Around the World in 80 Men Series: Boxed Set 21-30 (42 page)

*****

“You're
supposed to be sleeping,” Morgan scolded Clay for being awake
before he needed to be, but she couldn't blame him.

“I
couldn't really sleep. Are you still there?” She knew he meant
the animal hospital. Morgan told him that she was across the street
grabbing some lunch and he said he'd meet her there. It wasn't even
five minutes later when he arrived, so Morgan knew he'd already been
on his way when he'd called.

“She's
lucky to have you.” Morgan smiled up at Clay as he pulled out
one of the metal chairs from underneath the table.

“You,
uh, you said she's doing okay?” He pulled his chair in closer
and sat down in a tired heap next to Morgan.

“She's
going to be just fine,” Morgan grabbed his hand. “I know
it.” Clay nodded and sighed loudly. Abby was all he'd had for
the past few years and the thought of something happening to her was
the worst feeling in the world for the man.

“I
never thought...” He gave a half-hearted laugh, one that held
zero humor. “I was working when I got the call. My neighbor
heard a shot in my house and he went over to check, you know...since
what happened and all. That's when he saw her, just laying there by
the back door in a pool of her own blood. He thought she was dead
when he called me.” He looked down at his hands as he spoke. It
was clear that the details were hard to talk about, but it was even
more clear that he needed someone to talk to.

“I'm
so sorry, Clay.”

“I
came home as fast as I could, she was barely breathing, but she was
alive.” Clay closed his eyes as he relived the horror from the
night before. She'd been hanging onto life by a thin string and her
small, muted, whimpers of pain had been one of the hardest things
he'd ever had to hear. It had actually taken a miracle that he got
Abby to the hospital instead of going after the man who'd hurt her,
but somehow, he got himself under control and had managed to drive
her there. It had been raining and each exasperated breath of the
poor dog had made him drive even faster, it had also been a miracle
he hadn't wrecked his car.

It
had been nearly four in the morning when he'd brought Abby into the
animal hospital, but they'd been quick to respond to the emergency.
Just as Morgan had assumed, they were the best in town and had a
reputation of treating the animals with extreme care. Clay had waited
in the lobby until he had received the news that the bullet had been
removed from her chest, then he'd raced back to the casino to take
care of business. All he could think about, as the men talked about
bringing in a hundred more slot machines, was how the bullet had
missed Abby's heart by less than a quarter of an inch. Within twenty
minutes, he'd raced back to the vet clinic, but they hadn't had any
news for Clay, other than a second surgery would be needed. That
news had taken him to the unexpected phone call with Morgan, then her
arrival.

“I...I feel like it's all my fault...” Morgan spoke up
when he was finished recapping the horrific night. She didn't want to
take anything away from Abby's suffering, but a major part of her
sincerely believed she was to be held responsible for what happened.

“Oh,
no, Morgan. You can't possibly think any of this is your fault!”
He stopped staring at his hands and met her eyes.

“If
I hadn't been out there that night...”

“Then
you both would have been dead!” His tone turned to anger and
when he heard himself, he buried his head in his hands, but only
briefly. He lifted his head and met her eyes again. “I'm sorry.
I don't want you taking any blame for this. If you hadn't been taking
her out for a walk that night...” Both of them knew the truth.
The man had been ready to rob Clay's home and he'd had a gun. If
Morgan had been sleeping that night, the man probably would have
killed her and that was an idea Clay couldn't begin to think about.

Morgan
nodded and wiped a tear from her eye. Her lack of sleep was making
her extra emotional. “Did..did they at least catch him?”

“Yes.
They did. Fucking prick.” Clay shook his head that time, then
brought his cup of water to his lips and sucked an ice cube into his
mouth, then crunched it loudly.

“Good.”
She didn't know what else to say. It was a relief he didn't hold her
responsible for the accident, but it didn't make her feel any less
guilty. Maybe the man hadn't been going to Clay's home that
night...if that were the case, he never would have known Abby existed
and she wouldn't be wrapped up in bandages with a bullet hole in her
chest. She wasn't going to think about it though. Abby was
recovering, and at the moment, that's what mattered.

“Thank
you, Morgan. For staying with her. If you want, I'll take you back to
my house and you can get a shower or...” He smiled for the
first time since she'd arrived in Vegas.

“Is
that your way of saying I look awful?” Morgan hid her face
behind her hands, and hid her smile because he knew the truth.

“Yeah.
You look like hell.” Clay smiled too.

“As
true as that may be, I'm not leaving her. You'll have to deal with
all of,” she waved her hand in front of her face as if she were
showing off a display of the Hope Diamond, “ this sexiness for
a while longer.” He bit his bottom lip, trying to stifle a
laugh. “You know I look hot.” He shook his head and sat
back in his chair. “No?”

“No,”
Clay snorted. “Just let me take you back and...”

“She
didn't leave me, Clay. I'm not leaving her.” He nodded, knowing
he wasn't going to convince her of anything. The two of them made
small talk while he scarfed down a burger and the topic of Abby was
avoided for the most part, it was just too heavy of a subject to talk
about without breaking down. They tried to stay positive and hope for
the best.

Clay
had already parked at the vet clinic, so the two of them walked back
across the street together. “There's your girl!” Morgan
pointed to the left side of the building, toward a tall metal fence
that connected to the hospital and extended to a row of trees on the
outskirts of the property. The fence enclosed a large patch of grass
for the dogs to do their business outside, Abby was doing just that.

