The Thrill of the Chase (17 page)

Ashley gave him a nod, her face completely white, but then she turned and did what he asked.

He continued to apply pressure and tried to take Monica
'
s mind from the pain.
"
What happened, squirt?
"

"
It w-was that crazy white c-cat.
"

"
The one with the red eyes and the bushy tail?
"

"
Yeah. It ran right under my wheels. I d-don
'
t know how I missed it.
"

"
What did you cut yourself on?
"
His mind was already going to the tetanus shot she would probably have to have.

"
I don
'
t know.
"

Ashley eased up with the car, only going about ten miles an hour.

She parked it and jumped out.

Kyle spoke to his sister.
"
Good girl. I
'
m taking her to her mother at the hospital. If you want to go, get in the backseat.
"

Ashley jumped in the backseat and Kyle gingerly lifted Monica in his arms.

He saw her teeth grit when he accidently jarred her body against his.
"
I
'
m sorry,
"
he apologized.

Her eyes were still on his. They never looked away and he felt like he was the center of her universe. It was a pleasant feeling.

The drive to the hospital was a blur in his memory. He could barely remember any of it. Just a vague memory of needing to hurry so her pain could go away.

Her mother had been assisting in an operation when they got there. It was only a medium-sized facility, and her mom had worked there a long time. They were waited on immediately after he gave the receptionist Monica
'
s name and told her who her mother was.

They were put in a room and waited only a few minutes before a doctor came in. He was professional, referred to Monica as
"
Miss Lambert
,
"
and calmly informed her that her mother had given permission for any procedures that needed to be done, but that there was no one to relieve her and she was in the middle of assisting in an operation.

She couldn
'
t come.

Kyle watched Monica
'
s face as the doctor explained all of this to her. The moment she realized her mom couldn
'
t come her eyes flew to his in panic and didn
'
t let go.

He would never forget
until the day he died
how he had felt when her eyes landed on him and looked at him with need. For support. For guidance. For help.

Ashley was her best friend and sat right beside him, but Monica
'
s eyes landed on him.
Just him
. In a tangle of pain, fear, and need.

He would never forget how he felt. But he couldn
'
t describe it. He remembered aching for the pain she was enduring. He remembered wanting to do something, anything to take away her fear. He remembered feeling special, like it was up to him to make this better for her.

He didn
'
t hesitate, just stood up and walked to where she sat on the table, her legs propped up. He walked to her side, lifted her hand in his and held it firmly.

He spoke to the doctor.

"
I
'
m Kyle Weldon, sir. A good friend. I
'
m eighteen and I
'
m going to stay with her.
"

He stared straight at the older man, but felt Monica let out a deep breath and relax a bit.

The doctor studied him for a moment and nodded his head. Then he looked at Ashley who was still white as a ghost.
"
That
'
s fine, but I think this young lady should make herself comfortable in the waiting room.
"

Ashley stood up and looked at Monica with a question in her eyes.

"
It
'
s okay, Ash. I
'
ll b-be fine.
"
Kyle felt her hand grip his tighter as she answered Ashley
'
s unspoken question.

Ashley nodded her head and left the room.

After that, the memory blurred again. He remembered a nurse coming in, talking in soothing tones, but Monica
'
s hand never left his. He remembered the nurse having to move around him a few times as she got everything ready for the procedure.

Monica had ten stitches, but the worst were the shots before the actual procedure. The doctor was gentle, and told her she would feel a pinch. Her eyes flew to his again with pure anxiety, and he leaned toward her and whispered in her ear.
"
It
'
ll be okay, baby. I
'
m here, angel. Hold on to me.
"

The doctor was just finishing up when Monica
'
s mother came in through the door with apprehension and then visible relief flooding her face.

Monica stayed brave through the whole thing, but when she saw her mom, she let out a whimper and the tears began to slide down her cheeks.

He remembered feeling a guilty pang of agitation and remorse when he had to step away from Monica
'
s side to make room for her mother who took her into her arms immediately.

Kyle came back to the present as he continued to look at the smooth silkiness of Monica
'
s legs in the picture. The scar had healed well. If someone didn
'
t know it was there, they wouldn
'
t be able to tell.

