Page 44 of Herding Cat

“Right.” Luke’s tone was dry as dust. “Are you ready to go to the market?”

She bounded from the bed and nodded. “But first we need to take Garrett to the hospital.”

“I’m not going to the hospital.”

“A clinic then. Someone needs to check that hematoma.”

“Bruise.”

“Is it bad?” Tate asked.

Garrett shrugged. “The usual.”

Tate snorted. “Poor baby. You wanna go see the doctor and get a lollipop?”

“The hospital was not my idea.”

“I think he needs to be checked out,” Luke said, and that was that. With both Catherine and Luke insisting, Garrett allowed himself to be carted off to the hospital and x-rayed and poked and prodded by Chinese doctors who didn’t understand the meaning of the word “ow.”

It was torture, but it made Catherine happy and that was all that mattered.

She also insisted that they stop by Scott’s floor and see how he was doing. He was not as cheerful as he’d been the last time they’d seen him, mostly because the doctor had cut off his morphine, but he was doing well and would be cleared to go home in a couple days.

When they left the hospital, Luke suggested that Garrett go back to the hotel and sleep—because he’d taken the late shift the night before and because the doctor had advised as much—but he refused.

It was probably some mild form of insanity, thinking his presence could magically keep her safe, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that if he left her, something horrible would happen.

So he went along, even though Luke and Tate made it more than clear that he was a fifth wheel. He didn’t care.

Somehow, just being with her made the world brighter.

The day suddenly seemed clearer. The smells were more vibrant. There was excitement in the air.

Hell, it almost felt like he was on vacation, strolling along behind them as they made their way through the streets toward the Jade Market. He took the opportunity to study the city in a way he never could when he was on duty—reveling in the bustle of the crowd without worrying that one of them might sprint forward with a weapon; staring up at the amazing buildings towering overhead and teasing the clouds; drawing in the enticing scent of food cooked in huge woks by street-side vendors.

As they approached the market, Garrett was horrified to see a small familiar girl sitting there on the steps, wearing a charming blue dress speckled with lace, impatiently tapping her toes. When she spotted Cat, she leaped to her feet with a squeal and ran toward her.

“Mae!” Catherine cried. “What on earth are you doing here?”

She blinked the blink of the terminally innocent. “Waiting for you.”

“Oh good lord.” Catherine glanced at him. “She was waiting here for us. Here.”

“What took you so long? I’ve been waiting forever.”

“Surely not forever,” Luke said with an inappropriate smile. Honestly. That girl did not need any encouragement.

Mae rolled her eyes. “For. Ever.”

Cat kneeled at her side. “Mae, you shouldn’t be here.”

“I come here all the time. Why did it take you so long to get here?”

“We needed to go to the hospital, but that is hardly the point.”

The little girl’s eyes went wide. “The hospital?”

“My friend needed to see a doctor.” She nodded in his direction and he tried not to bristle at being defined as a friend. “Remember, he was injured.”