Love Under Two Navy Seals (26 page)

“As a man who has family up to his ass in this town,” Morgan said, “I’m with you.”

Morgan slowed the Jeep and then turned in at the front of the clinic. Before Dev could make a move, the clinic door burst open, and Richard Benedict rushed the Jeep. He practically yanked the back door of the vehicle off its hinges and reached for his sister. “Julia.
Julia
.”

“Hi, Richard. You look worse than I do. Hey, put me down!”

Richard had scooped her into his arms. He lifted her out of the car and just held her. After a moment he eased her back, and Dev watched as his gaze focused on her head. “You’re hurt, damn it all to hell.” Yet having said that, he seemed unable to move. He just continued to hold her and look at her.

Dev understood the emotions running through Julia’s brother. He’d rescued more than one innocent who’d gotten caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. Subsequently, he’d also been on hand to see the reaction of those whose loved ones he returned to them.

“If she has a concussion, it’s a mild one.” He kept his voice neutral and didn’t ask, just gently took Julia from him. Since his woman quickly put her arms around his neck, he didn’t think Richard would argue the move.

Richard blinked. “Uncle Adam and Uncle James are both waiting for you,” Richard said. Then he met Dev’s gaze. “Thank you for bringing her back to us. I owe you. The entire family owes you.”

“You don’t have to thank us, and you certainly don’t owe us anything. She’s ours.”

Richard nodded and stepped back, so that Dev could take the lead.

“I feel like some sort of a prize possession, the way all you men keep passing me around and talking about me as if I wasn’t even here,” Julia mumbled.

“She gets cranky when she’s hurt,” Richard said. “Always has.”

“That’s good to know.” Drew stepped ahead of Dev and opened the door for them.

“Keep it up. You all have to sleep sometime.”

“She said that to me once,” Richard said. His smile slowly evaporated. “Come to think of it, you both may want to stop teasing her, now. Jules always gets her revenge and often, it’s not pretty when she does. The little snot.”

“Boys!”

Dev jerked his head in automatic response to that one word command, the feminine voice at once cultured and hard. As a SEAL he’d faced tough-as-nails commanders, and that voice brought every single one of them into the small reception room right there and then.

“Sorry, Mother.” Richard went over to the strikingly beautiful brunette and kissed her cheek. The salute didn’t seem to hold much effect, as the woman kept her drill-sergeant demeanor in place.

“I’m sure that you are. I usually don’t interfere in the petty squabbles between my children—especially now that they are allegedly all grown adults. However, under the circumstances…”

Abigail Benedict stood with her arms crossed in front of her chest, her hair in what Dev recognized as a tight, neat roll at the back of her head. She wore what he’d call a power suit, including very high heels.

If our woman looks this good after birthing our children, we’ll be the luckiest men on earth.

“You’re right, of course, Mother. I didn’t mean anything hurtful.”

“You never do, darling.” She reached up and cupped her son’s face.

Then she turned her gaze on Julia. Because he was watching, Dev saw the moment of worry, quickly masked.

“Hi, Mom. The one holding me is Dev, and the one beside me is Drew.”

“There you are, sweetheart. I was told to bring you into room two, but I think I’ll send the three of you there, instead. Providing I get a full report immediately afterward.”

“Absolutely, Mrs. Benedict.” Dev gave her his best smile and knew in a heartbeat that here was a woman who would never be swayed by charm alone.

“Don’t worry, ma’am. We’ll let you know everything the doctors say,” Drew promised.

“I think you’d both best call me ‘Mom.’” The look she gave them then made Dev want to squirm. He felt his face heat and couldn’t believe he was actually starting to blush.

“I think for the time being,” Dev said, “we’ll both make that ma’am.” It pleased him that his quip made the corner of Abigail’s mouth twitch.

“I can see you’re both very wise men, as well as being very brave,” Abigail said, and gave a pointed little look toward Julia.

Julia simply smiled and said, “I love you too, Mom.”

“Of course you do. Now, Dev, Drew, please take my daughter in to see the doctors.”

“Yes ma’am.” They said that together and as smartly, Dev thought, as if they were addressing an admiral. He nodded and headed off toward the one corridor that branched off the reception area.

“You mother appears to be a formidable woman, kitten.” Drew walked on Dev’s left side so that Julia could see him.

“I know. When I grow up, I want to be just like her.”

“God help us,” Dev said. But he knew even as the words left his mouth, they were framed by a smile.

* * * *

“I’ve always said you had a hard head, Julia Benedict. But I didn’t expect you to prove it to me in quite so dramatic a fashion.”

Julia grinned at her stern-faced Uncle James. “Trust me when I say this wasn’t my idea.”

“That’s what they all say lately,” Uncle Adam said.

“That may be true, but I really mean it.”

“Uh-huh. Now, stare at my nose while I check your eyes.” Dr. Adam Jessop used the tips of his fingers on the edges of her chin to gently center her head, then flashed that light into her eyes.

Personally she always thought this was one of the hardest parts of any exam. This and the blood pressure check. To her way of thinking, that hurt worse than a shot.

She continued to watch Dr. Adam’s nose, but couldn’t help but notice in her peripheral that both Dev and Drew had relaxed somewhat.

By the way her men had braced themselves when they’d accompanied her into the examination room, Julia knew that they had both expected to have their presence there challenged.

