In Harm's Way (Heroes of Quantico Series, Book 3) (42 page)

He didn't need to stay.

But he couldn't go home, either. Not until he heard her speak.
He needed to assure himself she was back-and lucid-before
the last knots of tension in his shoulders would ease enough to
allow sleep.

"Nick?"

At the whispered summons, his hand jerked and he almost
spilled the coffee. Grasping the cup with both hands to steady
it, he skirted the foot of the bed and moved beside her in two
long strides, noting in relief that her eyes were clear.

"Hey there" He dredged up a shaky smile. "I was beginning
to think you were going to sleep around the clock"

"What happened to your eye?" She tried to lift her hand to touch
his bruised and swollen skin, but it was buried under a blanket.

He pressed it back into place with a firm but gentle touch.
"You're hooked up to industrial-strength IVs. Don't try to move
much. Lie still and rest:"

"If I promise to be good, will you tell me what happened to
your eye?"

Her voice was raw and raspy, but at the teasing light in her
gold-flecked irises, his grin came more easily. "You're in no position to bargain, you know. I could always call the nurse if you
don't cooperate"

"If you do, see if she can find my glasses, would you? Everything is fuzzy."

"I'm afraid they're in an evidence bag"

"There's a spare pair in a case on my piano" She gave him a
hopeful look.

"I'll see what I can do:"

"Thanks. Back to your eye. Did you put ice on it?"

She'd almost died, and she was worried about his eye. He
swallowed past the lump in this throat. "Yes, ma'am, I did:"

"What happened to it?"

"I forgot to duck:"

"Not a good enough answer:"

"I'll expand on it later."

To his relief, she dropped the subject and moved on to more
important things.

"Nick ... when Rebecca was here earlier ... she did say Megan
was okay, didn't she?"

Setting his coffee cup on the bedside stand, he reached under
the blanket to take her hand again in a loose, reassuring clasp. This
time her fingers curled around his, warm and responsive, though
he could feel the blisters and swelling on a couple of them.

"Yes. Megan is fine and sound asleep as we speak in a hotel
room with Rebecca, Colin, and Bridget"

"So the woman who abducted me ... she was Megan's kidnapper?"

"Yes" Nick eased onto the bed beside her and brushed some
strands of hair back from her face. "How much to you remember
about what happened, Rachel?" he asked gently.

A frown creased her brow, and he detected an immediate
change in her respiration. "Pretty much everything, I think. Mostly,
though, I remember being cold. And praying you'd find me before
it was too late. I'm assuming the kidnapper saw the media coverage
about my so-called psychic abilities and got spooked:"

"That's our assumption. You were a threat she was determined
to eliminate"

Tears welled in Rachel's eyes. One spilled out to trickle down
her cheek, and Nick brushed it away with his free hand.

"Sorry" She tried to smile. "I'm not usually the weepy type"

"You're entitled today, after all you've been through"

"When I think how close she came to succeeding. . " A shudder rippled through her, and she tightened her grip on Nick's
hand. "The worst part was feeling so helpless"

"You were hurt, and she had a weapon. You did everything you
could to help yourself. We found your gloves. And the rock you
used to work on the hinge:" He stroked her hand with his thumb,
then skimmed a finger over the discolored skin on her neck.
"You fought back too, if these bruises are any indication"

Rachel closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "Just
b-before we got to the shed, a deer ran out of the woods. She
was distracted, and I figured that was my last chance to escape.
I pushed her. When she fell and dropped the gun, I tried to get
to it, but I had handcuffs on and I ... I couldn't do it" She swallowed and opened her eyes. "She wasn't lucid, Nick. Her mind
wasn't ... normal. Do you know anything about her?"

"Some:" He gave her the highlights, keeping his recap as brief
as possible.

"How sad;' Rachel murmured after he finished. "She's obviously a very disturbed woman. I feel sorry for her, in a way."

