Operation: Endeavor (When The Mission Ends) (9 page)

He took a shaky breath and reached out to touch her cheek. She was so still and pale. When his fingertips grazed her cheek, her eyes flew open. Colton couldn’t miss the flash of fright before she realized it was him, and then her eyes filled with tears.

“Shh, it’s me. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you okay?” He spoke to her quietly and didn’t recognize the guttural sound of his own voice.

She gave a quick nod and then closed her eyes, the grimace of pain visible on her face. She swallowed hard and he perused the ugly bruise on her forehead. “Are you feeling nauseous?” After basically raising the twins, he could spot the signs of nausea and knew how to react quickly. He’d learned that lesson the hard way because invariably, Chris and Cassie always came down with the flu at the same time. They’d never managed the art of making it to the toilet on time.

She whispered, “Yes,” and Colton reached over to grab a bedpan.

“Here you go.” He laid it in her lap.

She murmured a quiet, “Thanks,” but didn’t open her eyes.

He watched her swallow convulsively several times before she seemed to gain control over the nausea. She finally opened her eyes again and gave him a weak smile. “I’m sorry I dragged you down here.”

He reached for her hand, the one that wasn’t wrapped and bruised, and rubbed it slowly. “Hey, no problem. What good is it to have a roommate if you can’t count on him to give you a ride home when someone decides to use you as a bowling ball?”

She started to say something more, but at that moment a nurse came bustling in to give her medicine. The nurse raised her eyebrows at Colton, but focused on Penelope. “How’s your pain now on a scale of one to ten?”

“Probably around an eight and a half, as long as I don’t move.” She gave a weak smile.

“Okay, that’s to be expected.” She prepped Penelope’s arm for the shot. “I’m going to give you an injection right now that will give you some immediate relief. The doctor will give you a prescription so you’ll have some more painkillers at home. You have a lot of bad bruising and the pain is going to get worse before it gets better.” She turned to Colton. “Are you going to be the one driving her home and taking care of her?”

“Yes.” He nodded and ignored the glimpse of tears and sudden tension coming from Penelope.

The nurse nodded. “Okay, good. The doctor will have some instructions for you too.”

After the nurse gave the injection and left the room, Penelope turned to him. “You don’t have to take care of me. I can go stay at my mom’s for a few days.” She grimaced, but he didn’t know if that was from her pain or the thought of going to her mother’s. He knew they didn’t have the best relationship.

“Obviously you can do whatever you want, but I don’t mind taking care of you. It’s one of the benefits of having an unemployed roommate. I can be at your beck and call for as long as you need it. That way you can stay in your own home where you’re already comfortable.”

“Thanks Colton. I appreciate it.” Her words were starting to slur a little bit so he assumed the pain meds were taking effect. “A sexy roommate at my beck and call. I like that idea. Does that mean I can make you my love slave?” She gave him a sloppy grin and he tried to ignore the surge of lust that shot through his system at her words. Those meds were fast-acting.

“Only if you can remember you said that when the drugs wear off.” He brushed a soft kiss across her cheek as she shut her eyes. She’d fallen asleep. He settled back into the chair beside her bed, but didn’t let go of her hand. He just sat there and watched her and thought about what happened. He still hadn’t heard the full story and didn’t even know the full extent of her injuries. But right now, he was fine just knowing she would recover.

Chris looked in to check on them, but settled with his e-reader out in the waiting area while they waited for the doctor. They sat there like that for another thirty minutes before the doctor came in. Penelope stayed asleep, as Colton received her home care instructions and heard the extent of her injuries.

Her left side took the brunt of her fall. She had a sprained wrist and also extensive bruising up and down that side which included three badly bruised ribs. The ribs and her wrist needed to stay wrapped for the next week just to help give support to them. She had fourteen stitches high on her forehead where they thought she’d hit one of the spindles of the banister somewhere in the fall. The doctor said she didn’t have a concussion showing on the scans, but instructed Colton to keep an eye out for the symptoms just in case. Overall she was extremely beat up, but incredibly lucky because it could have been so much worse.

They were free to go. He had all her paperwork, she just had to sign it, but first he had to get her awake. He gently nudged her shoulder, “Hey sleeping beauty, it’s time to take you home.”

“Colton?” She looked up at him in confusion, her eyes dulled by the drugs.

“Yeah, it’s me. Are you ready to go home?”

She nodded at him before swinging her head around. “Is Brian still around?”

“Detective Barnes? Did you remember something else from the attack?”

“No, I just wanted to borrow his handcuffs. You did promise to be my love slave.” She leered at him.

He grinned at her. All her words slurred together and he knew she would be mortified if she actually did remember this later. Personally, he hoped she did remember and would still want to pursue the idea.

The nurse who brought the wheelchair into the cubicle smirked at him and he felt a blush rise up his face. She’d obviously overheard Penelope’s statement.

He chuckled. “Sweetheart, right now let’s just get you home. We’ll figure the rest of it out later.”

While the nurse worked to get Penelope into the wheelchair, Colton rushed out to tell Chris what was happening. Then he went to pull the truck around to the door.

As he drove up, Colton frowned at Penelope. She sat in the wheelchair with her chin planted in her right hand. Her eyes were closed and she was extremely pale. Just that small amount of movement looked like it had sent her pain level back up if the grimace on her face was any indication.

He jumped out and went to help her climb into the high cab. As she stood up, he saw a flash of pain cross her face. He leaned in close to her ear. “Pen, I’m going to pick you up slow and easy so maybe this won’t hurt as much, okay?” She gave a quick nod. “Grab me around my neck so that I’m holding you on your right side.”

He reached under her legs and eased her into the cab of the truck until she was in the middle of the bench seat. He held her there for a moment inhaling the honeysuckle scent from her hair. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, thanks,” she murmured.

