Demon Can’t Help It (21 page)

T
he hospital was a complete whirlwind when they finally arrived. Jo was wheeled away as soon as they entered the ER, even though Maksim asked everyone he encountered if he could go with her.

A doctor in a white coat with a pair of scrubs underneath that were pink with heads of a little white cats with bows on their heads, was the final person to tell him no.

“Just wait here,” she told him firmly, pointing to some vacant plastic chairs lined against a peach painted cinderblock wall. “Someone will be out as soon as we can to tell you what’s going on.”

Maksim didn’t sit. Nor did he follow the doctor as she disappeared through gray swinging double doors.

He gritted his teeth, hating every minute of the helpless feeling coursing painfully through is body. And he didn’t know if he trusted Jo’s well-being to a woman in cartoon-covered clothing.

But he knew causing a disturbance wasn’t going to help Jo, so he began to pace.

Very soon, Jo’s friends appeared in the waiting room.

“Is there any word?” Erika asked.

“They just took her back.” That was the problem with preternaturals. They expected everything to happen instantaneously. Waiting was hell.

The four lampirs sat down. Maggie leaned against Ren. Vittorio held Erika’s hand. Maksim continued to pace. And no one spoke.

Finally Maggie said, “Maksim, you didn’t hurt her, did you?”

Maksim paused, looking at her, warring for what to say.

“Not on purpose. No.”

Maggie nodded as if that was good enough for her. Erika didn’t look as convinced, and Maksim couldn’t blame her.

Because the truth was, his greed had gotten the better of him as always. He might not have wanted to hurt her, but he’d done something he’d know wouldn’t help her in any way, just because of his selfish need to know.

He dropped into a chair several over from the others and dropped his head into his hands. What was he going to do if she wasn’t all right?

Just then, the swinging door swished open and the doctor in the pink and cats appeared.

She gestured for Maksim to follow her.

Erika and Maggie rose, but the doctor held up a hand to stop them.

“She will be fine,” the doctor said. “No major damage. A good-sized knot on her head, some nasty bruises, and a pretty tender shoulder, but nothing that won’t heal in a few days.”

“Can we see her?” Maggie asked.

The doctor nodded. “But let’s let the father have a moment with her first.”

Maksim frowned, confused, but allowed the doctor to usher him out of the waiting room. Once they reached a closed door past several others lining one wall, the doctor stopped and faced him.

“First of all, let me say, she was very lucky.”

Maksim nodded. He’d seen the fall, every horrible moment of it, and he had no doubt about that fact.

“The baby is fine, and…”

The rest of the doctor’s words faded away as he tried to wrap his mind around what she’d already said.

The baby. The baby?

An overwhelming, breath-stealing, knee-weakening rush of joy filled him. Jo was pregnant? She was having a baby. His baby. He suddenly felt buoyant, estatic.

Then the feeling faded, his feet quickly returning to the ground. Even if she was pregnant with his child, it would be far too soon for her to know. Far, far too soon.

“…she is going to have to remain off her feet for a few days. I’d be pleased if she could do a whole week. She does have a concussion, so we are going to admit her for tonight.”

Maksim found himself nodding even though nothing was really making sense to him.

“You can go see her, now.”

The doctor pushed open the door, waiting for him to enter. He hesitated, still unable to wrap his mind around this news, unsure of what to say to Jo.

But he couldn’t very well just continue to stand there like an idiot. He stepped over the threshold and the door closed behind him.

Jo lay on the bed, looking pale and drawn and frightened. She didn’t move as she saw Maksim. He lingered by the door for a moment, then couldn’t stay away. She so desperately looked as if she needed someone to protect her.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, irritated that his voice sounded thick with emotion.

“Okay,” she managed to say, her own voice strained.

“Does your head hurt?”

She nodded slightly, clearly not able to jar it any more than necessary.

They were silent for a few moments, then Maksim had to touch her. He caught her hand, gently squeezing her fingers reassuringly.

“The doctor told me the baby is fine.”

Jo pulled in a shuddering breath as if she’d been waiting for those words, then tears began to roll down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice quavered painfully.

“Sorry? Why?”

“I should have told you, before…well, before all of this.”

Maksim shrugged. “Why didn’t you?”

Jo laughed, the sound broken and watery. “I was in denial. Very, very deep denial.”

That shouldn’t have surprised him, but it did. “Why?”

She laughed again, though there wasn’t an ounce of humor in the sound. “That’s a long, pretty pathetic story.”

He squeezed her hand and leaned forward. “Tell me anyway.”

She looked at him for a moment, her teary gaze roaming his face, her eyes so large and dark and wary.

