Beyond the Shadows (3 page)

Questions crowded her mind. He didn’t seem the type to get a tattoo and such a mystical one at that. When did he get it? What did it signify? Did it hurt? So much about this man remained an enigma, reminding her she’d barely scratched the surface in the few months they’d been partners. If—
when
she corrected herself—he woke, she swore she wouldn’t feel so afraid to ask him questions. The fact he carried such beautiful art on his body proved he had a sensitive side, hinting at a hidden facet to his personality. Why did he guard it so fiercely?

Water trickled from the cloth and ran over the ridge of his back and down the other side. The image of her lapping that drop off his body with her tongue came out of nowhere, and she quickly averted her gaze, turning her attention back to the nurse.

Caitlyn lifted her head and smiled at her. “Mr. O’Leary is lucky to have someone like you at his side. I wish more of our patients had people so devoted to their loved ones.”

Kelly’s heart leaped. “Loved ones?” The nurse gave her a knowing smile, and she blushed furiously. She rushed to correct her. “Oh, no. Nate and I are colleagues—nothing more. He doesn’t even like me much, but I couldn’t bear to let him go through this alone.”

Caitlyn raised a fine brow. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about people in this job, it’s that they’re very good at putting up a front when they want to hide what they perceive as weakness.”

Kelly frowned and shook her head. “Nate’s a straight-up guy. He’s not afraid to say it like it is.”

“Hmm, well if you’re sure about that.” She changed the subject, leaving Kelly with the distinct impression she didn’t believe her for a second. “I’ll just do his front then get you to lift his other side in a moment.”

“Sure,” Kelly agreed automatically, and gently lowered him back to the mattress. Skirting the bed, she moved to the other side, her eyes following the cloth as it traveled over the hard planes of his body. Noting the angry red hole had started to heal, she nevertheless winced as the cloth ran around the tender skin. She closed her eyes at the sudden memory of that gaping wound—the sound and smells associated with it—his blood coating her hands, and shuddered.

When she opened them again, she thought she saw his eyelids flicker. She forgot to breathe and stood motionless, willing the movement again. But there was nothing. She sighed, and shook her head. It wasn’t the first time in the past six days that she imagined a flicker of life, wanting to believe it so badly, her mind played tricks on her. The nurse repeated her attention to the other side of his back while Kelly determinedly kept her gaze on a laminated fire exit instructions taped to the opposite wall. If only there were such clear instructions on how to escape the burning pain of unrequited love.

All too soon, the nurse placed everything back onto the trolley, retied the hospital gown, and wheeled out of the room with a cheery goodbye, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Kelly dropped back into the seat. It was starting to feel more familiar than her own couch. She’d obviously been here too long—the foam cushion was perfectly indented with the shape of her bottom.

“It’s time you woke up, Nate,” she murmured in his ear. “I know you’re enjoying all this attention, but we’re all waiting for you.” His pulse beat strong and sure in the side of his throat. An urge came over her to kiss him in that vulnerable spot. But she resisted the temptation by pressing her lips together so hard she felt the imprint of her teeth.

She shook her head, reached down into her bag, and pulled out the novel she had tried to distract herself with over the last few days. Within moments, she found her place. The skill of the author immersed her in another world and someone else’s problems. It was a nice place to be.

“Kelly,” Nate groaned in a long exhale, his voice husky from disuse.

For a heartbeat, she thought she’d imagined the sound then her gaze shot to his face. Her book dropped to the floor as she lurched up and leaned over him. Hazy green eyes connected with hers as she framed his jaw with her hands and searched his face.

“Nate? Oh, thank God,” she whispered fervently. Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes as the emotion of the last few days hit her hard and spilled over. She swiped impatiently at her cheek, her mouth widening in a grin. She must look like a loon, grinning and crying at once, but she didn’t care. He was awake!

His gaze sharpened and his eyes glittered with a strange light. “What the hell happened—and why are you crying like a girl?”

“I
am
a girl in case you hadn’t noticed,” she retorted before she realized she’d fallen for the same old bait. His near-death experience hadn’t changed him one iota.