Since he was the professed Christian, Nick knew he should be
the one offering understanding and forgiveness. But he wasn't
there yet. Not even close. The terror he'd felt when he'd thought
he might lose the special woman now clinging to his hand was
too fresh.

"She'll get professional help, Rachel. I'm more worried about
you.

She glanced at the monitors surrounding her bed. "I'm a little
afraid to ask about my prognosis, considering half of the hospital's equipment seems to be parked in my room"

"It's a good one. The hypothermia's almost gone, your frostbite
shouldn't leave any permanent damage, and your concussion
hasn't caused any serious problems. The doctor said you can go home tomorrow:' He checked his watch. "Sorry. Make that
today."

"What time is it?"

"Getting close to four o'clock."

"In the morning?" Her eyes widened.

"Yes:"

"Go home, Nick. Get some sleep:"

"I will. Later"

"Now:"

One side of his mouth hitched up. "You must be feeling better. You're getting bossy"

"Only because I care about you. A lot" She shifted her hand
to entwine her fingers with his.

The soft, candid comment took him off guard. As did the
tenderness in her eyes.

"And I can't leave for the very same reason." His words came
out husky. Leaning over, he brushed his lips across her forehead.
Might as well put all his cards on the table.

At the touch of his lips against her skin, Rachel closed her
eyes, smiled, and sighed. "I never thought I'd find anyone like
you, she murmured.

"I feel the same way."

"Do you know what one of my biggest regrets was, right before
I lost consciousness?" Her gaze locked on his as she whispered
the question.

"What?"

"That we'd never have the chance to see where our relationship might lead"

"Well, you can put that fear to rest" He cupped her delicate jaw
with his hand and rested his fingers against her cheek. "Because
as soon as you're out of this place, I intend to make that investigation my top priority. And I'm a very thorough investigator"
He grinned and winked. "Just ask my boss"

Four and a half hours later, after a sound sleep not even a
gurney ride could disturb, Rachel awoke in a different room
with a new cast of characters clustered around her bed. Of the
group, she'd met only Rebecca, but she recognized the others
from the photos her sister had shared with her on her first trip
to St. Louis. The tall man with the silver-flecked dark hair and
pleasant face was Colin; the flaxen-haired toddler on his hip,
finger in mouth, was Bridget; and the brown-haired baby nestled
in Rebecca's arms had to be the little lady whose kidnapping had
started the whole incredible chain of events.

"Welcome back:" Rebecca smiled at her. "I thought it was
time you met your family."

My family.

The words resonated sweetly in Rachel's heart.

"Hi, Rachel. I've already heard a lot about you" Colin smiled
and bounced Bridget on his hip. "Say hi to your aunt Rachel,
Bridget"

The child buried her head in Colin's shoulder but peeked out
to give Rachel a shy smile.

"And this is Megan:" Rebecca said the name softly and moved
closer. "Colin, would you crank up the bed so Rachel can hold
her?"

As he searched for the correct button, Rachel pulled her arms
out from under the blanket, eager to gather the infant close despite the throbbing in her fingers. But she retracted her hands
in dismay when she caught sight of them. Clear blisters had
appeared on several fingers, the skin around them swollen and
red. She had the same throbbing sensation in her toes, and she
suspected they looked no better.

"Oh, Rachel ... do they hurt much?" Rebecca hovered over
her, lines of concern etching her features.

"A little. But I'd still like to hold my niece:"

The bed settled into position and Colin helped Rachel adjust
the pillows with his free hand. Then Rebecca placed the sleeping baby on Rachel's lap, avoiding the IV line that remained in
her left arm.

"She's perfect:" Awed, Rachel examined the peaceful features
of the sleeping infant.

