Jamie-5 (21 page)

Her skin was cool, but not cold like it had been. He could feel her pulse beating beneath her skin at her wrist. He lifted it to his mouth and kissed it. Then held it to his cheek.

“Missy Dane very deep this time. Man make her go to her place. She need some way to find her way home.”

Jamie looked up at Pi. He’d forgotten she was here. Looking at her, he realized she was exhausted and worn. But he knew that telling her to leave would break her heart even if he could convince her to do it.

“Has she ever been this deep before?” She shook her head then frowned. He knew she was trying to remember.

“One time maybe. She say she lost. I not able to help her find way back. You help her, Mister Jamie. Bring in good touch. She find way home when Granny bring her good touch.” Good touch. She had said that to him before. Don’t let anyone touch her that didn’t have a good touch. Jamie held Dane’s hand and tried to think what she meant when Cait walked in with Paddy.

“I brought you some lunch. And don’t you dare tell me that you’re not hungry. If you want to watch Paddy when…why are you looking at me like I’ve got a steak around my neck?”

“Oh, Caitlynne Grant, I think I might have to kiss you. Bring me Paddy. Call Mom, have her and Dan bring Jacob and little Jim. Meggie too. I’ll call Nick and have him bring the twins. We need some good touches and they are just the ones to bring it.”

~~~

She was hot. Not just hot, but roasting hot. When Dane tried to move away from the heat, it grunted. Did heat grunt? She tried again and it screamed at her.

“If you would just open your flipping eyes, I’ll move him. Otherwise, he stays right where he is. I swear if he doesn’t sleep in his own bed after this, I’m killing your future husband.” Cait?

It was an effort, but she got one eye open and immediately closed it. Pain shot through her head like a knife. She felt the light dim and she tried again.

“Sorry about the lights. Paddy needed his diaper changed and I’m so not doing that in the dark again. Did you know that boys can pee in your face when you take off their diaper?

Disgusting. If I didn’t love him so much already, I’d sell him. How are you feeling?” Her mouth was dry and thick. Her tongue felt as if a trash truck was using is as a dump site.

She ached in places she couldn’t remember having a body part for and she still couldn’t move.

“Hot. Dry.” It took her four tries to say that and she could only hope she made sense.

“Damon said you could have some ice chips but nothing more. I don’t know why they don’t just let you have a drink of water, same difference. I have to call the nurse so she can alert the troops. Jamie is going to be pissed. I just sent him to the house to shower. He was sort of rank.”

“Too many words. Shhhh…” She felt herself slip away again.

When she opened her eyes the next time, she wasn’t as hot, but she still hurt. There wasn’t anyone in front of her, but she could hear someone talking behind her. The thought of turning her head seemed too much effort so she tried to lift her hand. That’s when she looked down. There was a kid there—a little one, but a kid. That can’t be right.

“Cait?” Her voice sounded harsh and it hurt her throat to talk. She really wanted some of those ice chips she could see on the half table, but couldn’t make her tongue move to ask.

“Hey, baby. How are you? Let me get you some ice.” Heaven entered her mouth in the form of a plastic spoon of cold water. And her James was giving it to her.

“Where…where am I?” Closing her eyes again, she had to fight to keep awake, but she wasn’t winning. She wanted to talk to James, but she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes open.

The little girl in front of her waved and smiled when she opened her eyes next. Dane was beginning to think the world had been taken over by shrimps. That thought made her giggle, which hurt. She looked down at her arm and was relieved to see that there didn’t seem to be anything in the crook of her arm this time.

“Ice?” Meggie, this little girl, was Spencer’s and Cait’s. When she frowned at Dane, she remembered that she was deaf and tried looking at the cup on the table. Someone moved into her peripheral vision and she saw James again.

“Hi. Are you going to stay with me this time? I want to tell you I love you in case you fade again. Are you in any pain?”

“No. Not bad.” Her throat almost felt normal and she could move her hands. Her back felt tight, but she could move more. “Can’t remember.”

“Damon said for you to take it easy in trying to do that. He said that you may have a little memory, loss but it’ll be temporary at most. What do you remember?”

“Markus took me. I talked to…talked to you. Cait was here with baby. Pi. Is Pi all right? She is protective.” She wasn’t tired, but the light hurt. “Lights off, please?”

“Yes, of course.” The dimness felt better.

“Pi?”

