Playboy (The Trident Series II: BRAVO Team #4)

CHAPTER TWELVE

Playboy sat in the stiff hospital chair, the sounds of machines humming around him as he looked down at Gabby’s still form. Her hand felt small and fragile in his, and despite everything, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of helplessness as he watched her lie there, unmoving. She had regained her coloring, which was good. Her vitals were more stable. The tubes that were helping to keep her alive had also been removed, signaling that her body was strengthening.

It had been four days since the accident—four long days and nights with barely any sleep.

When he first arrived at the hospital earlier in the day, he saw Gabby’s mom and dad. They told him that the doctor informed them Gabby was showing more signs of waking. She also tried to prepare everyone for when it happened because nobody knew how Gabby was going to take the news about her leg, which Playboy fully understood. He knew several men and women who were amputees, and he could recall their struggles both mentally and physically.

One of the things the doctor mentioned was that talking to Gabby might help. She said there was always a possibility that she could hear them, even in the sleep state she was in.

So, for the last hour or two, he tried to talk to her, but every time he opened his mouth, the words seemed to stick in his throat. He had never been good at that kind of thing, not when it came to expressing his feelings. Hell, it had taken him almost nine months to get the courage to tell Gabby how he felt about her. Yet, here he was, trying to find the right words, hoping that somehow, she might hear him.

He cleared his throat and squeezed her hand gently. “Hey, Gabby,” he began, his voice low and rough. “I know this probably sounds silly, talking to you while you’re asleep and all. But the doctors say you might be able to hear, so…here it goes.”

He leaned forward, brushing a stray strand of hair from her forehead. He noticed how someone had tried to tie her hair up in a high ponytail but had done a horrible job.

“I had a pretty standard day on the base today,” he continued, trying to keep his voice light. “Did some training, a little bit of paperwork. Nothing too exciting. The guys…well, they’ve been asking about you. They miss you. So does Jocelyn, Clover, and Hannah. We all miss you.”

He lowered his eyes as his thumb gently rubbed circles on the back of her hand.

“But, uh…I don’t want to talk about work. I want to talk about you waking up. We all need you to wake up. I need you to wake up, Gabs. You promised me that you would tell me everything about you, and I’m going to hold you to that promise. But that won’t happen unless you wake up.”

He swallowed hard, his emotions catching up to him. “I know we haven’t been dating long, but it feels like it’s been so much longer. Maybe that’s because I’ve been pinning after you for months.” He lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed it. “There’s something about you, something that makes me feel like I’m finally where I’m supposed to be.”

A small, sad smile tugged at his lips. “I miss your voice. I miss your laugh. I miss looking into your eyes—those gorgeous blue eyes that captivate me. You make everything brighter. You make everything…better.”

He paused, his voice growing thick with emotion. “Your teammates miss you too. And your family—they miss you more than anything. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group of people so full of love for someone. They need you, Gabby. We all do.”

Playboy’s grip tightened around her hand, his eyes stinging with unshed tears. “I need you, Gabs. So, please, please come back to us. Come back to me.”

He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, lingering for a moment as he closed his eyes. When he pulled back, he kept his gaze locked on her, willing her to wake up and give him any sign that she could hear him.

But the room remained silent, save for the steady hum of the machines. All Playboy could do was sit there, holding her hand, and hope that somewhere deep inside, she was fighting her way back to him.

◆◆◆

Gabby’s mom quietly approached her daughter’s hospital room. Her heart was heavy with worry but also filled with hope. The past four days had been an emotional rollercoaster—an endless cycle of hope and despair as she and her husband waited for their daughter to wake up. As she neared the door, she paused, hearing a low, familiar voice coming from inside.

Peaking inside, she saw Tanner, Gabby’s boyfriend. From the little time she’d spent with him at the hospital, she could understand why Gabby was so smitten with him. He was like a gentle giant.

The day after the accident, Playboy had sat down with her and her husband and assured them that he wasn’t going anywhere. He vowed to them that he would be by Gabby’s side throughout her recovery.

It was so very obvious to see that he genuinely cared for her daughter. And isn’t that what every parent or guardian could wish for their child—to find someone who would be there for them through better or worse?

She leaned against the doorway, listening as he spoke to Gabby. It broke her heart to hear the raw emotion in his voice.

“I miss your voice,” he was saying. “I miss your laugh. I miss looking into your eyes—those gorgeous blue eyes that captivate me. You make everything brighter. You make everything…better.

“Your teammates miss you too. And your family—they miss you more than anything. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group of people so full of love for someone. They need you, Gabby. We all do. So, please, please come back to us. Come back to me.”

She watched as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Wendy’s heart swelled with warmth and gratitude. At that moment, she realized just how much this man cared for her daughter. He wasn’t just there out of obligation. He was there because he truly cared. She took a deep breath, gathering herself before stepping into the room.

