Page 19 of Frost and Venom

“It’s under control,” Rainier assured her. “We’re just being cautious. Please get the files for us to go over.”

“Sure. Why not?” Sarcasm was heavy as she stood. “We won’t worry about the threat to Wilder, even though he had enough stab wounds and gunshot wounds to make him a human sieve, but we’ll all get worked up over a couple of idiots cutting words out of magazines.”

Neither man said a word, and she flounced into the living room to retrieve the very large file. She’d forgotten how large it had become over the last year.

Chapter Five

“Did you bring my laptop?” Raine greeted from her hospital bed.

Harlow shook her head, studying her. Raine was extremely pale. Her leg was in traction, hung from a pulley system. She had the sheet bunched in her hands. Harlow ached for her. She looked so young and defenseless, oxygen close, an IV in her arm. She had all the signs of a recovering snakebite patient not to mention a major operation on her leg.

“I brought you a laptop, but it isn’t yours. They have that one locked up in a vault somewhere. I have a feeling it’s under guard by every agency you’ve ever worked for.”

Harlow tried to make a joke of it, hoping Raine would smile. She didn’t. Harlow had seen that look on patients before. Lost. Alone. Without real hope. She glanced behind her to the other women who had come with her to visit Raine. Zahra, Vienna, Stella and Shabina didn’t bother to hide their concern for their friend.

Raine waved a dismissive hand. “They like to tell me what to do. Hence, no laptop. It was actually a good thing at first because I was too sick to use it, and you know I’d be trying. I’m still terribly tired.”

“Major surgery combined with a snakebite,” Vienna, the other nurse, pointed out. “I would expect that you would be tired, Raine.”

“Would you expect me to be tired of trying to keep my leg?”

Harlow spun around and caught her hand. “That sounds as if you’ve been considering an alternative.” Her eyes met Vienna’s across the bed.

Raine was silent for a long time. Harlow noted how thin she was. She did look exhausted and oh so young. She’d been trying to come back from her shattered leg for well over a year, nearly two. She’d worked hard at it. She had no family, no one to take care of her. Zahra had Daisy, Raine’s beloved Jack Russell. She wouldn’t even be able to take care of her dog. And when she left the hospital, she would have to go to a facility until she was able to care for herself.

“The doctors argued about amputating my leg. I don’t think they knew I overheard them, but I wasn’t under completely. Rush was furious. He called the other doctor lazy. I’d never heard him sound so angry. He doesn’t get like that ever, at least not in all the time I’ve known him. He’s bossy, but I know it’s because he wants the surgery to be successful.”

“But you don’t believe it was?” Stella asked.

Raine shrugged. “I don’t know. They say it was, but that was what they told me last time. They didn’t tell me, when it’s all said and done, if I’ll be able to use my leg or if it will be too fragile.”

“Have you had a frank discussion with Rush?” Shabina asked. “He seems to always be on your side, and from what Rainier says, he’s considered brilliant in his field.”

Raine made a little face, her pale lips forming a frown, something very foreign to her natural looks. “I wanted to do research before I spoke with him. I don’t like going cold into any important discussion, and this one would be the most important decision of my life.”

“Are you really considering such a huge move?” Zahra asked, shock in her voice.

“Technology has advanced so much,” Raine said.

Harlow knew that wasn’t an answer. Raine was afraid she would have no choice and was trying to prepare herself by using logic. By not allowing herself to feel emotion, she was able to cope with the idea that her leg was never going to get better. She was an expert researcher, and no doubt she would find every pro and con there was to find with the latest technology available.

Still, Raine might not think she was feeling emotion, but Harlow knew that wasn’t the case. Raine had learned to cope with the traumas in her life by turning to her logical side and pushing her emotions down. That didn’t mean they weren’t there.

Harlow also knew she was nowhere near Raine’s brilliance. She counted herself as intelligent, maybe above average, but she still did the same thing Raine did—just not to the same extent. She tried to bury her emotions, but she was too creative. She had too much empathy. Too much compassion. She’d chosen nursing for a reason. She needed to help others. That was a large part of her personality. Sometimes she wondered if she was that way because neither one of her parents ever thought about anyone else but the senator.

“I think there’s no harm in you doing research, Raine,” Harlow said. “But you should also make certain you know exactly what is happening to your leg, how fragile it is, and what can be done to strengthen it, if anything. If you’re going to make such a momentous decision, you need to know everything about both sides of the issue.”

Raine nodded. “I agree. It’s just a little more difficult to look at the scans of my leg and read the reports than I thought it would be. I can’t seem to distance myself very well.”

It was a huge admission for Raine and clearly made her feel more vulnerable than ever.

“That’s very normal,” Harlow said as gently as she could. “No one would want to have to make a decision like that. You’re going to feel a roller coaster of emotions. My advice is to take your time. Talk to Rush. According to Rainier, he’s the best ortho surgeon he’s ever seen.”

“I know he’s good at what he does. I’ll definitely talk to him, but it has to be when I’m ready,” Raine explained.

She looked a little desperate to change the subject, and as usual it was Stella who came to the rescue. “It’s Harlow’s turn to host girls’ night,” Stella informed everyone. “Just a few more days. I’m so looking forward to it. It’s been go, go, go at the resorts. We’re remodeling several cabins on Sunrise. I always work with Sam whenever possible, and I swear I’m getting old. My bones creak and my joints hurt when I stand up straight. I don’t know how he does it, but I wouldn’t miss him working for the world. He looks yummy.”

All the others groaned, including Raine. It was the first genuine smile Raine gave them. “Don’t start, Stella,” Harlow cautioned, pleased that Stella had gotten a smile out of Raine. “We might lock you in Raine’s bathroom.”