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Holy shit.

Kerrigan could hardly believe her eyes. Cade was here. He was actually here. In her E.R. And he’d been shot by an assassin’s bullet.

“His drowsiness is most likely a combination of meds and blood loss,” Paramedic Dennis Reardon confirmed. “Like I said, he was conscious and alert when we arrived on scene, but the guys who were with him said he was down for a full two minutes.”

“Out like a light.” Cade’s lips curved into a slow, lazy grin. “But I told them…I said, ‘take me to Dr. Rawlins. She’s the…best’.”

Every S the injured man uttered seemed to drag on, as if he were attempting to imitate the sound of a snake. But despite her concern for the man who’d once helped save her life, Kerrigan felt herself fighting a smile as she followed the medics into one of the available exam rooms.

Grabbing a set of disposable gloves from the box mounted on the wall to her right, she countered his claim while helping the two medics transfer Cade from the gurney to the bed.

“You know, you really have no basis for that statement,” she told him. “After all, I’ve never treated you before today.”

“He’s not wrong, though,” Gemma commented freely as she began hooking him up to the appropriate machines. Turning to the patient, she asked with a far too innocent tone, “And I’m sorry…did you say your name was Cade?”

“Cade Ellis, at your service.” The drugged-up man attempted a salute with his uninjured arm.

From her place at the opposite side of the bed, Gemma’s knowing gray gaze shot straight to Kerrigan’s. She locked eyes with her friend, giving a curt shake of her head.

“I want a complete blood work-up,” she ordered, returning her focus back to the job at hand. “I’d also like a head CT, and we need an x-ray of this arm to make sure the bullet or any fragments didn’t cause damage to the bone.”

The additional staff who’d joined them seconds before went straight to work fulfilling their duties while Dennis and Luis took off on another call.

“CT?” Gemma’s dark brows dip low with confusion. “Reardon and Chavez didn’t say anything about him having hit his head.”

“It’s just a precaution.” Kerrigan quickly explained the reason behind the unusual request. “The patient’s speech is more slurred than I would expect for someone who was given the minimum dose of morphine, and he appears to be having trouble keeping his eyes focused.”

“Hey, now.” Cade frowned. “You’d have trouble focusing, too, if you’d been shot in the arm.” His handsome expression softened as it fell back onto her. “I’m really glad you weren’t, though. You should never be…hurt. I’d kill anyone if they…so much as thought…about shooting…you.”

The man’s eyes fell shut as he laid his head back and rested, but everyone else in the room immediately froze. They all turned to her, the curiosity in their eyes more than a little obvious, and suddenly Kerrigan felt like a deer caught in headlights.

Clearing her throat, she played off the sweet but inappropriate comment by telling the nosey bunch, “Mr. Ellis is exhibiting a common side effect from the medication. Let’s stay focused on doing our jobs so he’s ready when radiology sends someone down to get him, okay?”

She could tell they all wanted to say something about the awkward interaction. Especially Gemma, who was currently fighting back a mischievous—and very obvious—grin.

Lucky for Kerrigan, the rest of her team had already resumed their previous tasks, and within minutes, Cade’s ruined dress shirt and undershirt had both been cut free.

Holy Mary Mother of Muscles.

The breath in her lungs threatened to seize at the sight of his impressively sculpted torso being right there on full display. For the first time in her professional history, Kerrigan suddenly found herself fighting to keep her composure.

He’s your patient, Kerr. You’re his doctor. End. Of. Story.

A quick blink brought her back to the mental space she never should have left. Before long, the initial prep work was done and she, Gemma, and Cade were the only ones left in the room.

Kerrigan began studying the wound in Cade’s arm, relieved to find the bullet’s damage to be minimal. “I don’t think anything is broken, but the x-ray will tell us for sure.” She noted the small entrance and exit wounds in the fleshy part of his upper arm. “I’m guessing this was done by a nine-millimeter?”

“Damn, doc. You really are good.” Cade’s words sounded weighted. “How’d you know?”

“This is a trauma one center near the south side of Chicago,” she half-teased. “Unfortunately, we’re all fairly trained in the art of bullet wounds and their correlating ammo.”

A small grin lifted one corner of his mouth, and she refused to wonder what it would be like to kiss him.

“Still. That’s…pretty im…pressive.”

Gemma rolled a metal tray to the side of the bed where Kerrigan was standing. Organized on top of a small, sterile blue drape were a handful of sterile instruments and other supplies needed to properly clean and dress the wound.

“Not as impressive as taking a bullet for another man.” Kerrigan began to gently wipe the blood away, doing her best to cause him as little discomfort as possible. “Luckily, it feels like it will be easy to get out of there. Just need the X-ray to confirm.”

“Ah, this is nothin’.” His unfocused gaze followed every move she made. “A scratch. ’Sides…I was juss doin’ my…job.”