“Hey there,” Wendy said, softly knocking on the door as she entered. She did her best to act as if she hadn’t overheard the intimate conversation. Playboy looked up, startled at first, but then relaxed when he saw her.

“Hi,” he greeted her, his voice still a bit shaky. He gently placed Gabby’s hand back on the bed as he stood, giving her room.

Wendy smiled warmly. “You don’t have to get up. Please, stay with her.” She moved to the other side of the bed and started fiddling with Gabby’s hair.

“Goodness, who in the hell did your hair, sweetheart,” she said, talking out loud as she pulled the hair tie free and scooped up Gabby’s long hair and neatly tied it up in a messy style bun.

“There,” she said more to herself. She looked over at Playboy, and he smiled.

“That looks much better,” he told her. “And no, I didn’t do that.”

Wendy laughed, then became serious.

“How are you holding up, Tanner?”

Playboy sat back down, his eyes not leaving Gabby’s face. “I’m doing okay, I guess. I’m just…I guess I’m just hoping she’ll wake up soon. It’s hard seeing her like this. This isn’t who she is. I want to see her smile.”

Wendy nodded, understanding all too well. “It is hard,” she said softly. “But my baby girl is strong. She’s a fighter. She’ll come back to us when she’s ready.”

They fell into a comfortable silence. Wendy appreciated that Playboy was here, keeping vigil by Gabby’s side when he wasn’t working. It was clear that he was devoted to Gabby, and that brought Wendy a great deal of comfort.

As they sat there, Wendy noticed a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. At first, she thought she was imagining it, but then she saw it again—Gabby’s fingers twitched slightly against the bed. Her breath caught in her throat as she leaned in closer, her heart pounding with sudden hope.

“Gabby?” Wendy whispered, her voice trembling.

Playboy’s head snapped up, his eyes wide, looking at Gabby’s hand, which lay flat on the bed.

Suddenly, her fingers curled inward like she was trying to grab something.

“Gabby?” Playboy echoed.

◆◆◆

Playboy stood up, his grip on Gabby’s other hand tightening as he bent over her.

“Gabby? Can you hear us?”

Gabby’s eyelids fluttered, and a faint, painful groan escaped her lips. Playboy’s breath hitched as her fingers curled weakly around his.

“Oh my God,” Wendy gasped, tears spilling over as she leaned in, her voice trembling. “Sweetheart, it’s Mom. Can you hear me?”

Gabby’s eyes slowly opened, blinking against the bright light of the hospital room. She looked disoriented, her gaze drifting between Playboy and her mom. Her voice, when it came, was hoarse and barely audible. “Mom?”

“I’m here, baby,” Wendy sobbed, clutching Gabby’s other hand as if she’d never let it go. “Tanner and I are right here.”

Playboy felt his own eyes welling up as he watched the scene unfold. He couldn’t believe it.

He leaned down, his voice a bit shaky as he spoke close to her ear. “I’m here, Gabs. I’ve missed you so much.”

Gabby’s gaze shifted to him, and a small, tired smile curved her lips. “Tanner…” she whispered. Her voice was weak but filled with recognition.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Welcome back, beautiful.”

“I missed you too.” Her eyes started to droop. “Thirsty,” she muttered softly.

Playboy and Wendy exchanged a tearful and relieved look. He sat back down and took her hand in his again while Wendy raced out of the room to find the nurse and get her some water.

◆◆◆

Gabby wasn’t sure what was going on. One minute, she was floating in a strange, weightless void where time didn’t seem to exist, and the next minute, she was lying in a strange bed with her mom and Playboy hovering over her.

After being in the dark for so long, the brightness in the room was making it hard for her to focus.

“Mom?” She whispered.

“I’m here, baby,” her mom sobbed, clutching Gabby’s other hand as if she’d never let go. “Tanner and I are right here.”

“I’m here, Gabs. I’ve missed you so much,” she heard Playboy say.

Gabby’s gaze shifted to him, and a small, tired smile curved her lips. “Tanner…” she whispered.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Welcome back, beautiful.”

His warm lips against her skin made her smile. Well, she at least tried to smile. She felt so tired.

“I missed you too.”

She felt her eyes start to droop, but she didn’t want to go back to sleep. Not yet, at least. She had so many questions. But she needed something to drink.

“Thirsty,” she mumbled, looking between her mom and Playboy.

Her mom patted her hand. “I’ll be right back.”

Playboy sat back down and took her hand in his again.

It was then that she got a really good look at her surroundings as she took in the stark white walls, the bed, and the machines in the room. She was in the hospital. But why? And when did Playboy and her mom meet? The last thing she remembered, she and Playboy were making plans with her parents to have dinner with them when they came to visit her. Obviously, a lot had happened that she wasn’t aware of.

