He stared at her. She stared at him. He expected her to look broken. She looked fierce. Brave. Strong.
“Row,” he managed to choke out.
Her breath hitched. They both were crying silent tears at seeing each other again. “I love you, baby. Go now, and let the doctors make you better. I’ll be waiting.”
She only nodded, a tear dripping from her jaw. He bent and placed a soft kiss on her lips, one of his tears dropping to her cheek.
She moved her mouth to his ear and whispered, “There was not one second of one moment that I didn’t hold your love close and take comfort from it. Don’t be a bear while I’m getting fixed and tell my sisters I want them to give me a shower.”
He could only nod in affirmation. If she wanted it, she would have it. He stepped back and let the EMTs take her away. He wrapped his arm around his mother’s shoulders when she came to stand next to him.
She squeezed his waist tightly, her small body shivering with strong emotion. “What can I do?”
He knew his mother, and she would feel better if she had a job, so he gave her one. “Find Diana. I want both women moved to an offsite care facility with round-the-clock nurses and room for the families until they’re well enough to go home. Surely,there are plastic surgery recovery facilities for the wealthy in a city this size. The doctors will insist they stay in the hospital. Insist otherwise.”
Mom straightened from leaning against her son, ran her hand down her navy silk blouse, and buttoned her white blazer. A woman on a mission. Hugh suppressed a smile.
“Girls,” Mom turned to Raven and River, who looked as deflated as twenty-day-old birthday balloons. “I need you both.” Hugh was pleased to see some life come back to his daughters-in-law. They straightened from leaning against each other and their husbands.
“River, my sweet girl, I need you to research the best, the very best recovery facilities with 24-hour nursing care. Rowan isn’t going to have one more night of being uncomfortable.” At River’s raised brow, Mom added, “Hugh suggested a posh plastic surgery facility.”
River’s eyes brightened instantly, pulling her phone from her purse. “On it.”
“There needs to be plenty of room for family. We’ll want rooms for Bre and Daniel.”
River barely nodded as she grabbed Patrick’s hand and walked them over to an outside bench. “As soon as Pat and I lock down the location, I’ll send the details in a group message.”
“While River works on that, Raven, you and I need to find Diana. She’ll help us convince the hospital of the necessary change of address.”
Raven quickly kissed Bran, dropping his hand, which she had previously been holding like a lifeline, and walked to Hugh’s mother. “This will be right up your best friend’s alley, Tilly. Let’s go.” She turned to look at Hugh before disappearing inside the hospital. “Send a car back to the plane, please. Riv and I packed up all of Rowan’s things from your mom’s. She’ll feel better forhaving the bag Mom made her. It has all her personal items and makeup.”
His mother wasn’t the only one who appreciated having a helpful task. “Consider it done.”
“Oh, and Hugh,” Raven got his attention again. Sharing a smile with River. The first smile he’d seen from them in days. “The brown leather tote has the stuff from Row’s nightstand.”
Hugh raised an eyebrow at her announcement. He would look, of course.
“Tina packed those boxes sitting on your bar,” the jewelry for Rowan, “and your five boxes of condoms,” his mother added helpfully.
Hugh’s arm froze in the act of calling Bobby, their pilot. Embarrassment burned up his neck and into his cheeks. He refused to acknowledge the comment.
Rowan was back. Everything else was white noise, there but easily ignored. He’d take sex jokes from Diana Gaines without batting an eye at this point.
Mom,Raven, and River came through…and Diana, damn it. She acted like it was all her idea. River found a rehabilitating facility that was fully staffed with medical personnel, which was why the hospital released her. It had long-term family lodging. Stanton was extremely thankful.
Tina and Bre, after the assistant/nanny handed Daniel back into his mother’s arms, took charge of designating rooms and making sure the luggage was distributed accordingly. Josephine O’Connor arrived a few hours before Rowan was released to the rehab facility.
Jo, Raven, River, and Rowan cried and laughed, hugged, and kissed, and generally made a spectacle. Without a beard, Hughdidn’t have a chance in hell of hiding how much joy the scene gave him.
Rowan had damaged her hand pretty severely trying to slide the cuff off. Hugh didn’t want to consider the desperation she must have felt to do something like that to herself. The wounds had been treated and dressed. The doctor liberally numbed her lower legs before cutting off the zip ties. Again, those wounds were cleaned and dressed. The nurses at the after-care facility were given care instructions and had schedules to change her dressings and administer pain medicine as needed.
It was now eight in the evening. He gave Rowan space to talk with everyone and to call Bébhinn. Her grandmother had been sick with worry. Now, she was closed in with Katy. Katy’s nurse had rolled her wheelchair into Rowan’s room forty-five minutes ago. Their legs were too tender to hold weight just yet, which crushed him to even think about. He and William were pacing outside the door.
“Becky,my nurse told me that with the antibiotic cream and leg massages, I’ll still be sore, but I should be able to walk by tomorrow without too much discomfort. The swelling is almost gone. What did they tell you?” Rowan asked.
“Almost the same. I’m still pretty swollen, but that’s probably due to my age. It was so good to hug and kiss my children, Row. I can’t even describe it. Ben held my hand like he used to when he was a little boy. Evelyn wouldn’t stop crying until I told her how I peed on one of my legs and feet,” she snorted in amusement.
“Then the three of us were laughing. I told them no more tears. The percentage of people getting kidnapped twice was extremely low.” In a change of subject, she asked, “How is Hugh holding up. He never struck me as a particularly patient man. I’m surprised he isn’t in here.”
