Darkfall (13 page)

Wow. Yeah.
He threw his hands up a second and tried a half-assed smile. “Okay, I get it. I’ve managed to piss you off. What did you want me to say?”

“All I want is for you to know that I’m glad you’re here. That having you with me is more important than anything.” She sounded on the edge of furious, and the contrast shocked him. She rubbed her eyes. “God, I’m tired.”

“Don’t go to sleep.”

“I don’t have a concussion. The nurse is scheduled to wake me up every two hours.”

“I’ll be right here. I’m not going anywhere.” Penny still didn’t look happy, and he had to know why. “Okay, I get it. No more talk of keeping you safe.”

“Good. Just stay here…”

“Roger that. I’m not going anywhere.”

“You better not, Scotsman.” She chewed her lower lip. “Because I’ll be scared if you leave me.”

He returned to holding her hand. They went silent, and a sinking feeling made him wonder if he’d missed a window. He closed his eyes and rubbed one hand over his face. He’d never seen her this vulnerable before, and it shocked him. She’d always presented the most steady, ready-to-take-on-anything face.

“I’m not going anywhere without you,” he said.

“Good.” She didn’t look confident.

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

Her eyes widened, and a smile returned to her face. “With my life.”

Her words humbled him. “Good.”

Yet as he settled in the chair by her bed, he ached with a desire to scoop her up in his arms, carry her out of here and hide somewhere far away from the chaos.

Morning came and with it Penny’s insistence that Ian go downstairs and have some breakfast in the cafeteria. She’d practically had to pry him from her side, but he’d done it with the promise to check on Gillian and Phil.

Last night Ian had seemed off somehow, in a way she couldn’t define. But who wouldn’t be, after everything they’d experienced in just a short amount of time? She’d also sensed he wanted to say something but hadn’t. The secretiveness worried her. He’d probably heard some awful news on television and decided to keep it from her. The man’s protective streak stretched miles wide.

He’d returned in less than an hour with good news. Gillian and Phil were awake and chomping at the bit to get the hell out of Bangor. Not that they would anytime soon with those gunshot wounds. Penny once more asked the Scotsman to go eat. He’d told her what a zoo the cafeteria was downstairs and it might take him a while to return. They hadn’t seen a doctor today, but a nurse had promised someone would check on Penny soon.

Ian had been gone less than an hour, and even then a twinge of anxiety promised to derail the calm she’d obtained. She’d slept well for the first time in a while last night—a nurse coming in to check her vitals every two hours didn’t make much of a dent in her slumber. Seeing Ian in a chair next to the bed had staved off any lingering fear, and she hadn’t recalled any dreams.

The door opened, and she glanced up in anticipation. Ian strode in, and when he saw her, he gave Penny that big smile. She’d never seen him smile so much in such a short time. Gone was the totally grim warrior, replaced with a gentler version…at least when it came to her. Earlier, when Ian was out of the room, a young nurse asked her if Ian was single. Penny told the woman point blank that Ian was her boyfriend.
Boyfriend.
The woman acknowledged the possessiveness with a smile and told Penny she thought Ian had
taken
all over him.

Boyfriend.
Somehow the word didn’t cut it. He was more than that. Her lover, yes. Her friend, most definitely. She didn’t have a good definition in her own mind for the relationship.

“What’s up, pretty lady?” Ian asked as he came to her side.

“What’s up is that I’m starving. How was your breakfast?”

“Okay.” As he leaned down to cup her face and kiss her, she let out a sigh of total enjoyment. “But a kiss from you is far superior.”

“Oh, man,” she murmured against his lips as he kissed her again. “Flattery will get you anywhere and everywhere.”

“God, I hope so.”

The door opened again and a black man of about sixty-five wheeled in a cart with a tray on it. His cheerful expression said he’d guessed what they were doing. “Hey there, young people. None of that here now. We’ve got hospital rules.”

Ian laughed. “Hey Sam. You know what I think of hospital rules.”

Sam smiled and shrugged. “Well, I had to try. And how are you feeling, Penny?”

“Good. Don’t you ever get time off? You were here last night,” she said.

“Working double shifts. There’s a lot of people who didn’t show up to work after the volcano got nasty in January. Only way we can cover things is to work longer hours.” He put the tray on the table in front of her.

“When do you sleep?” Ian asked.

