Undercover Attraction (31 page)

Jacob's chest tightened in excitement.
Finally, Jenna would be able to see him, talk to him, realize she
was safe.

He walked around the bed and sat next to
her, careful to avoid nudging her. He took her hand, willing her to
know he was there, gently rubbing his thumb across her palm.

Her fingers twitched, just as they had been
doing for days.

They sat like that for a while, he and Amy
exchanging idle chit-chat, Alex snoring in the recliner.

Amy had stopped looking at him with fear in
her eyes, replaced instead with a sense of wary observation. She
had told them to quit asking her if she were okay, that she was
alive and therefore was fine. That hadn't been what any of them had
meant, but they had all quit asking.

Alex had told him that Amy had been waking
up at night screaming and crying. That the nightmares were the only
time she hinted that a brutal rape and vicious beating had ever
happened to her.

Even with Mackenzie there, sharing the same
bed as Amy, the night terrors still happened. Alex heard her scream
each night, wanted to go to her and assure her she was safe, but
not knowing is he should enter when the attack was so fresh in her
mind, knowing that she probably would freak out if a man walked in
on her just then.

Alex thought Mac was helping her, and a few
of her other friends had come over to distract her whenever their
schedules allowed it. Jacob knew Alex felt helpless, unable to help
Amy while she was hurting, much the same as he felt with Jenna.

He had probably been sitting outside Amy's
door each night, exhausting himself worrying, which was why he was
asleep at the moment.

A nurse walked in just then, checking all of
the monitors around Jenna's bed, writing the notes on a
clipboard.

She looked up and smiled at them when she
was finished. "I'm going to have to ask all of you to leave for a
few minutes. We are about to give her some medicine to help fight
off the sedative. You'll all be able to come in once we give it to
her."

He and Amy nodded as she left. They both
bent down to kiss her cheek, and Amy turned to Alex.

Jacob could tell she didn't want to touch
him to wake him. Her hands rubbed her arms, and instead of shaking
him, she kicked his foot.

Alex came awake with a snort, and sat
upright, looking around.

"Come on, we have to step out for a sec,"
Amy said, inclining her head to the door.

Alex stood and stretched, then followed them
out.

The nurse and doctor were waiting just
outside the door.

"This drug will only stave off the sedative
in her system for ten to fifteen minutes. She'll awaken quickly,
and fall back asleep quickly, this is normal. Do not overtax her.
Stress will just make the healing slower. She will probably be
disoriented and a bit confused when she wakes up, so just try to
calm her. It isn't unusual for victims to awaken scared, or even
screaming, so just be sure she understands that she is alright and
safe."

They all nodded in understanding, watching
the doctor and nurse disappear into Jenna's room. Seconds later
they emerged, motioning all of them back into the room. Alex shook
his head, and wandered off down the hall, knowing this was a time
better left to them.

Amy took her spot next to Jenna's bed again,
and Jacob stood back, not wanting to scare her when she awoke.

Seconds ticked into minutes, as Amy worried
her bottom lip.

Jenna suddenly sat up, a bloodcurdling
scream ripping from the depths of her soul.

Jacobs hands clenched into fists, wanting to
reach out to her, but containing himself enough to let Amy comfort
her.

Her scream died into great wracking sobs, as
Amy held her gently and just let her cry. Amy brushed her hair back
from her face, gently petting her head, crooning softly to Jenna to
calm her down.

Her tears stopped as suddenly as they
started, and she wiped her hand against her eyes, her fingers
shaking, looking at Amy in bewildering relief.

"You're okay." Jenna's voice was rather
hoarse, but Jacob had never heard a better sound.

Amy nodded. "So are you, honey. Jacob saved
us both."

Jenna gasped, her eyes widening. "Jacob,"
she whispered, her eyes seeking his at the foot of the bed.

He walked over to her, grabbing her hand,
enfolding it in both of his. "I'm here, baby."

"What happened? Is she…"

Jacob smiled a bit. "She won't hurt you
anymore. You're safe now, love."

Jenna sagged back against her bed. "It's
over?"

Jacob and Amy both nodded, and Jenna heaved
a huge sigh.

"Why am I so weak? I can barely move my
arms."

Amy answered. "You've been healing. The
doctors have to keep you sedated so your body won't hinder the
process. You were pretty bad off. It scared me."

J
enna's eyebrows furrowed. "How long have
I been in here?" She turned to Jacob.

"Nine days."

Her eyes widened. "I've been asleep that
long?"

Jacob nodded.

"No wonder I'm weak. And I feel like a
squirrel lives in my mouth."

Jacob quickly moved to get her a drink of
water.

Her voice was stronger when she next spoke.
"How bad were my injuries?"

Amy relayed all of the injuries, stopping as
Jenna raised her casted wrist to inspect it then moved her leg a
bit to test it.

She nodded in abject understanding when Amy
told her of the broken ribs and two bullet wounds.

"Those are the only places that are hurting
at the moment. My side and ribs feel as if I've been ran over by a
steam roller." She half smiled to herself. "What about the
disc?"

Jacob began to tell her about how they had
retrieved it, and that she had saved them all by falling that day,
but before he had finished, she had fallen back asleep, her hand
wrapped tightly in his.

He and Amy smiled at each other, knowing she
would be okay.

Over
the next few days, Jenna became increasingly better.

The doctors had let her awaken every three
hours for the first day, then every two for the second day, and
every hour for the third. Now, she was no longer hindered by the
sedative, and could stay awake as long as she liked.

