Page 21 of Sticks and Stones (FBI Romance/Thriller #65)

Yes, she’d have Sam, but it wasn’t the same. Charlie was her daddy, and she was, after all, a daddy’s girl.

“Okay, Christopher.”

As he parked the car, he made sure to take her hand when they got out. She was in a dress, a coat, and slip-on shoes. They didn’t have time to change.

Maybe later.

Chris knew that there was a change of clothes in her cargo area, and he’d get them for her if they were going to be there for a while. They always ran with back-up jeans and boots. Someone, HER , got bloody and messy.

Now, the priority was getting to his side.

Once in the door, they saw Sam in the ER. He was pacing, and that worried Elizabeth all over again. It was crystal clear he hadn’t heard anything.

Or if he did, it was bad.

Elizabeth tried not to go to that dark place, but it was so damn difficult. She could chase killers, and wade through the bowels and blood, but seeing her father sick…

It would take her down.

“Mom,” Elizabeth said, getting his attention.

When he turned, he had tears in his eyes, and he was pale from the worry.

Yeah, she didn’t like this.

Not.

At.

All.

Immediately, Sam headed for them, grateful that they’d gotten there. He hugged Elizabeth and Chris to his body, thankful not to be alone there.

Coming to DC to be near Elizabeth was the best thing that they’d ever done.

“What happened?” Chris asked when he was set free from the hug.

Sam didn’t want to do this alone. He hadn’t been able to reach them, and he was scared.

If he lost Charlie, he’d never be the same again. His husband was his world now, and he couldn't bear to lose the love of his life.

“We were in the kitchen, and he was making his breakfast. When he was snacking on the bacon, I was scolding him. He suddenly stopped, and grabbed his chest.”

Oh, Jesus.

That sounded bad.

Now, Elizabeth wanted to weep.

Chris tried to reassure Sam. He was an ME, but worry made you forget things you knew.

“It could be a string of things, and not necessarily a heart attack.”

Sam nodded.

“You’re absolutely right, but Charlie is a glutton on a good day.”

That.

He.

Was.

Now, Sam needed to lean on his son-in-law.

“Christopher, can you please find out what’s going on? I flashed my ME badge, but they told me I was in the wrong part of the hospital. The nurses weren’t cooperative because my license is out of state.”

At his words, someone was focused.

Elizabeth homed in on the women behind the desk who had blocked Sam.

That wasn’t happening.

She was going to find something out if Chris couldn't. Even if that meant slapping common sense into them. She’d do it.

BET.

ON.

IT.

At his request, Chris nodded and patted Elizabeth on the cheek.

“Don’t do anything we’re going to regret like bitch slapping nurses. Do you hear me?” he asked, knowing his woman.

Elizabeth could be spicy when she was in a downward spiral.

At his words, she rolled her eyes.

Damn.

He’d read her mind and knew her so well.

So, she reassured him.

“I’ll behave. Go,” she said, knowing he had the best chance to get information on what was happening. While he was an ME, he also knew many of the doctors in DC on a friendly basis.

They respected him, and he felt the same.

“I’ll be right back,” he offered, leaving his woman in Sam’s hands.

When he was gone, Elizabeth focused on Sam.

“It’ll be okay. Tell me what else you know because I’m freaking the fuck out, and I need some logic to calm me down.”

Oh, well, she wasn’t getting that with him. Sam was also ‘freaking the fuck out’ , and he had been since the incident in the kitchen.

And that was rare.

Normally, he could detach, but he’d just gotten Charlie, and he didn’t want to lose him. Their life had just begun together.

They had so many years ahead of them.

“He hadn’t been feeling well since last night. I know he was off. If anything, he’s predictable. He went to bed early, and he didn’t want to…”

That’s when he realized he was about to say something that she didn’t need to hear.

He came to a dead stop.

Oh, she knew what he was about to say.

“If you’re worried about me knowing you and he were having sex, Sam, I already knew. I know about the wedding on the cruise ship. I was watching from the shadows. There’s nothing you can tell me that I haven’t figured out on my own.”

At her words, and how she said them, Sam felt horrible. It brought tears to his eyes.

“That had to hurt you,” he admitted. “Not being included…”

She stopped him.

“I’m accustomed to pain, Sam. I’m okay. I confronted him, and we talked—as much as you can with Charlie. He’s a stubborn jackass at times, but the devil you know.”

Oh, Sam was well aware.

“Just tell me about how he was feeling before this morning’s episode.”

Sam could do that.

After all, they owed her as much.

“I thought something was off last night,” he said, continuing since she knew about them. “Your father is a ‘sex before bed’ kind of a guy. It mellows him out, and he falls asleep after. When I got into bed, he was out cold, and he hadn’t been his feisty self all day.”