Sam rubbed his hand over his graying beard. “Here and there. When I can. I don’t have any family so it’s easier on me than some of the others. I can work longer hours and let them go home to their families. Now, enough about me. Your gourmet meal, madam.” He did a comical flourish and stepped back.

“Oh boy.” She laughed and lifted the plastic lid. “Smells good. Scrambled eggs and hash browns?”

“Taste it and see what you think,” Sam said. “Can’t vouch for their taste. This hospital, in case you hadn’t noticed, is rolling along on shoestrings and a prayer.”

“It seems to be holding up well, considering.” Ian gestured toward the door. “The emergency room seems like it’s always full.”

Sam leaned against the wall near the bathroom, his dark eyes filled with agreement. “Can’t argue with that. I don’t know how much longer we’ll last.”

“You’ve got to last.” Penny didn’t want to think about what would happen if they didn’t keep the hospital running. “There’s no other possibility.” She chewed the eggs and found them halfway decent. “Mmm.”

“Taste good?” Sam asked.

“Not too bad.” Penny dug in because she was starving. “I don’t care how many preservatives are in it, either.”

Sam clapped. “Excellent. I had another reason for stopping in this evening. Jana at the nurses’ station told me you and your friends are trying to get to Buckleport. Damn mess between here and there, I hear.”

Ian crossed his arms. “Yeah, we’re trying to get there. Why?”

Sam leaned one hand on the bottom rail of the bed. “I’ve got an old junker…well, it’s not a junker so much. It’s a Cutlass from way back. Still runs, but it doesn’t have any frills. Damn workhorse, believe it or not. I could loan it to you. You can get it back to me after all the turmoil settles down. There’s enough room in it for all four of you.”

Penny frowned. “We couldn’t take your car. Besides the SUV we have is…” She glanced over at Ian. “Wait. What about Gillian and Phil’s SUV?”

“When we hit the roadblock it was totaled. It’s not going anywhere.”

“Damn,” she said softly.

“I thought Gillian and Phil weren’t capable of traveling?” Ian asked.

Sam’s eyebrows rose. “That’s what the doctor says, but now they’re in a room together and they’re both making noise. I think we should get all four of you together for a talk as soon as possible. There’s a wheelchair right outside if you want to use it for transportation to their room, Penny.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said.

Sam turned his attention to Ian. “Son, what branch of the service were you in?”

Ian grunted. “Why is everyone asking me that?”

Sam laughed. “Well, you’ve got a weird accent. Scottish, right?”

“Right.”

Sam tapped his index finger against his temple. “Aren’t too many people in Bangor used to hearing a Scottish accent.”

Ian’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Most of the time they think I’m Irish. They can’t tell the difference.”

Sam looked doubtful. “Just tell them you’re like the actor Kevin McKidd. The ladies always like a Scottish accent.”

“They do.” Penny had to confirm it.

“I don’t understand it. And I don’t look like McKidd,” Ian said with a hint of disdain.

“He’s a great actor,” Penny said. “And yeah, you
do
look quite a bit like him. Rough. Tough. Not too pretty.” Ian’s eyes widened with every descriptor, so she kept on. “Reddish blond hair. You’re taller than he is, though. And you have more muscles, I think. Well, I don’t know if you really have more muscles, but you have a lot of them.”

Ian rolled his eyes. “That’s mad.”

Sam chuckled. “Give it up, young man. Can’t you tell when a lady is trying to compliment you? Just say thank you.”

Ian’s eyebrows went up, and so did his hands. “Right. Thank you.”

She chuckled.

“Now what branch of the service were you in?” Sam asked.

“Special Air Service.”

Sam cocked his head to the side. “British forces, eh. Tough bastards.”

Understanding dawned on Ian’s face. “What about you? Vietnam? Gulf War?”

“Just missed Vietnam by the skin of my chin. I was a year too young. I was in the Gulf War…the first conflict in Iraq. Air Force medical technician. Got messed up in a car accident, of all things. Took awhile for my brain to get straight.” Sam saluted Ian. “Well, I’ve got other mouths to feed. I’ll talk to you later. Have me paged if you want that car.”

“Sam, we can’t—” she started to say.

“Where else are you going to get a car around here? They aren’t growing on trees.” Sam smiled and headed out the door with a wave. “Local dealership even went out of business last week. Inventory kept getting smashed up.”

