Chapter Fourteen

Scott blinked back sleep and felt surprisingly … refreshed. Alive. Ready to slap on his body armor, holster his K-12, and take on ten battalions of Antousians. Damn! It was as if every cell in his body had been electrified. Sitting up, he lowered the bed rail, glancing around the small hospital room. The lights were low, only the sounds and glow of his bedside monitors filling the semi-darkness. He had no idea what time it was, or how long he'd really been asleep, but the one thing he did know was that he was healed.

Maybe Jared was right about me needing rest. Maybe that's all it really took, he thought with a grin, stepping onto the floor. He took the bed sheet with him, draping it around his naked waist, and began searching for his gear. Poking around inside one of the cabinets, he came up empty-handed. Looking toward the far corner closet, he realized that was probably where they'd hidden his uniform.

A familiar feminine voice stopped him midway in his tracks. "They're not there."

He spun to find Nurse Shelby Tyler glaring at him, one firm hand planted severely on her hip. "You don't really think we'd have left your clothes around, do you?"

He glared right back. "Give 'em over, Tyler. I'm feeling invigorated."

"Uh, yeah!" She looked about the room, as if someone else might explain the facts to him. "That's probably because no less than ten healers visited you in your sleep, Lieutenant." Shelby moved right into his path, blocking his route to the closet. "You don't think our lord just knocked you out for nothing, now do you? I mean, really, Lieutenant. He always has a plan."

Scott turned slowly to face her. "You're telling me that the healers came in here while I was asleep?"

"I'm telling you that the reason you feel so spry and eager to roll is because you've been healed—well, mostly healed—thanks to a special visit from the Most Holy at the urging of our commander." She huffed her way to the closet, and with another huff, revealed it for what it was: totally empty. "That, my dear Lieutenant, is precisely what I'm telling you."

He stared at her, dumbfounded. "So where's my gear?"

"Out of your reach, right where it should be."

"Is that a royal directive?"

"You'd better believe it, sir."

Scott circled her, pulling the sheet about his chest, doing his level best to look seductive and appealing. "But I bet you know where I can find my stuff, huh?"

She wagged a finger at him. "I'm under orders, sir—express orders from the king himself—that you are to rest. Rest! That's the order. No screwing around."

He flashed her a languid smile. "Screwing? I absolutely love screwing."

She folded both arms over her chest, looking wholly unmoved. "Don't even try it, Lieutenant Dillon. I've had plenty of time to study your maneuvers in the past days. You ain't getting past me, buddy. You are here to stay." She gave him a light shove in the chest. "So go! Back into that bed, sir. That's my directive, and I'm going to enforce it."

He rolled his eyes and let the sheet drop, revealing his full naked glory. "Really?"

Shelby clucked her tongue, putting her back to him. "That don't impress me none."

He repeated, "Really?"

"If you want to get your way, sir, you'd best stop trying to work me. Get to what you really want—"

"Out of here."

She cast a single pointed glance over her shoulder, taking in his naked form with a long, slow glide of her eyes. "Well, you just pull that sheet back up and we can start talking."

He obliged, drawing the cool material up to his chest. "Done. So tell me how I can bust free from this lockdown."

Slowly Shelby turned to face him, shaking her head. "I have my orders, sir, from our king and commander, to keep you in that bed. Now, you don't really think I'm going to violate His Highness's directive, do you?"

"You bet I do, Nurse Tyler." Scott took several slow steps toward Shelby. "You know why? Because you like me."

She rolled her gaze over him. "Not that much; with all due respect, sir."

Okay, so none of his strategies were working, but it was evident that Nurse Tyler was pretty much the gatekeeper, as per his commander's orders. It wasn't just about his clothes; it was about finding out the status of current events. He flashed a sexy, imploring smile.

"Tell me, Shelby, where has the chase gone?" he asked in his sultriest, most provocative voice. It always worked on human women while he was seducing them. Unfortunately, Shelby—like all the other Refarians under his command—was totally unimpressed by his physical charms.

"Look, you just get right back on over there." She began shooing him toward the empty, waiting bed. "Go on, now. Into that rack, soldier."

A new strategy was in order, at least, if he had a hope in hell of overriding Jared's orders. So he decided to behave obediently, and walked slowly across the room, trailing the sheet behind him like a regal toga. With a searing look over his shoulder, he addressed Shelby one more time.

