Page 91 of Rescuing Brinley

“I love you too. Thank you for coming.”

“That’s one thing you never have to thank me for. I would never have stopped looking for you. You’re it for me, Brinley. The person I’ve waited my entire life to find.”

She stared up at him with her one good eye, and Shadow had never felt more grateful in his life to have her here, alive and breathing.

He needed to know everything that happened to her, but it could wait. At least until she’d been seen by a doctor. And he only wanted her to have to rehash it once…when the police were there. If she needed to talk about it more afterward, he’d gladly listen and help her cope with the aftermath, but for now, he was content to revel in the fact that she’d had the strength to survive whatever those assholes had done.

He’d always known his Brinley was strong; this just proved it to everyone else. She’d been beaten, strangled, and who knows what else…and then got up and started walking. Shadow had no doubt she would’ve walked all the way back to Fairbanks if she had to.

As the sirens grew louder, he took a deep breath. The next few hours would be tough on them both, but mostly for Brinley. He’d be right there with her every step of the way. From today onward.

She was his.

And he was hers.

Nothing he’d ever done in his life compared to this moment. The start of a beautiful future with Brinley at his side. He’d bend over backward to make her happy, to keep her safe, to give her everything she needed and wanted for the rest of her life.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Brinley swallowed a pained groan as she turned over in the hospital bed. The doctor wanted to keep her there overnight, and no matter how much she’d begged to be able to go home, everyone—from the doctor, to Cypress, to all of Dash’s teammates—had told her in no uncertain terms that she was going to stay right where she was.

It wasn’t until she saw the fear and worry on Dash’s face that she’d finally given in. He’d suffered with her disappearance. She’d known he would, but seeing evidence of it in the flesh was extremely difficult.

Everything hurt. But she was alive. The pain would fade, the bruises would go away, and she didn’t have to worry about Tamika coming after her ever again.

The door to her room opened and Brinley looked over, hoping to see Dash. He’d stepped out to talk to the detective who’d arrived to interview her, probably to warn him not to push her too hard. He’d actually wanted to put the man off until she’d gotten some sleep, but Brinley just wanted this to be over and done.

But it wasn’t Dash who entered, it was the doctor. She was a tiny thing. The members of Dash’s team still in the room seemed to tower over her. But she wasn’t intimidated by them in the least as she ordered them to stand aside.

“How’re you feeling?” she asked quietly.

“Hi, Dr. Price. I’m okay.”

“You can call me Heidi. Dr. Price just seems so stuffy.”

Brinley chuckled, then immediately stopped when her stomach muscles protested.

“You’re going to be quite sore for a while, I’m afraid,” Heidi told her. “And it’ll get worse before it gets better, but that’s normal. Don’t be afraid to take the painkillers when you go home. Amazingly, nothing’s broken. I looked over your X-rays and your ribs are okay, and I didn’t see any fractures in your facial bones either. You were very lucky.”

“Yeah.”

“But that doesn’t mean you weren’t badly injured. As you’re already aware, it took a long time to clean all the dirt and tiny rocks out of your palms. And the stitches in your lip are gonna be a pain in your butt for a while. I’m going to prescribe some cream for your neck, to make those bruises feel better, and you need to stay off your feet and rest. That’s the best thing you can do to heal, to give your muscles a chance to recover. Hear me?”

Brinley opened her mouth to tell the stern yet somehow motherly doctor that she understood, but movement by the door caught her attention. Dash had returned. And he’d obviously heard the tail end of the doctor’s instructions.

“She’ll rest. Even if I have to hide her sewing machine and sit on her to make it happen.”

Heidi laughed. “I’m not sure I’d recommend sitting on her, but keeping an eye on her would be good.”

“Since she’ll be coming back to my place, that won’t be an issue. My boss gave me the week off, so I can be with her twenty-four seven.”

Pleasure bloomed within Brinley, but she still felt bad that Dash was taking that much time off to babysit her, especially so soon after his bereavement leave. “You don’t have to do that, I’m sure Cypress can take some leave. And I don’t need watching for a full week anyway.”

He smiled gently. “Cypress isn’t moving in with us, so she won’t be able to watch you. I mean, if you want her to come over and visit, that’s not a problem, but there won’t be a need for her to take any time off. Zamora has already approved my leave and it’s a done deal.”

Brinley stared at him in confusion through the eye that wasn’t still almost swollen shut. “Wait…what?”

“You’re coming home with me. For good. It’s already been arranged. Echo, Grinder, and Kodiak left with Cypress, and she’ll help them pack up your stuff. They’re bringing it over to my apartment, and it’ll all be there when we get home tomorrow.”