Sharing Hailey (25 page)

Five minutes later, he slipped into the bathroom and leaned against the countertop, the reflection of his back barely visible in the steamed mirror behind him. She was soaping her body while the conditioner worked on her hair.

“The cath’s out, and he’s already taken a walk around the floor. His mom said, and I quote, ‘He left me in the dust.’ End quote. He made Jen bring his scrubs from the office so the nurses couldn’t ogle his ass.”

Hailey laughed, and for the first time in days her laughter wasn’t dampened by fear or sadness. “I know they’re disappointed. He has one fine ass.”

Mark lifted an eyebrow.

“I’m surrounded by fine asses.” She let out a long, deep, totally fake sigh. “It’s really not fair to all the women who have to settle for one fine ass or no fine ass at all.”

He quirked a smile. “I’m outta here before I’m tempted to distract you with something other than thoughts of my ass.”

She stuck her head under the shower spray to rinse the conditioner and gurgled through the water, “As if.” She poked her head out so he could hear her. “I’m so tired that the both of you together couldn’t tempt me.”

His brow furrowed. “You should go back to bed for a few more hours.”

“No. I want to see Tony.”

Mark didn’t argue. She suspected he was as anxious to get back to the hospital as she was.

* * *

Hailey stared out the hospital window, watching the sky lighten from black to purplish gray then a dusty blue on the west horizon, silhouetting the ridge of volcanoes, and above that, a pale pink tinged with orange. Even farther west were the snow-capped peaks of Mount Taylor. She’d managed to sleep for a couple of hours, proof of her comfort with Tony’s progress. He’d had an easier night too.

She’d learned a lot about people over the past few days in the hospital. Tony’s parents had been nothing but kind to her and Mark. They could have easily blamed her for Tony’s injury, but they hadn’t. Nor had they done or said anything to make the three of them feel uncomfortable about their relationship. In fact, they’d embraced all three of them—literally and figuratively. And Hailey was more and more comfortable using their first names.

Jen showed up every day, her firm energy keeping Tony in line, her positive attitude easing everyone’s fears. She could have bitched and moaned about the extra work, especially given that Tony had just taken a two-week vacation. But if she was pissed, she didn’t even hint at it. Tony’s friends and colleagues flowed in and out all day. Some of Hailey’s old friends, whom she’d drifted away from over the last year because of Daniel’s possessiveness, called when they heard what had happened. She was stunned. First, that news traveled so quickly, reminding her that even though Albuquerque was a city, news traveled through it like a small town. And second, that her friends were so forgiving. When she’d jokingly told one that her clothes had started to stink because she didn’t want to take the time to go home and get clean ones, the friend had surprised her by bringing a change of clothes, complete with new socks and underwear.

Despite the support she’d received, she speculated about how her friends would react when they learned she was in love with two men and that the three of them were living and sleeping together. While she wondered if they would disappear, she discovered she didn’t care. Tony was alive and well. That was all that mattered.

Tony’s colleagues were a different story. They respected and liked him. That was clear. But would he keep their respect when they learned he was in a relationship with a woman
and
a man?

She heard Mark moving behind her before he slipped his arms around her waist and murmured, “We get to take him home today.”

“The doctor said we
might
get to. Don’t jinx it by sounding so certain.”

Tony’s voice, so strong compared to three days ago, came from the bed behind them. “He’s going to have to give me a damned good reason to stay. God, I hate hospitals.”

Hailey and Mark chuckled and moved to stand by the bed. Hailey lightly kissed his lips, which were drier and cooler than normal, then laid the back of her hand against his forehead, checking for a fever. If he had one, it was low grade. His skin didn’t feel hot. She cupped his jaw, rough from not shaving for four days, before sliding her hand down his arm to hold his hand. The need to constantly touch him, to reassure herself he was alive hadn’t diminished much over the last few days.

“Thinking you might need to change occupations?” Mark asked.

“No, I just need to update my status from patient to doctor. I’m tired of the poking and prodding. I swear, the nurses are trying to get back at me.”