“She’s at home now. We had to send her home for a little while. She was dizzy from lack of sleep. I told her she wouldn’t do you any good if she was in the hospital too. She said she’d be back tonight. Did you know that she is afraid to ride in a car but will ride in a taxi? Anyway, I offered to pick her up, but she is coming and going with a service that I’ve arranged.”

“She was in the front seat of a car that rolled and ended up in the river when she was a child.

She thinks if she’s in the back, she’ll be fine. I’m the only person she’ll ride with unless it’s an emergency. Thank you.”

“I love you. My family is waiting to come in and see you. Meggie went to tell them that you’re awake. Is it all right if they come in? I won’t let them stay long.”

“I need to brush my teeth. Can I do that first? My mouth feels like a dumpster. And can I roll over? I feel heavy.”

He looked away from her and she almost asked. But he picked up the water and showed her a toothbrush and she forgot. It took them ten minutes to brush her teeth twice and rinse. She was exhausted again when they were done.

His family crowded in the room and each of them came to stand next to the bed to see her.

She didn’t ask again to roll over; there was something there just out of reach that she should know. When Cait laid Paddy next to her again, she pulled him close and fell asleep.

The dream started with her arms tied up over her head. She was crying and begging one minute then she was gagged the next. Incredible pain ripped through her back. She could feel her skin tear and the whip lashed across her skin. Wood under her feet hurt her. She could feel splinters imbed into her, but then the cold of concrete would make her ache with pain. Markus then Carl, then Markus again, their faces interchangeable and merging into one. The laughter, the screaming, all of it raced over her and through her, ending in a scream so real so loud that she woke herself up.

“Dane! Dane, listen to me. It’s a dream, baby. Hear me? It’s a dream. I have you. You’re safe. It’s a dream.”

“James?” It was fading, the dream, the smells. She could see the room they were in, James in the bed with her, Pi standing close, holding her hand.

“Yes, baby. I’m here. Pi is too. It was a dream. It’s over, I have you. We have you.” Her heart was pounding and she could smell the sweat on her body. Terror was fading from her and she snuggled closer to the man holding her.

“Missy Dane you scared me. You be fine. I have you now. You be fine with Pi and Mister Jamie.” Dane pulled her hand into hers and kissed it. She went to sleep knowing that she was safe.

~CHAPTER 22~

Jamie was still asleep when she woke up again. Looking around her hospital room, she wondered where such a big bed came from that two people could lie in it. When the door opened, she looked up to see Margaret.

“Hello, darling. You feeling better this morning?” she whispered. Margaret took her hand.

“I remembered last night. That’s why I can’t roll to my back. He beat me again, didn’t he?”

“Yes, but it’s not the reason you can’t roll over. They did some reconstructive surgery on you and the repair work was very extensive. They had to remove a great deal of scar tissue from your back. Damon thinks you’ll be able to sit up today. It’ll only be for short periods at first, but you’ll be fine in a few weeks.”

“I knew the man who hit me. Both of them really, but the man with the whip, he was the one who beat me when I was a teenager. I don’t know how Markus found him, but he did.”

“He knew him through your mother. Markus’ real name is Peter Market. He has been pulling one scam after another since he was a kid. You were just the biggest catch. Market contacted your mother right after the article came out about your mental health issues and that you would be out of circulation for an extended period of time. He was going to write an article on you. She, of course, had a different spin on things and that’s how he got the idea to contact you.” James kissed her nose when she turned to look at him as he continued. “Market is dead.

Cait killed him when he shot me. I’m all right, just need to be on crutches for a few more weeks.”

“I don’t remember that. When Carl hit me with the whip, I zoned out. I had to or the room was going to kill me. There were…someone murdered people, children, down there. I couldn’t get a reading on Markus, err, Market, because of his insanity, but Carl was there too. They told me that he had acquired a taste for the whip after me.” Dane shuddered and reached for Jamie’s hand. He laced his fingers with hers and held her.

His kiss was soft but full of so much love she felt the tears fall down her cheeks.

“I love you, Dane. You’re all right now, okay? I was so worried about you. Don’t do that again. I can’t be shot anymore or my mom is going to put me away.” Dane heard the faint click of the door and knew they were alone.