She could have told them there was no need to gird their loins. This was Lusty, Texas, and the Doctors Jessop were used to having men accompany their women into exam rooms.

“By the way”—Dr. James sat in the corner making notes on the PC—“David and Robbie will be here in a couple of weeks.”

“Who are David and Robbie?” Dev asked.

“Our eldest sons,” Dr. Adam answered.

“It’ll be good to see them again. Is Auntie Pam planning a party?”

“They’re not coming home to visit,” Dr. James answered. “They’re coming home to stay.”

“Really? That’s fantastic!”

“Keep looking at my nose,” Dr. Adam admonished. He switched the light to her other eye.

“Are they going to work at one of the Hospitals in Waco or Houston?” Julia found it a challenge to look in one direction but speak toward another.

“Your sons are doctors, too?” Drew asked.

“Just Dave and Robbie are, yes,” Doctor James answered. “Marcus, our youngest son, is a lab tech—he works in Waco and mans the lab here as well. Grant and Andrew are firefighters. They’re both up in Washington State, God help us all, learning how to be smoke jumpers. Our daughter Rebecca is an artist.”

“Actually, David and Robert were going to split their time between Houston and here.” Adam Jessop stood back from Julia. He switched places with his brother, so that Dr. James could finish the exam while Dr. Adam made notes.

“So you could potentially have four Doctors Jessop on duty at one time.” Drew’s tone said he was trying to wrap his head around that one.

Julia contained her smile when she noticed Dev trying hard not to laugh.

“That might be a problem,” Dr. James conceded, “as it is to some extent, now. But we’ve all different first names, so maybe we’ll just use those.”

While he’d been speaking he’d been examining Julia’s neck and shoulders. He signaled for her to lift her T-shirt which she did.

She had to give her uncle credit for not giving her another lecture. She’d had a look at her chest herself just before the helicopter came to pick them up. The deep purple marks from her car’s seat belt really looked a lot worse than they felt. She mentally gave up a small prayer of gratitude she had her bra on, and wasn’t asked to remove it. The girls had suffered a few scratches, but they’d be fine.

There were just some things a woman didn’t want her uncles to look at, doctors or not. She caught Dr. James’s gaze. Making her tone as serious as possible, she said, “Seat belts save lives.”

Dr. James grunted, and then stepped back. “They do, yes, but nothing comes without a cost.”

“You’ve a very mild concussion, but nothing broken or damaged internally,” Dr. Adam said. “That butterfly strip should do well enough on that cut. It wasn’t deep enough or long enough for stitches.”

“Thank God.” Julia had received a few stitches in her head when she was a kid and could still recall the sting of the needle given inside the cut in order to freeze it.

“We’ll prescribe acetaminophen with codeine for the combined pains.” Dr. James waved his hand to indicate her entire body. “Rest for the next few days. How’s your headache now?”

“Just a mild throb.” Her men had given her a couple of aspirin that morning, but they were beginning to wear off.

Dr. James nodded. “If the headaches increase in the next couple of days, you get your butt in here, young lady.”

“We’ll see to it she rests,” Dev said. “And don’t worry. We’ll make sure she comes back if necessary.”

Julia sighed. “There you go talking about me as if I weren’t here again.”

“Poor kitten.” Drew turned her face gently and kissed her. Just a sweet caress, the taste of him fleeting, Julia knew that she needed more, and soon. “You know we’re just trying to take care of you.”

Dev stroked her shoulder, so she turned to look at him. “We are,” he said. “We were both scared out of our minds when you were taken, baby doll. Be patient with us.” His kiss was just as soft, and his flavor called to her as strongly as Drew’s.

She’d had them both inside her body just hours before, and she needed them that way again. Only this time she wanted it to be at home—their home—and in their enormous bed.

“I know.” She did know. She’d grown up in Lusty and had seen firsthand how the men of her family pampered the women.

“Let’s go home.” She turned her attention to the doctors. “We can leave, right?” And even as her uncles nodded, she saw a look pass between her lovers that set all her senses on alert.

“We thought you’d like to take some time with your mother and grandmother first,” Dev said. “I think Kate would like to see you for herself, see that you’re all right. Don’t you?”

“Um…sure.” Something’s going on, she thought.

“Great!” Dev lifted her off the exam table with such exquisite tenderness that she nearly pushed aside her misgivings.

“Don’t worry about us. We have a couple of errands to run.” Drew smiled.

Julia had that sense again. “Okay, what’s going on?”

Her lovers looked at each other, then at her. “Nothing’s going on. We’re just proving that we’re sensitive men, who appreciate their woman needs time with other women, that’s all.”

Really suspicious now, she looked at her uncles, but neither of the Doctors Jessop seemed to think that anything was amiss.

“Come on, sweetheart. Your mother and grandmother are waiting for you at the Big House.”

“But Mother’s out front,” Julia said.

“No, when I went out to see her, she said she’d see you over at Kate’s,” Drew said.

Julia braced herself for a horde of family in the waiting room. Whenever one of them had an emergency visit to the clinic, family gathered. It was a tradition that dated back as far as she could remember.

The waiting room held only her cousin Matthew. He greeted her with a big smile and then a hug. “I missed all the excitement as Steven and Kelsey and I went to Dallas overnight. I’m glad you’re all right.”

“Thanks. Where is everyone?”

Matthew looked around as if he didn’t understand what she meant. “Everyone who? Oh, your mom. Aunt Abby said she’d meet you at the Big House.”