Her Gentle Giant: No Regrets (25 page)

Rachel woke to the sounds of quiet voices in the distance. She recognized her father’s voice, then her mother’s. They were speaking so softly she was unable to make out what they were saying.

She tried to swallow, and her throat was pierced by a stabbing pain.

Reflexively, she tightened her hand into a weak fist and became aware of the large, callused hand holding hers. Only one person she knew had hands that big and warm. Blinking, she tried to turn her head, but
that
hurt excruciatingly. She grimaced and opened her eyes then slammed them closed again as the room spun around her. Nausea churned her stomach.

Her brow creased as pain affronted her from many different levels.

Rachel’s head pounded with a nauseating rhythm, her throat burned, and the stabbing pain surged when she tried to swallow unsuccessfully, and the whimper that escaped her throat made it worse. Her stiff body felt like she’d been bludgeoned with a cinderblock, and sharp pain lanced her from more points than she could assimilate. Her left arm was stiff and unmoving. Tears leaked from her eyes, and one of her cheeks began to sting like crazy.

Breathing even hurt.

Rachel tried to open her eyes again, slowly this time, and focused on the soft soothing voice that spoke to her. The room spun a little but began to settle as Eli moved into the center of her vision, bent over her bed. A
hospital
bed. Oh, this
couldn’t
be good. In confusion, she looked at him, as he settled carefully on the edge of the bed where she could see him.

He spoke softly, which helped with the pounding in her head. “I’ve never been so happy to see those gorgeous blue eyes of yours, Rachel. We were all so worried about you.”

Eli looked like he hadn’t slept in days and his eyes were very bloodshot.

Had he been crying? What in the hell had happened? How long had she been in the hospital?

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He evidently saw the confusion in her eyes and softly began to fill her in. “You were involved in a car accident two days ago. It’s Thursday morning. Two deer and another vehicle. Ace Webster was driving the other vehicle and called 911. He helped control your bleeding until EMS got there.”

Two days? Ace
? Did she see Ace? In a flash, she saw the deer and remembered a screeching sound. The other vehicle. Ace? The longer Eli talked, the worse she felt. She must be in bad shape.

The other voices came closer and entered her room as Eli stood and moved to the foot of the bed where it was easier for her to see him. Her mom and dad and a man she didn’t know came in, all with eyes on her. Her parents looked tired but relieved. Gingerly, she reached with her right hand, and her mom took it, rubbing it on her cheek and kissing her knuckles.

Rachel smiled at her, trying to not pull at the bandage over her cheekbone.

She looked at her dad and pointed at her throat.

He nodded and said, “No talking for a little while, honey. That needs time to heal.”

She motioned with her fingers, and he reached into her night table for a pad and pencil.

Eli caressed the top of her foot and said, “Angel, I’ll give you a few minutes while I go get something to eat real quick. I’ll be back soon.”

Showing she was a trooper, she smiled and winked at him, blowing a little air kiss. He teared up and mouthed, “I love you,
”
before exiting. Her heart lurched a little at the vulnerability in his eyes, and tears welled in her eyes, too.

* * * *

Utterly exhausted, Eli leaned against the wall out in the hallway, uncaring that someone might see him in such an emotional state. He put his head in his hand for a moment before pushing off and going once again to the little chapel down the hall. Prayers of praise came from his lips, tears slipping from his eyes as he remembered her winking at him, such a simple little thing, yet so powerful. That feeling of peace and comfort overtook him, and he knew they would get through whatever came next. His angel
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would be all right, but she was in some very real pain, so he prayed for her to feel better.

By the time he returned, the doctor was gone, and her parents remained only long enough to thank him for the tender loving care he gave their daughter. Humbled, he thanked them both and returned the hug that Mrs.

Lopez gave him and shook Rachel’s dad’s hand. After they left, a nurse brought in another large fresh flower arrangement then checked her vitals.

The nurse injected a pain reliever into the port of her IV line.

“She’s going to get sleepy soon, but she should feel better within a minute or so, Eli. You need anything?” she asked as she walked to the door.

“No, thanks, Eva, I appreciate it.” He smiled at the nurse that had gone to great lengths to make his stay in the hospital over the last two nights as comfortable as possible. He looked over at Rachel in time to catch the irritated scowl she cast at the door. He put his hands on his hips and raised an eyebrow at her. She tried to scowl at him and even raised a weak fist at the door before smiling sheepishly at him.

