Unfinished Business (28 page)

The doctor had sympathy in his eyes when he said, “In about a half hour. A nurse will come and get you.”

The doctor then turned and walked back through the double doors.

Only one person at a time was allowed in ICU to see Alex. Christy knew her family hadn’t wanted her to see him alone, but the nurse had regretfully explained that hospital rules were hospital rules.

Christy braced herself as she walked into the small private room and saw him. He was lying in a bed hooked up to all sorts of machines. She fought back the cry that began building deep in her throat, knowing that she had to stay strong for Alex.

She walked slowly over to the bed and took the chair beside it. He looked bruised, barely recognizable, with so many tubes connected everywhere. But she thought the most blessed sound in the room was that of his breathing, and she thanked God for that.

She couldn’t stop the tears she felt burning her eyes. It was OK to cry for the man she loved, she inwardly convinced herself. And she knew she had to get through to him and hoped that he heard everything she said.

“Don’t give up, Alex. Fight this for us. Do you remember what I told you two days ago? I couldn’t take it if anything were to happen to you, and I’m not taking this very well. I need you, Alex. I need you here to love me, be my partner in all things. I refuse to let you leave me. I refuse to go it alone. You are mine and I will fight for you. I will fight for you to live.”

Tears she couldn’t control any longer ran down her cheeks and the next ten minutes she spent telling him how much she loved him, how much he meant to her, and all about the unfinished business left for them to complete.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned and looked up. It was Trask. He pulled her up from the chair and placed his arms around her. Moments later she pulled back and wiped her eyes. “How did you manage to break hospital rules without being thrown out of here?”

He shrugged and smiled faintly. “One of the nurses remembered me from my football days and agreed to look the other way if I gave her an autograph for her husband.”

He looked down at the brother he loved and inhaled deeply. “We have to remember that the hospital rules are for Alex’s benefit. The more rest he gets, the quicker he’ll pull out of this and start playing detective again.”

Christy nodded and glanced back at the bed. Alex was lying there as if lifeless, but deep in her heart she believed he would pull out of it and play detective again.

She had to believe that.

 
Christy had remained by Alex’s side day and night for the past seventy-eight hours. She used the bathroom connected to his hospital room for those times when she needed to take a shower and change clothes, and she ate her meals in the chair beside his bed. And during those short moments when she was away she made sure someone was there with him.

She had kept up steady conversation with him, refusing to let him slip any further away from her, and she would watch closely for any sign that he was regaining consciousness. He was still hooked up to more monitors, machines, and tubes than she could count, but she knew their use was a necessary part of his recovery.

She stood to stretch her muscles. Alex’s mother had arrived a few days ago and had taken one look at her son and broken down. It had taken all of Christy’s strength not to break down right along with her.

Christy’s brothers had flown back to Texas to handle important business matters regarding the Madaris Building but were to return tomorrow. Trask, Trevor, and Uncle Jake were still there as well as her parents and Alex’s mother. The other women had returned to Houston to take care of the children, but Christy talked to them each day when they called to check on Alex’s progress.

A couple of days ago Uncle Jake informed her that he’d heard from Rasheed. The FBI sting operation had been successful, and those influential men who’d been members of the Kantar Cartel, including Senator John Harris and Congressman Blair were now in custody. Although Christy had been too busy to read the newspapers, the arrests had made national headlines.

Christy was glad closure would come to those parents whose daughters had gone missing. The teens on the ship that had docked in Vanuatu had been returned safely to the States. Christy intended to write the article for the
Cincinnati Enquirer
and reveal the truth behind Mark Tyler’s heroic death. She had shared the news of the arrests with Alex, and although he hadn’t given any sign that he’d heard anything she said, she wanted to believe that he had, including news that Bonita’s body was being returned to Morganna Patterson for a decent burial.

Christy walked over to the window and looked out. Honolulu was a beautiful island, and she intended for her and Alex to return one day. She thought it would be the perfect place to celebrate their first wedding anniversary.

“Christy.”

She froze upon hearing her name and then quickly turned around. Alex was still lying there lifeless with his eyes closed, but she refused to believe she hadn’t heard him speak. Her heart began thumping a million beats a minute as she swiftly walked over to the bed. Reaching out, she took his hand in hers and stared at him.

A minute had passed, possibly two, when suddenly she watched as his lids fluttered slightly just moments before he slowly lifted them to reveal dark, glazed eyes. It was as if he had awakened from an overnight slumber instead of three days of unconsciousness.

