Two in the Afternoon (8 page)

Chapter Thirteen

Cal felt like hell. His right leg was the most insistent throb, followed closely by a familiar stab of pain in his chest. A broken rib, maybe two. During jump school he'd taken a bad landing and bruised a rib, but this was far worse. Enough sharp pain to force shallow breathing and a cold sweat to break out. His face felt puffy and swollen and even though he was trying like hell, only one eye would open. His vision was hazy and he could feel his heartbeat pulse behind the eye he could actually open.

Fighting against the drugged haze of his morphine drip, he shifted his good arm and felt Molly stir next to him. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he'd been in the hospital for several days.

He remembered more of the attack each time he woke. A pair of guys that had taken him down with a car while he'd been out jogging. A quick bounce into the drainage ditch had brought a blistering pain to his right knee. Bo barking like crazy, a quick whine from the dog as he heard a blow land and then Cal had blacked out. There were snippets of more, but nothing solid or completely formed. He'd need to pull it all together soon. The police would need a report, unless they'd already taken a statement. He couldn't be sure, everything was vague and blurry in his mind's eye.

Every time he was able to pry his eyes open, he'd found Molly fussing over him. Today was the first time he'd caught her at rest. She was seated in an ugly plastic hospital chair, precariously resting her head near his as if she'd fallen asleep saying goodnight.

Even in her sleep she looked exhausted. Dark circles rimmed her eyes, startling against her pale skin. One slim hand was clenched tight, holding his hospital gown in a firm grip, as if she were waiting for him to escape.

He still felt fuzzy around the edges, but he was glad to have Molly near. He placed a warm kiss to her temple before drifting back to his drugged sleep with a smile on his face.

Gabe Ryan watched the hulking Ranger gently kiss his little sister before he exited the hospital room. He hadn't been able to convince Molly that she needed to go home and rest, now that Pratt had been dealt with, but she had finally collapsed a few days ago in Eversman's room. The nurses took pity on her and had let her sleep in the uncomfortable chair that barely reclined.

Cal's injuries were extensive. Thankfully he would recover, but his military career had ended with the brutal attack. His right knee was severely damaged and he'd need extensive physical therapy to regain full motion. From what they'd been able to pull from the goons Pratt had hired to do the deed, they had ambushed him on his morning run. They'd taken him out with the car first, knocking him into the ditch running alongside the road, too afraid of the man to do anything less. For good measure they'd taken a tire iron to his upper body before leaving the scene. Bo had attacked and taken a kick to the face after getting a hold on one of the men, then they'd taken one of his legs out with the tire iron to keep him down. He was recovering at the local vet's office and was going to be just fine.

Eventually the hired thugs had been persuaded by Masterson and Danvers to turn over on Pratt. A fact that would just add to his jail time. Gabe had tracked down Pratt's father and explained, very clearly, how things would be handled if his son had any contact with his sister again. The senior Pratt had developed a great deal of respect for the protection jail could afford his son after his conversation with Gabe.

Cal would walk again after therapy, but the knee was the defining injury that would keep him from his chosen career. The only thing left for Cal would be a desk job with the CIA. Given his track record with the Rangers, Gabe knew Cal would never take the job. A man of action wouldn't be happy behind a desk. But if he chose to go that route, Gabe would make sure his sister's protector got whatever he damn well wanted.

It had been a long five days of watching over his sister while she watched over Cal. Chris and Lainey took care of the bar in Molly's absence, and his mercs were headed on to their next gig after managing the local police.

Everything was tied up as neatly as he could hope for, but he needed to ensure Molly was in good hands before he headed back to base for his next mission.

Molly woke when the nurse came in with a dinner tray prepared for Cal. Sitting up, she looked over his sleeping body, taking in the many bruises marring his face and the leg wrapped and resting in traction. Guilt crashed through again. It had been her constant companion since the moment she saw him in the hospital bed. Five days. It felt like five fucking years.