Anger warred with the confused emotions she always felt about him. Admiration, frustration, and good old-fashioned lust. They jumbled up into a heap and lodged in the base of her throat. Unfortunately, no amount of throat clearing would rid them from her system. She bit her lip to hold further tears at bay then risked a glance at him. Her eyes skittered away under his intense stare and she flushed. God—please don’t let him guess what had just been running through her mind. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest.

She glanced back as her mind snagged on a detail. He’d pulled the sheet up to above his waist and a fine sheen of sweat now beaded his brow and top lip from the effort. Kelly frowned down at him and reached for the buzzer to summon a nurse. “You’ve been out for a long time, Nate. You need to take it easy for the next little while.”

“How long?” he croaked.

She fiddled with the sheet, smoothing it repeatedly with the flat of her palm. Her throat unclogged and filled with tears. “Six days today,” she choked out. She turned her head away, pretending interest in the noise of passersby in the hallway. Nate’s large hand curled around her wrist, and she almost jumped out of her skin. The warmth of the contact nearly undid her.

“Hey. Look at me.” He tugged until she reluctantly met his gaze. “Why are you so upset? I’m alive.”

Kelly squeezed her eyes shut against the memory of him jerking at the impact of the bullet. “I can’t shake the terror of that moment, Nate,” she admitted in a whisper. “I relive the sound of the bullet and your head hitting the ground in my dreams every night.” She opened her eyes and drilled him with a fierce stare. “And I couldn’t do a
damn thing
about it. I felt so helpless. I’m a police officer, and I just stood there and screamed while my partner went down. I thought I’d lost you.”

In the charged silence that followed, she became aware Nate’s thumb stroked the sensitive skin of her wrist in time to the beat of her heart. Heat flowed through her veins, and her pulse jumped under his grip. He grinned weakly at her, and she jerked her arm away, embarrassed. Great. Another thing for him to mock her about. Nothing got past him.

She dragged in a deep breath, deciding to change the subject. Since seeing his tattoo, she hadn’t been able to get it out of her mind. She remembered the vow she’d recently made to herself and thrust her chin towards his torso. “So when did you get your tattoo and what’s the significance of the dragon?”

The grin slid off his face, and he pulled the sheet further up his body. “It’s personal,” he answered shortly. He closed his eyes and exhaled, breathing shallowly through his nostrils.

Curious, Kelly opened her mouth to ask more but noted his closed expression. Pain sliced through her as she realized he didn’t want to share with her. Had she really expected anything to change just because he almost died? Just then, the nurse bustled into the room and saved her from making more of an idiot of herself.

“Did you want me?” Caitlyn asked before noticing Nate. “Oh! Mr. O’Leary. You’re awake! How wonderful. I’ll get the doctor.” She turned to Kelly at the door and gave her a meaningful look. “You’ll be able to get some sleep in your own bed now, love. He came back to you.”

Kelly cringed and bit her lip.

“Have you been here the whole time?” Nate asked after the nurse left, his eyes searching out the truth.

“I felt responsible for you,” she shrugged, hoping he couldn’t see the blush she felt spreading over her cheeks from his prone position. The twist of his lips confirmed she was out of luck. Embarrassment momentarily blinded her to anything but her own discomfort. Too late, she noticed the sheen of sweat beading Nate’s forehead. One moment, he was staring at her with that faint layer of disdain she hated so much, and the next, his eyes had rolled back into his head.

Kelly prodded his arm and called louder into his ear, “Nate?”

At the lack of response, she shot up, her chair screeching against the linoleum. The doctor came through the door at the same time she barreled through, and she reached out a hand to steady him.

“Sorry,” she apologized. “I was just coming to find you.” Her voice rose to something slightly short of a shriek, and she made a concerted effort to control it. “He was awake and coherent just a moment ago then he suddenly lost consciousness. What happened? Will he be all right, Doctor?”

With an efficiency of movement, the doctor noted Nate’s vitals, peeled back his eyelids to check his pupils, and listened to his heart with his stethoscope. After a few seconds, he nodded, removed them from his ears, and placed them casually around his neck.

He turned back to Kelly with a smile. “Well. I certainly didn’t see this coming. Your partner is one tough cookie. I thought it was only a matter of time before we’d be making some hard decisions. Remarkable.” His smile slipped at her horrified expression. “I’m sorry. I forget myself when we’re given someone back against the odds.”