"Wait until you see her real hair color. I'm going to wash that
dye out as fast as I can" Rebecca perched on the edge of the
bed beside her as she fingered Megan's locks. "Rach..:" At the
sudden uncertainty in her sister's voice, Rachel transferred her
attention from the child in her arms to her twin. "Mom and I
had a long talk this morning. And I think we'll be having more
long talks in the coming days. But I do know she deeply regrets
her decision to keep my adoption-and your existence-a secret. She'd like to meet you, when you're feeling better. Would
you consider it?"

Rachel thought about the request. It was hard not to resent
the woman who'd consigned her to a solitary existence for so
many years. Who'd deprived her of the family connections she'd
always yearned for. She and Rebecca had missed so much. But
forgiveness was part of being a Christian. She'd learned that
much already, from the two services she'd attended. If she wanted
to embrace that faith-and during her cold, dark entombment
she'd decided she did-forgiveness would have to be part of
her life. This was as good a time as any to start practicing it.
Besides, with God's grace, she and Rebecca would have many
more years to make up for the time they'd lost.

"Yes"

Moisture welled in Rebecca's eyes, and she swiped at them
with a sheepish smile. "I'm such a sap for happy endings:"

Rachel smiled through her own tears. "Me too. Must run in
the family"

As Colin lifted Megan back into his arms and Rachel fished
a tissue out of the box on the bed beside her, a slight rustle at
the door caught her attention. A huge basket of colorful flowers floated in. Once it cleared the narrow entry corridor, Nick
leaned around the mini garden and smiled.

The curve of his lips flattened, however, when he saw her
tears, and he came to an abrupt halt. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Rachel assured him. "These are happy tears"

The sudden stiffness in his shoulders eased.

"Where in the world did you get those at this hour of the
morning?" Rebecca gestured toward the basket.

"I have a few connections. Mark picked them up for me on
his way here to drop off my car. I happen to know a special lady
who likes fresh flowers' He gave Rachel a tender smile and set
the basket on a cabinet near the foot of the bed. "He brought
these too:" He passed Rachel's glasses to Rebecca, who handed
them to her sister.

She put them on and gave the flowers an appreciative scan.
"Wow! They're beautiful, Nick. Thank you"

"You're welcome" His words were like a caress, and for a long
moment his gaze held hers. Then he cleared his throat and shoved
his hands into his pockets. "Listen, I didn't know you had visitors.
I can come back later. I need to clean up and shave anyway."

"You look fine. And we're not visitors. We're family," Rebecca
told him.

He hesitated and glanced at Rachel.

She smiled and held out her hand. "Please stay, Nick"

Rebecca looked back and forth between them. "Colin, I think
our two little stinkpots are overdue for a diaper change. Let's
duck into the waiting room for a minute"

Without giving either Nick or Rachel a chance to protest,
Rachel's newfound family disappeared through the door.

"I feel like I chased them away." An unrepentant Nick drew
close and cradled her blistered hand in his.

"They'll be back" She lifted her free hand and touched the
swollen, discolored skin above his eye. "We're quite a pair, aren't
we? No beauty contests for us anytime soon:"

"The good news is, we'll both heal:" He sat beside her and
brushed his fingers across her cheek. `And we have so much
to be grateful for."

I know'

Smiling, he leaned close, until his face was mere inches from
hers. "Remind me to thank Rebecca for her impeccable timing"

And then he lowered his head to claim her lips in a sweet,
gentle, exploratory kiss that spoke of hope and promise and new
beginnings. A kiss that offered a tantalizing taste of a future
filled with love and tenderness and sharing.

As Rachel lost herself in Nick's embrace, her heart overflowed
with joy. A few short weeks ago, she'd been alone in the world.
Now, thanks to a chance encounter with a tattered Raggedy
Ann doll, she had a sister. A family. A man to cherish. And the
seeds of a faith she knew would grow and flourish and nurture
her through all the days of her life.

Except Rachel chose to believe her rendezvous with the doll
hadn't been just a chance encounter. Once, long ago, she'd read
a quote that now replayed in her mind: a coincidence is a small
miracle in which God chooses to remain anonymous.