“Who is the father?” he asked, when she didn’t speak, surprised at the emptiness in his chest now that his brief moment of fatherhood was over.

“A man I had a relationship with in D.C.”

That was hardly a revelation, since she’d just moved down here, what? A month ago.

“How far along are you?”

“About thirteen weeks.”

He nodded, realizing that he’d seen her naked, quite extensively, twice, and hadn’t noticed any signs of pregnancy on her body. But why would he? He’d never seen her unpregnant, and he didn’t have much pregnant sex to compare it to. Any, really.

“So did you decide you didn’t want the father to be a part of the baby’s life?”

She laughed again, and he was beginning to hate that broken, pained sound.

“Oh, I wanted him to be a part of our lives. He was the one who wanted nothing to do with us. Turns out he was married, which I didn’t know. Fool that I was, he duped me completely. And when I told him my news, he made it very clear that I was never anything but a fling. And I was welcome to keep the baby, but he wasn’t going to be any part of it. Seems he really, really loves his wife.”

She laughed again, more pain and this time so much self-derision he ached for her.

They were quiet again, then Maksim realized that silent tears rolled down her cheeks again.

“What is it?” he asked.

“What the hell kind of mother am I going to make? I have an affair with a complete ass without even realizing it until I’m pregnant with his baby. I move to start a new life, but can’t even manage to tell my very best friends why I’m here. I can’t even bring myself to deal with my impending motherhood. Then I sleep with a man who I know is utterly unsuitable.”

Maksim raised an eyebrow at that, but she didn’t notice.

“Not once, but twice. And then a fall downstairs in a bar, because I’m nuts and seeing…” She stopped and just shook her head. Fresh tears trailed down her cheeks.

“I’m a mess.”

Maksim sighed, then rose to go in search of a tissue. He found some on a counter by the door. He returned and dabbed at her cheeks.

“You will be fine. No one can know everything about a person. Believe me, I know.” He had no idea what she was thinking most of the time. “You can only know what he told you. And he lied.”

He finished wiping her cheeks, then handed her a second one, just in case.

“And you will be a great mother. You are just scared. It’s a lot to take on by yourself.”

She nodded, sniffing. Then she met his eyes. “I’m so glad I didn’t lose this baby. I was terrified I had when I regained consciousness.”

He nodded. “I’m glad you didn’t, either.”

And he realized that was true, and not just because of the role he would have played in the loss. But because she would have been devastated. And he couldn’t watch her go through that. Her pain now was hard to bear.

He smiled then, trying to lighten the mood, because he couldn’t manage all these foreign emotions roiling through him.

“You do realize that the doctor thinks I’m the father?”

Jo returned his smile albeit weakly. “If only.” Then she immediately blushed, the pinkness making her look much healthier, even if it was brought on by embarrassment rather than wellness.

His own chest tightened with that weird need from earlier. Before either could say anything further, a knock sounded on the door.

“Come in,” Maksim called, relieved that they were getting an interruption.

Maggie, Erika, Ren, and Vittorio came into the small room, their presence taking up most of the space and pushing out some of the strangeness of their last words.

“How are you feeling?” Maggie asked, going over to the other side of the bed. Her eyes paused momentarily on Maksim’s hand holding Jo’s, but he didn’t release it, and Jo didn’t try to pull away.

“I’ve definitely felt better. But I’ll be okay.”

“What did the doctor say?”

“That I’m here for the night.” Maksim noticed that Jo didn’t tell them about the baby’s welfare. Clearly she still wasn’t ready to take on that conversation, and he couldn’t really blame her. Today had been emotional enough for her.

“And everything is okay?” Erika asked, emphasizing there was more she wasn’t saying.

Then he remembered her friends were lampirs. They could likely sense or smell or something Jo’s pregnancy. From the very concerned looks on all their faces, it was pretty clear they knew something.

And here he was a demon, and he didn’t have a clue. But maybe that was the explanation, he couldn’t read pregnant humans’ minds. Not that there should be any reason for that.

“I’m going to be fine,” Jo assured her friends, her voice more resolute than he’d heard it since stepping inside this room.

Her determination calmed him a little. Jo was tough; he knew that without seeing inside her head. And she would be fine. She would be a great mother. She would survive.

And her resolution seemed to solidify something within him. He would be there for her. He would take care of her.

It was the least he could do, given the pain he’d just caused her. Even as he told himself that, he knew that wasn’t his motivation.

Whether he wanted to accept it or not, Josephine Burke had been on his radar from the moment he met her, and she wasn’t about to leave it. He’d do what he had to do to make sure she was okay.