Chris slid in beside her while Colton went back around to the driver’s side.

“Thanks guys for hanging around and waiting for me.” Penelope spoke and held her body very stiffly like she was afraid to move a muscle for the pain it might cause.

Chris turned to her and surveyed the bruises spanning her left side. “Why don’t you lean over here and see if you can’t use me as a cushion and relax a little bit? “She looked at him warily for a moment before he said, “I promise I won’t bite.”

“Okay, it’s worth a try.”

“Darling, you’re hurting my feelings. Usually the girls are begging to cuddle with me.” Colton was surprised by the flirty tone in Chris’s voice. Chris had always been a flirt, but he hadn’t heard anything even close to teasing come out of Chris since they’d gotten him back. Maybe all they needed was to find a way to get the focus off himself and onto someone else. Although he’d be happier if that someone else wasn’t Penelope.

Both men watched her silently while she worked to get comfortable. Finally she seemed a little bit more at ease, so Colton put the truck into gear.

They weren’t five minutes down the road, before it was obvious that Penelope had drifted back to sleep. Her head quickly sunk onto Chris’s lap. Colton looked over at him. “Do you mind if we stop at the pharmacy before I take you home so I can pick up her pain medicine? I don’t want to have to leave her home alone later.”

Chris looked down at Penelope’s hair spread over his lap and grinned cockily at Colton. “It’s been a long time since I had a beautiful lady in my lap. You can take as much time as you want.”

Colton literally growled at Chris. It was as much of a surprise to him as it was to Chris that he was feeling this proprietary of her.

It wasn’t long before Chris looked at him knowingly. “So that’s the way it is with you two, huh?” He took another look at Penelope in front of him. “I never would have put the two of you together.”

Colton spoke through gritted teeth. “We’re not together, but you need to keep your hands to yourself. She’s hurt. I’m simply her roommate and taking care of her.”

“Uh huh,” Chris said in a tone which said he wasn’t buying this story one little bit. He cleared his throat as he looked over her multiple bruises. “Did you ever get the full story about what happened?”

Colton glanced down at her again and clenched his jaw. “No, but you can fucking bet I’m going to find out who did this to her and they will never be able to touch her again. No one is allowed to hurt her like this.”

Chris’s eyes widened at the menace in Colton’s voice.

They pulled into the parking spot. “I’ll be right back.”

“We’re not going anywhere.” Chris just grinned at him like the cat that swallowed the canary.

Colton ground his teeth, but shut the truck door gently behind him. He needed to get this done so he could get Penelope home and in her comfortable bed. He didn’t like her sprawled all over Chris. Wasn’t that an eye-opener? But he didn’t have time to dwell on it right now.

Penelope still hadn’t stirred when Colton drove up to the front of Cassie’s house. She was still sprawled all over Chris’s lap. Chris gently nudged her to get her moving. Penelope didn’t truly wake up, just looked at him with disoriented eyes. He unclipped her seat belt and turned her so she was facing the back of the seat and could resume the same position on Colton’s lap without hurting her injured side.

She settled right back into Colton’s lap and slipped back into sleep again.

Colton looked up at him as Chris said, “You can thank me later. Just don’t get in a wreck going back to your place since she’s not seat-belted any longer.”

Colton gave a short nod. “Thanks. I’ll call tonight. I know Cassie will be worried about her so I’ll call her once I get the full story from Penelope.”

Penelope never stirred after they dropped Chris off. Colton debated driving around simply to let her sleep, but knew she’d be more comfortable at home in her own bed. Nevertheless, when they pulled into the parking spot, he sat there for a while watching her sleep. Her soft skin was so pale against the bruises on her forehead. Reality pounded at him. She could have died today. He gently settled his hand into the silky strands of her hair and took a deep breath. She was okay.

He spoke softly. “Penelope, we’re home.” He brushed the hair gently off the side of her face.

She opened her eyes slowly and looked up at him from his lap. Her green eyes were a bit clearer than they’d been when they left the hospital, but her freckles stood in stark contrast to her pale skin. She started to sit up, so Colton reached down to help her.

“Thanks.” Her voice was husky with sleep.

“Hang on. Let me get around to the passenger door and I’ll help you get out, okay?”

“Kay.”

When he got around to the other side, he crawled into the truck with her and set up to lift her back into his arms.

She pressed her hand to his chest. “I’m sorry I’ve been so much trouble today. I think I can walk now.”

He cupped her chin so she would meet his eyes. “Pen, you aren’t any trouble at all. I’m just glad I’m here so I can help. Let me get you out of the truck and then we’ll see how you feel about walking.” He gently picked her up and felt her sharp intake of breath when he grazed her bruised left side. He lowered his head to her hair and inhaled her honeysuckle scent as he cradled her against him. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just going to be sore for a few days, but I won’t break. Why don’t we try that standing and walking thing now?”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind carrying you.”

“I’m sure. As much as I like this whole sweeping me off my feet thing, I think I can handle it on my own this time.”

“Okay.” Colton gently lowered her down, but kept a hand around her in case she needed the extra support.

It was slow moving, but they made it to the apartment and Penelope did it with just a bare amount of support from Colton.

As they shuffled into the living room, he looked at her to gauge how she was doing. Surprisingly, she didn’t seem as pale as she was before. “Do you want to go lay down in your bedroom or would you prefer the couch?”

“I think the couch would be good for now.”

“Okay.” He helped lower her until she sat on the couch. “Wait right here. I’ll be right back.”

He took off down the hall to her room where he grabbed her big fluffy bed pillow, the book off her nightstand, and throw blanket to help her get comfortable on the couch.

As he tucked her into the couch, she looked up at him and smiled. “You’re just a great big old marshmallow under that sexy, stern male exterior aren’t you?”