“Jealous much?” He came to sit down in the chair and held her right hand. “You have nothing to worry about, angel. My eyes see only you. She made my stay more comfortable here by finding me a folding cot, blanket, and pillow, that’s all. How do you feel now?”

She scribbled on her pad then showed him.
Better, but sleepy now.

“Good, the more rest you get the better. Are you thirsty?”

No, Mom helped me earlier. It hurt, but it was wonderful, too. My throat
was very dry. Getting woozy.
She dropped the pencil and looked at him with a dreamy serene smile on her face.

“Good drugs?” He chuckled, watching her eyelids slide closed as she nodded happily then conked out. He tucked the blanket around her, kissed her forehead, and settled back in the chair.

To see her in so much pain earlier had torn him up. Almost as much as seeing her when they unloaded her, unconscious and helpless, from the ambulance, drenched in her own blood. They had waited anxiously for the last day and a half until she regained consciousness. He had tortured himself in those hours spent waiting, especially when he had tried to sleep, with a contrasting image of the two of them making love, the wild ecstasy that had turned to sweet tenderness on a dime. What if last time had
been
the last time?

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The doctor opened the door and motioned to him to come out so their conversation would not disturb her. Out in the hall, the doctor leaned against the door frame and said, “Listen, I don’t know what your circumstances are, but now that Rachel is past the critical point, you’ll need to think about what to do until she’s fully recovered. I want to keep her here for a few more days to watch for complications. Once those dangers pass, she won’t need such intensive care. She’ll need someone to prepare and serve her meals and make sure she is eating properly, help her get around, and she needs to be someplace she can rest. I can recommend an intermediate recovery facility, but that’s not the only option you have available.”

Eli cocked a knowing eyebrow at the doctor. “How does
she
feel about a facility?” Eli could not picture her staying in a hospital setting that long.

The doctor chuckled. “She doesn’t think she needs it. But she hasn’t tried to move around yet, either. She’s going to need the extra time, but it doesn’t have to be in a hospital setting. Peter and Renata have offered to let her come home and stay with them for a while. She was opposed to that, not wanting to ‘move back home’ was how she put it. You could encourage her to either option, but they want you to know that they offered, for her sake, and not because they want to have her dependent on them. This must be a big deal to her.”

“Doc, you have
no
idea.”

The doctor nodded and smiled wistfully. “I’m married to one of those types, too. It’s a good thing with the hours I keep. Speaking of which, that’s the main reason that I’m recommending intermediate care. I know you keep some strange hours, too. She needs someone at home around the clock to watch over her. We don’t want her to get up to use the restroom by herself rather than bother anyone and wind up falling and breaking her other arm.”

Eli cringed, not liking the sound of that. The ache in his chest grew at the thought of how much he’d miss her.

“How long?”

“Four weeks. I’d like to see her then, evaluate her progress and determine whether she needs any physical therapy or not.” He gave Eli a knowing grin. “Absence makes the heart fonder, right?”

“You’re an intuitive man, Doc. Anyone ever tell you that?”

“All the time. You see what I’m getting at, though? She needs more than a few days to recover, and she needs to do that with others around her.

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If she likes being on her own, it will probably drive her crazy, but that will motivate her to work toward her recovery.”

“Rachel won’t want to go home, but I doubt she’ll agree to go to a facility because she won’t want to offend her mom. I’ll talk to her and help her to see she needs this. Can she get up at all?”

“She can sit up in bed and sit on the edge of the bed. No walking unless someone is holding her because she’s going to be dizzy. In another day or so, I’d like to see her moving around in the halls. Will you talk to her, Eli?

Peter and Renata both seem to think she’ll listen to you.”

“I’ll talk to her. She’ll see reason, but she won’t like it.”

“Good luck with that,” the doctor said dryly and shook his hand. “Let me know what she agrees to.”

* * * *

A week later, Rachel carried her favorite flower arrangement in her lap as Eli wheeled her out of the hospital exit to his waiting truck, parked in the shade under the portico. He opened the door, and she smiled at the comforting blast of frigid air. The September heat was absolutely stifling.

He lifted her effortlessly into the passenger seat, and she had to stifle a chuckle as she watched the two nurses who carried flowers out to the truck for her. One’s mouth popped open, and the other couldn’t help the dreamy sigh that escaped. She couldn’t blame them for their admiration as they watched him buckle her seatbelt for her.