The only sound she heard in the room besides the clicking of the monitors was the rapid beating of her heart as their eyes held. And then she watched his lips move slowly. “I love you,” he said in a deep, grating whisper.

She squeezed the hand she held with as much love as she could exchange in her touch. “And I love you, too, Alexander the Great,” she whispered back as tears began flooding her eyes.

Emotions she’d held at bay made her entire body tremble as tears began flowing down her cheeks. “I love you so much. Thanks for coming back to me.”

Their eyes held for a long, meaningful moment, and then, as if with a contented sigh, he closed his eyes again. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Christy quickly pushed the button for the nurse. In the time it took Christy to blink, a nurse arrived. With tears still in her eyes Christy turned to the woman, smiled, and said, “Please get the doctor. My husband is back.”

For what seemed like an entire day Alex had felt himself wander in and out of the deep throes of sleep. But whenever he opened his eyes, Christy was there smiling at him, talking to him, giving him water when he was thirsty, encouraging him to get better while she lovingly bathed him, and most of all telling him over and over how much she loved him.

He remembered hearing her voice when he had been in the clutches of pain while in some dark place that had tried pulling him into its existence. But in the deep trenches of his unconsciousness he had heard Christy calling his name, pleading with him to come back to her and not stay in that dark place. But most important, he had remembered her words of love. Knowing she loved him had given him a reason to fight to return to the world of the living. Her words had been the catalyst behind his determination to open his eyes. He had wanted to see her again, to be with her, to always love her.

He slowly forced his eyes open again, and just as he had known she would be, Christy was there. She was sitting in the chair next to his bed asleep, but as if she needed the contact, she held his hand in hers. And she was leaning over the bed with her head and shoulders on the mattress as she slept so she would immediately know if he stirred.

Although he felt a sharp pain, he moved his injured leg just to make sure he still had both legs, and when he did so Christy felt the movement and came awake immediately, lifting her head to stare at him.

Alex knew that with the bad shape he was in the last thing he needed to think about was holding his wife in his arms, kissing her, loving her, touching her all over. But he did. Some things just couldn’t be quenched no matter what shape you were in, and his desire for Christy was one of them.

“Come here,” he whispered throatily as he felt the slow pounding of his heart as well as the hard throbbing of another part of him.

Evidently clueless to what he was thinking, Christy got out of the chair and moved closer and cupped his face in her hands. “You’re awake again.”

Mindful of the IV tube, he lifted his hand and let his fingers glide through her hair and said, “You’re worth waking up to.”

And then with as much strength as he could muster, he pulled her closer and captured her mouth—and not lightly, either. He hadn’t eaten since heaven knows when, but at the moment he was perfectly contented to feast on this, the taste of his wife. She didn’t resist and was returning the kiss with equal ardor, making him appreciate every second he had fought death to remain alive.

“Hmph.”

He heard the sound of someone clearing his throat and was certain Christy heard it as well, but it soon became apparent the both of them had chosen to ignore it, hoping whoever it was would get the picture and go away.

Alex heard someone clear his throat a second time and decided the person wasn’t getting the picture after all. That was too unfortunate, since Alex had no intention of releasing his wife’s mouth until he got good and ready, and if whoever was in the room wanted to watch, then so be it.

“And I thought you and Syneda were bad,” he heard a very deep male voice say.

Recognition of that voice made Alex excruciatingly aware of just who his visitors were—Christy’s brothers. Thinking that being flat on his back was not the best time to test Justin’s, Dex’s, and Clayton’s tolerance level, he reluctantly ended the kiss. “We got company,” he whispered against Christy’s moist lips.

Christy frowned and turned to look at her brothers. “When did the three of you get back?”

Justin Madaris quirked his lips wryly. “A few hours ago. We came straight here from the airfield. We need to talk to Alex.”

Christy had an idea what they wanted to say and wasn’t having it. “No, I don’t like this,” she said, taking a few steps away from the bed to confront her brothers. “Alex needs his rest.”

Dex Madaris raised his eyes to the ceiling. “What Justin should have said, Christy, is that we are
going
to talk to Alex, whether you like it or not.”

Christy raised her brow a little higher. “Alex and I are married and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Christy, it’s OK,” Alex said from behind her. It was an effort, but he managed to pull himself up straighter in the bed. “It’s time your brothers and I talked.”

Turning to him, she shook her head furiously. “No, Alex. They don’t like the fact that we’re married and I won’t let them hurt you.” Her voice was choked and she forced back her tears of anger.