She thought back to the case and how he’d behaved on it. Charlie seemed his normal self, but now that Sam mentioned it, yesterday he was…tame.

That wasn’t like him.

Damn.

She’d missed it.

Before she could say anything, she heard her name being called.

When she turned, they saw Tony running into the ER, and he was wearing his lab coat, and his micro goggles were still on his head.

Someone had been working on bones and raced out of there.

When he got to them, he looked scared.

“How’s Dad?” he asked, hugging Elizabeth and Sam. “Tell me he’s going to be okay!”

They wished they could.

“We don’t know,” she admitted.

That made Tony even more nervous. The whole way there, he was worried sick over the man. He’d just gotten him as his stand-in father, and he didn’t want to give that up. Tony finally had a family of his own.

To lose it would suck.

“Is it bad?” he asked, hesitantly.

Elizabeth shrugged.

“We don’t know. They let Chris back, so we’ll find out. Other than that, it’s anyone’s guess. That he’s not trying to escape the doctors makes me nervous. By now, he’d pull a Houdini and get out of there.”

Tony was shaking.

“I’m scared,” he admitted.

Sam heard the fear, and patted his cheek.

“He’ll be okay. Charlie is tough,” he stated, leading them over to some chairs. When he sat them down, they were all twitchy.

“If he dies, I’m going to be sick,” Tony said. “I can’t lose him yet. I just got a Dad, a Mom, and a sister. It’s not fair to not keep them.”

They all knew Tony had abandonment issues, so for his sake, they hoped Charlie was good.

The man was holding Elizabeth’s hand in a death squeeze, and she understood.

She knew how he felt.

“He’ll be okay,” she said, trying to reassure Tony even when she didn’t feel it.

What else could they do?

“Really?” he asked. “He’ll be okay?”

While she didn’t advocate lying, sometimes, you had to do just that.

For the other person’s sanity.

Honestly, she hoped so because she couldn’t lose Charlie now. She needed him. The loss of her mother flashed back, and she was sick over it.

“Yes,” she said, hoping he believed it.

When he kissed her on the temple, she knew he didn’t believe it any more than she did.

“I have you, Honey,” Tony said, putting his arm around her as they waited. “I’ve got you. I’ll be the man in the family.”

Jesus.

No way.

The day she let this nut be in charge of anything was the day she was officially institutionalized. Tony got his ass into more trouble than anyone she knew.

Including her.

Together, they sat there another five minutes, and jumped from their seats when Chris headed their way as he exited the ER.

Immediately, she needed to know.

“How is he?”

Chris reassured her.

“First off, it’s not a heart attack,” he said.

Oh, thank God.

There had never been more reassuring words than those.

“What was it then?” Sam asked.

Chris shared.

“He needs his gallbladder removed. They are going to be taking him back for surgery,” he stated. “That pain he felt wasn’t related to his heart.”

He sat them all down.

“I saw the scans. He’s got some gallstones, and they caused acid reflux, and that’s why he thought it was a heart attack. He likely ate something fatty.”

Oh, well, with Charlie, that was likely a definite. Fat was a food group to him.

Chris reassured them.

“His heart is fine. They said he had a little sinus tachycardia, but that could be because of his anxiety of thinking he had a heart attack or knowing that Sam was going to lecture him.”

Thank.

Freaking.

God.

Sam didn’t mince words.

“Oh, if he thought I rode his ass over his diet before, he’s going to be shocked when he sees the new and improved freaked-out Sam.”

Yeah, no one doubted that.

“I hope that bacon was tasty. He’s not getting any more!”

Uh-oh.

Sam was dead serious.

They could tell.

It appeared that someone was going hard, and right to the world of Veganism.

Charlie was going to hate that.

Elizabeth laughed.

“How much are we betting he complains about being a ‘granola-munching weirdo’ ?” she asked.

They all took that bet, picking how long it would take Charlie to go there.

After they were done, Chris was to the point.

“Needless to say, he’s fine, but he’s going to have to take it easy after surgery. If we get called out, he’s not going to be running around. They have to cut him open, and that takes time for recovery.”

Honestly, that was fine by her.

As long as he was okay, she could handle cases alone. For now, she needed to see him to make sure he was safe. All she wanted was to hug him.

“Can we go back?” she asked.

He laughed.

“I’m surprised you didn’t overtake the nurses, and start a coup to get back there to him. That’s so unlike you, my love.”

Yeah, well, she’d thought about it.

Now, Elizabeth was finally calm.

“I would have, but I’m not dressed for it,” she said, staring into his eyes.

Oh, he knew why.

Under that dress, she was buck naked.