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He scowled and crossed his arms in front of him. Damned if he didn’t want to pull the annoying thing out of his mouth just to be contrary.
Then she laughed, a light, amused sound that flowed over him like a healing balm. “You look like an ornery little boy,” she chortled, putting her hand on his forehead.
The beep sounded and she removed the offending thermometer. “High,” she mused. “But I think you’re cooler than you were. I may have to wake you up tonight to give you more medication.”
He frowned as she handed him more juice. The last thing he really wanted was to swallow. His throat felt like it had been worked over with sandpaper.
“Drink it. You need fluids,” she answered as though she already knew what he was thinking.
He eyed her as he sipped the juice, watching the beautiful vixen shake medication from the bottles at the bedside, probably for later dosages. “Anybody ever tell you that you’re a bossy doctor?” he asked dryly, handing the empty glass back to her.
Had anybody ever told her how hot she looked when she was pissed off?
Sitting the cup on the table, she folded her arms in front of her and gave him a chastising look. “Only my non-cooperative patients. If you weren’t so stubborn, you’d think I was the sweetest doctor in existence,” she answered in a pseudo sugary voice.
“Think you’re sweet anyway,” he admitted in a low, husky voice. “What happened to your head?” he questioned, scowling as he noticed a small bruise on her left temple that he hadn’t noticed earlier.
“It’s nothing. A little car accident. I just bumped my head.” She slipped into the bed and pulled the covers over herself. She turned off the light at the bedside, plunging the room into darkness.
He lunged for her, pulling her back against him.Christ, she feels good.He pulled her back against his chest and buried his face in her wild tangle of silky hair. “There is no such thing as a little car accident. What the hell happened? When? Dammit. Nobody called me. Those agents are fucking fired,” he growled, shuddering at the thought that Maddie had been involved in an accident and he hadn’t known.
“You are not going to fire them. They dropped me off here because my car is probably totaled. I told them not to call you because I was on my way here anyway. It’s not a big deal, Sam. I was on my way over and the weather sucks because it’s been raining all day. Another car hydroplaned through a red light and hit me. I’m fine,” she answered, sounding exasperated.
Sam’s heart was beating so fast he couldn’t catch his breath.Fuck!He clutched Maddie tighter, running his hands over her body. “What if you were injured worse than you thought?” he asked, panicked at the thought.
Maddie rolled to face him, putting her arms around his neck. “I wasn’t. I’m fine, Sam. I’m worried about you. You’re sick. Please sleep. They hit on the passenger side and I was just shaken up a little. I’m a doctor. I didn’t hit hard enough to injure anything except my poor vehicle.”
“You need a bigger vehicle, something safer. And newer,” he answered, irritation and fear both present in his voice.
“Sleep,” she insisted, cuddling against him.
Sam was groggy, probably from the medication, but he couldn’t keep the images of Maddie’s car being slammed, with her inside it, from haunting him. What if she had been seriously injured…or worse? Christ! Those images were going to torment him for a while. “Something bad could have happened,” he finally answered gruffly.
“It didn’t,” Maddie said soothingly, placing her head on his shoulder and running her fingers through his hair gently, caressing the back of his head in gentle circles. “Please rest, Sam. I’m worried about you. You obviously have a bad case of the flu and you need to sleep.”
His chest ached, but not from his illness. Her concerned, soft voice comforted him and he closed his eyes tightly, his emotional reaction to her protectiveness intense.
His maniacal concern forhersafety and possessiveness he could handle. But having someone care for him was foreign, and he wasn’t sure how to react to it. “I’m glad you’re here, Sunshine,” he muttered softly, rubbing his face in her hair.
“Call me next time, please,” she requested sleepily.
“Nothing can happen to you, Maddie. I wouldn’t live through it,” he said in a husky voice.
Sam wondered how Max had even survived after losing his wife. The pain must have been excruciating if Max had felt anything like the obsessive need he had for the cuddly, redheaded miracle he held in his arms right now.
“I’m here, Sam,” she whispered.
Thank God!
“You’re marrying me,” he rumbled, his eyes closing, drowsiness taking over his body.
She didn’t answer. She just snuggled closer and sighed.
Sam didn’t let her lack of response bother him. In fact, his lips curled up in a smile. It was progress. At least she hadn’t argued and she hadn’t said no.
With that positive thought in his head, he slept.
Maddie stayed with Sam until he had completely recovered, spending her two days off getting him through the worst of the illness and then going to his house every night after work for the last several days to make sure he was taking care of himself properly. He was by far the worst patient she had ever had, and she had seen her share of horrible ones. Sam Hudson didn’t like weakness of any kind, and obviously that included anything that hampered him physically.