“You’re sounding paranoid,” Mark said.

“I don’t care what I sound like as long as I can sleep without someone waking me up every two hours to take my temperature and blood pressure.”

Hailey cleared her throat, and both men looked at her expectantly. “We haven’t talked about where you want to go when you get out. Mark’s house or yours?”

Tony’s gaze bounced from her to Mark, his expression a little panicky. “I know you’re anxious to get home.” He swallowed hard. “But would you mind if the three of us stayed at Mark’s a little longer? Together? I just…I don’t know. I need to know that you’re safe. My parents can stay in the guest room, or they can stay at my place if they want more privacy. I won’t be driving, so they can use my car.”

Mark laid his hand on top of Hailey’s. “Unless you think staying at my house will upset you because of what happened. We could stay at your place, and Tony’s parents could stay in his loft.”

Hailey bit her lower lip and stared at the nubby beige blanket covering Tony’s legs and hips. “I could sleep at my place while your parents are here and come to Mark’s during the day to hang out with you.” Despite Sonia and Roman’s acceptance of their threesome, Hailey felt funny about sharing a bed with Mark and Tony while his parents were around—not that they’d be having sex with Tony recuperating. Still…

“You’re worried about what my parents will think?” Tony asked, his expression baffled and amused at the same time.

“If you dare laugh, I’ll slap you.”

He pressed his lips together, but his eyes gleamed.

Beside her, Mark chuckled, and Hailey elbowed him.

“What?” he protested. “You didn’t say
I
couldn’t laugh. I can’t believe you’re worried about Tony’s parents. Jake? Yeah, I understand. My folks? Definitely. But Tony’s?”

“It just feels weird,” she said, knowing it sounded lame.

“So you’re okay with what we might find at the house,” Mark prodded. “Blood, memories.”

Hailey’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought about the blood.” Tony’s blood. She hadn’t seen where Daniel had died, but there would be more blood wherever it had happened.

“I’ll get someone over there to clean it up this morning,” Mark said.

“Are y’all okay with going back there? Will it upset you?” After all, Mark had killed a man there, and Tony had been shot. She didn’t know which was worse. Probably killing a man.

“Nah,” Mark replied.

“I’m good with it,” Tony said.

“Okay. Let’s try it.”

“What about my parents? Should I suggest they stay at my place?” Tony offered.

Hailey shook her head and sighed. “Let them stay where they’re most comfortable. I won’t die of embarrassment.” She groaned. “At least, I don’t think I will.”

Tony frowned. “I don’t want you to be embarrassed, sunshine.”

It was the first time he’d used her nickname since the shooting. She melted. “I’m not.” She checked the door to make certain it was closed then lowered her voice. “Honestly, I think it’s more of a parent thing than a ménage thing. But Tony, I still worry about what our relationship will do to your practice.”

“Let’s take it one day at a time. Okay?” Tony said as he squeezed her hand. “Today, it’s just us and my parents.”

She gave him a shaky smile. “I’ll try.”

“You know, you both look like shit, so I’m not the only one who needs a good night’s sleep.”

“I’m not sure I can sleep without all your machines beeping and flashing,” Hailey said, only half joking. The machines told her he was doing okay. Without them, she’d have to rely on her gut. The thought made her stomach a little queasy.

Tony rubbed his beard. “Man, this itches.” He frowned at Mark. “How can you stand to let it grow out when we go on vacation?”

Mark shrugged. “The itching goes away after a day or two. You must be feeling better if it’s bothering you.”

“I could shave you,” Hailey offered. “Although, the scruffy look is sexy on you.” She wondered if his balls were itching yet and glanced down at his crotch, though she couldn’t see anything.

“That’s not bothering me,” Tony said as if reading her mind. “Not yet, anyway.”

She brought her gaze back to his and grinned sheepishly.

“I hate to break up this absorbing conversation about Tony’s grooming habits, but I need to go. Tony’s parents are waiting. You’ll be ready when I get back?” he asked Hailey.

“I’m not leaving until Tony is released. I don’t want to miss the doctor.”

