Guardian Angel (21 page)

The hospital emergency room staff thought nothing of a woman bleeding profusely in the shoulder from a gun
shot wound being wheeled in on a gurney or even a man wearing a blood-stained suit running in behind.

A doctor ran up, examined her, and barked out a num
ber. He spared a brief glance at Jared before he followed the gurney into an examination room. Five minutes later he walked out and over to Jared.

"Are you her husband?" the doctor asked him.

Jared shook his head. "Will she be all right?"

The doctor grimaced. "She needs immediate surgery. Is there a member of the family we can reach right away to sign a surgical consent form?"

"I have the power of attorney to sign any forms on Mrs. Page's behalf," he replied in a hoarse voice. "I want every
thing possible done for her. I'll pay whatever is needed in the way of specialized care."

For once someone wasn't impressed with Jared's impor
tance. "Mr. Templeton, not even your money can buy what she needs right now. See the nurse over there, and she'll give you the proper forms."

Jared was standing at the counter filling out the forms when Chris rushed in.

"How is she?" he asked his boss.

"They're not sure," he replied dully. "She's going into surgery now." He looked down at the paper and muttered a fierce expletive under his breath. "Remember the day Alex started work? She insisted I have power of attorney to sign any medical forms in case of a situation just like this." He laughed harshly. "I laughed and assured her it would never happen. Never happen." His voice broke. "Hell, I don't even know when her birthday is."

"July thirteenth," Chris supplied quietly. Then he add
ed, "You love her, don't you?"

Jared shut his eyes tightly, wishing the image of Alex falling to the ground and a stain of red spreading over the front of her light blue suit would disappear. He feared it would haunt him forever. "Love her?" he rasped. "She's my very breath. If anything happens to her, I'll—" He choked off.

"Alex is going to be fine," the younger man assured him. "Come on, let's get some coffee."

For the next few hours Jared remained in a tortured state of mind. Chris sat with him, offering silent comfort.

The nurses directed admiring eyes toward the hand
some man with the pain-etched features and glazed eyes which continually watched the electronic doors leading to the operating rooms.

When a man dressed in sweat-stained surgical greens walked out, Chris saw him first and tapped Jared's arm. Jared jumped to his feet.

"Mr. Templeton?" The gray-haired man flashed him a weary smile. "I'm Dr. Matthews."

"How is she?" Jared demanded in a low voice.

He looked Jared's tired figure up and down. "I under
stand she took the bullet meant for you. Judging from where it entered her shoulder, I'd say it would have hit you in the heart."

Jared flinched, not at the thought of being shot himself, but at the idea of the pain Alex had gone through for him.

"She's going to have a very close eye on her, for tonight at least." The doctor smiled reassuringly at Jared's look of pain. "Oh, not only because of her wound. I'm calling in an obstetrician. I feel confident that the baby isn't harmed, but I'd still like an expert's opinion. If all is well, there shouldn't be any reason why she won't have a nor
mal birth. I'm just taking some extra precautions until we know for sure the baby is all right."

Jared's face turned gray. "Baby?" His stiff lips could barely form the word.

Dr. Matthews nodded, his sharp eyes not missing his reaction. "Mrs. Page is about three months along. The fact that she's in such excellent health helped." He laid a hand on Jared's arm. "You're worn out, Mr. Templeton. Go see her, but I'll warn you she's so hazy from medication she won't know you."

"Go on," Chris urged gently. "I'll wait here."

A few moments later Jared quietly entered the Intensive Care Unit and a nurse led him to Alex's bedside. He inwardly groaned at her paper-white features and the monitors reading her vital signs and various tubes inserted in her body.

"Alex," he choked, touching her cool skin with shaky fingers. "Oh, love, why didn't you tell me?"

Ten minutes later the nurse ushered him out.

Chris watched a shadow of the true Jared approach him. He was shocked by the tears glistening on the other man's cheeks.

"Jared?" At that moment they were two men sharing a concern for a loved one.

"She's carrying my baby, Chris," he whispered, sud
denly looking much older than his forty years. "She never told me. I guess I must have been too wrapped up in myself to notice the symptoms—the upset stomach and tiredness." He drew a shuddering breath. "She's pregnant, yet she thought nothing of risking her life for me."

Chris thought for a moment. "I wouldn't call that in the line of duty. I'd call it love." He touched Jared's shoulder. "Come on, I'll call a cab. You need to rest."

"Cancel all my appointments until further notice," Jared ordered. "I'll be staying here until she's out of dan
ger. You also better contact her family."

"It's already been done. I didn't think they would want to hear about it on the eleven o'clock news. Alex's father is in Europe, but I left a message. Her mother is out of town also. Her one brother is going to try to get hold of her."

Jared came back to the hospital later that night and by using his undeniable charm was able to sit by Alex's bed
side. She slept deeply, under the influence of the medica
tion they gave her, unaware of her visitor.

Early the next morning, just after dawn, Alex finally stirred. Feeling a heavy cloud in her brain, she slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus them on the shadowy figure slumped in a nearby chair. She licked her dry lips trying to form words.

"Jared?" Her voice was barely audible, but he heard her.

The figure straightened up. "Alex!" He reached her bed. "Thank God!" Trembling fingers cupped her face.

She raised her arm and touched his cheek with curious fingertips. "You're crying," she said, her voice filled with awe.

Jared's face was haggard from his traumatic night but now creased in a warm smile filled with relief. "Happy tears, love," he assured her in a husky voice. "You've been having a nap. How do you feel?"

"Thirsty," Alex whispered, still in suspense over seeing Jared's eyes filled with tears. Why was he crying?

