Page 49 of Echoes of Danger
“By all means, don’t rush,” Steel growls from my side. “It’s not like she’s dying or anything.”
The doctor winces and kneels beside me. “I’m doing the best I can,” he whispers shakily, his hands trembling as he checks my pulse and temperature. He looks at my incisions before changing the bandages. “The antibiotics are working, but she’s still weak. She needs more fluids and food if she’s going to recover fully. But I need to remove this IV. It looks like the vein is busted. I’ll have to see about getting a new one brought in. For now, drink as much water as you can handle.”
Paston steps into the doorway, his arms crossed as he watches the scene unfold. The doctor stiffens but doesn’t stop working, his hands shaking as he retrieves a fresh syringe from his bag.
“How much longer does she need?” Paston asks, his voice impatient. “We need to leave tomorrow morning. Can she travel?”
“She isn’t going anywhere,” Steel growls.
“Well?” Paston asks, ignoring Steel.
“She’s not well enough to travel right now,” the doc says shakily. “But I’ll give her a shot of steroids. That should give her some extra strength without exhausting her body too much.”
“Make it happen,” Paston orders before leaving.
The doctor nods quickly, injecting something into my arm that burns as it enters my bloodstream. He leans down, pretending to check the IV line, but his movements are slower, almost deliberate. He angles his head just slightly toward Steel on the other side of my body, his voice dropping to a whisper only we can hear.
“Three hours,” the doctor murmurs, his lips barely moving.
“Hurry it up,” one of Paston’s guards orders.
“Wait for the signal,” the doctor whispers.
“She’s stable for now,” he says out loud. “She’ll need another dose in six hours. I just need to pack up and I’ll be ready to go.”
The guard waiting for the Doc doesn’t seem to be paying attention, so he doesn’t notice when the doctor shoves something bulky under my body.
“She needs sleep,” he tells Steel. “I’ll be back later to give her another antibiotic injection.”
Without another word, the doc leaves, and the guard locks us in. Neither one of us says a word for a long while. Apart from Steel moving to sit beside us, we don’t move.
After several long minutes, Steel seems satisfied enough to speak.
“I don’t think there are any cameras in here,” he says softly. “The walls are thin, so whisper. What did he shove under your body?”
“I’m not sure,” I whisper. “But it’s bulky and metal. It’s against the skin of my back where my shirt is raised.”
“Like I said before, I don’t think there are cameras, but I’m going to angle myself to sit behind you, and you simply lean against me, alright.”
Nodding, I wait for him to get into place behind me, his legs on either side, before he helps me sit up.
“Ouch,” I cry softly. “It didn’t hurt this bad when we left the hospital.”
“You have an infection, sweetheart,” he tells me. “Here, lean against me.”
Slowly, I lean back until I’m resting against Steel’s chest.
“Good girl,” he murmurs, wiping the hair from my face. “I’ve never known a woman as brave as you, Del. I thought for sure you’d be in hysterics by now.”
“As crazy as it sounds, this isn’t the scariest thing I’ve been through,” I admit. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not freaking out on the inside.”
Steel spends the next minute playing with my hair as I relax against his body.
“You’re going to make a wonderful husband one day,” I say. “You’re so caring and nurturing even though you always look mad.”
Chuckling, Steel rests his chin on the top of my head.
“I’m not always mad,” he tells me. “Just in control. I can’t let my emotions take over, or I’ll become the beast that I look like.”