Blake, Abby - Stolen [Altered Destinies 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (4 page)

Pulling Dana’s limp hand into her own, she said quietly, “Did you hear that, Dana? Lexie is safe. Looks like Jason really came through for us.”

Nothing happened. Dana’s bruised and battered body remained still, the only signs of life the mechanical lift and fall of her chest caused by the respirator and the steady sound of the heart monitor.

John stepped up behind her, steadying her faltering balance. Theresa felt the devastation that flowed through them both again, washing away her hope, robbing her of her belief that Dana would pull through. Wrapping Sandra tighter against him, John bent over and lifted his sister against his chest. He turned and carried the exhausted woman from the room.

Theresa dragged in a deep breath.
“Fight, Dana! Please fight.”

Chapter Four

As the helicopter landed and the blades stopped spinning, Jason let Bec lift the infant from his arms. He felt fairly certain his ankle was broken, and he held no wish to endanger the little one with a macho display of stupidity. He’d spent the entire flight trying to shield the child’s ears against the intense noise of the helicopter and worrying about her overall health. He felt pretty certain he’d succeeded in protecting her hearing because about halfway through the flight she’d quieted and fallen into a calm sleep in his arms.

Cody helped him, steadying him as he stepped down onto the concrete. He watched as Sandra and a man he assumed was Dana’s husband, rushed forward and took the sleeping infant from Bec’s arms. He saw Sandra’s expression as she held the baby close, the relief warring with the overwhelming fear for Dana.

She lifted her head, seeking him out.

“Thank you,”
she sent telepathically as she turned and went back into the hospital.

Bec walked back to him, sliding against his other side as she and Cody helped him into the hospital.

“Come on,” she said a little too brightly. “Let’s get you to the emergency department and get this ankle sorted out.”

Several hours later, Jason sat in the emergency department, his left ankle elevated on the seat beside him, a heavy cast holding the broken bones in place. He’d been given pain relievers but was delaying taking them, trying to figure out his next move.

Basically, he had nothing and nowhere to go. He willingly sacrificed everything to save little Lexie and would do it again in a heartbeat, but that still didn’t solve his current problem. He was homeless, broke, and probably in a lot of danger if the rogues caught up with him. He laughed aloud when he realized his incredible lack of foresight. Over the last three years he’d been so focused on finding Alana and Jenna and extracting them from the rogues’ experiments that he hadn’t really given much thought to what he would do once he’d accomplished his goals. He had money in a bank account, but considering that’s probably the first place his ex-employers would watch in an effort to track him down, he probably shouldn’t try to access it.

His ankle throbbed like the devil, and he again considered reaching for the painkillers, but gritted his teeth and tried to come up with a workable solution to his current predicament.

He’d been relieved to hear Dana had survived the initial attack, but as much as he wanted to see his sister for himself, he realized he had no place amongst these people. The only one of them he knew at all was Sandra, and there was no way he would impose his plight on her when she was dealing with so much already. Even Alana, the sister he’d managed to extract from the rogues’ grip, knew him only as the asshole who’d handcuffed her to a bed in a cabin in the middle of nowhere.

“Take the meds,” a woman said as her hand slid onto his shoulder. “Trust me—you’ll heal faster if you aren’t in so much pain.”

Jason smiled as Bec took the seat next to him. He’d been so concerned with his problems he hadn’t even noticed her approach. He placed his hand over hers, slightly annoyed at the relief that washed through him when he realized she was still here at the hospital, that she hadn’t gone back to her life, never to be seen again.

“Ouch, looks painful,” Cody said as he joined them, a cocky smile spread across his features. “So, now what?”

“Good question,” Jason began. “One I don’t seem to have an answer to yet.” He smiled, trying to hide his emotions behind macho bravado and failing miserably.

“Well, it looks to me like you’re going to need a lot of rest while this heals and then intense physical therapy before you can even think about looking for a job or a place to stay.” Cody summed it up neatly, easily verbalizing the fears running through Jason’s head.

“Lucky for you, Bec and I have the perfect place, plenty of room, and heaps of gym equipment.”

Jason looked from one to the other, trying to understand why they would offer to help him. He was a stranger to them both.

“Not a stranger,” Bec said quietly, answering his thoughts. “The man who saved Lexie and Alana and somebody we both have a great deal of respect for.”

Jason’s emotions were playing havoc with his concentration. A part of him wanted to deny their respect, refuse their offer, and wallow in self pity, but another part of him warmed at the praise filling the lonely place in him that had been growing long before he went undercover to save his sisters.

“I’d appreciate the help, but only if I can repay you when I get back on my feet,” he said carefully, unwilling to see himself as a charity case.

“No problems,” Cody answered smiling. “Don’t suppose you can cook?”

Jason nodded, slightly confused by the quick change in subject.

“Excellent,” Cody said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. “After ten months living with Miss Can’t-Boil-Water, having someone to share the cooking duties will be thanks enough. Come on, let’s get you home.”

Bec handed him a small plastic cup of water and took the bottle of pills from him. She shook two into his hand and stood over him as he dutifully swallowed. They both helped him to his feet and then stayed beside him as he awkwardly adjusted to moving with crutches.