Scrunching up her forehead, she looked at Playboy. “Why am I in the hospital?”

He gave her a questionable look. “You don’t remember?” he asked, an edge of concern laced his voice.

Before she could answer him, three nurses and a doctor rushed into the room, followed by her mom and dad. Now she was really confused and somewhat a bit frightened though she didn’t know exactly why, but deep down she knew something was wrong.

Before the medical staff could do anything, her dad rushed to her side and kissed her cheek.

“Welcome back, kiddo. You had us scared out of our minds,” he told her. His voice was deep but thick with emotion, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears. It took a lot to make her dad cry. So, whatever was going on with her must have been pretty bad.

Before she could utter a word, the female doctor stepped up beside her bed.

“Hi, Gabby. My name is Captain Ebers,” she greeted her with a warm smile.

“Hi,” Gabby said, feeling a bit awkward.

“How are you feeling right now?”

Her head throbbed with a dull, insistent pain, and her entire body felt heavy and disconnected. She tried to shift, but something was wrong. Her body wasn’t responding the way she expected it to.

“I feel like a herd of elephants ran me over,” Gabby told the doctor as she tried to sit up a little, but again, something felt off. It felt like her left leg wouldn’t work.

“I’m sure you do. Your body suffered serious trauma. Can you tell me what you remember?”

Gabby thought hard. Her brain was still a little foggy, but once she pushed through the thick haze, it didn’t take long before her memory came flooding back.

Her eyes snapped to Playboy.

“The boat,” she whispered, recalling the boat that was speeding toward the guys where they were working. “I stopped them from crashing into you guys,” she said, as her voice trailed off, looking directly at Playboy.

Playboy nodded, confirming her words.

Suddenly, the concern for her wellbeing became a distant thought as she became concerned about the others.

“Was anybody hurt?” she asked him, urgency laced her tone.

Playboy gently gave her hand a little squeeze. “Because of you, everyone is safe.”

The doctor cleared her throat.

“If you don’t mind, Gabby, I’d like to ask you a few questions and then give you a quick check-up.”

“Sure,” Gabby told her.

Dr. Ebers’ expression was calm and measured as if she’d had this conversation a hundred times before. She approached slowly and began her routine check. She asked some general questions, her full name, what year it was, and what state she lived in. Gabby answered automatically, her mind still struggling to shake off the fog. The doctor’s hands moved to her pulse and checked her pupils, all while asking a steady stream of questions she wasn’t fully processing.

It was only when her voice changed, softening further, that the weight of her next words hit her.

“You sustained a serious head injury during the accident,” she began, her tone careful, “but thankfully, your scans show no permanent damage. You’re very lucky in that regard.”

Gabby blinked again, nodding slightly. A head injury—that would explain the pain and the confusion. But there was something else in her eyes, something deeper, and her heart began to pound.

“During the accident, you suffered a significant injury to your lower left leg,” the doctor continued, pausing briefly. “We did everything we could, but the damage was too severe. I’m very sorry, Gabby. We had to amputate below the knee.”

For a moment, she didn’t understand. The words didn’t make sense. Amputate? Her mind couldn’t wrap around its meaning. Slowly, almost mechanically, her gaze dropped to the blanket that covered her legs. A lump formed in her throat as her hand moved, shaking, to pull back the fabric. She stared, wide-eyed, at the space where her lower left leg and foot used to be.

It wasn’t there.

Her breath caught in her chest, and suddenly, the room felt too small, too bright. This can’t be real. This can’t be happening. A swirl of confusion, disbelief, and terror all crashed together.

Gabby’s heart pounded louder in her ears. She was an athlete—a swimmer. Her legs were everything. She needed them for her work, for everyday life. How could she—how could anyone expect her to function?

Her body trembled, her hand still frozen near the edge of the blanket, unable to process the sight of her missing limb. Her chest tightened painfully, and her mind raced through a million thoughts—her career, her identity, everything she had built her life around. Gone. Just like that.

In the background, she noticed the presence of her parents. Her mother was there, sitting in the corner, her eyes red and swollen with tears. Her father stood beside her, stoic but devastated. And then there was Playboy, now standing but still holding her hand. However, his face was filled with something unreadable—pain, concern, and something else she couldn’t quite place. He hadn’t left her, even though part of her wished everyone would disappear so she could scream and cry and not feel their eyes on her.

The doctor’s voice pulled her back into the moment. “Do you have any questions?” she asked gently.

Questions? Gabby’s mind was a chaotic mess. What was she supposed to ask? What could she say in the face of this reality? She couldn’t think straight, couldn’t make sense of what had just been ripped away from her.

“No,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “I... I don’t know what to ask.”

And that was the truth. She didn’t know where to start or how to begin processing a future without the one thing she had always relied on—her body, her strength, her legs.