A sharp feeling of possession ran through him.
He knew it was there
.

****

Tuesday night Monica
'
s cell phone rang.
Ashley Weldon
lit the display. Realization hit Monica with a smile of tenderness. She needed to change that. Would she ever get used to thinking of her friend as
Ashley McKay
now?

Monica picked up the phone.
"
You
'
re supposed to be on your honeymoon!
"

Ashley laughed in answer.
"
I am and it
'
s great!
"

"
Are you happy?
"
Monica asked, although she already knew the answer.

"
Absolutely. He
'
s what I want.
"
Ashley
'
s voice was firm and sure.

"
I know he is, Ash,
"
Monica said.

"
You didn
'
t like him at one time,
"
Ashley reminded her.

"
Yeah, well, I didn
'
t know the guy was crazy in love with you either. I was only looking out for you.
"
It wasn
'
t that long ago that Monica had no idea what Ryan
'
s intentions toward her best friend were.

"
I know, it
'
s okay. What about you?
"
Ashley questioned her.

"
What about me?
"
Monica
'
s voice was hesitant.

"
Really, Monica? You hook up with my brother at
my wedding reception
and we
'
re going to play this game?
"
Ashley
'
s voice was colored in disbelief.

"
He got called away before anything could happen. He
'
s in Colorado fighting a wildfire.
"

Ashley was silent for a moment before she answered her.
"
Crap. I didn
'
t know. Did he kiss you?
"

"
Yes.
"
Monica didn
'
t mind Ashley knowing. In fact, it was a relief.

"
Oh my God
. You and my brother. My best friend and my brother. I
'
m in shock.
"

"
How can you be in shock? Are you seriously telling me that you never knew I had it bad for him?
"
Monica had truly wondered this for a long time. Did Ashley know how she felt about her brother?

"
I never knew.
"
Ashley
'
words were sincere.

"
Hmmm, I guess I hid it well, then,
"
Monica said.

"
I guess you did,
"
Ashley agreed mildly.

"
Are you okay with it?
"
Monica asked.

"
Seriously? I love you! You
'
re my best friend. Now you
'
re going to be my sister. I
--"

Monica cut her off.
"
Whoa. Slow down. Don
'
t go putting a jinx on it.
"

"
So, that
'
s what you want?
"
Ashley questioned her friend.

"
With all my heart.
"
Monica
'
s words were soft.

There was a small moment of silence between the two friends until Ashley spoke,
"
I hope for both of you that it works out. I hope for my sake it works out. Please,
please
, tell me that you and I will be okay no matter what happens.
"

"
Don
'
t even think that. We
'
re good. I can
'
t lose you, Ashley. You and Julie are my best friends. No way can I lose y
'
all.
"
Trepidation hit her low, deep in the gut. She had a lot to gain from a relationship with Kyle. She had just as much to lose if it went bad.

"
I guess Julie knows, huh?
"
Monica asked.

"
Yeah. She told me. Gibson found y
'
all, remember?
"

"
Yeah, I remember. Is she okay with it? I mean, with me and Kyle?
"

"
Of course. She loves you as much as I do. It would be perfect. We
'
d be one, big, happy family.
"

"
I
'
m scared, Ash,
"
Monica admitted in a small voice.

"
I know you are. But you
'
ve said it yourself, my brother
'
s a great guy. You deserve him. He deserves you. It
'
ll be okay. Don
'
t be afraid to go for what will make you happy.
"

"
Thanks, Ash. Thanks for understanding,
"
Monica replied.

"
No problem. I
'
ve got to go now. Ryan says Gibson is already ahead of him with a bun in the oven.
His words
. We
'
ve got to catch up!
"
Ashley
'
s voice turned exuberant.

"
Are you serious? Y
'
all are trying to get pregnant?
"
Monica couldn
'
t suppress the small amount of shock that her voice contained.

"
Not really trying. Just practicing a whole lot and not doing anything to prevent it.
"

Monica chuckled.
"
Good luck with that, sweetie.
"

"
Thanks. I
'
ll talk to you later. Good luck with my brother. Bye.
"