Chapter 16

 

“How is he?” Mel hurried into the waiting room and gave Vince an anxious look.

“He’s still in surgery. The bullet hit his femoral artery and he lost a lot of blood.” Vince said grimly.

“But he’ll live, right?” Mel asked.

“I don’t know.” Vince replied. “He lost so much blood.”

Mel squeezed his shoulder and gave Charlotte a comforting look. “He’ll be okay, honey.”

The younger woman didn’t reply. She was staring at her hands, they were still stained red with Ren’s blood, and Mel sat down beside her and put her arm around her.

“What happened?” She asked Vince.

“This guy, Gareth, was Steve’s brother, apparently. He wanted revenge for Steve’s death and he took over the salon.”

“He came in a week or so earlier.” Charlotte said dully. She continued to stare at her hands. “I gave him a haircut and even then, there was something about him that made me nervous. I called in sick to work this morning and then Gareth had Darlene call me. He – he told me not to call the police and to just come to the salon but I called Vince on the way there.”

“You did the right thing, sweetie.” Mel said reassuringly.

“Did I?” Charlotte raised her head and stared at her. “Ren was shot. He could be dying.”

She gave Vince an accusing look. “Why did you let him do that?”

“I couldn’t stop him.” Vince said quietly. “Once he found out you were there, he insisted.”

“You should have stopped him!” She spat. “You shouldn’t have let him anywhere near the salon! Gareth wanted revenge on all of us, and sending Ren in there was a death sentence for him!”

“It was the best idea we had, Charlotte.” Vince said patiently. “If Gareth knew we were out there, he would have killed the three of you. Sending Ren in at least gave you a chance. Ren said he could distract him and overpower him.”

“Is that what happened?” Mel asked.

Charlotte laughed bitterly. “He distracted him by getting shot. Then I shot Gareth.”

“Oh, sweetie.” Mel hugged her tightly and Charlotte shook her head.

“I’m fine. I’d kill the bastard again if I could.”

Mel gave Vince an alarmed look and he shook his head lightly at her as Charlotte, her face bright red, coughed loudly before sneezing.

“If Ren dies…”

She trailed off as tears slipped down her cheeks.

“He’s not going to die.” Mel said soothingly. She rested her hand against Charlotte’s forehead. “Honey, you’re burning up. You need to go home and get some rest.”

“It’s just a cold.” Charlotte snapped. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Charlotte – “

Mel stopped as a surgeon came into the waiting room. He pulled his cap from his head and smiled at Vince. “Officer Shallen?”

“Yes, how is he?” Vince asked anxiously as the three of them stood.

“He’s fine. He made it through the surgery. There was quite a bit of damage done to the muscles and the bullet cracked his femur but considering the amount of blood loss, he was quite lucky. We gave him blood transfusions and repaired the damage to the muscles and the nerves. He should recover quite nicely with time.”

“That’s wonderful. Thank you so much.” Vince said with relief.

The surgeon nodded as Charlotte approached him. “Can I see him?”

“Who are you?” The surgeon asked.

“I’m his girlfriend.”

“Oh. Yes, you can see him but you’ll have to wait a bit longer. He’s still in recovery but as soon as he’s transferred to the ICU, you can visit with him. He won’t likely wake until tomorrow though, we’ll be giving him quite a bit of pain relief and it’ll keep him knocked out.”

“I don’t care. I want to see him.” Charlotte said firmly.

“Right. Well, I’ll send a nurse out once he’s in the ICU.” The surgeon shook Vince’s hand and then Charlotte’s before leaving the waiting room.

“Charlotte, maybe you should go home and get some rest. If Ren’s not going to wake up tonight, then – “

“No.” Charlotte said immediately. “I’m not leaving, Mel.”

“Alright.” Mel smiled at her. “At least come to the cafeteria with me and get something to eat.”

She took Charlotte’s arm and tugged her toward the elevator.

* * *

 

He drifted in the dark, his thoughts bleary and his leg throbbing dully. He shifted and groaned hoarsely as pain shot through his thigh. A soft hand rested on his forehead and joy flooded through him when he heard her quiet voice.

“You’re okay, honey. Try not to move.”

He wanted to speak but the dark wouldn’t let him. His eyelids were incredibly heavy and his entire body felt weak and disconnected from his brain. Her hand slipped into his and he felt her warm lips press against his ear.

“Can you squeeze my hand, honey?”

He squeezed tightly and after a moment she spoke again, “Just try once, Ren. Please, honey.”

Frowning, he squeezed again and she made a soft sound of relief. “That’s good, love. Go back to sleep now.”

* * *

 

“Happy to be home?” Vince asked as he pushed the wheelchair out of the elevator and down the hallway toward Ren’s apartment.