* * * *

Several days later, Bec and Jason were sitting on the sofa watching an action movie, pointing out the ridiculousness of some of the stunts and laughing over how the lead characters survived dozens of bullet wounds, but it took only a single shot to take out the henchmen. Bec knew from painful experience that surviving three bullet wounds took far more effort than any of these types of shows ever allowed.

She flexed her left hand, the familiar stiffness irritating the shit out of her. One of the bullets that had hit her over twelve months ago had passed right through her hand, shattering several of the bones. Doctors had pinned everything back together in surgery, but she’d been told that her current movement was about as good as she could expect. The only saving grace had been that she used a gun right-handed, so it hadn’t been enough to put her out of active duty permanently.

“How did you end up working undercover?” Bec asked him quietly, finally giving in to her curiosity.

“After my mother died, I found a journal she’d been keeping. It was mainly research into the death of a couple of her friends. Mom believed they’d both been killed because neither would let the scientists who helped them have their babies, do experiments on them once they were born.”

“The professor?” she asked, already realizing where this story was going.

“Yup, he created me, too, and when Mom realized that her friend’s daughter, Alana, and I shared the same parents, she basically ran and hid me for the rest of her life. I’d just finished my residency when she died, and when I found her research I realized I had a chance to rescue Alana and Jenna.” His reminiscent smile faltered a little. “Well, I didn’t do so well with Jenna.

“But Alana is safe, and so is Lexie,” she said, smiling, hoping to reassure him that he’d gone above and beyond to help his family.

“Visitor for you, Jase,” Cody called as he entered the room. Jason twisted awkwardly on the couch, trying to see over his shoulder. She felt his surprised pleasure when he saw Alana beside Cody.

“Speak of the devil,” Jason said happily as he tried to lever himself off the seat.

“Stay,” Alana ordered, pointing at him as he tried to get to his feet. Moving quickly into the room, she stopped in front of him and bent to place a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “Thank you for saving me and my baby and Lexie.” She hesitated, seeming a little awkward but determined to say what needed to be said. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am, and I wanted you to know I’m really proud to have a brother like you.”

Jason grabbed her hand as she stood in front of him, rubbing his thumb over the puckered scars left by the handcuff he’d used to secure her to a bed eight months ago. Bec knew he’d been forced to hide Alana from the rogues and had been unable to explain to her who he was at the time without blowing his cover. He’d had no choice but to make sure she didn’t try to wander off before he could get someone there to help her.

Alana realized what he was doing, must’ve sensed the anguish that it caused him to see her scarred wrist.

“It’s okay,” she said gently. “If you hadn’t used the handcuffs, I’d probably still be stumbling around in the woods. I say a prayer of thanks every day for what you did for me and my daughter.”

She pulled her wrist from his gentle grip and gave him a quick hug before settling into the armchair beside him.

“How’s Dana?” he asked anxiously. Bec really hoped to hear good news but knew it was unlikely.

“They operated again last night to stop some internal bleeding, but she’s still hanging on,” Alana said, obviously trying to phrase her words carefully. “But the doctors have warned us she still has a very long road ahead of her. She hasn’t been conscious at all since it happened.” Alana’s voice cracked a little, her love and fear for her sister evident.

Bec saw his stricken look, realizing he hadn’t been into the hospital to see Dana, wondering if he felt unwelcome. Her suspicions were confirmed in his next sentence.

“Thank you. I’ve wanted to contact Sandra, but with everything she’s going through I didn’t want to get in the way.”

Beside him, Bec felt the true depth of his anguish, his emotions tangling in her mind, her empathic skills more attuned than ever before. She slipped her hand into his, silently lending him her strength, her support.

“Jason.” Alana hesitated, seeming unsure how to phrase what she wanted to say. “You know you can visit Dana anytime you like, right?”

Jason shook his head, his words anxious and too quick. “I don’t want to get in the way. I may be your biological brother, but I’m not really family.”

Bec’s heart broke for him, realizing just how very alone he must be feeling right now, part of a family but not part of their lives, the outsider looking in. She squeezed his hand harder, ignoring the protest from her damaged fingers.

“Jason,” Alana said, compassion and understanding pouring from her. “You are the reason I have a family. You are my family, and you are Dana’s family, even if you haven’t officially met. Come to the hospital, please. As a family, we need to be together, all of us.”

She stood then, her eyes glassy and her hands shaking a little. “I need to go, but please consider what I said. You have a family. You are not alone. None of us are anymore.”

With a brief smile and a quick hug she was gone.

Cody sauntered into the room with a cocky grin, a telling sign to anyone who knew him as well as Bec did that he was planning something. He perched on the side of the recliner Alana had just vacated and sat smiling at the two people on the sofa.

“So who’s up for a road trip?”

Chapter Five

Between the two of them they managed to ride roughshod over him. Bec and Cody quickly convinced Jason that as a doctor it was his duty to check on Dana. He could make certain the rest of his family understood her condition and ensure that she was getting the best possible care.