Rescuing Ryder (Serenity Securities, Team Hawk #1)

Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Claire felt his rough thumbs as Ryder stroked her hand and spoke encouragingly to her as she woke up. The sounds of machines surrounded her and he sat on the edge of her bed. She felt his body beside hers as she attempted to open her eyes, but only one seemed to work.

“Good morning,” he murmured.

She winced as her head pounded. Someone closed the shades to the room and dimmed the light.

“You’re safe on the mountain,” Ryder whispered. “Rest for a while longer. When you wake, I’ll be right here.”

She closed her eyes at his gentle order and let the blackness take over. As long as he stayed with her, Claire knew she remained safe.

Kassie walked into the room with clean clothes. “She’ll sleep for at least another hour. You can shower and change right here in her room. I know you’re new here, but Claire saved me more than once. I won’t leave her side. Wash off the blood and leave the clothes in the bathroom,” she suggested as she pointed out his bloody clothing.

“I’ll take ten minutes.” He took the clothes from her arms. She smiled and sat beside Claire.

Ryder went into the bathroom and noticed Kassie spent some time laying out a razor, shaving cream, and scissors. A bag lay open for his clothes and he set the gun from Whiskey on the shelf above the toilet.

The water felt pleasantly hot as he shaved then scrubbed down. He threw on his clothes and towel-dried his hair before opening the door. Kassie never moved. When he walked toward her, she pushed a button on the wall, and Annabelle, one of the nurses who worked the floor, appeared with a tray of food.

“Eat. Then I’ll let you have your place back,” she ordered him.

He quirked an eyebrow in her direction as if the tiny redhead could stop him from taking his spot. Kassie smiled as if she knew what he thought.

Not wanting to appear the caveman type, Ryder sat in the recliner and broke open the two cartons of orange juice. A lid covered the meal, and he raised it, already deciding he didn’t want cold, rubbery eggs. To his surprise, a large breakfast sandwich sat on the plate. Made of sourdough bread, eggs, bacon, and cheese, the smell hit his nose. Instantly, he knew Randy made it for him. A scoop of breakfast potatoes and a big bowl of fruit accompanied it. A minute later, Annabelle returned with a large cup of coffee and a couple of creamers.

“Thank you,” he called to the nurse as she left the room. She smiled and went about her business.

“Thank you, Kassie,” he whispered as he pierced a piece of fruit with his fork.

“Thank you, Ryder, for saving our friend. She never said a word about anyone threatening her. To think about what might’ve happened if you didn’t go after her…” Kassie’s voice drifted off.

“Did Doc receive all the test results back?” he asked.

“Yes. He’s waiting to talk to Claire and called in a specialist to check her eye.”

“What did he say?” he asked anxiously.

Kassie glanced at Claire lying in bed. “I’m sorry. I’m not at liberty to tell you. Don’t worry. As soon as Claire wakes, I’ll ring Chase. If Claire consents to let you stay, he can tell you both.”

Ryder frowned. He knew why she said it, but it didn’t mean it didn’t irk him to some degree.

Kassie pulled out lip balm and placed some on Claire’s lips. “Ryder. Can I ask you something?”

“Bring it,” he shot back at her.

“It’s not a question as much a statement. It’s against the rules for staff to carry on a relationship with any of our patients beyond a professional level. I’m assuming Claire requested you change to Dr. Hill when she noticed you developed feelings beyond a doctor-patient relationship. After you requested the transfer, Dr. Hill agreed. Because of my injury, Dr. Winters signed off on the arranged plan later than usual. You and Claire only met professionally until last night, correct?” she suggested.

He swallowed, realizing Claire’s job and life’s work hung in the balance of what he might say. Kassie gave him a plausible story.

“Yeah. She never acted inappropriately or unprofessionally. Claire never mentioned any feelings toward me except concern for my recovery. Upon learning I transferred my emotions to her; she suggested I switch psychiatrists. After not seeing her over the last week, I realized what I felt was,” he snapped his fingers, “what do you call it…I experienced transference.”

Kassie stared at him a moment before her attention went to Claire. She stirred and her hand went directly toward her eye. Ryder jumped and prevented her from touching the swollen injury.

Kassie smiled. “Welcome back, Claire. Chase will come in and talk to you. I’ll leave you two alone.”

Ryder watched Kassie leave the room before turning his attention to Claire. Where she clutched his hand before, it now hung loosely in his.

“Good morning.” Chase entered the room, followed by his wife. “You gave us quite the scare.

Claire let her hand fall from the man beside her.

“You’re suffering a concussion. I called in a specialist concerning your eye. He didn’t see any reason for it not to heal properly. Do you mind if Ryder stays in the room?” Chase asked her while he eyed the man across from him.

Turning her pounding head toward Ryder, Claire murmured, “You can go. Thank you for helping me.” She focused on Kassie. “When can I go home?”

“You’ll stay here a couple of days. We’ve called in cleaners to handle your home, and you need to recuperate,” Kassie answered.

“Ryder. Can I see you in my office in about ten minutes?” Chase dismissed him.

“I hope you feel better, Claire,” Ryder gritted his teeth before walking out the door.

“We’ll start by discussing your pain level. How do you feel on a scale from one to ten?” Chase checked her vitals and listened to her lungs.

“My head’s pounding and it hurts to breathe. I feel as if I can’t catch a breath,” she admitted.

“I’ll get something to help you for the pain. You have a couple of cracked ribs, a concussion, and several abrasions. The one next to your eye required stitches. We also stitched up your ear. Your jaw appears swollen from the blows. Nothing’s broken but it’ll feel like it is. I want to keep you here for a few days and then you’ll stay with us as our guest,” Chase informed her.