"I would think a nurse like you would understand what I'm after."

Once he climbed back onto the bed, she whipped the sheet over him, allowing it to settle atop his body. "You really aren't going to let this go, are you, sir?"

"Never," he said, dropping every manipulative pretense. This whole dance was about Hope and her safety, and when it came to her, the stakes were far too high to joke around. He met Nurse Tyler's serious gaze, imploring her visually, making sure she could read just how real his intentions were.

Shelby raised the railing beside his bed, and at first said nothing, checking the monitors and his readings as she reconnected him. But Scott studied her intently, determined to break through her committed resolve. Finally, she spoke with slow and careful precision.

"Now, if I was a fellow, and found myself making a journey to the wrong spot.…" She stared at the ceiling for a long moment, narrowing her eyes. "Well, you know, I'd just go back to where I'd come from. I mean, it's like getting on a transport you think'll stop in Thearnsk, but it goes to Trajsek. You just get right back on that ship and head back to where you came from."

Scott scowled; it took a moment, but finally he caught the gist of Shelby's words. They hit the mark with sharp alacrity, making him shudder. "He's planning to take Hope into the future. That's what you're saying he's trying to do. You're saying he loves her, and he's going back to where he came from—with her."

"I'm just saying the guy probably wants to get back home; he sure doesn't belong here—thought he had a mission, but it turned out to be void. Now he's gonna want to get back to his own time."

"But he'll try and take Hope with him." It was as if a clawing hand had gripped him around the chest, choking the very breath out of him.

She tilted her head quizzically. "Now, why would he do that?" His nurse really had no idea; of course, why would he expect her to? Just because she knew Jake had arrived from the future—and had now intuited his motives, what he hoped to accomplish—didn't mean she got the full picture.

Scott climbed out of the bed once and for all; he would not lie in a hospital again, not unless he was dead, and then he wouldn't need a nurse. "Because when a man's in love, Nurse Tyler, he'll do anything—anything at all—to make sure he doesn't lose that woman."

Shelby shoved him in the chest with her fingertips, poking him over and over. "Oh, no, no, no, you don't, sir."

"Anything, Shelby," he repeated, blocking her next attempt to corner him. "I'm stronger than I look, and you're not stopping me."

She stuck her chin out, folding both arms over her chest. "Then I'm going with you. You're going to need some help."

"No, what I need is a fellow soldier. And some warm clothes." He hit his comm, calling Anna. "The rest I'll handle on my own."

The wind burned Hope's cheeks; her eyes watered despite the helmet's visor, and it seemed, repeatedly, as if the snowmobile would go right off the roadside trail. She'd adjusted to the rumbling feel of the machine, the way it pulled and gave, never just holding fast to the snow beneath them. Her ears ached from the frigid air blowing over her, and even wearing a parka, gloves, and periodically availing herself of the hand warmers on the back handlebars, she felt frozen through and through. Still, onward they had continued to go, mile after mile.

Pressing her face against Jake's back, she wondered what he planned to do. Was he going to take this tour guide right up the mitres? Was he going to get her inside of the place—whatever it really was—and finally tell her all about her future? And if he traveled back to his own time, what would happen to her? How would she ever make it out of the park on her own? She doubted that he even had a plan at all.

Without warning, the snowmobile slowed, causing her body to pitch against Jake's. She thought he shouted something over the noise and air, but couldn't make out his words.

"What?" she yelled, leaning slightly upward and closer against him. "What did you say?"

The snowmobile sputtered, slowing rapidly, and then came to an abrupt stop. Jake swiveled on the seat, leaning closer to her. "Was just explaining that the guide is stopping us. I told him we wanted to see this overlook." He cut the engine and it silenced immediately.

"Really. And what, pray tell, does he figure a blind girl is doing on a trip like this?" She lifted both eyebrows.

"He doesn't figure." Jake grunted, sliding off the bench. "You stay here, okay? I'll be right back." She heard him trudging away from her, the snow crisp beneath his feet, the sharp give and take of boots and icy substance.

She called after him, "What do you want to see here? Why this lookout?"

The crunching sound of snow under Jake's boots grew closer again as he circled back toward her, and she stared up at his looming form. He placed a strong hand on her shoulder. "This is where we end it, Hope. I'm sorry I dragged you into all of this."

"End it? End it?As in, you dump me here with Tour Guy, and go on your merry way?"

