Page 65 of No Bed Of Roses

Isla started to stand, but he squeezed her to him, and Lia put her hand on Isla’s. “Two choices. One, you let Levi carry you. Two, I get a stretcher.”

“I don’t need a stretcher.” Isla’s voice was horrified.

Lia nodded. “Okay, Levi, she’s all yours.”

She sure as hell was.

The doctor’s no-nonsense manner helped Levi’s heart settle, but rage continued to flow in his veins. Reg followed on his heels, but Lia shooed everyone else away, telling them Isla would let them know her status soon.

In the clinic, she pointed Reg to the waiting room and Levi to an examination room. When he placed Isla on the table, he didn’t let go. He buried his face in her hair and breathed her in. “You scared the hell out of me.”

She breathed out a shaky laugh. “Me too.”

It took over twenty minutes before Lia was satisfied that she’d removed all the rocks and debris from the cuts on Isla’s body.

As Lia finished up, she smiled at Isla. “You’re very lucky. Again. Your hip is going to have a major bruise, but the bones didn’t get broken or chipped. You don’t appear to have a concussion, but you need to respect the healing process. Everything is going to hurt again. Because you haven’t fully recovered from the rollover, I want you to take this slowly. Let your body heal so that it can go back to full strength.”

Isla nodded. “I don’t have the energy to argue with you.”

Lia smiled. “I know. You’ve been through absolute hell, but I’m glad to say you’re going to fully recover. Don’t be afraid to take the pain meds I’ve given you. If you can let your body relax, you’ll heal more quickly. Now I’ll give you a few minutes alone. Do I have your permission to update your father?”

“Please do.”

For a few moments, Levi and Isla simply stared at each other. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she kept blinking until they disappeared. He lifted her into his arms and sat on the exam table to hold her.

Now that he knew she was mostly okay, he wanted to slip back into warrior mode and hunt down the bastard who’d hit her.

Isla shivered in his arms. Her whisper barely reached his ears. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

She patted his chest. “Don’t go after him. I can’t lose you.”

Hell. He kissed her hair and rocked her. “I’m not leaving you.”

A breath shuddered out of her. “Thank you. Do you think they caught him?”

“No idea. The only thing I could focus on was you.”

She leaned back to smile up at him. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Me too. I think I lost a few years of my life. I’m sorry I wasn’t closer to get there first.”

She ran her fingers over his jaw. “You got there. When I woke up, I could hear you, and I knew it would be okay. I love you.”

As simple as that, the rage washed out of him. His priority was her. If his friends hadn’t caught Hicks, they’d make a plan together and get that done. But revenge wasn’t his primary mission anymore.

His priority was in his arms, looking at him with her heart in her eyes.

CHAPTER 22

Coming Up Roses

Isla wanted to snuggle into Levi and sleep for a week. But they had to get home first. And before that, she’d have to talk to her father and whoever else was there. The very thought had her shoulders drooping.

Lia came back in with instructions she went over before emailing them to both Isla and Levi. Then, the doctor let her dad into the room. She was still sitting on Levi’s lap but didn’t have the energy or desire to move.

Her dad approached her with tears in his eyes, and he reached out to gently take her hand. “Isla. Are you really okay?”

---