“Can you call Detective Stewart in Seattle? I went to see him. Whoever’s in Kilner’s room isn’t him,” she informed him slowly.

“You went to the police?” Chase asked.

She nodded slightly while holding her head. Kassie disappeared momentarily, returned with a syringe, and inserted it into the IV.

“Relax, sweetie. Members of the team will stay outside your room at all times. We’ll make some calls and try to make some sense of this,” Kassie soothed as she glanced at her husband.

Claire closed her eyes again, letting the drugs numb her from the pain. It wasn’t the cracked ribs or her head that hurt the most. Waking up to hear Ryder confide to Kassie, he never felt anything for her stung worse than her eye. The damage to her heart felt worse than anything she imagined.

Ryder paced the floor of Chase’s office. “I don’t understand why you won’t let me see her. You saw how she clung to me after the shooting.”

Chase leaned forward onto his desk. “Claire’s traumatized. I’m not allowing you to take advantage of the situation.”

“What makes you even consider I’m out to hurt her?” he practically yelled at Chase. “She’s done nothing but help me. I’ve stayed by her side this entire time.”

“Did you request to switch Dr. Hill because of your feelings for Dr. Meyers?” Chase asked him bluntly.

Ryder stopped and stared at him. “What the hell does this have to do with allowing me to sit with her?”

“It matters because I’m concerned about her methods to reach you. I’m afraid you might’ve misinterpreted her actions. I don’t want anything to jeopardize Claire’s career,” Chase didn’t mince words.

He placed his hands on his hips, wanting to grab Doc by his shirt and ask what he insinuated. He knew what Chase thought and he remembered Kassie’s statement. “I care for Claire. We grew close as she worked with me, but nothing happened. As a corpsman, I know how feelings transfer from patient to caregiver. Claire didn’t act inappropriately at any time. When I realized my attraction to her, I removed myself from the situation and asked to switch. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to come to this conclusion.”

“Good. I know she experienced something traumatic and you helped rescue her. We appreciate your assistance. She’s part of our family and I don’t want to kick your ass for messing with her head,” Chase sent the warning.

He received it loud and clear. “We share a friendship, and I don’t understand why you don’t want me there.”

“I want her to feel safe. I know how you feel, believe me. Ryder, you’re stay here concludes when you heal. If she depends on you now, it’ll make adjusting harder for her when you leave. I don’t want to see her hurt,” Chase explained. “Claire’s reaction to you after Kilner’s attack worries me. She doesn’t deserve to suffer any confusion where you’re concerned.”

“I appreciate your honesty, but I don’t intend to play with her emotions,” he replied, stroking the scruff along his jaw. “I’ll abide by your rules unless she asks for me. Then I’ll stay at her side until she asks me to leave.”

Chase stood and walked around the desk, closing the door. “Once, I sat in a very similar situation with my wife. Her godfather, Joe, asked me to make a promise. If you plan to stick around, I want your word you'll leave if your presence hurts her more than helps. We'll figure it out if it occurs before your stay here concludes.”

Ryder nodded. “I give you my word.”

“Then we’re good,” Chase dismissed him.

He opened the door and went straight to Claire’s room. It no longer appeared the same as when he left it. Flowers decorated the room. Three women quietly went about pinning cards to the peg board; a homemade quilt covered Claire, and a basket of lotions and oils sat beside her bed. A pretty blonde woman, he recognized as Whiskey’s wife, gently brushed Claire’s hair into a messy bun. She wore a pretty set of blue pajamas with white flowers. The Serenity women embraced their friend and saw to her comfort. Kassie smiled at him before entering her room.

“Ladies, Claire needs rest. She’s due for a couple of tests and the pain meds started kicking in. I’m afraid we’ll limit visitors for the next couple of days.” Kassie took charge, ushering the women from the room, giving them each a hug and promising to call them if the patient needed anything. When they left, she checked Claire’s vitals and spoke quietly with her patient while Ryder paced the hall, now uncertain if his presence would be welcomed.

Kassie put blankets over the recliner, added a couple of pillows, and laid another quilt over the arm. She exited the room, and Ryder waited for her to order him to leave. Instead, she grabbed his hand and led him to the chair.

“Claire’s meds kicked in and she’s not in any pain. The ladies took over, and she’s tired but fighting sleep. She’s scared, Ryder. Not because she doesn’t feel safe here; it’s what she sees when she closes her eyes. You’ll need to chase the monsters away. I’ll relieve you in a few hours, and then Catherine will pop in.”

“There’s no need. I’m not leaving,” Ryder informed her gruffly, expecting her to fight him.

“We’ll bring in meals, give you time to shower, and Leo expects you at PT at 0600. He said something about you having a hearing problem and I need to schedule a test for you. I’m closing her door to give her privacy since we’ve already chased a few of the teens away and a couple of veterans. Only you and the hospital staff will be allowed in. Please press the button if you encounter any intruders,” Kassie gave him instructions.

She started to leave when Ryder took her by the arm and pulled her close.

“Why did I receive the third degree from your husband and then you’re making a bed for me and encouraging me to stay?”

“Because I once lay in a bed, like Claire. I refused to see my husband and spent days and nights terrified out of my mind despite the SEAL team who sat with me. She needs you right now as much as you want to stay. Chase knows how helpless he felt but he’ll never know the depth of my terror. Only Claire understood, and now I’ll ensure she has what she needs the most.”

He pulled the petite redhead into his arms for a hug. He didn’t know her story, but if Kassie felt the same fear as Claire, she deserved the protective guard the team held around her and their significant others.

She closed the door behind her. He checked Claire’s vitals for himself, kissed her head, and settled into the recliner. He prepared to chase her monsters away and made damn sure the one who put her in the bed no longer bothered her again.