“Yes. I’d be happier if I wasn’t in a wheelchair like a damn invalid.” Ren sighed.

Vince grinned. “You can use the crutches around the apartment, but it’s better to have the wheelchair for longer trips. At least for a while longer.”

“Yeah.” Ren sighed again as Vince opened the door to his apartment and pushed him down the hallway toward his bedroom.

“Hey, at least you don’t have any stairs to climb.” Vince said cheerfully.

He pushed Ren up to the bed and helped him lie back. “How do you feel?”

“Okay.” Ren gritted out.

Vince rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure you do.”

He disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a glass of water before handing him some pills. “Take these.”

Ren swallowed the pills and collapsed against the pillow as Vince covered him with a blanket. “Get some sleep, okay?”

Ren nodded and Vince patted his shoulder before leaving the bedroom. Ren stared at the ceiling. He had spent five days in the hospital and he was ridiculously happy to be back in his own place. He pulled his phone from his pocket, wincing as pain threaded through his leg, and checked his text messages. There was nothing and he sighed before tossing his cell onto the bedside table.

When he had woken after nearly two days in a drug-induced haze, Vince had been sitting next to his bed.

“Charlotte?” Ren had rasped out. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine.” Vince had replied immediately. “Well, she had a really bad cold, but other than that, she’s perfectly fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. She’s just fine.” Vine had said firmly. “I promise you, Ren.”

He had spent the next three days hoping that she would show up but she hadn’t. He had refrained from asking Vince and Mel about her, resigning himself to the fact that Charlotte still didn’t want anything to do with him, and had waited impatiently to be released. He wondered if the memory of Charlotte telling him to squeeze her hand had been nothing more than a drug-fueled fantasy. As the days passed and she didn’t appear at the hospital, he had convinced himself it was.

He sighed again and closed his eyes. The drugs were doing their job, dulling the pain in his leg and making him sleepy, and he drifted.

* * *

 

He woke a few hours later, his bladder throbbing, and sat up. He rubbed his hand across his forehead and looked for his crutches. Vince had left them propped up against the far wall and there was no way in hell he could reach them.

He cleared his throat and called loudly. “Vince? Hey, Vince, can you come here for a minute?”

He blinked in surprise when the bedroom door opened and Charlotte walked into the room.

“What’s wrong? Her voice was husky with her cold and her nose was red. She coughed into the crook of her arm before wiping her nose with a tissue.

He stared blankly at her and she hurried to the side of the bed and rested her hand on his good leg. “Ren? Are you okay? Is your leg hurting?”

“No, I have to pee.” He said stupidly.

She nodded. “Do you want the crutches or the wheelchair?”

“Crutches.”

“Okay. Let’s get you sitting up on the side of the bed first.” She helped him swing his legs over the side of the bed, frowning when he winced, and gave him an anxious look. “Are you alright?”

“Yes.” He cleared his throat again. “Charlotte, what – what are you doing here?”

She smiled at him. “Vince had to leave.”

She reached for the crutches and hesitated before reaching into her pocket. “Hold on.” She pulled out a small bottle of hand sanitizer and quickly doused her hands in it. “The last thing you need is my cold.”

She brought the crutches to him and helped him stand, grunting a little with the effort, and gave him another anxious look as she slipped the crutches under his arms. “Okay?”

“Yeah.” He moved awkwardly to the bathroom and she followed him into the small room. He gave her an embarrassed look that she didn’t seem to notice as she reached for the waistband of his track pants.

“Uh, I can do it.” He said hurriedly.

“Right, of course.” Her face flushed and she stepped out of the room.

When he was finished, he crutched back out into his bedroom. Charlotte was standing right outside the bathroom door and she followed him closely. He sat on the bed with a harsh grunt and she placed the crutches against the wall before helping him ease his leg on to the bed.

She propped some pillows behind him and he reclined with a soft sigh as she patted his good leg. “I’ve made some stew. Do you think you could eat some?”

“Yes.” He searched her face as she smiled again at him.

“I’ll be right back.”

She returned five minutes later, carrying a tray with two bowls of stew and glasses of water. She gave him a bowl, placing a glass of water on the bedside, before climbing on to the bed beside him. She spooned some stew into her mouth before frowning at him.

“You’re not eating.”

He quickly took a bite of the stew. It was delicious and his stomach growled in response. After five days of hospital food, the stew was like a little piece of heaven.

“It tastes delicious.” He smiled at her.

“Does it? I can’t taste a thing.” She gave him a rueful smile before coughing lightly.

“Have you been to the doctor?” He asked worriedly.

She shook her head. “It’s just a cold, Ren. I’m already feeling better than I did.”

