“You are Tyler’s favorite subject.”
He had to stop moving as the affection―brotherly love―he held for Tyler churned him up all over again. His chest expanded with the rush of ragged emotion blindsiding him.
“We can rest if you’d like,” she said solemnly. “I didn’t mean to make this harder, Dexter. It’s just that Tyler loves you as much as our brother, Edward, and me, I think. You’ll have to become an honorary Prescott, for sure.”
He turned his head away and massaged his eyes, but it was clear she’d already seen the effect her words had on him. He had to get control of himself before he saw Tyler. He didn’t want to make it any worse for him. He had listened to Ty talk about his sister and her strength throughout all the hardship their family had endured over the past three years, especially with her losing her husband and child. It was as if he knew this woman.
“That is for sure. I’m racking my brain, trying to remember if I told Ty about any of the skeletons in my closet or deep dark secrets.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I wrote them all down in my diary and put them under lock and key.”
He laughed; it pulled his side and he grunted with the pain. She had him laughing through his tears. “Thanks. I needed that.”
She nodded and their gazes met and held. Suddenly he felt hot, and it seemed as if the very air around them ignited. She really had the most unusual colored eyes. For a few moments, they stared at each other until someone cleared her throat.
He turned to see Nurse Davis standing there with her hands on her hips. She was giving Piper what Dex considered a direct-order look.
“Uh-oh,” he said under his breath.
“Lieutenant, I’m sure you’re going to have a perfectly plausible reason to be gallivanting around the hospital after you’ve just been through a terrible explosion. If you rip out those stitches—”
“I do have an awesome reason for being out of bed. It’s a fellow SEAL who needs some reassurance that I’m not lying in the morgue right now. Before he’s shipped off to Germany, he needs to see me alive. Is that good enough?”
Her features softened and she sighed. “Yes, that’s good enough. At least let me get you a wheelchair.”
“No,” he said through gritted teeth. “It’ll have more impact if I’m walking, and to tell you the truth, it feels good to be moving around.”
“Senator? You got him?” the nurse said, her concern obvious.
Piper looked up at him and he got another jolt through his system at the way her eyes went over his face. “Yes, I’ve got him.”
She sure had.
As they walked away, she said wryly under her breath, “I’ll try not to keep you in stitches.” She cut him a sly look.
He laughed again and she smiled. “Really, I’ll be here all week. I must be punchy from that wonderful plane ride. Military transport is always so comfortable.”
“Seriously, do you want to pull out all my stitches? Just think how much trouble we’ll be in then.”
She winced. “Sorry.”
Had he made her nervous? Was she responding to that…whatever it was…that had passed between them? This was, again he reminded himself, Tyler’s sister.
They hobbled the rest of the way to Tyler’s room. As he entered, he moved away from her and walked the rest of the way on his own steam.
He swallowed when he saw the kind of shape Ty was in. His right eye was swollen shut and there were many scrapes and bruises on his face. His right leg and arm were heavily swathed in bandages. He had tubes and wires connected, but when Dex approached, he smiled a very relieved smile and his good eye, though dazed, brightened.
“Hey, buddy,” Dex said, returning his smile.
“LT…Dex. It’s good to see you. You okay?” Ty reached out with his good arm, and they clasped forearms, both grasping tight.
“Me?” He sat gingerly down on a chair next to the bed. “You’re the one who spent most of our time here in surgery.”
“They said you saved my life.”
“Yeah, well, at the time it seemed like a good idea.”
Tyler laughed, then winced. “Don’t make me laugh, man.” His eyes darkened. “DJ…man, I can’t believe it. Slim and Spaceman. What a loss.”
“I know.” Dex’s chest got tight again.
Tyler said, “You don’t think it’s all your fault, do you, LT? Because that intel was good.”
“Yeah, the intel was good, but something went wrong, Ty, and I have to take the responsibility for that.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Ty said again, looking mutinous.
“Don’t get your shorts in a twist. I’m sure I’ll hear from the brass soon enough.”
Ty nodded. “They’re shipping me off to Germany.”
“I’ll see you back in the States. I promise, Ty. Your job is to get well.”
“Is that an order?”
“Yeah, it’s a damn order.”
Ty reached out again, but Dex simply leaned in and gave him a quick, hard hug.
Dex looked into Ty’s eyes and Ty looked into Dex’s; no words were uttered, but Dex had never before, and probably never would again, have a louder conversation.
He rose and gave Ty one last look, then he started walking out of the room. He heard Piper say that she’d be right back just as the room tilted a little. He made it out but had to lean against the wall for support.
“Dexter?”
“I think I’ll take that wheelchair now,” he said.
His buckling knees had her slipping her arm around his waist again as she instructed one of her detail to get a nurse.
As the guy ran off, Dex looked down into her sweet face. “Hey, thanks for the way you came to my rescue back there.”
“You’re welcome. I know something about loss. Not the same kind, but I’ve been there.”
“Also, thanks for being a sport about getting me here.” He closed his eyes. “It meant a lot to me and to Ty.”
As Nurse Davis came briskly with the wheelchair, he had to let go of Piper to sit down. It would most likely be a while before he saw Tyler’s delectable sister again, so before he was wheeled away, he looked his fill.
Back in his room, he settled against the mattress.
“Do you need anything for pain?” Nurse Davis said, her voice all of a sudden quiet and soft.
“Admit it,” he said with a smile. “I’m growing on you.”
She tucked him in and smoothed down his blanket. “As one of my most stubborn of patients. Oh, yes.”
“One? I’d better work a little bit harder,” he said, and this time, tough, no-nonsense Nurse Davis smiled.
He closed his eyes, his wound throbbing from just below his armpit all the way to his waist. The gash had been deep in spots, but especially over his ribs. He was hurting, but his commanding officer was supposed to be here shortly.
“Something mild,” he said. “I need to be lucid for a debriefing.”
“Really, Lieutenant…”
“Just until he leaves, Christina.”
His firm tone and use of her first name brought that stern look back. Then she shook her head. “All right. I’ll be right back.”