She
was up on all fours and sniffing for the perfect spot. Her movements
were slow and stiff and it was obvious she was still under the
influence of pain meds, but it was a good sign that she was up and
able to potty on her own. Clay ran inside of the building, then made
it to the side doors that led to the grassy area. He wasn't allowed
outside, as there were more dogs than Abby doing their thing, but he
watched her, and Morgan was relieved to see a small smile on his
face.

When
Abby was brought back inside, she was given more medication, and for
the rest of the afternoon, Clay and Morgan sat in the back room with
Abby. The Vet had told Clay that Abby was more than likely out of the
woods and she should be fine, but she was still in an immense amount
of pain and had to be kept under continued surveillance. Of course,
Clay wasn't allowed to take her home yet, but the doctor's words had
helped him cope with the fact he still had a job to go to.

If
Morgan hadn't been there, he would have dealt with the consequences
of missing a night of conferences and business deals, but Morgan was
there and he didn't feel as guilty, knowing Abby had someone there
with her; especially someone who cared as much as Morgan.

“Thanks
again. I can't believe you came all the way here for her.”
“Not
just her,” Morgan corrected. “Okay, yeah, it was just for
her.” They both laughed quietly, not wanting to wake Abby and
Clay pulled her in for a tight hug before getting to his feet.

“If
you want, I'll pay for you leaving your client.” Even though
she'd gone to Vegas on her own, he felt bad knowing she was missing
out on work. He was relieved though when she quickly explained that
she and Te hadn't been...compatible. She didn't go into details, but
her answer was good enough.

“Since
you showed up for lunch though, I'll let you buy me those raviolis.”
Morgan smiled up at him and wagged a brow.

“You'll
have your ravioli. Morgan, I'm glad you're here.” He bent down
and kissed her cheek, then left. That evening, Morgan sat with Abby
again, only leaving her side when she had to pee or Abby did.

Chapter
Four

Finlay
had sent Burke out with a list that he'd been given by Carla. Of
course, he had also asked his secretary to join his butler in the
shopping spree, and she was all too happy to get out of the office
for a day, with the Campbell's credit card in hand. He had only a
few hours left until he was to pick up Carla and
his
son, and
he was frantically trying to ready two rooms for his new housemates.

His
phone interrupted him as he was pulling a large bed across the room.
He moved it closer to the large windows, thinking that Carla may
enjoy the sunshine during the day, then had changed his mind and
pushed it back against the far wall. The sun may disturb her if she
were trying to rest, and he didn't want that to happen either. The
bed was almost in the exact same spot as it had started when he
pulled his phone out of his front pocket. “Sean.” He
nearly dropped the phone when he pushed the bed the last few inches,
and Sean laughed at his friend's rare frantic moment.

“Mate,
if yer done tearin' the house apart, I'll come by and ride with ye to
the hospital.” Finlay nodded as he sat on the bed to rest.

“Aye,
thanks. Burke's out buyin' things for the wee one, and I'm on my
own. I appreciate it. I do.” Sean could hear the stress and
exhaustion in his friend's voice, and he ended the call after telling
Finlay that he would be there within the hour. Fin dropped his head
and tried not to worry about the life that he'd just handed himself,
because in a short time from then, he knew that he probably wouldn't
have time to worry about it.

Sean
had been the first person that he told, lies and all, and Finlay
already hated himself for not being honest with his best mate. “I'm
sorry.” He dropped his phone back into his shirt pocket, then
moved the bed one last time to the center of the room. “Fook
it.” He'd let Carla decide where she wanted the damn bed, his
nerves had taken all they were going to at the moment.

*****

Morgan
raised her arms over her head to get a good stretch before standing.
Abby was on another outdoor potty break, and it was the first time in
hours that Morgan had a chance to get up and move. She'd spent the
last seventeen hours on the cold floor, her back against the
unforgiving hard wall, and only leaving when Abby had to go out or
endure a check up. “I'll be right back!” Morgan called
out to Abby, and the dog turned and wiggled her tail at the sound of
her voice.

Quick
meals and delayed bathroom breaks had taken their toll on Morgan, but
it was nothing compared to what Abby had gone through, and that's
what kept her by her side for every possible moment that she could.

She
stood slowly, letting the pain ease in her lower half before taking a
step, and stretched her arms once again over her head. “Good
lord!” The stench of her own body hit her, and she laughed at
herself as she waved her hand in front of her face and walked down
the hall to the restroom. She didn't quite get to the door when Clay
stepped right in front of her. “Hey! When did you get here?”
He smiled and took a step back.

“Let's
go.” Clay took her arm and led her through the lobby, and out
to his car. “Go. Go to my house, your hotel, I don't care..
just.. go.” Morgan started to argue, but the smell hit her
again when she raised her arm to point back at the front door to the
office. She wanted to tell Abby that she would be back, but Clay won
the battle when the breeze carried the foul aroma from her body, to
her face.

“Fine.
I'll go. But tell her that I'll be back in an hour.” Clay
nodded, then helped her into the car and shut the door. He waved at
the back of the vehicle as Morgan pulled away, then smiled to himself
before entering the hospital.

“You're
one hell of a woman, Morgan.” He shook his head again as he
turned and walked in.

Morgan
easily navigated through the heavy Vegas traffic, and felt a
surprising thrill at driving again after so many months. If she
didn't smell so bad, and feel so disgusting, she might have been
tempted to take one quick trip around the hotel before parking Clay's
car.