It was hard to be rational when the man you loved was badly beaten and in a morphine haze because her attacker had taken him out in an effort to reach her.

She knew his career was over. The doctors hadn't mentioned it, but Gabe pulled no punches with her when he'd explained everything. He'd explained about the thugs, Pratt, and exactly what Cal's injuries had meant for his career. At the time she'd been so thankful he was going to be okay that she hadn't given much thought to his career, but he was going to wake up long enough one of these days to start asking questions.

Questions she didn't want to have to answer, but she would. It was the very least she could do. It was her fault that he'd been targeted and now he'd lost everything he thought defined him. Duty, service, his career. All gone in a blink of an eye. Because of her. The guilt was going to suffocate her soon. And it would be nothing less than she deserved.

A few minutes after the nurse left, Lainey arrived with a care package from the pub. “Hey girl, Chief sent dinner over for you.” Holding out the take-out, Lainey looked uncertain before going on. “Your brother is out in the waiting area. He might be hungry too.”

“Yeah. I need to talk to Gabe anyway.” Taking the offered food, she stood to leave. “If he wakes up, can you try to get him to eat? He's starting to look thin.”

Lainey gave a startled laugh. “He's not the one looking thin. Go. Take a break. I'll stay with Cal and make sure he eats when wakes up.”

“Lainey.” She stood in the door, turning back to Cal's sister before leaving. Her lip quivered, but she fought the tears back ruthlessly. “I'm so sorry about all this.”

“Hey, this isn't your fault.” Crossing the room and taking her hand, Lainey said, “He would have protected you no matter what. He'll just be happy to know that Pratt didn't get to you. He'll also be pissed he never got his hands on the bastard.” She gave a small laugh before going on. “But he knows you're safe. That's all he would want.”

Molly was so exhausted she couldn't fight the tears that started to fall. “His career is over. How do I tell him that?”

“He already knows. Cal is no fool.” Lainey gave her a quick hug. “Now, go talk to your brother so I can talk to mine.”

Cal watched his sister turn to face him after she'd shooed Molly out of the room. “Hey Laine.”

“Hey yourself.”

“Thanks for taking care of her just now.”

“You love her. Of course I'll take care of her.”

“Yeah, I do.” The admission tightened his chest a bit, but it also offered a solace he hadn't expected. It was new, fresh, but it felt good. “Now come over here and sit with me.” He patted the spot that Molly had vacated a few minutes earlier.

“Only if you eat something. You are actually looking thin, even if I didn't want to agree with Molly. That girl is swimming in guilt so deep it's about to drown her.”

He frowned and pulled the tray closer as Lainey used the bed controls to raise him into a sitting position. “Nothing for her to feel guilty about.” He glanced at Lainey and noticed the strain on her face. Something was weighing on his sister and he didn't think it was the current situation. “All right, Laine, spill. I'm currently awake and only slightly drugged. Let's hear it.”

His sister took the seat Molly had recently vacated. Perched on the very edge she looked like she was about to take flight. “I never got to tell you why I really left Ohio. Some bad things went down, Cal.”

He'd just shoved a mouthful of what might have been meatloaf into his mouth and grimaced at the horrible hospital food before speaking. “I know all about it.”

“Dad?” When he only quirked a brow in her direction, she stood to pace in the tight confines of his room. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was…ashamed.”

She turned to eye him, fidgeting. “Dad wanted to kill him. Like tear him from limb from limb and bury him in the woods.” Sucking in an anxious breath, she went on, “When I came down here to see you, Cal. I just knew. This place felt right. I think a part of me feels like I'm running, but the other part of me—the bigger part—just wants to start fresh.”

Lainey took a seat in the hard plastic chair again, relaxing into it this time. “Cal, do you know what you are going to do? Do you think you could stay here with me? I've got an offer in on that land by the lake. There will be plenty of room for us both. You could start your own business…” She paused and leaned in. “What about dog training again? I've seen you working with Bo and I know you love it.”