“So what do they recommend for you to do?” Ren asked, his gaze interestingly enough going from Jo to Maksim and back to Jo.

Apparently all her friends were trying to figure out what was going on between the two of them.

“They said one night here, just for observation. Then if all goes well, I’m going to be sent home. But they want me on bed rest for a few days,” Jo said.

“A week,” Maksim corrected.

Jo rolled her eyes, but she did concede. “A week.”

“You will stay with us,” Erika said.

Jo started to shake her head, but Maksim interrupted. “No. She’ll stay with me.”

All eyes in the room turned to him.

Jo opened her mouth to protest, but he pressed a finger over her lips.

“No arguing. You are staying with me.”

She stared at him for a moment, then nodded.

He turned and gave the others in the room a hard look, silently warning them not to challenge her decision.

Ren narrowed his eyes, suspicion clear on his face. Vittorio looked mildly annoyed. Erika looked wary and Maggie worried. But none of them said a word.

“Okay, folks,” said a nurse from the doorway. “We need to let Ms. Burke get some rest.”

Her friends said their good-byes, telling her they would check on her tomorrow. Only Maksim lingered behind, and again because the nurse assumed he was the father of her child and thus her significant other, she left, allowing him to stay.

“Are you sure?” she asked, not needing to explain what she was asking any more than that.

He nodded. “I want you with me.”

She nodded again, although she looked unsure.

He couldn’t help himself, and leaned down to kiss her. Her lips clung to his, sweetly vulnerable, yet hungry for him.

Maksim rested his forehead against hers, his chest swelling and filling with such strong, confusing emotions.

“I’m going to take care of you,” he vowed, knowing he’d finally found someone he had to put before himself.

And that knowledge scared him.

E
ven as Maksim opened the door to the cab to help her inside, Jo wasn’t sure she was doing the right thing. Maksim had arrived first thing that morning, staying with her while they waited for the doctor to arrive, and give her the okay to check out.

She’d slept very little, her mind abuzz with everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. She’d been very lucky. She knew that. She also knew that little life growing inside her had become so very, very precious, and she felt sickened that it had taken something so horrific to make her understand that.

She kept telling herself that maybe that was why she was seeing images of her sister. Somehow it was her subconscious trying to reach out to her, to make her realize what she needed to do now. Jo always felt she’d failed Kara. That if she’d said something to someone, maybe she would have survived.

She couldn’t save Kara, but she could protect her baby. Her sister’s image was just a reminder that she couldn’t fail another person in her care.

She winced as she settled onto the vinyl seat of the car.

“Are you okay?” Maksim asked.

She nodded. Her right shoulder was painfully stiff, her back and legs bruised, and she would be sore for several days, but she would be okay.

Maksim studied her for a moment, then closed the door to go around to the other side of the car.

He slid in beside her, giving the driver her address. She leaned her head back against the hot vinyl of the backseat. Just leaving the hospital had her exhausted. She would need a little extra rest.

“I have to call Cherise,” she said, realizing no one had contacted the woman. It was Saturday, so things would be okay. This would the one and only time the lack of programming at the center was a relief to Jo.

“I can call her,” Maksim said.

“Thank you,” Jo said wearily, the lack of sleep from last night and her injuries exhausting her.

She felt Maksim’s arm loop around her, gently pulling her against his side. She didn’t resist, curling against him.

In the brief ride, she must have fallen asleep, because when she came to, Maksim was carefully lifting her out of the cab.

“Oh,” she said a little confused and surprised, peering up at him like a sleepy child. “I can walk.”

“I know.” He smiled, and continued to carry her. He set her down and waited while she rummaged through her purse for her keys. Then when it was clear between the pain in her shoulder and her grogginess that the lock was going to get the better of her, Maksim gently took them from her and opened the door. He scooped her up again, and she marveled at how gentle he could be.

“I really can walk,” she told him again.

“I feel better holding you.”

Jo thought to ask him why that was so, but her sleepy, muddled brain couldn’t seem to manage the words. Instead she rested her head against his shoulder, allowing herself to revel in his strength.

He must have contended with both her and her keys, because the next thing she was aware of was Maksim placing her in her bed.

She groaned slightly as he released her.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked, concern furrowing his perfect brow. “The doctor said you can have some Tylenol for the pain.”

She shook her head. “Just sore, nothing that won’t go away eventually.”

“Okay. Well, please let me know if I can get you anything.”

“What are you going to do?” She imagined he’d be pretty bored in her place.

“You have lots of books. I’ll read or something.”

Jo smiled, letting her eyes close. “I don’t see you as a big reader.”

“Why not?” There was umbrage in his tone.