“My mom can take notes for you.”

“I know, but I might have questions. If we’re taking you home, I want to be absolutely certain I understand everything we need to do to take care of you.”

“Sunshine.” He sighed. “I’m a surgeon. I can answer any questions you have. Hell, I could tell you word for word what Chris is going to tell you.”

She squeezed his hand. “I’m sure you could, but I want to hear it from him myself.”

“Don’t patronize me,” Tony growled.

“I’m teasing,” she said lightly before becoming serious. “Would you rather talk to him privately?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Are you sure? If there’s something you want to discuss with Chris that you don’t want me to hear, I’m okay with that.”

“You can stay. Mark, go get my parents,” he said, sounding exasperated.

“Bring something warm for him to wear home,” she said.

“I can wear my scrubs.”

“They’re not warm enough. Bring his sweats. They’ll be easy to get on and off…and socks and shoes too, please.”

“Anything else, Mom?” Mark asked facetiously.

“A warm coat.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Is that it?”

“Y’all can’t gang up on me when Tony’s mom gets here,” she warned.

“I can’t speak for Tony’s mom, but I won’t fight you.”

“If you’ll rest instead of pacing and taking care of me, I’ll back you,” Tony said.

Hailey gave a sharp nod, knowing it was the best she could hope for. “Deal.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

The drive from the hospital was boisterous. Mark drove her car, and Tony sat in the front seat so he had plenty of room and could get in and out easily. Hailey was in the back between Tony’s parents. It was cramped, and she felt sorry for Tony’s dad sitting with his knees up under his chin. When they turned onto the narrow road leading to Mark’s house, the excited chatter inside the car quieted. Hailey was nervous about what they would find. Mark was the only one who’d been back since that night.

As the house came into view, she held her breath. It appeared normal, not like a crime scene. No yellow tape. No blood that she could see. No police officers. It didn’t seem right. Daniel had died here. Tony had been shot. Shouldn’t it look different?

Mark parked in front of the house then unlocked the front door and disarmed the security system before he and Roman helped Tony from the car. Or at least tried to help him from the car. Tony wasn’t cooperating. He didn’t want help.

Hailey followed, focusing on the ground, searching for blood or stains or something. There was nothing. Not even in the house where Tony had bled, although the colorful rag rug that normally lay inside the front door was gone.

She and Sonia tried to get Tony to go to bed. But drained as he was, he was even more tired of lying in bed. So he collapsed in the leather recliner instead.

After taking a shower and putting on clean clothes, Hailey tried to work in the sunroom but kept getting up to check on Tony. Finally she hauled her laptop to the great room so she only needed to glance up from her computer to see that he was alive.

Sonia made a trip to the grocery store. Mark cooked and updated Jake. Tony and his dad dozed and watched TV and took a stroll inside the house every couple of hours. They talked on and off. Hailey listened while she did some preliminary research on funding opportunities for Beth’s organization.

By early evening, they’d convinced Tony to go to bed. He’d insisted on a shower and shave first. Hailey worked in the sitting area in the bedroom as he slept, still watching him, making certain he was breathing by the rise and fall of his chest. The low conversation coming from the great room soothed her. But then Tony’s parents went to bed, and it got quiet. Soon, Mark entered the bedroom. He sat on the thick padded arm of the chair where Hailey worked and gently massaged her neck.

God, that felt good. She closed her eyes and dropped her chin to her chest as the tense muscles in her neck relaxed.

“You don’t need to watch him all night. You can sleep,” he said, keeping his voice low.

“I’m working,” she whispered.

“You’re watching him.”

“I can do both.”

“Babe, you’re dead on your feet. Come to bed with us.”

“I will. Later. I don’t think I can sleep right now.”

Mark sighed but didn’t argue with her. He disappeared inside the bathroom and after a few minutes came out in black boxer briefs, his concession to their houseguests.

