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“Sunny—”
But he cut Eagle off. “I’ll be fine. It’s just a bump on the head. I can make a phone call.”
The other three men were silent, and Sunny blinked his eyes open, squinting against the light. All three faces showed signs of strain.
“I still think you should go to the hospital—”
“No. I’m not hurt that bad. I’ll go back, shower and sleep.”
“But you need someone to wake you up every two hours to make sure it’s not a severe concussion.”
Sunny scowled. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Sunny…”
Cash’s voice was soft, and Sunny closed his eyes. “I’ll get Laura to take me over to stay with Cap.”
He watched some of the tension go out of all three men and his chest squeezed. Even after years together as a team, it still amazed him that these men considered him one of them, that they cared about him enough to be stressed when he was hurt. After a childhood of being ignored, bordering on neglected, it still made him uncomfortable.
They all lapsed into silence then. Sunny let his eyes close, knowing the other three men were on high alert.
He must have dozed off, because the sound of the UTV roused him. Eagle and Cash helped him up. Sunny didn’t protest. His head didn’t just ache now, it throbbed, and his eyes were fuzzy. When he tried to take a step toward the vehicle as it stopped, he stumbled, and Nails was there to steady him.
“Laura, I want you to take Sunny into town to the emergency room,” he heard Eagle say, and this time he didn’t try to argue.
“Of course,” she said, and Sunny refused to look at her. It shouldn’t matter, but he didn’t want her to see him like this. Intellectually, he knew it didn’t make him weak that he was hurt, but years of conditioning from his father that only “sissies” complained was hard to shake even now. In a way, he should be glad because it was the lack of concern for his own pain and suffering that let him get through Ranger training. Without that, he wouldn’t have his found family.
Sunny’s stomach churned as Laura drove the side-by-side even though he could tell she was taking her time and going slow. When she kept glancing sideways at him, he put a hand on her arm.
“I’m ok. It’s a bump on the head that needs to be checked out, but I’m not going to die on you.”
She blushed. “I know.”
They were silent for several minutes before she spoke again. “Do you guys know who’s behind it?”
He sighed. “Probably the man who wants to kidnap Hilary. He’s the only one who really makes sense.”
“We have to warn her.”
Sunny studied her. “We do. I’ll call Cap when we get back to the Ranch. I was going to stay with them or have him take me to the hospital, but he needs to be able to focus on her.”
“I’ll take you. I don’t mind,” she said, and he almost didn’t hear her. Almost.
“I appreciate it, Laura.”
He closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat more, hoping that would stop the nauseous feeling.
It didn’t help, but opening his eyes again felt like too much work. He had to keep it together until they got back to cell phone service. Then maybe he could sleep. Just for a little while.
He lost track of time again, because he was surprised by the UTV easing to a stop.
“Laura, what’s going on?” He heard Sadie’s anxious voice.
“Somebody shot at us in the west valley. Barbosa threw Rafe. I need to get him to the hospital. Can you call Cap and let him know the guys think it’s the man after Hilary?”
Sadie let out a small whimper, but when she spoke, her voice was firm. “Not a problem. Here, let me get the keys for the farm truck. Harper has your car because she took Quinn back to your cabin to nap.”
“Oh, ok. That would be great.”