Her smile widened, even though she didn’t bother to open her eyes. Her lids were simply too heavy. “You seem like someone who’s too active. Someone who couldn’t sit still long enough to read.”

“Mmm,” was his response and Jo couldn’t decide if the noise was agreement or just acknowledgment.

She heard his steps on the hardwood floor, then a blanket covered her. She sighed. The warmth felt wonderful.

“Can you read here?” she asked him, peeping one eye open. He stood by the bed, the strangest look on his handsome features. Something so like adoration, it stole her breath away.

“Please stay in here with me,” she said softly. She reached out to catch his hand.

He nodded.

He eased onto the bed beside her, keeping his movements slow and stable, trying not to jar her. Once he was settled with the pillow propped behind his head, he took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb back and forth over the back of hers. The steady motion was nice and calming.

“I like that,” she said, sighing. Her eyes drifted closed again.

Maksim watched her, the constant state of concern still not leaving him. Even though her color looked much better today and the doctor had told him she would be fine, he couldn’t seem to relax.

“Are you going to read?” she asked suddenly, her words slow and sleepy. “There are some books on the nightstand.”

“Okay,” he said, not moving. Not releasing her hand.

She was quiet, except for her breathing, which was low and even, and he was sure she’d drifted off when she said, “What are we doing?”

He was surprised, thinking she was far too tired to be analyzing their relationship, but he should have known Jo’s brain wouldn’t shut off until sleep truly claimed her. And even then he was willing to bet she had dreams still analyzing everything. Very symbolically, of course.

“I’m not really sure,” he answered honestly.

Her head bobbed just slightly as if she agreed, and Maksim couldn’t help asking, “Did you love the baby’s father?”

“Jackson? I thought I did.”

“Jackson? That’s his name?” Maksim asked, wanting to know more about this dickwad who’d cheated, lied, and left Jo expecting a baby alone.

“Yes.” She laughed slightly, even that sound sleepy. “Jackson Johnson, the man with two last names.”

Maksim smiled, even though Jo had her eyes closed and couldn’t see.

“Would you have married him?” he asked, even as he wished he could just drop the subject. But he had to know.

“Yes,” she said without hesitation, and the answer hurt more than he would have thought it could.

“So you had to have loved him.”

Jo shrugged, then nestled her head deeper into the fluffy down pillow. “I did love him. I just didn’t know who I was loving.”

Her words again like a sucker punch to the gut. She didn’t know Maksim either, and how would she feel about the truth about him? Did “demon” trump “married”? He suspected it did.

“I’ve had a hard time getting over him,” she murmured, then yawned.

Maksim looked at her, realizing that explained a lot about her past behavior. She wasn’t sure about how she felt, which explained her hot-and-cold shifts. She wasn’t sure she wanted to move on, that much was clear.

“Are you still in love with him?” Maksim carefully rolled onto his side, trying not to move her overly. But the only answer he received was a soft snore.

Maksim sighed, remaining still, continuing to watch her. She was still in love with him. That was a perfect explanation for her reaction to Maksim. She wasn’t sure what she wanted from Maksim or from Jackson.

He hooked a stray strand of her hair that clung to her cheek with his finger, tucking it behind her ear.

“Would you go back to him if he wanted you?” he asked in a whisper, expecting and receiving no response.

“Has he realized that he made a mistake?” he wondered aloud to himself. He lounged there for a few moments, thinking about that possibility.

Regretting his decision, but knowing he couldn’t be stopped from this course, he gently nudged Jo.

Jo blinked her eyes open, looking around, uncertain where she was. When she got her bearings, she offered him the cutest, drowsy smile.

Maksim smiled back, hating that he’d woken her, but loving her sleepy genialness.

“Jo, where does Jackson live?”

“Right in D.C. On Capitol Hill. He’s a lobbyist.” Lingering sleepiness as good as a truth serum.

A lobbyist on Capitol Hill. Named Jackson Johnson. How hard could he be to find?

Maksim leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Jo’s mouth. She responded, her lips instinctively moving against his. But when he pulled back she didn’t speak. Sleep had claimed her again.

He eased out of bed, deciding right then that he was going to see this Jackson and find out why the hell he’d let this woman go.

Maksim stood on the sidewalk outside an office building in the nation’s capital. It was moments like this that being a demon was really so convenient. Dematerialize here, materialize there.

Unfortunately this little venture wasn’t for his own enjoyment. He needed to know what this Jackson guy was thinking. Maksim needed to give Jo the opportunity to be with the twit, if the guy had come to his senses during their separation from each other.