She worked until his breathing became slow and even, then closed her laptop and curled up in the chair, wrapping a throw around her shoulders. She was afraid to sleep with them, afraid of crowding Tony. She didn’t want to hurt him. It wouldn’t take much—an elbow to the side, an arm thrown across his stomach. Of course, if she’d told Mark that, he would have insisted on sleeping on the couch and made her sleep in the bed. She considered moving to the great room. The couch would be more comfortable than the cramped chair, but if Tony needed her, she wouldn’t be able to hear him.

A hand on her shoulder startled her. She lifted her head, groggy. Had she slept?

“Come to bed.” Tony’s voice brought her wide-awake. He was leaning over her, his torso bare, his gray sweatpants riding low on his hips exposing the bandage covering his wound and his taut belly.

“Tony? What are you doing up? What’s wrong? Do you need something?”

“Yeah, I need you to come to bed.”

She stifled a yawn, not wanting him to know how tired she was. “It’s too crowded. I don’t want to hurt you.”

He threaded his fingers through hers and gently tugged. “You won’t hurt me. Come on.”

She resisted. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“It’s a great idea. Come on. I took a shower and shaved and everything.”

“Have you lost your mind? We are
not
having sex,” she hissed.

Tony chuckled. “No, we’re just sleeping.”

She relaxed, but his next words stiffened her spine again.

“We’ll have sex tomorrow.”

“No, we won’t. I don’t have to be a doctor to know sex wouldn’t be good for your stitches.”

“Joke, Hailey.” He dropped a kiss on her lips. “Come on. I’ve missed you. If you’re that worried, you can sleep on Mark’s side.”

Mark’s voice drifted to them from the bed. “Mmmm, I could go for that.”

God, she was so tired, and the three of them sharing a bed again sounded so good.

Tony tugged at her hand again, a little harder this time. Hailey followed him to bed, crawling in on his side but moving over to Mark’s.

When she woke the next morning, the three of them were tangled together in the middle.

* * *

Tony got stronger every day until it was impossible to keep him still. His parents made plans to head back to Houston when he’d been out of the hospital a week, his mother declaring that there wasn’t anything else she could do for him. As much as Hailey had feared sharing a house with them, she was even more afraid of them leaving. It wasn’t just that they’d been so helpful, taking care not only of Tony but her and Mark too. Their presence had also somehow mitigated the enormity of what had happened. When they left, the house would seem empty. It would just be the three of them with nothing between them and the nightmare of that night.

She didn’t cry when Tony’s mom and dad hugged her goodbye before Mark took them to the airport, but she wanted to.

When she and Tony were alone, the silence was crushing. She turned on the TV and flipped through the channels, but there was nothing on but talk shows, news and women-in-jeopardy movies. Yeah, just what she wanted to watch, another woman fighting for her life. She needed to work, but she’d had trouble focusing.

“Hailey,” Tony said from the recliner.

She punched the off button on the remote before answering. “Yeah?”

“Have you been able to get any work done since all of this?”

“A little,” she replied.

“Things will get back to normal with my parents gone.”

Normal? She didn’t even know what that was anymore. “I’ll miss them,” she said.

“Me too. But it’ll be good to have the house to ourselves.”

Maybe. “Can I get you anything?”

“No, I can do for myself.”

She smiled. “I know, but I like doing for you. Makes me feel useful.”

“You don’t have to babysit me. I’m gonna be home for a while. You need to work. I know you have deadlines.”

“I will. Don’t worry.”

Mark checked in with them when he got back from the airport then went out to his shop to work. Hailey sat on the couch and stared at the computer monitor, trying to figure out where to start. It was too quiet. She’d gotten used to the noise of five people sharing the great room and kitchen. The screensaver kept popping up, and she wiggled her mouse around to bring it down. But that was all she could manage. When the doorbell rang, she checked the clock on the computer. She’d been playing tag with the screensaver for almost an hour.

“I’ll get that,” she said to Tony, who was pushed back in the recliner, reading. Hailey opened the front door and was surprised to see Beth.

“Come on in,” she said and led her through the empty half of the great room to the living area. “Tony will be glad to see you.”