Right now, she wished she could go back to sleep, and when she woke up again, everything would be back to the way it was before the accident.

◆◆◆

Later that evening, Playboy sat beside Gabby’s hospital bed. It was just the two of them. Her parents had left about an hour ago, telling Gabby they would be back in the morning.

The room was mostly quiet except for when her IV and monitors kicked in.

He watched her as she stared at the ceiling, her face a mix of sadness and frustration.

He couldn’t imagine what could be going through her mind. She had been pretty quiet most of the day. However, she perked up a little bit when her team showed up. They were ecstatic to see her sitting up. And she did manage to crack a small smile when they gave her one of those giant three-pound Hersey bars. But as soon as they left, she started to withdraw again.

“Tanner?” Gabby called out, her head turning in his direction. Her voice sounded a little raspy.

Playboy leaned forward. “Yeah?”

“I didn’t think to ask earlier. What happened to the men in the boat?”

Playboy hesitated as he bit the inside of the cheek. Just reliving the accident in his head angered him.

“They’re dead,” he answered. She didn’t need to know that one had initially survived the accident but died later at the hospital.

“Oh!” As she responded, her eyes widened a bit as if she was surprised.

“Who were they?”

“Last I heard, none of them had been identified yet. The FBI and DEA have taken over the case.”

She got quiet again, and he wanted to know what she was thinking. But at the same time, he didn’t want to push and upset her.

He reached out and gently caressed her cheek. “You look deep in thought. Whatcha thinking about?”

She made a noise with her mouth—like a mix of a sigh and snort.

“I think the question would be easier if you asked what I wasn’t thinking about.”

That was a fair answer.

But then he noticed her bottom lip start to quiver, and her eyes became glassy.

“Gabs, what’s wrong?” He asked, feeling concerned.

“I feel so broken,” Gabby said, her voice trembling. “I feel like I’ve lost a part of myself. How am I supposed to go on like this?”

Playboy cupped her cheek, his heart aching for her. “Gabby, you are not broken. You are one of the strongest, not to mention the bravest person I know. You’ve faced so much and come out on top. This,” he said, pointing to her leg. “This is just speedbump.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as her eyes met his. “But I’m not whole anymore, Tanner. How can you want to be with me when there are so many other women out there who are complete?”

Ahh …he thought to himself. Now he understood what was going through her mind. Playboy felt a pang of sorrow at her words, but her question also angered him. Did she think he was that shallow? That he didn’t want to be here anymore because she was missing part of her leg? Thankfully, his brain was quick enough, and he thought before he spoke. He had to think about her state of mind and what she must be going through.

He moved closer, trapping her cheeks with both of his hands. “Gabby, look at me.”

She hesitated, then met his gaze, her blue eyes filled with pain and doubt.

“I don’t care about anyone else,” he said firmly. “You’re the one I want, the one I care about very much. You’re still the same incredible, beautiful, strong woman I fell head over heels for all those months ago. Losing a leg doesn’t change that.”

Gabby shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. “But I’m not the same. I can’t do the things I used to.”

“You may not be the same on the outside. But on the inside, you’re still Gabby Allen.” Playboy insisted. “Who told you that you couldn’t do the things you did prior to this?”

“Nobody. I mean, I just assumed.”

“Gabby, the medical world has come so far in prosthetics. I wouldn’t doubt if there was anything that you couldn’t do. We’ll figure this out together, one step at a time. I’m not going anywhere. I care about you because of who you are, not for what you can or can’t do.”

She looked at him, searching his eyes for any hint of doubt or pity. But she wasn’t going to find it.

“I don’t deserve you,” she whispered.

“Yes, you do,” he replied, his voice soft but firm. “You deserve all the love and happiness in the world, Gabby. And I’m going to be here every step of the way, helping you find that.”

Gabby’s lip quivered as she fought back more tears. “What if I can’t…what if I can’t be who I was?”

“Then we’ll find a new version of you,” Playboy said gently, a small smile playing on his lips. “One that is just as amazing, if not more. You’re not defined by what you’ve lost, Gabby. Your spirit, your courage, and your heart define you. And those things are still very much a part of you.”

◆◆◆

Gabby closed her eyes, taking in his words. For the first time since she had woken up earlier in the day, a glimmer of hope sparked within her.

“I’m scared,” she admitted.

“I’m sure you are,” Playboy said, brushing a tear from her cheek. “But you don’t have to face this alone. I’m here, and I’ll always will be.”

Gabby opened her eyes, seeing the sincerity and love in his. “Thank you,” she whispered.

He leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. “No thanks needed. We’re in this together. Always.”

As they sat there, hand in hand, Gabby felt a tiny but significant shift inside her. She wasn’t alone, and with Playboy by her side, maybe she could overcome this horrific situation and face whatever challenges lay ahead.