“Given someone back? You mean—he was that close?”

The doctor’s serious, dark gaze met hers. “Yes. He was as far gone as a person can be.” He glanced down at Nate then back up to her. “He’s a tough one. Don’t worry,” he assured her, “he’s going to be all right.”

“So why is he unconscious now?”

The doctor smiled again. “He has a forceful personality, yes?”

Kelly’s lip twitched at the understatement. “You could say that.”

He nodded. “People like that come back to themselves in a rush, not giving their body any kind of allowance for weakness. They expect their bodies to obey their every command as it did before their accident. It taxes them mightily, and the more energy they expend, the more likely they are to faint.”

“Faint?” Kelly’s lip twitched again. “So, O’Leary fainted? Oh, man. I can’t wait to tease him about this.” She laughed aloud in relief and turned back to find Nate’s eyes cracked open, staring daggers at her.

“Don’t even think about it,” he growled and struggled to lift himself up on the bed.

“Wait, let me. You might
tax
yourself,” she teased. At his sneer of disgust, she laughed harder. She stopped abruptly when she heard the unmistakable note of hysteria ringing through it.

“So when can I get out of here, Doc?”

The doctor eyed his movements as he gingerly settled upright. “Perhaps in a couple of days. I’d like you to stay for at least another night to make sure you are on the road to recovery. Even then, you’ll need someone at home to keep an eye on you for the next week to make sure you’re looking after yourself. If you don’t, your recovery will only take longer,” he warned. “You have someone who can do that for you?”

Kelly observed with interest as he closed his eyes and heaved a big sigh. “Yeah. I’ll find someone,” he mumbled. Somehow, she doubted he had many options.

“Good, because we won’t allow you to leave the hospital until your support person comes in and signs the form.”

“You’ve got to be joking!” he exploded. His eyes bored into the doctor’s, who to his credit, looked back at him without flinching. Not an easy task, she thought, thinking of all the perps she’d witnessed quaver and buckle under the same.

“I’ll be his support person,” she blurted. The words were out before she could call them back.

Nate’s eyes widened on hers with what looked like alarm. She sucked in a breath. He hated the idea. He could hardly stand to be around her but put up with it for the job. And now, she’d ingratiated herself into his home.

What had she done?
Way to bolster your ego, Kelly.
She set her jaw and widened her stance, stubbornness coming to her rescue. Too bad. He needed someone, and it looked like he had no one else to call on.

Lifting her chin, she ignored Nate completely and addressed the doctor. “Shall I come and sign those papers now before I go home? That way, nothing will hold us up when we get the all clear.”

“The release form can’t be done until the day of release, but you may as well get a head start on the other paperwork,” he agreed and indicated she precede him out of the room. “And you,” he pointed at Nate. “No more dramatics. Your body needs to relax. It’s been through a huge amount of stress already.”

“Do what the doctor says, Nate. See you tomorrow,” she sang from the doorway, unable to resist a cheeky little finger-wave. She strode away with his threatening growl following her down the hall.

Chapter Three

Kelly woke the next morning with a faint sense of doom. Normally, the sight of the feminine bedroom filled her with pleasure. Not today. It took her a moment to work out why—and then it hit her like an eighteen-wheeler. Nate was being released today, and she’d volunteered to be his nurse.

Throwing off the floral duvet cover, she sat up and rubbed her dry, tired eyes. Her body ached all over. She glanced over at the alarm clock and noted she woke up two minutes before the bells went off. Thank God. Waking with a near heart attack was never her idea of a good start to the morning. Her brother bought the retro clock for her twenty-first birthday, and it had been terrorizing her almost every morning for the past five years.

With a groan, she hit the off switch on the alarm and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Pushing blonde strands of hair out of her eyes, she reached for the hair-tie and tamed it back into its customary low ponytail. Her toes curled into the soft wool of the shaggy rug. Dropping to the floor, she performed a quick succession of press-ups. After the count of thirty, she switched positions and lay on her back. Two sets of thirty sit-ups later, her muscles burned pleasantly and the last vestiges of the uneasy feeling was gone, leaving her mind clear and grimly determined.