“I’ll try. Are you really all right? I don’t want you to hurt because of me.” She pressed her head against his shoulder and breathed in. He smelled so good to her, warm and masculine, soft and hard.

“I’m fine. Better now that you can stay awake for more than five minutes.” This kiss was warmer, stronger than the last, and when he brushed his mouth over hers again, she opened for him and groaned at the first sweep of his tongue as it moved along hers. When Jamie cupped her head and deepened the kiss, she felt like she had come home. A throat clearing brought them back before they could go much further.

“I’m sorry. I hate to interrupt—”

“Then go away. I was kissing my future wife. And I’d like to take up where you made me leave off.”

“Doctor Wallace? I’m Agent Brownville. I need to just ask you a couple of questions to finish things off. We’ve gotten most of it from Mr. Grant here and the local police, but there are just one or two I think only you can help with.”

The door opened and in walked Damon and two nurses. He leaned over and kissed Dane on the forehead and winked at James. Dane thought Damon looked odd, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry, agent, but I’ll have to ask you to step out for a moment. We need to get Dr.

Wallace out of bed for the first time and I have the time right now to do it. We won’t be a moment.” The agent was out the door, Dane thought, before he knew what hit him.

“What are you up to? You couldn’t wait ten minutes? I want him to stop stalking the halls waiting for Dane to wake up. Let him finish this—”

“Devin wants her to have her lawyer present. And Cait is coming in too. But I do want to get you up, my dear. Jamie, do you want to stay or leave? It’s going to be painful for her.”

“I’m staying. But you hurt her too much and I’ll return the favor. I may be injured, but not forever.”

Dane might have laughed, but she was worried how bad it was going to hurt too. The nurses helped Jamie out of her bed and into one of the easy chairs. When he was settled, they came back to help her.

“Okay, sweetheart, this is what we’re going to do. We are going to roll you over and sit you up at the same time. It will stretch your back and hurt like hell, but I don’t want you to do anything but move with us. Sandy is going to take one shoulder and I’m going to take the other.

When you’re over to your side, Tammy is going to take your legs and roll with us so that you’re sitting up. All right? We won’t stop if you yell. It’s going to hurt anyway so we should just get it over with. Jamie, don’t move from that chair. If I have to tie you down, tell me now. She’s going to hurt, deal with it.”

Dane took several deep breaths and when she nodded to Damon, she was over and up in seconds. The scream ripping from her throat lasted longer. It took her several more seconds to hear what Damon was saying.

“Deep breaths, honey. That’s it. Breathe through your nose and out your mouth. Keep breathing. I promise it’ll pass; in your nose, out your mouth.” She sat there for a full five minutes just breathing. Every once in a while, Damon would ask Jamie if he was okay, and when he answered he was, he’d talk her through breathing again.

“I’m okay. I’m better. Dizzy, but better. Now what?”

“Now the hard part.” She nearly hit him. She might have, too, if she didn’t think it would hurt so badly. “You’re going to walk to the chair and sit down. I know this will hurt, but not as bad as moving you over. We need to get you up and about. The sooner you’re moving, the better you’ll feel.”

The room spun around and she felt herself sway when she finally stood, but she was upright.

After the first two or three steps, it got easier too. The pull in her back was painful, but he was right; she did feel better just moving again. Ten minutes to walk ten feet seemed forever, but she made it and was just sitting down when she heard a knock at the door. Damon yelled to hang on and he helped her sit back in the chair.

“Now, ten minutes sitting, then I want you to try and stand up. Don’t walk anywhere, just stand up. Call one of the nurses to help you up until you can do it without swaying. I’m going to take out the catheter if you can do this for three hours. And I’ll let Pi bring you in something to eat tonight. Better?”

“Yes. Much better. Thank you, Damon. I don’t…you have been so…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, sweetheart. Listen, I have to talk to you after this is over. It’s nothing major, but I need to speak with you about a medical issue. You can talk it over with Jamie if you want him here or not. It affects both of you anyway. I’ll be in when the rest leave.” Dane was suddenly afraid and Jamie must have felt it because he wheeled over to her and held her hand. His smile was a forced bright, but she was glad for it. Devin, Cait, and Agent Brownville walked it as Damon went out.