They finished eating in silence and she took his empty bowl and set it on the floor beside the bed. She clasped her hands around her knees and studied him carefully. “Tired?”

“A little.”

“You should probably lie down again. You need your rest.” She said firmly.

She started to slide off the bed and he grabbed her hand. “Charlotte?”

“Yes?” She smiled at him.

“What are you doing here?”

“I told you – Vince couldn’t stay.”

“Why are you helping me?”

She frowned at him. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because you hate me? Because I lied to you and tried to keep you at the cabin until you fell in love with me?”

“That was pretty stupid of you.” She replied.

“I know and I’m sorry.” He said earnestly.

“I know you are.” She answered softly. “And I don’t hate you.”

“You do, and you should. I’ve been a real asshole.”

She scooted forward and stroked his chest with her warm hand. He shuddered under her touch and when she started to move back, he put his arm around her waist and pressed her body against his. He had missed her terribly the last month and he couldn’t resist touching her.

“When Vince told me what was going on, I nearly lost it.” He confessed in a hoarse voice. “I was, well, I was freaking out and if it hadn’t been for Vince I would have went charging into the salon like a bull in a china shop and gotten you killed.”

She made a soft, soothing noise and he rested his chin against the top of her head. “I was terrified Gareth was going to kill you.”

She wrapped her arm around his waist. “I was terrified he was going to kill you.”

She tilted her head to look up at him. “I’ve been going to the gun range like you suggested. I didn’t want to – I hated it at first – but I’m so glad I kept going. If I hadn’t, you’d be dead.”

She blinked back the tears as he stroked her back. “It’s over now.”

“Yeah.” She sighed.

“Were you at the hospital?” He asked hesitantly.

She nodded. “Yes, the day you were shot I stayed with you. But my cold was getting worse and I was afraid that I would give it to you so I stayed away.”

“Thank you for staying with me today. I know with everything I’ve done to you, that it’s the last thing you want to do.”

She sat up and frowned at him. “Ren, it’s been killing me to stay away from you. I’ve been worried sick about you, and driving Vince and Mel crazy with my texts and phone calls to see how you are.”

She shook her head. “I probably shouldn’t be here now, if I give you my cold I’ll feel terrible, but I couldn’t stand being away from you for any longer.”

He blinked in surprise. “Charlotte, why would you – you hate me.”

“I don’t.” She gave him a puzzled look. “I love you.”

His pulse sped up and he stared wide-eyed at her. “What?”

“I said I love you. Don’t you remember after you were shot? I told you not to leave me and that I loved you?”

He shook his head. “I don’t remember that.”

She blew her breath out in a relieved rush. “Oh thank God. I mean, not thank God you don’t remember, but you were acting so weird when you saw me and I thought maybe you didn’t love me anymore and – “

“I will always love you.” He interrupted. “Always, Charlotte.”

She smiled happily at him. “I love you too, Ren. I’m sorry that it took you nearly dying for me to realize it. I mean, I think I already knew that I loved you but I was a fool. It’s just that,” she hesitated and gave him an earnest look, “I had so much guilt over loving you, over wanting you, that I kept telling myself you didn’t mean anything to me. But when Gareth shot you, when you nearly died, I couldn’t deny it any longer. I love you, Ren.”

He swallowed thickly. “I love you too.”

He bent his head to kiss her and she shook her head. “Better not. I’ll give you my cold.”

“I don’t care.” He growled. He took her mouth with his, kissing her deeply as he held her head steady with one large hand.

“I’ve missed you.” He breathed against her lips.

“I’ve missed you too. I’m sorry I was such an idiot.”

“You weren’t.”

“I was.” She sighed again before pressing her mouth against his.

They kissed hungrily and he cupped her breast, running his thumb against her nipple, as she moaned softly.

“Let me show you how much I missed you.” He murmured.

She grinned and scooted away. “Not a chance, Ren. You need to heal and I’m not risking you tearing open stitches or reinjuring your leg because we’re having sex.”

“I’m willing to risk it.” He replied.

“I’m not.” She said firmly. “No sex for at least a couple of weeks.”

He groaned loudly and she patted his chest gently. “Don’t worry, we’ll more than make up for it once you’re healed.”

He laughed and hugged her tightly. “Promise?”

“Yes.” She gave him an impish grin. “I might even give your neighbours an earful by screaming about what a stud you are.”

He laughed again. “I love you, Charlotte.”

“I love you too.”

END

 

Please enjoy a sample chapter of Elizabeth Kelly’s latest novel:

 

WILLOW AND THE WOLF

(SHIFTER SERIES BOOK ONE)

 

By Elizabeth Kelly

 

* * * *

 

Copyright 2015 Elizabeth Kelly