He reached back to pull the chair next to the bed and dropped into it. He leaned over and cupped her face be
tween his palms. "You scared the hell out of me, lady." His voice held a ragged edge. "I hate to tell you how many gray hairs you gave me from all of this."

She carefully raised her free hand and lightly touched the wings of gray at his temples. "You don't have to worry, they only make you look more distinguished." She smiled faintly, then asked, "Did I hit him?"

Jared drew a deep breath, wishing he could forget the events of the previous day. "You got him in the fleshy part of the thigh."

Alex wrinkled her nose. "I must be losing my touch. I had aimed higher," she said ruefully. "Was he part of that terrorist group that's been sending all those threats to you?"

He nodded. "I talked to Chris this morning right after he talked to the police. They're some outcasts from Rashid's country who don't want Americans buying their oil. They're all for keeping it back for as long as possible to drive the price up. They figured if they had gotten to me, the deal would have been called off and no one would be too eager to deal with Rashid for a while. They had planned to make their point all too clear with my death and a statement made to the press." He groaned seeing the look of fear on Alex's face at the thought of them killing him. "Oh, baby." There was so much he wanted to say, but where could he begin? He wanted to question her about their baby, about her reasons for shielding him with her body, risking her own life to save his. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, but where did he begin when all he wanted to do was touch her, to reassure himself that she was real? Jared's hands lightly stroked the damp hair from Alex's forehead and cheeks and brushed the moisture from her eyes. He presented her with that special smile of his and leaned down to brush his lips over hers in the softest of kisses that was more stirring than any of the passionate embraces they had shared in the past.

"So you're awake." A nurse in her early twenties with the name Sheri printed on her badge greeted Alex with a cheerful smile. She was all business while shaking out and slipping a thermometer between Alex's lips and checking her pulse and blood pressure. She turned to Jared and presented him with a stern demeanor. "I believe we al
lowed you to stay in here only with your promise that you would notify us when she awoke," she scolded the unre
pentant man.

"May I have some water?" Alex asked once the ther
mometer had been extracted and her vital signs recorded.

"Sure can." Sheri poured some water into a plastic glass and lifted her head to help her drink. She turned her head in Jared's direction. "You're being kicked out, Mr. Tem
pleton." There was no nonsense in her bright voice.

Alex's eyes shifted in Jared's direction. She couldn't remember ever seeing such hunger in a man's eyes. Her first real thought was to ask about the baby, but she didn't want to in front of Jared. There just might be a slight chance he didn't know.

"I'd like to stay a little longer." He spoke quietly, with
out a trace of his usual self-assurance.

The nurse shook her head. "We've been breaking enough rules for you as it is. Out."

Jared walked back to the bed, leaned over, and dropped a light kiss on Alex's lips. "I'll see you later," he mur
mured.

"During visiting hours," Sheri reminded him.

Alex managed a weak smile at the nurse. "That's some
thing new," she commented. "Mr. Templeton doesn't usu
ally take orders so meekly."

"Well, he has from us if he wanted to stay in here with you. I sure have to tell you that you're the lucky one," Sheri chattered. "I wouldn't mind a sexy hunk like him hanging over me all night."

"I've been out since yesterday?" All Alex could remem
ber was stepping in front of Jared and a shaft of fire hitting her body, then nothing. "My baby?"

Sheri smiled reassuringly. "Just fine. No problems there. We'll call Dr. Matthews to let him know you're awake, so he'll be in soon. Of course he's not as good- looking as Mr. Templeton, but he's a very nice man."

"Jared stayed here all night?" Alex found it hard to believe.

Sheri nodded. "We couldn't have gotten him out of here with a crane. Now, you just relax and I'll be back in a few minutes."

Alex lay back, lost in her thoughts. Jared stayed here all that time! The memory of the fierce hunger in his eyes just before he left haunted her until she fell asleep.

The next thing she remembered was a cool hand resting against her cheek. Funny, she never thought of Jared's hand being cool, it was always very warm on her skin or it seemed that way to her. She stirred, straining to find his heated body, but the movement only served to bring pain to her chest.

"Ooh!" she moaned.

"Careful or you'll ruin all my lovely needlework." That definitely wasn't Jared's voice.

Alex's eyes flew open. Now she remembered. She looked up at the gray-haired man smiling down on her.

"I'm Dr. Matthews, Mrs. Page." His quiet voice was soothing. "How are you feeling?"

"You tell me," she said feebly. "You're the doctor."

He chuckled. "Mr. Templeton told me the best way to know you're getting better is when you start making jokes. I think he's right."

"Dr. Matthews, are you—" She hesitated, afraid to voice her fears out loud. After all, there was no assurance that the nurse knew everything.

He patted her arm in a fatherly manner, instantly read
ing her thoughts. "My dear, your baby is just fine," he reassured her. "There's no reason why you won't have a normal delivery when the time comes."

Alex's eyes lowered to the tubes strapped to her arms. "When do I get rid of these?"

"If all goes well, tomorrow." His fingers pressed against her wrist while he checked her pulse. "An improvement over yesterday when you were first brought in, and much stronger than even a few hours ago. Now to get a look at my handiwork." He drew the sheet back and pulled her gown down to inspect the stitches. "Hmm, healing nice
ly."

The door opened and Jared stuck his head in. "Am I allowed to come in?" he asked.

Alex looked up and silently beseeched the doctor.

"Come in, Mr. Templeton." Dr. Matthews invited him in with a warm smile. "Mrs. Page is doing very well."

"I had no doubts." Jared entered the room carrying a large vase filled with yellow roses and feathery ferns.

"Oh, Jared!" Alex breathed, watching him place the vase on the bedside table. "They're beautiful."

"No more than you." Oblivious to their audience, he pressed a searing kiss on her lips.