“They aren’t going to hurt me, sweetheart,” Alex said to reassure her, although he really wasn’t certain what her brothers’ intent was. But he couldn’t stand the thought of her crying and getting upset on his behalf. “Come here a moment.”

He watched as she turned and glared at her brothers once more before walking over to the bed. Her cheeks were wet and it touched him that those tears were for him. “Come closer,” he whispered.

When she did, he slipped a hand beneath the thickness of her hair to gently grasp her neck to pull her mouth down to his, deciding that if her brothers had a problem with him kissing his own wife, that was too bad. He figured he was doing them a favor by trying to kiss away her anger . . . and succeeding.

He knew the exact moment she released her fury and claimed his passion, and when she did, it was with such mind-whirling vitality and vigor that he felt a deep stirring emotion. He couldn’t wait until he was well again so he could do more than just kiss her.

“It seems Alex isn’t in as bad a shape as we thought,” Clayton Madaris said in an irritated tone of voice that was loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room.

Reluctantly Alex released Christy’s mouth and gently touched her cheek. “Let them have their say,” he whispered softly. “Then I’ll have mine.”

She raised a worried brow. “But . . . but—”

“Christy, I’ll be fine. Now leave us alone for a moment.”

She looked into his eyes, and after inhaling deeply she pulled herself out of his arms. With one hesitant glance she turned away from him to face her brothers. “Touch him, hurt him, and I’ll never speak to the three of you again.” And then with her lips compressed and her eyes glaring, she walked out of the hospital room.

As soon as the door closed behind Christy, Alex’s attention was drawn to the three men whom he had always considered friends. But from their unreadable expressions he had no idea what they were thinking or feeling; however, he was more than certain they weren’t overjoyed with the recent turn of events involving his marriage to their sister.

They would just have to get over it
.

He watched as they slowly spread out. Justin moved to stand at the foot of the bed, and Clayton and Dex flanked the sides, cornering him. Alex lifted a dark brow. Did they actually think he would try anything in his condition? Damn, these were men who had shared Trask’s role as big brothers to him. Men he loved and respected and men who over the years had always had his back like he’d had theirs. Now it seems they had his back against a solid wall.

“Is there a particular reason why you didn’t tell us you were involved with Christy, Alex?” Justin asked with the fine skill of an experienced diplomat.

Alex met Justin’s gaze. “Had I told you would I have gotten your blessings?”

Justin shrugged. “Probably not at first, but I’m sure that eventually we would have come around.”

Dex snorted. “Speak for yourself, Justin.”

Alex wasn’t surprised by Dex’s comment. He glanced over at Clayton and watched as a wry smile touched his lips. “I’m a nicer guy than Dex. Like Justin, in time I would have accepted it. So why didn’t you tell us?”

Alex moved a steady gaze from one man to the other, then said, “My relationship with Christy was already taking a beating. That in itself was bad enough. The last thing I needed was to take a beating from the three of you as well. Christy and I had issues to work out and the last thing we needed was anyone interfering until it was done.”

“Yeah, Dad said she didn’t make things easy for you,” Dex said with a smirk on his face like he actually enjoyed the thought of that.

“No, she didn’t. In fact, she went out of her way to make things rather difficult.”

“Yet you didn’t give up on her,” Justin said, shaking his head. He knew how strong-willed and stubborn Christy could be.

Alex momentarily looked away, remembering just how intent he’d been on winning back Christy’s love. He met Justin’s gaze once again. “No, I wasn’t going to give up.”

“You love her that much?” Clayton said, raising a brow. He had loved Syneda, too, but he couldn’t forget how during the course of pursuing her his pride had taken a beating and how he had made up his mind that you couldn’t make someone love you. Unlike Alex, he had gotten tired of trying and had walked away. But thank God he and Syneda had found their way back to each other with his mother’s help.

Alex shook his head. “No, I don’t love her that much. I discovered that I loved her a hell of a lot more.”

For the longest moment no one said anything, and then Dex spoke. “There will be days when you will wonder what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

Alex chuckled, thinking about all the things he’d been through already, and said, “And I’m prepared for those days. But when you love someone you take the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

“And you’re more than willing to do that?” Clayton asked, meeting his gaze.

Alex nodded. “Yes. I can’t imagine my life without her in it.”

Justin nodded. “She’s grown up a lot over the past few days, the way she’s been taking care of you and all, making important decisions and handling business matters. And on top of that, she had to endure an intense inquisition by both the FAA and a representative from the Justice Department on what happened in the waters off Kiribati as well as Senator Harris’s and Congressman Blair’s involvement in that cartel. We’re proud of her.”