Page 107 of Death Wish

He snorted. “I’ve seen you work. You burn a lot of energy every time you sit behind that keyboard. I’ve seen no one so focused except Zane.”

“We’ll see.”

“Yeah, we will. Nobody argues with Doc Sorenson and lives to tell about it.”

Her eyebrows soared. “Seriously?”

“No joke.” He shuddered. “None of us want to see the inside of his clinic. He’s a tough bird.”

That didn’t sound good. “I need a shirt before I see this Sorenson.”

“I’ll find you something. We don’t want you to move your shoulder unless it’s necessary. I’ll be back in a minute.” He left the bedroom and returned with a shirt that buttoned up the front and a pair of black cargo pants.

Perfect. “Are those yours?”

“Partly. The shirt is mine. The pants belong to Sam. My shirt will be big on you but easy to put on and remove for the doc to check your wounds.”

“Can’t we just go home? You and Sam did a great job fixing me up. I’m sure I’ll be fine now.”

“I’m not. You were shot twice. One of our doctors must sign off before we take you home.”

She sighed. “This will be a pain.”

“Yep. Join the party.”

That caught her attention. “Wait. You were hit on the head by Boudreax. Were you injured?”

“I have a concussion and a large knot on my head. The boss will insist I get checked out before I’m cleared for duty.”

Concerned, she said, “If you have a concussion, how long will you be out of work?”

He shrugged. “Depends on the severity. Maybe a week or two.” Jesse squeezed her hand. “Long enough to buy an engagement ring and start dating you.”

She chuckled. “We’re getting married. Why do you want to date now? Isn’t that backwards?”

“I’ll be dating you for the rest of our lives, Simone. My goal in life is to spoil you and treat you like a princess.”

Tears stung her eyes. “I don’t need to be put on a pedestal. I just want to be with you.”

“You deserve to be treated like the special woman you are.”

Stubborn was indeed Jesse’s middle name. Simone could see that nothing she said would change his mind. Fine, then. She would do her best to reciprocate. Jesse was a prince among men. She’d treat him like one.

Jesse opened the door and said, “Come in, Sam.”

Shadow Unit’s medic walked inside and smiled when she saw Simone sitting up. “Look who’s awake. How do you feel?”

“Not as bad as I did when you saw me earlier. Still rough, though.”

“That’s to be expected. Jesse, why don’t you step out now? I’ll give Simone a hand getting dressed.”

Jesse laid Simone’s clothes on the bed. “I’ll be outside the door.”

Sam easily helped Simone change her clothes and use the facilities with a minimum of discomfort or embarrassment.

“I thought you might want a change of clothes before you get off the jet,” Sam said.

“I appreciate it, Sam. I didn’t want to climb back into my pants.” They were stained with blood, dirt, and pond water. Not a wonderful combination when you were trying to protect a gunshot wound.

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