“How’s he doing?” she asked.

Tony answered irritably, “Ready to get back to work, but my doctor won’t clear me.”

Beth stood over him and placed a restraining hand on his shoulder when he tried to stand up. “Pesky doctors. What do they know?”

“Enough to save his ungrateful life,” Hailey answered for him.

“Have you left the house since Tony was released from the hospital?” Beth asked.

Was this a trick question? Of course she hadn’t. “Um, no.”

“Would you walk with me?”

“I don’t think—”

The front door opened interrupting her. Mark strolled in. “Hey, Beth. More legal problems?”

Beth shook her head. “No. You’re fine. I came by to get Hailey out of the house.”

“Great idea. Where are y’all going?”

“I thought a walk down by the river would be nice.”

“Take your time,” Mark said. “I’ll keep Tony company.”

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Tony groused.

“Did I say anything about babysitting?”

“Semantics.”

Hailey put on her jacket. Leaving them to argue, she led Beth down a path along the river behind the house. Neither woman spoke, but the silence was surprisingly comfortable. Despite the chill in the air and her first foray away from Tony since leaving the hospital, it was good to get outside.

The trees were bare, the sky a cloudless blue, the river a cold gray.

Beth’s voice was clear in the silence. “Do you remember asking me about women who don’t have your resources?”

“Yes. And I remember that you quickly changed the subject,” she said wryly.

“I was more concerned about
you
getting the help
you
needed.”

“I appreciate that. You’ve been incredibly supportive. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

Beth waved off her thanks. “The women you asked about? Most are lucky to get out with their lives. Forget any assets that they’ve accumulated. Many come to me with just the clothes they’re wearing. They’re starting over.”

Hailey stopped and looked at Beth, perplexed. “How do they do it? I was lucky. Daniel couldn’t get his hands on my money. I had Mark and Tony to help me. My brother too. I could disappear. How do other women get away?”

“Many of them don’t. Some are too frightened…of being killed, or trying to live on their own. We’re able to help some of those who manage to leave. We provide them with a safe place to live until they can get on their feet again. We help them go to school, find a job, get counseling, learn self-defense—whatever they need to take their lives back.”

“That must be expensive. Where do you get your funding?”

Beth stared off into the distance. “I inherited quite a bit of money when my parents died.”

Hailey touched her arm, trying to comfort her. “I’m sorry about your parents.” She wanted to ask if they’d been in an accident, but something held her back.

“Thank you,” Beth said quietly.

They started walking again, sharing a comfortable silence before Beth broke it. “You’re right. It’s expensive, even with my inheritance. That’s why we need your expertise. The women we help are grateful, and when their lives are back on track, they give back. Every little bit helps, but it’s not enough.” She paused. “Speaking of…I know you’re feeling disoriented, out of sorts, but it gets better. It’ll take a while, but it will get better. And if it doesn’t, let me know. I can give you the names of some counselors.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” But she was still resistant to the idea. Intellectually, she knew she shouldn’t judge all psychologists by the thoughtless words of one. Maybe that was a start.

“And if you ever want to get away from all the testosterone in that house, give me a call. We can catch a movie, have lunch. No questions. Just girl talk.”

That sounded so good that Hailey laughed. “I’ll take you up on that.”

“Good. Let’s do it soon. Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.” Hailey checked her watch and wondered how long they’d been gone.

“You ready to head back?” Beth asked.

“Yeah. Do you mind?”

“No. I need to get home and change clothes for work tonight.”

“Lawyer stuff, or your nonprofit?”

They turned back on the path. “Neither. A restaurant in the building that Tony and I live in. Nita’s Place. A friend of mine owns it and is the chef. Sometimes, I take care of the front of the house. It’s a nice break from lawyering.”

“I’ve seen it, but I’ve never eaten there.”

“Let’s have lunch next week. You can give it a try.”

Hailey hesitated, not ready to leave Tony for so long. “I don’t know…”

Beth smiled. “Let’s play it by ear. Give me a call in a few days and let me know how things are going with Tony. We can take it from there.”