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Her heart rate was increasing right before her eyes with the memory of Declan picking her up and running to the car.
Seventy-three.
Eighty.
Ninety.
The door slid open, revealing a nurse walking through it.
“Oh good. You’re awake,” the nurse said with a gentle smile.
Her smooth, brown skin was flawless. Her dark eyes held a curious note, but she didn’t ask the questions that were smoldering in her eyes. Her dark hair was pulled up in a bun, and her scrubs were dark but didn’t hide her curves.
Aspen didn’t say a word but watched the pretty woman walk over to her machines that were on a pole delivering intravenous fluids into the tubes connected to her. She eyed the tape on her arm and felt the cool fluid entering her veins.
“Where am I?” Aspen asked. She grimaced hearing her voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard.
“You’re in intensive care. You underwent surgery to get that bullet out of your thigh.” The woman paused and stepped closer to the bed. Her eyes were gentle as she studied Aspen. “I’m Ronnie, by the way.”
“I’m Aspen,” she whispered. She winced at the pain it took to talk.
“Here, let me help you. The doctors ordered this soothing spray for your throat. It’s probably sore from when you were intubated during the surgery.” Ronnie turned and grabbed a bottle with red liquid in it.
Aspen read the label with a familiar name on it. She opened her mouth, and Ronnie sprayed a few squirts inside. The cooling spray instantly calmed the scorched sensation in her throat.
“If that leg of yours hurts too much, hit this button, and pain medication will be dispensed to you to help keep it under control.” Ronnie lifted a small device with a red button on the tip.
“Thank you.” Aspen tried to smile, but her cracked lips prevented her. She took it from Ronnie and hit the button. A beep sounded from the machine it was connected to.
“Don’t need to thank me. I’m friends with Sarena. You’ve met her before, right?”
Aspen nodded, thinking back to the day she and Declan had lunch with Mac and Sarena. It seemed like eons ago.
“She told me to pass along that Declan is here. But you’re under heavy guard now, and they won’t let anyone who isn’t a federal agent or hospital staff into your room. I was able to bribe the other nurse to switch patients with me so I could have you.” She patted Aspen’s hand with a smile.
Aspen felt somewhat comforted knowing that if Declan couldn’t be here right now, they’d at least found a way to send a friendly person to be with her.
“Thank you.” Aspen couldn’t help but say it again. “What happened?”
“You took a couple shots to the back. Thank God you were wearing that bulletproof vest. You are going to be sore for a while. But the real issue was your leg. You took a bullet in your thigh, and it lodged itself into your femur. Had it been an inch or two higher, it would have hit your femoral artery, and I don’t even want to say what could have happened if that would have been the case.”
Aspen gulped with that knowledge. She wasn’t medically trained, but hearing a bullet hitting any artery didn’t sound good.
“I don’t even want to know what could have happened.” Aspen shook her head.
“You were in good hands. The surgeons were able to dig it out without causing too much damage. Now you relax. I’m going to let Dr. Murphy know you are awake. He’s one of the surgeons who operated on you.” Ronnie backed away from the bed and turned. She disappeared out the door, leaving Aspen alone once again.
She settled back against the pillows, feeling the effects of the pain medication kick in. Her body relaxed, and her eyes drifted shut.
Chapter 21
Aspen felt herself being pulled from her dream. The physicians had come with Ronnie and examined her, pleased with the sight of the wound. Her leg still burned, and she was assured that it would feel better by the next day. The surgeon had ordered a scan to be performed in the morning to ensure there was no internal bleeding since the area was hot to touch.
Since then, she’d floated in and out of sleep. The pain medication made her drowsy, but it took some of the edge off.
Dreams of Declan threatened to pull her back under, but something was off. Her body swayed, and she realized her bed was moving.
Her eyes flew open, and the sight of the ceiling rolled past.
