Love in the Shadows (8 page)

It was working.
“
Yes, Derek, hold me, my love. Don’t you
want to kiss me and taste my lips, again? Hold me tight, Derek.
Don’t let me slip away,”
Katherine coaxed
him. She knew he would try to save her before he thought to save
himself. Her need would spur him to hold on.

“Katherine? What’s going
on? Why are you so weak?”
Derek sent even
stronger.

“Derek, I need you. Wrap
yourself around me. Hold me tight, love
.”

“Katherine, stop giving me
your strength. I am here with you. Let me hold you, baby. You don’t
have to be afraid. I am here now,”
Derek
sent to her.

Katherine felt Derek’s spirit wrap
around her and hold her gently. Knowing his spirit wouldn’t slip
away, Katherine fell asleep from exhaustion with Derek holding her
in his mind.

§

“How are they?” Raven asked the doctor
when the couple was moved to a recovery room. Katherine held
tightly to Derek’s hand. Raven wanted to wrap up both of them in
cotton and keep them safe. Why did everything have to be so hard
for Derek?

“I think they are going to be fine,”
Dr. Rick said. “It was touch and go for a while, but she never
wavered. Katherine exhausted herself in the process. Derek was
lucky, in that the bullet lodged against a rib. The internal damage
was minimal. Not that it isn’t going to hurt like hell. I expect he
will be released in a week. We’ll see how he does in his weakened
state. Who knows what taking Quiet Thunder’s potions every day for
months has wrought. They both have extremely strong wills. They did
well tonight.”

“Joe reported in a little while ago,”
Raven said, leaning against the wall. “He wanted to rush over here,
but I sent him to get some rest,” Raven explained. “There was
nothing for him to do while they were in surgery. All the data
collected about Derek has been destroyed, and the woman’s body will
never be found. The men never did start a fire, because Katherine
had Derek and had found where the data was stashed. All in all, it
was a good mission. We’ve learned a lesson about how even a small
thing, like a cut, can give us away to someone watching. We’ll have
some things to discuss at the board meeting.”

“Go home now, Raven. Tell Cara visiting
hours start at nine a.m. and not a minute sooner. I want the
patients to sleep as long as possible.”

§

Katherine woke up and glanced at the
clock. It was two a.m. She was still tired, but she needed to move.
Derek had been moved into a regular bed. She was on a gurney. Derek
clutched her hand, and she could feel him holding her
mind.

“Katherine? Why are you
awake? And why can’t I open my eyes?”
Derek asked in her mind.

“I suspect it’s because
you are still doped up from the operation. I’m not sure why I’m
awake except I was uncomfortable,”
Katherine answered.

“Come here, love. Let me
hold you in my arms. I need to know you are close,”
Derek sent.

“I don’t want to hurt
you.”

“I couldn’t feel any pain
right now if I wanted to. Please, Kate. Let me hold you. I can’t
open my eyes. I want to feel you in my arms.”

Katherine thought that Derek was so
doped up he wouldn’t feel anything. She scooted over to his bed and
slipped into his arms. Derek adjusted slightly and kissed her on
the head.

“I can feel you in my arms. It feels
like heaven. Now go to sleep.” Derek said out load.

Katherine smiled and tried to oblige
him.

§

At nine a.m. sharp, Cara stopped
outside the hospital room door and looked through the window. She
could see Katherine wrapped securely in Derek’s arms, and they were
both fast asleep. She was ecstatic for her friend and
brother-in-law.

With a little coaxing from both Cara
and Raven, Quiet Thunder had agreed to forgive Derek for stealing
the potion and would train him to be the next tribal shaman. Cara
thought the old man actually felt relieved to know that Derek was
okay. The fact that the elders had chosen Derek to be the next
shaman didn’t really surprise Quiet Thunder. Quiet Thunder had
probably received the same vision she had. She carried a note from
him to give to Derek. First, Derek needed to get well.

Cara really needed to bring up the need
for larger hospital beds to the board. She and Raven had had the
same problem once upon a time. It was so important for Shadow
Walker couples to hold each other. Really, it only made sense to
have at least one full-size hospital bed available. Especially, if
they wanted mated pairs to stay in the hospital for as long as
needed. Surely, the mental health of the couples required
it.

Cara waited in the hall
for Katherine or Derek to wake up. She sat down and picked up a
magazine. A short time later, Dr. Rick came down the hall.
“Cara, I knew you would be here bright and early.
How is Raven today?”

“He’s fine, Rick. I expect he and Joe
will be down soon to check in.”

“I’m sure both of my patients will be
hungry, though Derek needs to start on soft foods for a couple of
days,” Dr. Rick said. “I’ve already ordered trays for them. Oh, I
see they are still sleeping. Why is it every mated pair that comes
in here ends up in each other’s arms?”

“I was thinking we need a bigger bed
for them.”

“Impossible. It would never work,” Dr.
Rick said indignantly.

“Well, then, I’ll give you two
days.”

“Two days? What do you
mean?”

“Katherine and Derek. I’ll bet they
stay two days. Then, they’ll shadow-walk out of here,” Cara
decided.

“But why? Derek should stay at least
seven days. He is very weak.”

“Because it will mean more to him to
hold Katherine in his arms, even if he is weak, than to stay in the
hospital. You mark my words, Dr. Rick. Two days,” Cara
warned.

“Well, I don’t believe Derek is that
foolish, and I will certainly warn Katherine of the disadvantages
of moving him someplace else,” Dr. Rick huffed. “I will return in
an hour to see if they have awakened.”

Cara smiled and nodded.

§

Katherine opened her eyes and realized
she was still tightly grasped in Derek’s arms. She glanced up and
found his eyes watching her.

“Hey, beautiful…One of my wishes just
came true,” Derek whispered.

