Page 55 of In the Arms of a Hero

One of the men scoffed. “Well, according to the news, she’s not dead. So now what?”

“Don’t worry. I can get it all taken care of. By the end of the day, it’ll be done.”

The two men continued to stare before one turned and stalked away, leaving the other to glare at his retreat.

28

Belinda emerged from the bathroom the following day, a nurse by her side for support. She was surprisingly steady on her feet despite the painkillers in her system, but the nurses insisted someone accompany her whenever she was out of bed.

When she woke this morning, she had the strangest sensation that she hadn’t slept alone. In her dreams, she had been enveloped by Aaron’s arms.That was in my dreams, right?

Eschewing the bed, she settled in the recliner where her breakfast awaited on a nearby rolling tray. Either the hospital cuisine had improved or she was really hungry, finding it pleasantly tasty. She hadn’t had much to eat since the wedding, and then being in and out of consciousness yesterday. Digging into scrambled eggs, toast, fresh fruit, and yogurt, she was grateful for the cup of coffee, even though it wasn’t nearly as good as Bess’s brew.

As though she’d conjured up her sister from her thoughts, Bess breezed into the room with a smile. As soon as Belinda saw Bess holding a travel cup with a familiar bakery logo on the side and the familiar scent of her favorite brew wafting toward her, she reached out with her right hand and wiggled her fingers. “Gimme, gimme!”

Bess laughed and teased, “Aren’t you going to greet me first?”

“Beautiful sister of mine, hello, and I love you. Now gimme the coffee!”

Still laughing, Bess leaned over to kiss Beinda and offer a little hug before handing her the coffee. “It should be cool by now, so you won’t burn yourself.”

After taking a sip, she looked up and said, “Why aren’t you at the bakery?” She knew that for a small business, if it wasn’t open, Bess wouldn’t make any money.

“Don’t worry, I was there early this morning. I got the baking finished and have all the employees in. Lottie knows how to make the basic recipes, so she’s in the back. Andrea and Carlotta are handling the front. They’ll be fine and said they will work every day until I get back into a schedule.”

“But you must be exhausted!”

“Look who’s talking! I wasn’t the one who was shot!” As soon as the words left her mouth, she winced. “God, that was insensitive.”

“No, honey, it really wasn’t. Don’t worry about that. I don’t remember getting shot, anyway.” Cocking her head to the side, she said, “But how are you able to go in this morning after getting no sleep.”

“I went home last night once Aaron got here, so I got to sleep.”

“Oh, I thought I’d dreamed that he was here.”

Bess laughed again and shook her head. “It wasn’t a dream, Sis.” She shrugged, still laughing. “Or maybe, in your case, it was a dream come true.”

Belinda took another sip of coffee and shifted to a more comfortable position. Smiling at Bess, she inclined her head toward the small sofa. “I think they’re going to discharge me today.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“I hate being in the hospital, yet I’m a little nervous. I’m still on some pretty heavy pain meds, as well as antibiotics. I suppose I’ll mostly just sleep, eat, and go to the bathroom for the next several days, so I should be able to handle that.”

“Well, you’re not going to be alone.” Bess must’ve seen Belinda’s raised eyebrow because she continued. “Hayley is going to spend time with you because she can work easily anywhere as long as she has her laptop. Ivy will also be with you when she gets off work. I think Carrie Hudson and Belle Simmons are organizing some of the auxiliary women to help keep an eye on you and keep you fed. And, of course, I’ll be downstairs during the day and right next door at night!”

Overcome with emotion, Belinda’s face scrunched up as tears dripped down her cheeks. Bess leaped from her seat and knelt close to her, wrapping her arms around her.

“Oh, sis, please don’t cry.”

She still couldn’t move her left arm with it splinted close to her body, but she held her sister tight with her right arm. “I’m sorry. Everything is just overwhelming.”

They hugged for a long moment and then separated, still holding each other close but staring into each other’s eyes. Finally smiling, they soon were laughing. It was a habit they’d perfected since childhood—hold close when upset, then separate, smile, and then finally laugh.

“I can’t believe we were able to convince Mom and Dad to stay in Florida,” Belinda said. “I would’ve felt so guilty if they left Grandma right now.”

“Well, I promised them you’d have lots of people taking care of you, including your new detective boyfriend.”

“What did she say? I haven’t even had time to tell her.”

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