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He still said nothing. Had he caused the injury when he landed on her? Yes, he saved her, but at what expense? If he had hurt her, he would never forgive himself.
Ian made a rude sound as he typed on his phone. It caused Seth to pause in his steps and look at her brother.
“What?”
“This woman.”
“What woman?”
“Samantha Charles.”
“Oh, the Barracuda is texting you?” Charity asked, humor threading her tone. It was well-known within TFH that Ian and Samantha Charles had tangled a few times. The former CIA agent was in hiding. Seth really didn’t care why or how.
“Yes. Samantha learned from Jin that my sister was injured, and she’s blaming me.”
The elevator door dinged open, and a rather large man with greying hair and a determined expression came striding off the lift. He was followed by a stunning black woman with long braids and the most amazing tattoos.
“Conner,” Ian said, rising from the chair. “You didn’t have to come down.”
Conner Dillon, owner of Dillon Security, former FBI agent, and Ian’s boss.
“Of course we came,” the woman said. She smiled at the group and sat beside Ian and Sam. “Any word?”
He couldn’t deal with this, so he started pacing again. The need to control the situation and order someone to fix the problem was like a tremor on his tongue. His hands itched to go into the operating room and perform the operation himself. Seth didn’t have the training, but leaving her in the hands of another person was out of the question.
“Seth,” someone said behind him, but he knew that voice. He stopped walking and looked at his team. Nikki shrugged, and that told him who had called his mother.
He turned just as his mother rushed him. She pulled him into one of her bear hugs. His wound smarted, but he didn’t say anything. In all his years as a SEAL, he’d dealt with these things independently. Of course, he had never been in love with anyone before. Seeing her collapse was one of the worst things he had ever experienced—and he had been shot and stabbed multiple times.
“So,” his mother pulled back, “tell us what happened.”
He opened his mouth to explain when an older female doctor entered the waiting room. She wore a pair of scrubs and still wore the little hat surgeons wore.
“I’m guessing you’re all the people waiting on Autumn Bradford?”
Sam stood and walked over. “I’m her father.”
“First off, she’s fine. She had a collapsed lung thanks to a fractured rib. We inserted a tube to inflate her lung, and she’s doing well. She’s unhappy that I want her to stay here at least overnight.”
Her father nodded, the relief on his face easy to see. “But you’re keeping her overnight.”
“Yes. She’s not happy about it, as I said. Truth is, I plan on keeping her for at least forty-eight hours. She’s healthy, so there should be no complications, but I felt it was easier to fight the small battle over tonight. Now, on to the other business. Is there someone here that she calls SEAL?”
Everyone turned to face him. The doctor’s blue gaze followed their lead and turned to face Seth.
“Ah, yes. She wanted me to tell you that it wasn’t your fault. Someone had tackled her earlier in the day. She said it had been hurting for a while. I think you might have sped up her having to come in, but then, if she had been shot, she would have probably died—according to her. Also, she said she wanted to see you first.”
His stomach finally settled a little bit, but his heart still felt battered. Somehow, he forced his feet to follow the doctor. Seth knew Tripler well, as they had brought people here several times that they’d rescued. They accepted civilians and military, so it was sometimes the closer hospital.
They were heading back to the ICU. While the logical part of his brain told him that it was just a precaution and it made sense, the emotional side of his brain was freaking out.
When they made it to her room, his heart seemed to settle. She looked so small and pale, but she was breathing and fine. There was a tube under her nose for oxygen. The backs of his eyes burned slightly, and he had to blink. Relief filtered through his entire body. She was fine.
“She’ll have to have that oxygen on for a little while. We want to ensure her oxygen levels stay up while her lung recovers.”
Her eyes fluttered open, and he watched as her gaze came to his. Relief filled her face. She held up the hand that had an IV in it. Seth took two steps, then took her hand in his.
She smiled at him, then winced. He figured that split lip was going to hurt for a while.
