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“Whenever I feel like there is nothing better than what you’ve done for our family, you keep raising the bar. I promise, I’ll find a way to repay you somehow.”
I frowned. “You don’t have to repay me for anything. She wouldn’t have been out there if it wasn’t for me.”
I felt James’s grip on my hand tighten and I jerked to face him. He was sitting up, watching silently but he spoke when I finally noticed him.
“If you hadn’t figured out who was behind the attacks, we never would have known that she needed extra protection. They weren’t just after you, they wanted her too. They would’ve probably tried to take her while she was out by herself with Jaime and we never would’ve known who took her or why.”
I fought back tears as I looked into his tired eyes. I felt so overwhelmed. They all looked at me like I did something important, like I didn’t put myself and Jo in danger by storming off. I still felt like an idiot though. When I started to tremble, James stood, leaning over me as he gently held me against him.
“Don’t blame yourself for this. This was my fault. I fucked up. I was cocky, I thought I handled it and didn’t bother to double-check.”
“That and you should’ve listened to Elizabeth when she told you she found something. What’s with you guys thinking we can’t participate just because we’re women? We married you, that should count for something,” Jo grumbled, crossing her arms. Liam didn’t argue with her, he just wrapped himself farther around her until he was basically bending them both in half. She tried to scowl but ended up bursting out laughing, wriggling to get free.
Everyone was starting to relax watching them. Gabi was the last one to wake up and she sat on the edge of the cot, smiling at her friend. James though, he looked contrite and his face was dark. When Jo had called him out, he stepped away from me. It looked like the guilt was eating at him and he kept his eyes on the floor.
ChapterTwenty-Nine
It tooka considerable amount of bribery for Liam to convince Jo to leave my room. Since the threat was still there, no one wanted to separate but I think he could see that James and I could use a minute to ourselves. He dragged Jo out, the rest of the group following. It was still pretty late so Dr. Sean offered them access to the on-call room so they could get some rest.
The tension sat heavy in the room once everyone left. It felt as awkward as the day we met. I didn’t know what to say to him. I was about to apologize when he beat me to the punch.
“I’m sorry.”
He still wouldn’t look at me and my heart ached. I shook my head, trying to push back the tears that threatened.
“It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know they were still around.”
He frowned, shaking his head. “No, not that. I mean, yes, I royally fucked up with that too but I was referring to you. Us. I was an asshole, I should’ve listened to you. I’m shit at relationships and you deserve better.”
My heart hammered in my chest. This was leading into relationship ending territory and it scared the crap out of me. James and I weren’t perfect but who was? Liam and Jo fight a lot, Mariana looked like she wanted to strangle Mateo earlier.
“...I understand if you don’t want to be with me any more. There’s a guest room at Liam’s place we can move you to so you won’t have to see me,” he mumbled.
My whole body hurt but I was afraid he was going to walk away so I threw off the blankets, yanking my legs over the edge of the bed. I got as far as my feet touching the floor before he was kneeling in front of me, shaking his head. I threw myself at him, wrapping my one good arm around his neck.
“Please don’t go…” I sobbed, clinging to him. He reacted instantly, cradling me in his arms, tucking my head against his shoulder.
“Okay, baby, I won’t go anywhere.”
We stayed like that, wrapped around each other, until Sean came into the room. He sighed heavily and I jerked my head up to see an exasperated look on his face.
“Why can’t I have one patient who doesn’t completely ignore the rules and stays in their bed?” He didn’t look angry but it made me nervous and I shrank against James all the same. Sean noticed, giving me a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. I should be used to it by now. I’m thinking about ordering some extra large beds for up here since none of you will stick to the recliner or a cot like the rest of society.”
James stood, gently placing me back on the bed. “I’m not getting into bed with her, she’s in enough pain. We just needed a minute.”
Sean actually looked surprised, a huge smile spreading across his face. “Finally! A loved one with a brain!”
James raised an eyebrow at him. “Should I tell Liam that you said he doesn’t have a brain?”
Sean rolled his eyes. “I’m not afraid of my brother, so that kind of thing doesn’t work with me. I’m just here to check on Elizabeth. Since you’re awake, I’d like to hear how you got hurt to make sure we didn’t miss anything.”
I was a little worried about telling him in front of James. He blamed himself enough and I didn’t want him to get upset again. But James only sat down next to me, holding my hand. He obviously wasn’t going anywhere.
Dr. Sean did an exam as I explained the kidnapping and how I escaped. He stayed pretty quiet, only asking a question here and there about how an injury felt in the moment versus now. They did X-rays and a CT while I was still unconscious so he felt pretty confident that none of my injuries were life threatening.
“You’re going to hurt for a while. A lot of bruising, pulled muscles, that kind of thing, those will all heal in a week or two. Your shoulder will take longer. It probably would’ve been easier if you hadn’t had to walk around with it, but there’s a lot of swelling and I want you to wear that sling at all times unless you’re taking a shower or bath. Other than that, I think I’d feel pretty comfortable discharging you tomorrow. You should be resting at home where you’re comfortable.”
Home. Meaning James’s home probably, at least until they dealt with the bad guys. I honestly wouldn’t consider it comfortable. It wasn’t a bad place but it didn’t feel like home. I miss my apartment.
