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Shawn fussed over Mercedes like an old grandma, making sure to fold a blanket for her to sit on, then encouraging her to eat a bag of trail mix and drink all of her water bottle. It was actually cute to see he could be that soft and concerned about someone else. Mercedes didn’t seem bothered by it, but she didn’t seem thrilled either. Their relationship was interesting, and Brylee wasn’t certain if it was romantic or overwhelming.
Finally, finally, the door opened and two tired-looking doctors walked in. They were still in their scrubs, pale despite their dark skin. They’d obviously given all their energy to saving Cash.
Please say they’d saved Cash.
The three of them stood to face the doctors. Mercedes eased over to her and took her hand. Brylee appreciated it.
“You’re here for the bullet-wound victim?” the woman asked, her accent very faint.
“Yes, Captain Cash Trapper,” Mercedes reaffirmed.
The man nodded. “He made it through surgery.”
There was a pause. Brylee’s heart hammered out of control. He was alive. At least she had that much. What wasn’t the man telling them?
“That’s it. That’s the best news you have for us?” Shawn demanded.
“Shawn,” Mercedes said softly.
“That is miraculous news,” the woman doctor said. “But even more miraculous, the bullet to his abdomen would’ve taken out his pancreas and made a huge mess of it, but part of the pancreas was already missing. The bullet didn’t hit anything life threatening.”
Brylee stiffened. She wouldn’t tell Shawn and Mercedes about his cancer.
“He appears very healthy, except for an elevated white blood cell count.”
Brylee bit at her lip again. Should she tell the doctors? Would it help his recovery? For some reason, she kept her mouth shut. If they knew his name, they could access his medical records, or could they not from another country?
“It’ll be touch and go for a while. We’ve given him a blood transfusion and we’ll keep him sedated for twenty-four hours, then gradually pull back the sedation and see how he does.”
“Can I see him?” Brylee asked.
The doctors exchanged a look.
“When they get him settled in a room, we’ll come get you.” The male doctor looked her over. “Are you going to be one of those who won’t leave his side?”
“Yes, sir,” she said.
He gave her a brief smile. “Okay. I’ll have them set up a hotel room for you. We have several small rooms with a bed and a bathroom down the hall from our ICU.”
“Thank you.” Brylee doubted she’d leave Cash’s side even to sleep. But who knew how long he’d be out?
They each nodded and left.
Brylee turned to Mercedes and Shawn. “Thank you both for being here for me.”
“He’s going to recover,” Mercedes said. “I can feel it.” She grinned then. “And you love him?”
“’Love is for children. I owe him a debt’.” Brylee quoted Natasha in the original Avengers, then immediately started crying.
Mercedes hugged her. “It’ll be okay.”
After a few seconds, she calmed. “Yes,” she admitted, not willing to share that Cash might push her away even if he did recover. “I love him with all my heart.”
“That’s beautiful.” Mercedes looked at Shawn, and he smiled at her. Any worries earlier about Mercedes and Cash’s connection disappeared in that moment.
“You stay with him,” Shawn said. “We’ll keep your money safe, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
Brylee startled. “Isn’t it still lying in the dirt on the island?”