"I can't take you into the backcountry; you know that. Hell, even I know that, no matter how much I want you with me. You're not strong enough, not with your diabetes."

She yanked her helmet off. "And you claim we had a relationship? If you don't know me better than that, then you're making the whole thing up." She scowled up at him, wishing she could discern his features and get a better read on him. It was amazing how much she'd always relied on sight simply to know what was happening, what people were feeling. "I'm not totally blind, not yet. And I have my insulin with me, Jake. I have everything I need: my test strips, my medications, I've got it all." She reached behind her, gesturing at her refrigeration pack.

He cupped her chin with a tender, soft gesture that shocked her to the marrow. "But you've got no way out of here if I manage to get back home."

Tears filled her eyes, and she couldn't begin to understand why. "You haven't told me anything, not a damned thing about how I die, or what happens. You're just going to leave me totally unprotected."

Against her, his hand stiffened; then, he jerked it away. "I'm protecting you now, Hope. This is goodbye."

"Hey, so you guys gonna go check it out or not?" It was the voice of their tour guide. "We've gotta keep moving today; it's a long ride in and out." He stepped closer, appearing beside Jake. "And looks like a storm's starting to build. So step on over there, have a peek, and let's roll some more."

Jake strode away from her, toward the guide. "About this tour," he began, and Hope wondered just how the hell he thought he'd bribe the guide into letting him head off the trail.

Now was the moment. If Jake couldn't convince the guide to let him take off on his own, his plan to return home wasn't worth medshki. The man stared at him dubiously, shaking his head. "I could lose my license, my job; there's just no way, man. Not gonna do it."

Jake reached into his pocket, producing the thick banded roll of bills that he'd saved for this moment. The guide's eyes widened slightly at the sight of so much cash. "So is there really no way, Randy?" Jake held out the roll. "None at all? Or did you just mean maybe there was no way?"

Randy stared at the load of green in his hand. "Dude, if this is a set up. If you're a park ranger.…" He shook his head, still staring at the seductive wad of money.

Jake held up a hand. "I'm not a ranger; I promise you. I'm just a guy who needs to.…" Jake thought for a moment, reaching for a motive; he had to be convincing. "I've always wanted to see Mirror Lake frozen over. It's such a mystical part of the park in the summer, so I really want to check it out, man."

Randy fanned the money against his palm like a card deck. "There's got to be at least a thousand bucks here. Mirror Lake ain't worth that much, not to nobody."

"It is to me." Jake trained his gaze on the young guy, hard and unwavering. "Everybody's got their fetishes."

Randy slipped the roll into his jacket pocket with a smirk. "Well, mister, for a thousand bucks I won't ask any more questions, but know one thing." Randy squinted up into his face, sun-weathered skin crinkling around his eyes. "If you're not back in three hours, I'm reporting the whole thing to the rangers. And it won't be that I got bribed; it'll be that you put a gun to my head."

Three hours from now and Jake would already be back in his own time. And Hope would be … back here in this time with Dillon. He shuddered at the thought, but shook it off.

"That works for me." He slapped Randy on the back, knowing that once he took off, he'd never see the guide again. Or Hope. This whole sojourn back into his memories would be just that—memories. Nothing more than a mist he'd tried to capture in his big, paw-like hands.

He was about to ask Randy to take care of Hope, to get her back into town, when her sexy, sultry voice interrupted their exchange. "You're not leaving without me, are you?"

Jake spun toward her, watching her boldly walk toward them as if she could see perfectly well.

"I'm on the back of that thing." She pointed toward their snowmobile, brushing right past Randy, taking confident steps that would never betray her visual limits. "Otherwise, Tierny, you're not going anywhere, plain and simple."

"Plain and simple," he muttered, watching her, amazed. She'd never backed down from any challenge, so why should this one be any different? Would he take her back with him? Maybe. Could he leave her outside the mitres, alone and in the cold, if he got what he wanted—a journey back to his own time? Never.

It was an insane decision, but the only one he could possibly make: He would take her to the mitres. "Come on, sweetheart." He grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the waiting snowmobile. "Let's head out there together."

She gave his back a light shove, making her point. "No other way. Nobody ever leaves me behind."

And that was exactly his thinking: that he would take her with him and steal her away, away from Scott Dillon before that man could make her his own. Whatever the risks, whatever the stakes, no matter how ruined the future: He would bring her through inter-dimensional space and back to his own time.