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“You’re unbelievable. Even though you’re bashed up, your mind’s on one thing.”
“Not true. I sometimes think about food.” Ranger grimaced, and a deep line of pain marred his forehead. “Actually, I feel like hell. Like I’ve been squashed under a rock. My leg’s on fire, even with the pain relief.”
Eden stopped by the side of his bed. “You still look hot. You always do. And you’ll have a few more scars to thrill the women with when you’re out of here.”
He scowled at her. “That’s not happening for a while if I believe what that doctor told me.”
“You should believe her. And I saw your ship. Everyone’s lucky to be alive.”
“It had nothing to do with luck. You had the best watching your pretty little butt.”
“Yeah, I know that. I can tell you thanks a million times, and it’ll never be enough.”
“You can always show me how thankful you are.”
“Ranger, I’ll walk out of here and make sure you don’t get any Jell-O if you keep smut talking me.”
He chuckled and lifted his uninjured arm. “I’m just kidding with you.”
She touched his hand. “I’m glad you all made it.”
“We got out of that firefight by the skin of our teeth. The bastards just kept coming. They really wanted your cargo.” Ranger smirked. “And there was Gunner, bitching about a boring mission. How’s he doing? The doctor won’t tell me anything about him or Wilder.”
“I haven’t seen either of them. I’m sure they’ll be okay. You concentrate on recovering. You need all that magic Apexian juice to get you healing.” Eden glanced at his leg. It looked a weird shape, like part of it was missing. Her stomach turned over.
“Yeah, as you’ve probably figured out, it’s not as simple as that.” Ranger looked at the door, his expression tightening. “What did the doctor tell you about my injuries?”
“Not much. It looks like you broke some bones.”
“My arm will be fine.” He stared at his leg, anger sizzling in his gaze. “They think I could lose my leg from the knee down.”
“Crap! Ranger, I had no idea. How certain are they?”
“It’s a possibility, but they’re preparing me for the worst. It was shattered when the ship was hit. I can heal from most serious injuries with enough time, but some things are beyond saving.” He kept his attention on his injured leg.
There was nothing she could say that would help. “It won’t come to that. You’ll be up and dancing in no time.”
Ranger didn’t smile. “What if it does? Eden, this is all I’ve ever known. I entered the military when I was eighteen, a dumb, horny guy with an attitude who wanted to prove himself. I’ve been fighting ever since. What will happen if I can’t do that anymore? I’m not ready for the quiet life. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready for a lounge chair and for all this muscle to turn to fat.”
“You won’t get fat and lazy. You’ll still be able to fight if that’s what you want.”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “With a screwed up leg and a failed mission like this on my scorecard. Doubtful. If I get any work after this, it will be the worst kind. The grunt work. The kind the real warriors pass on to losers.”
“Not true. You’re great at what you do. We wouldn’t have asked for an assist from you if we didn’t think you could handle it. We got caught out. It happens to the best of us.”
“Not me.” Ranger was quiet for so long that Eden thought he’d fallen asleep. She turned to the door, when he sucked in a breath. “This is my wake up call. It’s time to get my shit together.”
She turned back and tilted her head. “You have it together. What are you talking about?”
A smile flickered across his face. “You know what I mean. We’re so similar. It’s why we’ve always gotten along. We live in the moment. We love the fun and don’t think about the consequences.”
“Is that such a bad thing?”
“It seems like it now.” Ranger sighed again. “What have I got to show for everything I’ve done so far?”
“A career you love.”
“Which is now screwed.”
