Page 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Seven days later

Drake

Because I was a stubborn bastard, I’d insisted on being present at Shae’s cardiologist visit. Technically, I still hadn’t been discharged because taking a bullet to the chest was apparently a big deal, so because Dr. Brown wanted to perform stress tests—which I hated the sound of—he was actually happy to see Shae here at Grady Memorial rather than at his own clinic. I was being very growly because Shae was pushing me in a goddam wheelchair, and he’d stayed the last two nights at Pink’s so he could see Tammy. I’d missed him like crazy and I think all the nurses were very relieved when he came back.

I waited and watched while Shae got on the treadmill, and bullet wound or not, if he showed any sign of even mild discomfort I would be out of this fucking chair and would turn the machine off myself. I glanced up as Diesel let himself in and sat down. He’d driven Shae back this morning, but he’d left again to see Moira and Albert to report on my progress and generally check they were okay.

“She’s baking, and I’m guessing you two might need another house just for all the storage. She’s given me a shit-ton of stuff to take home, and Jay says he’s put on twenty pounds.”

I chuckled, then hissed as the movement pulled at my scar. I was still three days away from taking the stitches out, or staples I guessed.

“He looks good.”

I grinned. Shae looked very good. He was running with a smile and getting up to a speed where he was starting to blur.

“You recovered from that tech hitting on him?” Diesel asked, trying not to laugh.

I grunted, remembering the tech that visited Shae and me yesterday, and my immediate jealousy. Shae was mine, and I didn’t like the tech who came to prepare him for the tests he would have today. Diesel arrived just as I was about to bodily throw her out. Turned out to my chagrin and Diesel’s obvious delight at my subsequent apology that Masie was married and deeply in love with her wife. She was just very demonstrative and touched people all the time. Maybe I should ask Danny if he could get Shae a personal forcefield or something. Fuck, I might just put a sold sticker on his forehead. “How’re the new hires working out?”

One of the times Diesel had visited, he’d brought a ton of resumes with him. He’d gotten a second contract via the Marshals’ Service and he wanted my input. It was a first for us both, but then I’d spent so much time travelling, I had little time for training new recruits. I knew Diesel and I had to talk. No time like the present, I guessed.

“I’m gonna cut back,” I continued. “On jobs, that is. No long contracts.” I winced. What I actually wanted to say was no contracts at all.

I caught the smirk before Diesel straightened his face and I grunted. “Okay,” he said. “But you’re fine with, say, a month-long contract? That isn’t long. Not like the four-month one you had last time.”

“I can still shoot you, you know,” I replied in disgust, and he put his head back and laughed so loud and for so long, Shae noticed. It wasn’t that fucking funny.

He grinned. “Why did you think I’m choosing the new guys?”

“The new contract through the marshals.” I pointed out, still smarting a little.

He sighed. “I’m selecting them for field work. I want you to be our close combat specialist trainer. Gray is going to do the same, but weapons. I’m going to need you for maybe a full week, initially, but then you can make your own program and train around them having jobs.”

I opened my mouth to argue for some stupid fucking reason, but then I processed what he was saying, and begrudgingly, I smiled. I wanted to keep in shape and be sharp, skills-wise, for as long as possible, but I wanted to wake up with Shae wrapped around me, not alone in some hotel room. I wanted to see to Tammy while Shae went to the rescue. I wanted Sunday dinners with Albert and Moira, and barbecues with the team. I wanted to go down to Tampa for Thanksgiving and not worry about being pulled away for some job. I swallowed down my tight throat. I wanted to be with my family.

Shae was an absolute gift. I wasn’t stupid. I knew problems might crop up with my age, but then when I was in my twenties, I’d spent months in combat zones, and I was so lucky to come home when many hadn’t.

You never knew what the next day would bring.

“Sounds fine to me,” I agreed quietly and glanced at Diesel. “Thank you,” I said, and meant it for a bunch of other things as well. He stood and slapped me on the back a little too forcefully. Then with a wave at Shae, he left.

Shae’s treadmill was slowing, and I could hear the tech telling him to shake his arms out and breathe as it slowed.

It was the final test before Dr. Brown saw him, and despite Shae looking relaxed, I could see the tension lines around his mouth and knew the smiles were a little forced. He got off and was offered a shower. I knew he’d accept, but I grabbed his hand and yanked him down over my lap, ignoring the twinge in my chest.

“Drake,” Shae squirmed. Fuck, I was so hard. He made me so hard, even though I couldn’t do anything yet, and the moment he sat on me, I knew he’d felt it as his eyes widened. I took his mouth. I didn’t care about the technicians or the nurses. All I felt was Shae.