He walked up the steps and into the main lobby of the building. A directory greeted him, listing floors and office numbers of the different businesses in the large building. Jackson Johnson worked on the first floor in Suite 1A.

Maksim glanced around, easily finding the hallway and door he needed.

He entered a small outer office. A pretty receptionist with a chin-length blond bob and pale blue eyes smiled immediately when she saw him.

“Hello. Can I help you?” Her smile deepened in a subtle way that Maksim knew meant she liked what she saw. At one time, he would have reveled at that, eating up the attention. But now he was only aware of it in a very cursory way.

“I’m here to see Mr. Johnson.”

“Okay,” she said glancing at her computer. “Let me see. I don’t seem to have anyone down at this time. Are you sure your appointment was for today?”

Maksim smiled. “I don’t actually have an appointment, but I’m sure he’ll want to speak with me.” He kept his voice congenial, even though he was feeling anything but about the man.

The receptionist nibbled her bottom lip, considering what she should do. Clearly she was new—or just not that bright. Finally, she stood.

“Let me check with him, Mr…”

“Mr. Kostova. We haven’t actually met, but tell him I’m here in regards to the Burke initiative.” He smiled again, this time pouring on the charm, although for once the act didn’t give him any satisfaction when she quickly nodded, knocked, then disappeared into the office to the left of her desk to do his bidding.

Not in the way it once would have.

As he had hoped, his request was met with immediate response.

The office door reopened right away and the blonde gestured for him to enter.

“Mr. Johnson will see you.” She beamed at him as he passed her.

Maksim nodded in response, dismissing her now that he had what he wanted.

When he entered the Johnson office, he got the impression of gray walls and black furniture with a modern flair, but it was the man standing behind the desk who held his attention.

As much as he hated to admit it, Jackson Johnson, despite his unfortunate name, was a good-looking man. Tall, leanly muscular with a haircut that Maksim suspected cost a pretty penny to look that carelessly tousled. He was in his early forties maybe, but had the kind of face that made it hard to be sure. Wire-rim glasses gave him an intellectual quality, but his smile gave him a slight used-car salesman vibe.

“Mr. Kostova,” he moved forward offering his hand, “nice to meet you.”

Maksim didn’t say anything, but shook his hand, unable to stop himself from squeezing a little too tightly. Johnson only reacted by letting his smile slip a little.

“So how can I help you?”

It was Maksim’s turn to smile. “Well, as I had your lovely receptionist mention, I’m here about Jo Burke. You do remember her? The woman you lied to and left pregnant.”

Johnson stopped smiling totally. He returned behind his desk and sat down. Clearly the man didn’t expect Maksim to be that forward and that blunt.

“I know Jo Burke,” he said. “But I think you have your story wrong.”

“Really?” Maksim raised a disbelieving eyebrow. “So you didn’t have an affair with her?” He didn’t keep his voice hushed as Johnson had.

Johnson opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. He was considering his words like any good lobbyist or political figure would. And Maksim suspected he was going to believe this guy about as much as he believed any politician.

“We did have an affair. It was nothing more than that. An affair. She was the one who kept making it seem like it was something more. I’m actually a happily married man.”

Maksim nodded slowly as if he was considering his words. Not likely. They didn’t merit consideration.

“Do happily married men usually cheat?” Maksim asked with indignation.

“Listen, I don’t really see what the point of this is. We are over. And I’m moving on now.”

“To your secretary?”

Johnson rose again. “I think you should go, and tell Jo that I don’t appreciate her sending over her newest lover to bully me. I made it clear that things were over between us.”

Maksim stood too. “Jo didn’t send me over. I had to come see you for myself. Where I come from, we don’t have spineless creatures like you. Even my kind take responsibility for their actions.”

“Where you are from? Russia?”

Maksim didn’t bother to answer. He had already said more than he should have.

“I came here to see if you had any feelings for her,” he said instead. “To see if you had any feelings for the child she’s carrying, and it’s clear you don’t.”

Jackson Johnson just looked at Maksim as if he didn’t even comprehend what he’d just said.

Maksim stared back at him, barely restraining the urge to do the man bodily harm. The truth was, the scum wasn’t worth it.

Maksim headed toward the door.

“I’m surprised she didn’t try to pawn that brat off on you.”

Maksim stopped in his tracks and turned slowly back to the ass. Oh, what the hell. Maksim raised his hand, mimicking the action of grabbing Johnson by the throat, even though he was several feet away from the man. His favorite Darth Vader trick.

Instantly Johnson’s hands went to his neck, clawing at a hand that wasn’t there. Then Maksim raised his hand higher in the air, and Johnson’s feet lifted off the gray Berber carpeting, flailing in the air.