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She shook her head, patting the mattress next to her. He promptly rose and sat on the bed, facing her.
Her hands trembled as his lifeless body flashed in her mind. Her breath hitched, and she laced her fingers with his. “Bad dream. You were dead. He killed you, and it was all my fault. You were all bloody...”
Quinn pulled her close, stroking her head and running his fingers through her hair. “Shh. It was just a dream, sweetheart. I’m right here.”
As he held her tight, she tried to shut out the grisly images from her mind. The thought of losing this man terrified her.
A tremor racked her body, and she focused on the sound of his heartbeat, on his whispered reassurances. He kissed the top of her head, and she sank into his comforting embrace.
She couldn’t lose him...
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
It had taken a lot of maneuvering on Alex’s part to get the doctors to release her from the hospital. However, with a solemn promise to stay off her feet—and Doc Buchanan’s assurance that there were numerous people who’d be watching her like a hawk—they had relented, and she’d been released on Sunday morning.
With Quinn’s help, she settled into the passenger seat of his SUV. She was happy to be out of the hospital. It had been two nights of noisy machines and people constantly checking on her, poking and prodding. She was beyond exhausted. And sore.
She cradled her stomach. The baby was okay. Andthat’swhat mattered. She could deal with the exhaustion. She could deal with how every inch of her body hurt. But she wasn’t going to lie—the idea of a warm bath and uninterrupted sleep had her nearly weeping with gratitude. Even if both were still a thirty-minute ferry crossing away.
After a mostly silent ride, during which she’d drifted in and out of sleep, they arrived back at Hudson Island and disembarked the ferry.
Clearing her throat, she aimed for a light and casual tone. “Looks like our plans for a Saturday morning breakfast in bed were shot, huh?”
He glanced at her, a concerned expression on his face.
Apparently, her light and casual tone could use some work. “What do you have planned for the rest of the day?”
Keeping his eyes on the road, he reached over and held her hand. “I need to go over some stuff at the station with Joe.”
“So, you’re taking me back to my place...” She frowned as he maneuvered through Hudson’s quaint downtown and parked in front of Comfort Food.
“No. The doctors said you need to stay off your feet. I figured if you were at home by yourself, you’d do everything but that. Roxie said she’d watch you.”
“‘Watch’ me?” Her eyebrows hit her hairline. “What do you think I am? An incapable child?”
She was being unreasonable. She knew it. But she was so damn tired, she couldn’t make the attitude stop.
He exhaled loudly. “Of course not. And you know it. Now put your eyebrows down.”
“Don’t mock me, Quinn O’Conner.” She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him, nose in the air. She might have even huffed.
“Wow, you’ve got the regal-princess thing nailed.” She could hear the smirk in his voice, and she didn’t know whether to laugh or punch him. So, she remained silent and told herself to ease the hell up. “Look, Alex. I think you should still be in the hospital, but you were hell-bent on getting out of there. The truth is, I have to meet with Joe, and I don’t want to drive myself crazy worrying about whether or not you’re okay. I don’t want to leave you by yourself.”
She sighed. If she were being honest, even though a bath and bed sounded wonderful, she didn’t want to be alone, either. Especially at Joe’s house. So why was she throwing him attitude? No clue. She was an exhausted mess. Maybe a hormonal one, too.
“Besides,” he continued, “I know Roxie’s worried about you. When I called to let her know you were being released, she offered to have you come hang out at the café. She wants to keep an eye on you. She’s even got the cozy window table reserved for you.”
He gave her a brilliant grin, and her eyes narrowed. She’d seen him use that same grin on Roxie. The man was up to something.
“Look. Joe and I have told her otherwise, but she feels guilty about what happened. It will help if she sees you are okay.”
Just like that, her annoyance at Quinn’s high-handedness was shelved. “Why would she possibly feel guilty? There was nothing she could have done. I mean—”
“I know. We’ve told her that. But you know Rox. She feels guilty regardless. She just wants to help you out.”
“Of course,” she said, grabbing the door handle. “I’d—”
Turning back around, she saw him smother a grin. Well, that confirmed the niggling suspicion that she’d been played. But she couldn’t be annoyed. Not really.