I heard a giggle from Masie. “Maybe we needed to do a stress test of a different variety?”

Then I heard a snort and knew who it was. Nurse fucking Harwood, who ruled the team downstairs. She had very differing opinions than mine on what I could or could not do. What I could or could not eat. When I should sleep. And when Jay visited me with a bottle of Planteray Single Cask Jamaica 2017, she thought because I took a bullet, it would stop me having a couple of fingers’ worth.

She was wrong.

But she’d made me suffer for it ever since.

I narrowed my eyes at her. She didn’t work up here, so her intimidation tactics didn’t work. She sent me a challenging look back but then left.

“She’s so sweet.” Shae’s eyes followed her.

Sweet? The fuck?

Then Dr. Brown came in and asked for everyone to leave the room. I frowned and glanced at Shae, but he grinned. Doc Brown shrugged his shoulders. “You said you have something for my eyes only?”

And I hissed in a breath. We had no idea how Shae could walk through walls. He’d blurred running on the specially adapted treadmill but he hadn’t vanished which was smart in front of witnesses. I had no idea he’d decided to trust the doc.

“What’s on your office desk right now I won’t find anywhere else?”

Doc Brown studied Shae, but all he said was, “A picture of my wife and daughter.”

I blinked and Shae was standing there holding it.

Doc Brown gaped. “I—you were so fast I didn’t even see the door open and close.”

“Because it didn’t,” Shae said. “The bullet hit Drake because I was going so fast it passed through me but didn’t even make a hole, or do any damage. How is that even possible?”

The doc reached out for a chair and sank into it as if his legs weren’t supporting him. not that I blamed him.

“This is confidential,” I cautioned, and both Shae and the doc sent me a disapproving look.

He leaned back in his chair and I could tell the doc was thinking. “I did a lot of research on enhanced when I became your cardiologist, but both the problem and the fascination is that each of you are vastly different, and as far as I am aware there aren’t any other enhanced with your ability. Many with your regenerative powers but even in that you are unusual. You heal by using your power which is definitely evolutionary, certainly for you.”

“He paused. “So this is completely theoretical even by scientific standards.” He gazed at us both and we nodded. “According to the theory of relativity only massless particles—like photons or light particles—can travel at the speed of light. The massless particles can therefore pass through solid objects. It’s why light can pass through glass for example.” He chuckled and waved a hand. “I’m no physicist, but if you’re reaching that speed then I would guess that’s the explanation, on a very unscientific rudimentary level,” he added.

“You mean I become massless?” Shae asked.

Doc Brown looked at us both. “You have two choices. You can submit yourself for scientific research or you can go home and enjoy your life.” He stood. “Pretty sure I know which you’ll choose.” I grinned. “Come on,” the Doc said and stood. “Let’s go look at your other results.”

I could see the immediate change in Shae, the worry, even with what he’d just demonstrated and I was desperate to soothe him. Shae took hold of the chair and steered me to Dr. Brown’s office. He parked me next to another chair, and I grabbed Shae’s hand before he got any idea we weren’t in this together.

Dr. Brown was looking at slides on the wall. A little like x-rays, but I knew they weren’t. He turned and smiled. “Firstly, I told you I normally take time to analyze the data from these sorts of tests, so I haven’t had time to do anything other than gather a first impression.”

“Which is?” I asked, because I’d felt Shae almost shrink at my side, expecting bad news.

He met Shae’s eyes, and went to sit down. “The repairs to the scarring on your heart are nothing short of exceptional.” Shae’s fingers tightened around my hand. “I’ve never seen this sort of recovery in all my years as a cardiologist.” Dr. Brown leaned back in his chair. “Your body is healing itself in real time.”

Shae leaned into me and deflated like a cushion. I knew he was stressed, but hadn’t realized how much until he let it go. He glanced at me and then back at the doctor. “So, you think my ability is evolving?” he grinned. The nurse was in the room and hadn’t just witnessed what we had.

Dr. Brown smiled indulgently. “I think that’s a safe bet, yes.”

“And that’s how I was able to lift Drake? To carry him?”

He paused. “No, that’s a hormone called epinephrine, which you would know as adrenaline. Have you ever heard of the fight-or-flight response?”

I grunted because, of course I had even if Shae hadn’t. Everyone reacted differently to combat situations.

“As far as I am aware, there’s no truth to the tales of moms suddenly being able to lift a car their child was trapped beneath, and the strength tests we performed today simply tested how your body is recovering.” He leaned forward. “But frankly, we have no idea what the enhanced are truly capable of. But,” he stressed, “while that’s completely fascinating, my focus is your heart. I want to study the tests some more, and I would like to see you in three months. I see no reason to restrict your response in an emergency , but no lifting cars.”