He continued to chow down on the hospital food, not even tasting it at this point as he mulled over his sister's speech. It would never have occurred to him to make such a drastic career change. With Lainey's suggestion he considered what it would mean for him long term.

The last time he'd trained a dog had been back in high school. He'd need to land some training himself, research the area groups, talk to his dad since he still did training on the side back home. “How much land?”

She smiled, knowing she'd already won. “Ten acres of beautiful country overlooking the lake.”

“Are you sure this is what you want? Tied to your brother for the rest of your life?”

She smiled. “We've been tied together our whole life. No matter how far away you went, we've always been a team.”

“I'd like to buy a few acres for the training facility, maybe build my own house, if that works for you?”

“Definitely. I've already spoken with Chris about designing the house I want.”

“Good.” He shoveled one final bite of his dinner into his mouth. “Now can you go tell my new girlfriend I'm finally coherent and would like to actually speak with her before I pass out again?”

When she leaned down to give him a quick hug, she spoke softly in his ear. “Thank you, Cal.”

When Lainey bounced into the waiting area, smiling broadly, Molly felt a weight lift from her shoulders she didn't even realize she'd been carrying around. “He's awake?”

“And asking for you.”

Dropping her plastic fork into the take-out container, she stood to rush into Cal's room.

“Molly, he's going to be fine.”

“I know.” She just didn't know what came next. How soon would he be leaving her behind? A week? Two? Just the thought brought a burn to her eyes that she didn't want to acknowledge.

She was stunned to see him pushing away an empty food tray and sitting up, looking more like the Cal she'd last seen five nights ago. He looked so damn good, she devoured the sight of him awake and recovering with greedy eyes. His bruises were fading, leaving an array of mottled contusions down his arms and along his jaw. His leg was in traction and looked uncomfortable, but he had a broad smile for her. “Hey handsome. You look good enough to eat.”

“You look like hell, sweet stuff.” His voice was pitched low and slightly gravelly, but there was no hint of a slur from the morphine.

She couldn't help herself; she laughed. Loud and long. “Of course I do. I've been living in this hospital room for five days.” She eased onto the edge of the hospital bed, taking great care not to jostle him. “It's so good to see you awake.”

“It's good to be awake.” He curled an arm around her, pulling her closer, before laying a quick kiss to her forehead. “Good to see you.”

A few minutes passed while they soaked each other in, but Molly knew she needed to talk to him about his leg, his career…just everything. “Cal…”

“Me first, babe.” With a question in her eyes, she looked up at him. “I know about the knee, about Pratt and everything else.” When she let her surprise show, he went on. “I talked to Gabe earlier today, while you were sleeping. He explained everything to me.” There was a pause before he went on. “And it's all fine. I'm glad Pratt came after me before you. Otherwise, you'd be the one in this hospital bed. And I couldn't handle that.”

“But what about your career?” Her voice came out smaller than she expected, but the fear of what he would say made her feel small. How could he not blame her? If he hadn't been there to protect her, he wouldn't be recovering in this hospital bed with months of therapy in front of him and no career to go back to.

“It's all good. I was already on the fence about the next step anyway. Then Lainey just proposed the ideal next step.” He brushed her hair away from her brow and gave her another tender kiss there. “Did you know when we were kids, I trained working dogs with my dad?” When she nodded in response, he went on. “I loved it. We dealt with police dogs, bomb and drug dogs, even basic guard dogs. But after college I joined the Rangers and never looked back. Lainey proposed a plan for that would get me started on my own business, and I think it's perfect. As long as you're ready to have me around for the long haul.”

“You're going to stay?” There was nothing to be done about the tears falling. Relief, exhaustion, pure unadulterated joy brought them to her eyes, and she let them fall.

Wiping away the tears with a gentle touch, he said, “I take it that's a yes then.”

“Yes. Of course.” She smiled through the tears and felt the vise around her chest loosen as she looked up into Cal's eyes. “I'd like to go on a real date now.”

“That's good, because I'm in love with you, Molly Ryan.”