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As Tiger shook Gerard’s hand, Remy moved past them to the door to the room. “Has Miss Taylor regained consciousness?”
“No,” Tiger said behind him. “The doctor was in a couple of times during the day. Her vital signs seem to be good. Her heart and lungs work like they should, but she hasn’t woken up.”
Remy shot a frown toward Tiger. “Was the doctor at all concerned? Do we need to get another opinion?”
Tiger shook his head. “He said she’d suffered a blow to the head. Though she doesn’t have a brain bleed, it’s still trauma to her brain. He seems to think it’ll only be a matter of time before she comes to.”
The room was shadowed, the only light coming from the hallway and the machines monitoring her heartbeat, blood pressure and pulse.
Remy’s gut clenched as he stood beside the bed, staring down at a woman who’d chosen the path of law enforcement. A strong individual who had little patience for bullshit and a lot of love for her family and community.
Shelby lay as still as death against the sheets, a plain white blanket draped over her still form, her arms resting on the blanket. An IV dripped liquid through a tube into her arm, wires draped over her shoulder, disappearing beneath the hospital gown, the electrodes at one end feeding data to the monitor at the other.
Remy reached for the hand not connected to an IV and gently curled his fingers around hers. “Hey, Squirt.” He half-hoped his voice would be the trigger to bring her out of the coma.
She didn’t answer, and her hand remained limp in his.
“A family friend stopped by last night to drop off a bag of Miss Taylor’s clothes and shoes. The uniform they took off her was soaked in swamp water.” He pointed to a closet. “I put the bag of clean clothes in that closet.”
“Thanks,” Remy said. He hoped Shelby would get to wear the clothes sooner rather than later.
“If you don’t need me, I’ll head out,” Tiger said. “You have my number. I’m only twenty minutes away.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Remy released Shelby’s hand and shook Tiger’s. “Thank you for getting here so quickly.”
“Anytime. Any friend of Hank’s is a friend of mine.” He nodded to Gerard. “Let me know if you need a place to stay while you’re in the city. I have a couple of spare bedrooms.”
“Thanks,” Remy said. “We’ll probably stay close to the hospital until Miss Taylor is released. Then we’ll head to Bayou Mambaloa, where she lives.”
Tiger shrugged. “The offer’s open if you change your mind.” The ex-Navy SEAL left, letting the door swing closed behind him.
Remy handed the keys to Gerard. “I saw a hotel close by. Why don’t you get a room for what’s left of the night? We can regroup here in the morning.”
“You’ll be staying here.” Gerard’s words were a statement, not a question.
Remy’s gaze returned to Shelby. “I will.”
“I can take over in the morning, or sooner, if you need me,” he said.
“Thanks. Oh, and Gerard,” he looked to the other man, “take my rifle and handgun into the hotel with you. I don’t know how safe it is to leave anything in a vehicle around here, day or night.”
“Will do,” he responded. “If you’re not in a hurry for me to show up in the morning, I’ll see if I can find the detective in charge of whatever investigation they might be conducting into the attack on Miss Taylor.”
“Please. Remember, Swede might be in Montana, but he’s good at finding out things through the internet. Use his expertise.”
Gerard grinned. “Nice to know he’s in our corner. I’m not as tech-savvy as he is.”
“You don’t have to be,” Remy said. “That’s why we have Swede. And if Swede isn’t available, Kyla Russell out of the Yellowstone office is his backup. I’ll forward both of their numbers for you to keep in your contacts list. You’ll become intimately familiar with their skills as a member of the Brotherhood Protectors.”
The big, former Marine Force Reconnaissance operator backed toward the door as if hospital rooms gave him the willies. “I’ll be heading out then.”
Remy had already turned back toward Shelby’s inert form.
The door swished open and closed, leaving him alone with the woman who’d been on his mind for the past month.
Before he forgot, he forwarded the phone numbers for Swede and Kyla, sending them to Gerard.
He lifted her hand again, shocked at how fragile it felt in his. The last time he’d been with her, she’d run her strong hands all over him, kneading his flesh as he’d explored every inch of her body.
