Page 32 of Grizzly's Bear

“I imagine like I was hit with eight bullets,” Slade told his brother then focused on what else Jensen had shared. “I was out for four days?”

“Post-surgery, yes. Your body needed time to heal. I honestly expected you to be out for a few more days,” Jensen admitted. “How you managed to take that many bullets without being more seriously injured, I’ll never know. Four were superficial at best. Two hit your legs. One in the arm. And one caught you in the shoulder. You’ll be sore for a few more days, but your bear’s taken care of most of it already. You were damn lucky, Slade. Damn lucky.”

“You were absolutely crazy,” Rissa countered with a snap to her voice. “If you ever do that again, I’ll shoot you myself.”

Slade grinned. “Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of being mad at me?”

“I don’t care,” she snapped again, and Slade heard the fear behind the worry.

“I’m okay. Promise.”

“As soon as you’re cleared, we’re going home and spending a week in your bed doing absolutely nothing.”

“Are you sure about that?” Slade’s voice was a bit rusty, and he couldn’t keep the growl of his bear from seeping in. “I know of a few things we could do.”

She shook her head, but leaned closer. “Only a few?” she murmured so softly he wondered if Jensen could hear her, too.

“Rissa, why don’t you go grab a shower and something to eat while I look Slade over,” Jensen suggested, and the look on his face said he’d heard plenty.

“I’m starving,” Slade added when it looked as if his mate would balk at leaving him. He knew Jensen wanted to speak to him alone.

“I won’t be long,” she swore as she slid off the bed then leaned over and kissed him hungrily. Then with a nod to Jensen, she slipped out of the room.

“She hasn’t left your side,” Jensen told him. “Hell, I think if there wasn’t a bathroom attached to this room, she just wouldn’t have gone at all.”

“She’s my mate.”

“She was a wreck when I came out of surgery. Terrified you were going to die. Terrified it was all her fault. She kept begging you not to die and leave her. Over and over again. Every time I came in to check on you. Hell, I don’t even know if she realized she was saying it aloud. Seeing her that way was like reliving how you were when she was recuperating in a hospital bed at home.” Jensen shook his head wearily.

“Have you had any sleep, or have you been keeping an eye on my mate?” Slade asked softly.

“Someone had to watch over her.”

“Thank you,” Slade offered, and Jensen nodded before moving closer.

“Let me check your shoulder and arm. Those were the worst of it.” Jensen pulled down the sheet covering Slade’s chest so he could probe the healing wounds. “When we’re done, I suggest you call big brother and check in. He was threatening to head this way if you weren’t up and around by the end of the week.”

“What did you tell him?” Slade asked, already dreading that conversation.

“I said you were alive and healing. Pretty sure it was your mate’s incoherent babbling about you charging into gunfire that had him riled up.”

“Shit,” Slade muttered, and Jensen, the bastard, laughed.

“You scared the hell out of her, brother. Tough as she seems, she’s fragile. What they did to her. The memories resurfacing. Watching you go down in a hail of bullets. It’s a lot for anyone to take.”

“Coming here wasn’t a mistake,” Slade countered. “She needed this. Needed to see Ariel. We needed to see Talbot. It galls me that we’ll probably never get the answers we need from him. If I hadn’t seen him for myself, I would have questioned anyone saying he wasn’t all there mentally.”

“We all would have,” Jensen agreed. “Either way, I’d take up your mate on heading home and spending a week in bed.”

Slade grinned again. “Yeah, it’s time to head home. Question is, are you going or staying?”

Jensen crossed his arms over his chest. “I told Laramie I was planning to stay for a few weeks. Compare notes with Professor Mueller and Tony. I’ll keep an eye out for Adam while I’m here.”

“Shoot, I need to tell Rissa about Adam.”

“Out for four days, bro. Adam was here. He and Rissa talked for a long time. She knows he’s staying here for a bit then maybe heading to Washington to rally more of Em’s old den. She seemed happy for him. You mated an amazing woman.”

“She’s unbelievable,” Slade agreed.

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