I could see he thought that was funny, but if he ever met Vance from the Tampa team, it would probably blow his mind.

I glanced at Shae, who was positively beaming, and I might have fallen in love with him a little more in that moment. Not that I wasn’t all-in anyway with my own personal miracle. And a thought occurred to me.

Maybe…

Maybe it wasn’t about being able to love someone the longest.

Maybe it was about loving someone the best you could every single day you had them.

I was feeling good about everything until my mother arrived.

I was being discharged tomorrow, so maybe security wasn’t as rampant when she sailed in looking like she owned the place. I knew Dad was being booked and, as an ex-cop, would have a miserable time inside before he got the death penalty if they could uncover the tapes from Lee Dunne’s cell. I’d tried to be sympathetic, but the fact that he had attempted to murder my little miracle kind of cancelled that out, even if the bruises I’d gotten as a child never did.

“Drake, you need to do something about these ridiculous charges.”

I was glad Shae had gone to the bathroom, because this conversation had been coming a long-ass time, and he didn’t need to hear it. She wasn’t worried for my dad. I knew that. What she was worried about was her own neck.

“Yeah?” I asked casually, zipping my tote bag. “Which charges specifically? The corruption charges leveled at him by the department, the intimidation of a public official, the attempted murder charge, or the first-degree murder charges that are being investigated? ‘fraid you’re gonna have to be a bit more specific.”

I’d have liked to say I was amused at her fish-face. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she recovered, but I didn’t give her a chance to speak. “I’d have forgiven you for your complete disinterest in me if you’d ever once attempted to interfere with Dad’s punishments. If you’d given me any indication you loved me but were helpless to stop his brand of discipline because you feared for yourself. If you’d done that, I’d have laid him out cold the second I could.” I took a breath. “But you didn’t. At best you were indifferent, at worst you ignored cruelty and abuse. I knew you weren’t ignorant of it, anyway.” He’d often taken his belt out while she was there.

“A lot of boys dream of adventures when they sleep. Fighting bad guys. Slaying dragons. I always dreamed of you getting sick of me and giving me up for foster care, because anything would have been better than being forced to spend another day with you.”

I felt Shae’s fingers curl around mine suddenly, and I clung on. “You’re going to die alone. You’re going to die a bitter, twisted old woman in the same way you lived. Always assuming you don’t go to jail for corruption yourself.”

I saw her irritation morph into fear.

“Whereas I’m going home now to a soon-to-be husband and a daughter that loves me. To a couple that they will know as their grandparents. To a huge family of friends and aunts and uncles. To a life filled with love.” I swallowed, and belatedly realized I’d announced we were getting married and hadn’t actually asked him. I risked a glance and Shae was staring at me with bemusement on his face.

I turned back. “And you’re never going to have that.” I nodded to the door. “Get out before I have you thrown out. Lose my number.”

I fancied I saw a glint of regret in her eyes before she turned, but it was probably my imagination, and from that day on I vowed never to give her another thought.

She left and before I had chance my husband-to-be was kissing me. He drew back way too soon and chuckled. “Was that a proposal?”

I squirmed. Goddam actually squirmed. “A statement of intent. I want to do it properly and shit.”

Shae chuckled. “You’re so romantic.”

A day later, I finally walked through my own front door. We were greeted by Albert, Moira, and Dolly. The team had set up a barbecue for next weekend to celebrate Tammy’s birthday and told me in no uncertain terms that I was to do nothing except turn up.

Tammy and Maxie were coming home tomorrow, and I couldn’t wait.

We sat out back after enjoying an amazing dinner of fall-off-the-bone ribs and all the fixings, and yeah, I’d had a few twinges, but I was the happiest and most content I thought I’d ever been.

Shae came back from the kitchen with some iced tea Moira had made and while I really tried to drink it, I hated that shit, so I settled on water as she wasn’t here to berate me. Shae sat down, lifted his legs, and I grabbed his feet to put them on my lap. I’d have loved to take him to bed and do all sorts of wicked things, but I reckoned I might need a couple more days. For now, I just wanted to sleep with him in my arms, and think about how lucky I was.

“I love you,” I said. He’d said it a million times and while I thought about it all the time, I really had to remember Shae’s enhanced gifts didn’t include telepathy.

He sighed. “Well thank fuck, because you’re stuck with me.”

I grinned, and then I started laughing. Finally, we stood up and went to bed. We had loving to do. To sleep in each other’s arms…

And plant a million daisies so Dolly would never run out of them.