Her appetite had also returned with
startling voracity, and she had sent Amy and Jacob out at different
times with various orders for things she was craving. Jacob had
smiled secretly to himself when she had expressly used that exact
word-
craving
.

He had convinced her doctor not to inform
her of her pregnancy, to let her find out herself later, once she
was released. The doctor had profusely refused, until Jacob
launched a good argument about how she would not be happy with the
news until she had healed enough to take care of herself, and it
would just stress her out for now, making her heal more slowly or
lose the baby.

Her doctor had finally yielded, consenting
to Jacob's request only because he wanted to see her heal
nicely.

A few more days, the doctor reassured him,
and he would release Jenna into Jacob's care.

Jenna's room had quickly filled with
flowers, many sent from Jacob, in a variety of colors, as he tried
to find out which she liked best. The station and his father had
also sent flowers, as well as her brother, Alex, the college she
worked at, and a few family and friends he had yet to meet.

Her brother had come to see her, eyeing
Jacob apprehensively when he wouldn't let go of her hand or move
from Jenna's side during the entire visit, no doubt wondering at
their relationship. Jacob remained tight lipped, refusing to tell
him anything.

She hadn't spoken the words he longed to
hear since she had awoken, but neither had he. He figured with all
the excitement and visitors, it could wait until she was safely
tucked back into his bed at home.

He carried the ring with him wherever he
went, finding himself staring at it as he slinked into deep
thought.

His heart swelled to bursting every time she
looked at him with those trusting bright green eyes, and he longed
to wrap himself around her, tuck her tightly in his arms, and hide
from the world.

She still awoke screaming, a panicky
expression on her face, as if she were still back at the warehouse.
He wanted to erase every bad memory she had, fill every unconscious
nightmare with good memories of himself. And he would, he promised
himself.

He had picked up Chuckles and brought him
home also, the poor bedraggled cat still growled at him, but he
felt that the little beast was slowly coming around. Although he
felt bad that the cat wandered around the house,
meowing
that loud, annoyingly deep-timbered cry, looking for Jenna, he also
thought it funny the way that he walked around, now that his front
leg was in an unbending cast. The poor thing
thunked
with
every step, and desperately tried to jump onto the couch, without
much luck.

He had taken a pity on the critter and
bought him a fluffy kitty bed, and even a new, taller water and
food bowl set, since the beast had trouble crouching to eat and
drink on the floor.

Jacob had Alex replace the furniture the
obstinate creature had torn asunder, and hoped another incident
wouldn't occur, although he figured he would come to miss the
antics of such a vengeful animal.

Jenna had been elated that Chuckles had
survived a gunshot. She seemed to think the cat had a kindred
spirit with herself, so Jacob couldn't harbor ill will any longer
towards Chuckles. Especially since he had tried to protect Jenna
while he himself had been unable to, a fact that still sent a shaft
of guilt throughout him.

He even found himself fond of the critter
now because of it, which was an odd thing indeed, since he had
always preferred dogs to cats. If only the pest reciprocated those
feelings.

He found himself playing the 'If' game with
Jenna. If he had been there to prevent her from being taken by his
partner… If he had never answered the phone… If she had never been
involved in such a dangerous situation…

Jenna had simply smiled and replied that "if
I had never been involved, we would never have met."

She had just as easily forgiven him for
being unable to protect her, just as his father had told him, and
Jacob loved her even more for it.

He looked at her now, sleeping soundly, her
hair spread on her pillow in a fan of shiny brown locks, her face
finally almost completely clear of bruises, and his heart swelled
again.

He thought about how surprised she would be
when he proposed. After all, they had only known each other a few
short weeks. He had figured out that of all the flowers he had
sent, she had gushed over the yellow roses the most, and he
intended to surround her with them for the rest of her life.

He would shower her with gifts of love,
bathe her in rose petals, rub a stemmed yellow rose over every inch
of her body. And he would love her.

A gentle knock at the door had him standing
to answer. The doctor stood there.

"I believe I am going to release Miss Howell
today. Her vitals and healing all look very good, and I believe
that she should do fine enough at home as well."

Jacob was elated. After endless days, she
would be going home.
Their home.

"I have the discharge papers being prepared
now, and a nurse will be in shortly to remove her IV."

Jacob thanked him, and went in to wake up
Jenna.

He placed a kiss to her lips, gently
nibbling on her bottom lip. He felt when her awareness started
awaking, her lips moved with his, her hands wrapped around his
neck, she became breathless.

And when he pulled away, she didn't scream.
He made a note to wake her each time just like that, to push the
nightmares at bay, to awaken her with heat and pleasure instead of
thoughts and reminiscent dreams of awful violence.

Her green eyes opened lazily, and she smiled
up at him.

"You get to go home," he said against her
cheek.

"Really?" She sat up, her blanket falling to
her lap. "Oh. But my home is torched." The light faded from her
eyes.

"I should have phrased that better. I mean,
you get to go home with me."

An eyebrow rose on her elegant forehead.
"You can't house me forever, Jacob. I will eventually have to find
somewhere else to live."

Now wasn't the time to argue with her, so he
let his refusal drop. "Until then, you stay with me."
Forever
he mended silently. "Amy's there already. Both of
you are staying in my house until a full recovery."

Her stubbornness had come back in spades,
and he knew she would fight him until she understood that her place
was with him, at his side. The baby would change her mind in time,
and he wasn't letting her out of his sight until long after
then.