He handed her the arrangement she’d brought down, a squat vase filled with exotic-colored roses from Merritt’s Florist. He took the other two arrangements from the nurses and thanked them graciously then placed them in a cardboard box on the back floorboard. She waved at the nurses, who smiled and waved back then turned the wheelchair and took it back into the hospital entrance.

Rachel hadn’t been happy with this arrangement when Eli had first brought it up, saying she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself at home. The first time he helped her to the restroom after they removed her catheter, she changed her mind. That one little adventure out of bed had used every bit of strength she had. She had asked him to call the nurse to assist her, but he’d helped her up and pulled up her panties himself, without
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batting an eyelash, then helped her back to bed. Rachel knew then that he was right. She did need help. She’d laid back down on the bed in a cold sweat, completely wiped out by the short trip.

Now here she sat on her way to her parent’s ranch feeling like an invalid. It galled her that she would need someone to help her with the basics for a while, but that wasn’t what caused the pain she was in right now. She felt like a big baby.

Tears filled her eyes, and she caught him look over in her direction with concern in his eyes. A hitching pain clenched in her chest.

“Angel, you can do this. It won’t be for long, and then you can be on your own again. Your mom promised not to hover. She knows you like your independence. It’ll be okay.” He covered her hand with his, where it lay on her lap, restrained by her cast. “I took your laptop out to the ranch, with your clothes and other stuff earlier. If you feel like it, you can do some writing later. Time’s going to fly. You concentrate on resting and healing, and you’ll be back in your own place before you know it.”

“It’s not that, Eli,” she said softly, still hoarse from the wound to her throat. It was deep but had not damaged her vocal chords and was healing nicely. The doctor said the hoarseness might linger and would persist if she used her voice too much.

“What is it, angel? Do you need a pain pill?” He reached for the meds her doctor had prescribed for her pain.

“No. I mean, yes, when we get to the house I’ll need one, but that’s not what’s bothering me.” She turned carefully. The tears spilled from her eyes, and she said, “I’m going to miss you so much.” Her lips trembled, and a sob escaped. She gingerly wiped the tears away before they soaked the bandage over her cheekbone.

Because she’d been self-conscious of all the wounds and lacerations she’d suffered, he’d helped her look under all the bandages. She had been able to see for herself that they were all healing well and that she wouldn’t look like Frankenstein’s creature when the healing process was through. Eli had reminded her with tender kisses that he was just grateful that she was all right and would recover fully.

He pulled over to the shoulder of the road and slid across the seat to her.

He gently cupped her cheeks in his hands and said, “Angel, I’ll miss you, too.
Especially
at night. I haven’t slept worth a damn since I’ve been
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sleeping alone. But I’ll be out there all the time when I’m not working.

Your dad and mom will probably get sick of seeing me all the time.
You’ll
even get sick of me. Don’t worry. You’ll be back on your own in no time,”

he said, smiling down at her. She sobbed painfully, and more tears spilled over her cheeks. He looked confused and said, “Rachel, what did I say? I didn’t mean to upset you. Tell me.”

“I don’t care about being on my own. I need you. I’ll never be able to sleep if you’re not there,” she whispered hoarsely.

She felt silly and ashamed as she looked into his eyes, unable to get a better handle on her emotions. She couldn’t believe what a ninny she was being. His face registered a mixture of surprise and sympathy and something else she couldn’t quite pinpoint.

His fingers were gentle as he lifted her chin. “I want you with me, too.

Promise me you’ll be good and work hard on recovering for me and then we
can
be together, just the two of us. Will you do that?” he asked, beaming down at her. Rachel looked into his eyes, and what she saw there made her feel hopeful. She smiled up at him and wiped away her tears.

“I love you, Eli. I’m so in love with you.” She rested her forehead carefully on his chest and sighed shakily, her breath hitching a little from her tears.

“If you only knew what you do to me. I love you so much my chest hurts.” He leaned down and kissed her tenderly on the lips then brushed his lips over her uninjured cheekbone. She sighed contentedly and wrapped her good arm around his waist.

“Let’s get you settled.” He released her and slid back behind the steering wheel, buckled in, and continued down the road. “I talked to my dad yesterday.”

“Oh, yeah?” Rachel replied, sniffling as she dried her eyes with the back of her hand. Her heart felt much lighter, like a burden had been lifted from it.

“He’s coming for a visit around the end of October.”

“I hope it cools off for his visit.”

“I do, too. Maybe by then you’ll be home?”

“I’m planning on it, big boy.” She smiled when he said “home” like that. Yeah,
he
was her home.

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