“What wish was that?” Katherine
whispered back.

“To have you sleeping in my arms and
then wake up to see your beautiful face,” Derek whispered
again.

“Why are we whispering?” Katherine
asked.

“Because Cara is out in the hall, and
if she knows we’re awake, she’s going to come in,” Derek explained.
“Then I’ll have to let you go. I’m not ready to let you
go.”

“Oh, well, since you are injured, I’ll
humor you,” Katherine whispered back.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to humor
me,” Derek whispered.

“I don’t?” Katherine asked
confused.

“I think she’s going to notice me
kissing you. That’s all.”

“You’re going to kiss me?” Katherine
asked.

“Yes, Kate. Right now,” Derek said. He
kissed her, taking full possession of her mouth. He nibbled at her
lips and sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. When she opened her
mouth to gasp, he dipped his tongue into her mouth, like a starved
man needing sustenance. Katherine reeled from the sensation, then
heard the door open.

“Dr. Rick is due back at any minute,”
Cara explained. “You better stop kissing. It will only upset the
man. He has no romance in his soul.”

Derek reluctantly released Katherine,
first her mouth and then her body. Katherine sat up and looked at
Cara. Cara pushed a cart in the room carrying two trays.

“Come on Cara, you know I hate hospital
food,” Derek complained.

“Well then stop getting shot. It’s only
for a couple of days. Do you want Kathy to feed you?” Cara handed
the first tray to Derek.

“I’m sure Derek can feed himself,”
Katherine said.

“That’s right. I’m not an invalid. I
can feed myself. I just don’t want to eat this slop.”

Katherine slipped from the bed and
walked over to see the tray waiting for her. Instead of soft-boiled
eggs and jello, her tray contained scrambled eggs and a fruit
cup.

“Here, Derek, you eat my food, and I’ll
eat yours.” Katherine switched trays for him.

“Thanks, honey,” he said, smiling. “I’m
sorry if I’m sounding cranky.”

“Derek, after what you’ve been through,
you have every right to be cranky,” Katherine assured
him.

“Could you find me a muffin, Cara? You
know how much I hate soft-boiled eggs. Besides, I’m hoping Derek
will still be hungry and eat them too,” Katherine
whispered.

“Oh, that is a good plan. I’ll see what
I can come up with. Be back later then,” Cara said and was off on
her errand.

“Are you still hungry, honey?”
Katherine asked. “I don’t really want my eggs. Could you eat them
for me?”

“Well, okay, I’ll help you out.”
Katherine traded trays with him, again.

Derek had almost finished the
soft-boiled eggs when Dr. Rick walked in.

“Good, I see you’re eating. Sorry about
the soft food. Let me see the wound now. This dressing needs
changing. Katherine, would you like to watch? That way, when Derek
is released from the clinic, you can bandage him at
home.”

Katherine obediently watched Dr. Rick
change the bandage.

“Now, here are some pills for pain.
Take one every four hours as needed. Any questions? Okay, then. If
you need anything, press the call button.” And like most doctors,
Rick was off to take care of other patients.

The remainder of the day was spent
talking to family and friends who came to visit. Katherine realized
quickly she would have to limit their time. Derek, naturally
gregarious, enjoyed talking to everyone. But, he tired quickly and
needed to rest. He would not relax and let himself go to sleep,
unless he held Katherine in his arms. So, she finally climbed back
onto the bed with Derek and held him. It wasn’t long before he
breathed heavily.

“You’ve exhausted yourself,” she
murmured to him as she kissed his face and felt him
sigh.

Katherine spent the rest of the
afternoon, shooing people away, and holding Derek close to her. She
didn’t know how much longer she could manage lying on her side.
Plus, she was starving. Cara came back with a muffin, but at lunch
Derek once again ate the food from both trays. Katherine encouraged
him. She knew he had a big appetite, and the food would help him
regain his strength.

Katherine’s stomach rumbled loudly.
Derek gradually moved his hand to her belly. He was mostly asleep,
but her hunger was waking him.

A few minutes later, Cara and Raven
walked in with a basket full of food. Raven smiled indulgently at
finding Katherine holding his brother. Cara handed Katherine an
apple, and she happily munched on it while Derek roused from his
nap.

“What’s going on?” Derek looked first
at Katherine and then at Raven.

“We stopped by to see how you two are
doing,” Raven explained.

“And to bring food for Katherine,” Cara
added.

“All evidence from your stay in the
Amazon has been destroyed. Ms. Pelletier did not survive. The board
will be discussing matters at the next meeting,” Raven said. “Don’t
worry, I’m not recommending any disciplinary action, though I have
taken you and Katherine off the active roster for now. I’m sure
both of you would like some time off to recover and work on your
relationship. I’m not sure how I’m going to run Isanti without you,
Kathy.”

“Disciplinary action?” Katherine
gasped.

“Nothing and no one will separate us,
Kate. You are my mate, and I am making my claim.” Derek looked at
Raven. “I love Katherine.”

“I know you do, Derek. I give you both
my blessing,” Raven said solemnly. “The honeymoon cottage is open,
if you want a more comfortable place to stay.”

“Thank you, Raven. We’ll consider it,”
Derek said.

“Well, let’s go, dear. I’m sure Dr.
Rick will be stopping by to do his evening check,” Cara
said.

“Is that your way of telling us not to
leave until after he’s been here?” Katherine asked,
laughing.

“You can take it any way you want,”
answered Cara with a smile and a wave.

Katherine looked at Derek. Finally,
they were together. Her eyes burned, and she blinked back tears of
happiness.

“I need you, too, beautiful. I was
coming back to let you know how much, when things went crazy,”
Derek told her.

“Do you want to move to the honeymoon
cottage after Dr. Rick comes by?” Katherine asked.

“That will be our first
stop.”