. The employee steered the patient to the elevator doors, so Jenna opted to take the stairwell. Three flights of stairs were worth not getting a peep show.

Yanking open the door, she hurried down the first flight and turned on the small platform. A door opened behind her. A doctor in blue scrubs bounded down the steps. A surgical cap covered the top of his head, and a paper mask was stretched over his mouth. He kept his chin down.

Jenna gripped the handrail attached to the cinderblock wall and swung around to the next flight of stairs. Her foot hit the first step and a strong arm circled her throat, blocking her airway. She flailed, clawing at the forearm securing her to a wall of muscle.

Warm breath slid against her cheek. "There's nowhere for you to run."

Jenna struggled against the arm hooked around her neck, pinning her in place. Spots of red invaded her vision. Terror pierced her chest. She opened her mouth to scream, but the man clamped his free hand over her lips. The pressure on her windpipe increased, stealing her ability to breathe. Her lungs burned and tears stung her eyes. She jutted her elbow backward, but he twisted from her reach.

He pressed harder against her throat. "No more messing around."

She searched for anything she could use against her attacker. Pain throbbed against her skull, and energy leaked from her body. She had to do something soon.

A fire extinguisher was trapped behind a glass box. No way she could break through the box and use it as a weapon. But if she could just reach the fire alarm, it could cause the commotion she needed to get away. She hurled her body toward the wall. The forearm on her throat yanked her back.

She tried to take a breath, to let a little air leak into her lungs. She only had one shot. Steeling her resolve, she opened her mouth as wide as she could then bit onto the latex-glove covered hand at the same time she dug her fingernails into her attacker's forearm.

His grip slipped just enough for her to lunge forward. Her fingertips brushed against the handle of the alarm. Using all her might, she took one more step toward the wall. She circled her fingers around the handle and yanked down. A shrill blast of noise screeched through the stairwell. A door opened and footsteps rushed toward her.

The grip on her neck released, and she fell to the ground on her knees.

The man dressed like a doctor pushed past two startled nurses and ran out the door of the first floor.

Jenna opened her mouth to yell, to scream for someone to stop him, but only a whimper emerged from her raw throat. Wincing, she rolled over and leaned against the cool wall. She inhaled large gulps of air, each breath causing spikes of pain to scratch the inside of her throbbing neck.

A middle-aged nurse she didn't recognize with kind brown eyes ran to her and slid an arm around her waist to help her to her feet. "Dr. Simon, we have to get out of here," he yelled over the screeching siren.

She shook her head. "I pulled the alarm."

Confusion furrowed the man's brow. "What? Why?"

More hospital staff and patients trickled into the stairwell.

She leaned closer so the man could hear her. "That doctor. He choked me." Each word was like a razor blade slicing her tender flesh. She closed her eyes against the pain. Everyone needed to be alerted that there was no fire before the staff had every patient out of bed and in the parking lot for no reason.

The man who steadied her on her feet glanced over his shoulder. "Neal, let Dr. Christly know the alarm was pulled and there's no fire. Then get a security guard to go after the man who ran out of here. Tell him to check the video feed."

The second man dipped his chin then ran down the stairs and out the door.

"My name's Frank. I've got you. Let's get you upstairs and looked at, okay?"

She nodded and leaned against his broad shoulder.

Before taking another step, Frank yelled. "Everyone. Please go back to your rooms and your workstations. Everything's fine."

A murmur arose from the people crowding into the stairwell. The alarm continued blaring its distress. The pain in Jenna's head beat along with each loud buzz that vibrated the floor.

"How do we know there's no fire?" someone called out.

"I assure you it's safe to return to your room," Frank said.

The fire alarm stopped, but the ringing in Jenna's ears continued.

Annoyed chatter clogged the air, but people shuffled back the way they'd come. Frank ushered her into the stream of people. Keeping one hand secured around the railing, she kept the other on Frank's sturdy arm as she made her way back to the third floor. Each breath she took labored and shaky.

"Jenna!" Calvin rushed down the hall, pain etched on his face. He skidded to a stop in front of her and cradled a palm against her jaw. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She winced. "Someone attacked me. Choked me on the stairs. I pulled the fire alarm."

"I need to help get all the patients settled," Frank said.

"I'll get her to my room," Calvin said.

"Yes, thanks Frank. You go." Jenna offered Frank a weak smile.

Frank shifted her toward Calvin.

He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her close to his chest.

The feel of his body anchored her. She inhaled the smell of him, and her heart fluttered. How many times had these arms supported her? How many times had this man been her safe space to land? An onslaught of sadness washed over her. She'd missed Calvin so damn much.

Calvin tucked his thumb under her chin, lifting her face to see her neck. His nostrils flared. "You need to be examined."

As much as she hated to be poked and prodded, she didn't have it in her to fight. Not to mention the stabbing pain pulsing against her neck. "Okay. Will you stay with me?"

His expression melted from anger to wonderment, as if her asking him for anything was beyond comprehension. "I'll do anything you ask of me."

She crushed her eyes closed against the rush of words from his full lips. Understanding warmed her and shook loose the lingering webs of terror. For just this moment, she didn't want to think about the man who'd tried to kill her or the bullet that grazed Calvin's side or the hospital they'd been stuck in for far too long.

No, all she wanted was to lose herself in Calvin's arms. Lose herself in the fantasy that he was hers and when this was all said and done, their paths would join once more and take them somewhere so much better than she'd ever been—a place with all the happiness and love she'd missed out on for so long.