The pain meds sure seemed to be doing theirs, too.

“You mean Delta Team doesn’t just travel the world rescuing helpless medical volunteers?”

The question was meant to be lighthearted, but the look in Cade’s eyes when they rose up to meet hers was almost that of…regret?

“I’m sorry I…haven’t…called.”

Her heart punched the inside of her ribs. With a nervous chuckle, she played it off with a teasing, “Were you supposed to?”

“Should have. After what you went through, I…”

Cade stopped talking, the back of his head sliding against the stark white pillow beneath him when he shifted his attention to Gemma. As if he’d only just realized she was there, he studied her closely before looking back at Kerrigan.

“It’s okay.” She offered her patient a reassuring smile. “This is Gemma Marino. Not only is she the best nurse in Chicago, she’s also my closest friend.”

“So…she knows.”

Kerrigan nodded. “She knows. I was given permission by your team’s handler to talk to her about what happened.”

Both she and Gemma were required to sign non-disclosure agreements so the details of the rescue mission would remain between the two of them. But it afforded her the chance to share one of the most terrifying experiences with her closest friend. Something that had helped more than the so-called therapy that had been offered by the powers that be.

She locked eyes with Cade, and in the literal blink of an eye, she was back there, in that place. Held hostage by those gun-wielding assholes.

Kerrigan could still smell the putrid, sweat-infused building. She could still feel the helplessness she’d experienced when she and her new friends thought they were seconds away from dying.

But then Cade and his team were there, bursting into that building like her very own real-life heroes. And even if she didn’t have an other-worldly-level memory, Kerrigan knew that moment was one she never would have forgotten.

“Ahem.” Gemma cleared her throat with a touch of aggression as she spoke with Cade. “Anyway, yes. Kerri…I mean, Dr. Rawlins…told me all about you and your team. Thank you, by the way.”

Cade’s unfocused gaze landed back on Gemma. “Why are you thanking me?”

The other woman’s expression turned serious. “You brought my friend back home to me in one piece.”

“Don’t need to…thank me for…that,” Cade both looked and sounded even sleepier than before. “Never…tha…”

“I think he’s asleep.” Gemma watched Cade’s still form closely.

A quick glimpse of the monitor to Kerrigan’s right confirmed her friend’s assessment. Cade’s heartbeat was strong and steady. His oxygen level was within normal ranges. He wasn’t having a medical emergency secondary to having been shot. He’d simply fallen asleep.

She leaned in a smidge closer, resting a comforting hand to his chest. Ignoring the fact that Gemma was watching her like a freaking hawk, she whispered, “You rest, now, Cade. I’ll get you all patched up in no time, and soon, you’ll be as good as new.”

A tech from CT appeared minutes later, and as soon as the door slid shut behind them, Gemma wasted no time with the rapid-fire questions.

“Holy shit, Kerri!” Her friend sounded as shocked as she looked. “ That’s Cade? As in Cade-Cade? The Cade that is, and I quote, ‘So incredibly sweet and protective and…extremely good-looking’? He’s that Cade?”

“Okay, first of all, wow.” Kerrigan lifted a palm along with both her brows. “Second, can you please keep your voice down? You know these glass doors aren’t anywhere close to being soundproof.”

“I’m sorry, but I mean…come on .”

“Come on, what?”

The woman’s unique eyes grew incredulous. “You’re kidding, right? We were just talking about how you should call him, and then he ends up being your patient minutes later? No way that’s a coincidence.”

“You heard what the guys said. Cade requested to come here.”

“Okay, fine. Then it’s fate.”

“Fate?”

“Call it whatever you want, but there’s a reason he talked his way into coming here, rather than one of the hospitals closer to the Aragon. Not to mention, he specifically wanted you as his doctor. And from the way he was looking at you, I’m fairly certain it wasn’t for your medical prowess.”

Rather than admit the truth, which was that she hoped her friend was right, Kerrigan’s mind raced to find another plausible explanation for Cade’s sudden reappearance in her life. She opened her mouth, ready to die on this hill instead of facing the terrifying truth.

Lucky for her, the automatic doors slid open behind her and another staff member appeared.

“There you are.” The male nurse looked relieved when he saw her. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Dr. Rawlins, but the patient in 2B has a question about one of the medications listed in your discharge orders. Do you have time to pop in there real quick before his wife takes him home?”

The interruption couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Sure. Tell him I’ll be right there.” As soon as he left, Kerrigan looked over at Gemma and shrugged. “Sorry, Gem. Duty calls.”

Her friend frowned, putting her hands on her hips. “This doesn’t mean our conversation is over.”

“Uh…actually, I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what this means.” Kerrigan gave a wave from over her shoulder as she turned and walked out the door.

But before the heavy glass slid shut behind her, she was fairly certain her closest friend had just hollered back an ominous, “That’s what you think!”