When the door swung closed, she eyeballed her rapidly cooling meal and started shoveling it in to appease her appetite. “We can’t take his car, Ian.”

Ian stared at the floor and didn’t say a word while she almost inhaled her meal. She shrugged, well-acquainted with Ian’s propensity to turn silent and stern when trying to puzzle out a hurdle.

Finally Ian said, “When you finish eating, let’s visit Gillian and Phil. They’d probably love to see you.”

She raised one eyebrow. “Ian, what about Sam’s car?”

“I’m not sure. We could keep trying to contact Sentry Security and your father. I’ve tried more than once today to use my cell phone, and nothing is going through. It’s better if we find transportation again.”

She chewed another bite. “The longer we wait, the more worried my father has to be getting. Second, we can’t leave Gillian and Phil here when they need help.”

His expression cleared. “You’re right. We can’t leave them stranded. Let’s talk to them again.”

After she’d finished her meal, she stood with Ian’s help. She felt very steady and normal. A few sore muscles and that was it. She eased into the wheelchair, even though she knew she could navigate the hospital without the help. They located Gillian and Phil’s room and Ian opened the door slowly. Gillian stood in borrowed green scrubs next to Phil’s bed. They looked startled as Ian rolled Gillian into the room.

Gillian moved slowly as she walked toward Penny and Ian, her arm in a sling. She looked pale as snow, but her smile and the sparkle in her eyes showed genuine happiness. “Hey, you two.”

Phil cracked a grin, but it couldn’t take away the dark circles under his eyes. “Look at who we have here. You guys all right?”

“I’m feeling great. In fact I’m getting out of this wheelchair right now,” Penny said.

Ian clasped her arm as she stood, then slid his arm around her waist. She leaned into him, more for the intoxication of touch and affection than a fear she’d fall.

Gillian and Phil launched into an explanation of why Gillian wore the scrubs. She’d insisted on getting out of the hospital gown, which made her feel vulnerable.

“I hate them,” Penny said, glad for the scrubs she’d snagged from a nurse earlier in the day. “Looks like Gillian and I are a pair.”

“I hope you guys have hatched a plan to escape this Popsicle stand,” Phil said.

Ian tightened his arm around Penny’s waist. “Not until the doctors say you’re well enough to leave. I have a feeling that’s going to be a few days.”

Phil crossed his arms and then winced at the motion. “They’re not keeping Penny in here that long.”

Penny eased from Ian’s gentle clasp and crossed to Phil’s bedside. “No. But I didn’t get shot. You two did.”

Gillian gently patted her arm sling. “I feel great. Sore, yes, but not as bad as I thought I would. I need to get out of this place soon.”

“You just had surgery…both of you,” Ian said. “Better to recover here in case there’s a complication.”

Phil grunted. “Damned hospitals. Never liked them, and I’m not starting now. Time to get out of Dodge.”

Gillian turned toward her husband and went to his bedside. She touched his forearm. “Now Phil, there’s no way you’re leaving here without a doctor’s permission. Like Ian said, both of us had surgery just yesterday.”

Phil gathered his wife’s hand in his. “You’re right. I know you’re right. I just hate hospitals.”

Ian jumped in. “We might have an option to get out of here after you’re feeling better, Phil.”

“Maybe,” Penny said.

Ian plowed right ahead. “There’s a guy…a nurse here the in the hospital. Sam Graver. He has an old car he wants to loan us to get to Buckleport.”

Tension seemed to drain out of Gillian’s shoulders. “We know him. He was here earlier today. Seems like a nice man.”

“I agree. And I think if he’s still willing to loan us the car when the time comes, we should take him up on it,” Ian said.

Phil sat up straighter and winced. “I agree. We don’t know if we’ll get another chance like this.”

“Ian and I need to find somewhere in the meantime to hole up until you can leave the hospital,” Penny said.

Ian kissed the side of her forehead. “We’ll find a place. We’ll let you know where we’re going and check on you every day.”

After they all agreed to the plan, Ian and Penny returned to Penny’s room. After a doctor declared Penny fit to leave the hospital, they located Sam at the nurses’ station, and headed to the cafeteria for Sam’s break. They sat in a table in a quiet spot of the cafeteria and sipped coffee.

“Looks like you’re ready to get out of here,” Sam said. “You’ll want the car, I hope.”

Penny reached across the table and pressed Sam’s hand. “Are you sure it’s okay?”