Page 114 of Shadow Redemption

Clenching his jaw, Ben gave the medic a slight nod.

“How do you get uncooperative patients to do what you tell them?” Sam glared at Ben. “My teammates argue with my treatment recommendations.”

Rio grinned. “Being a foot taller than you helps.”

Sam rolled her eyes, then hooked Ben up to the IV Rio had prepared. She and Rio cleaned Ben’s back, then used lidocaine to numb the wound.

Rio straightened. “I’ll check Quinn while the lidocaine works. I’ll be back in a few. Don’t start the fun without me.”

“Fun for who?” Ben asked.

The other team’s medic chuckled as he left the room.

Sam continued to check Ben while Rio was gone. “Ruth, I know Buckner nailed you with at least one punch. Were you hurt during the abduction or before Ben showed up?”

“A few bruises. I’m fine, I promise.”

“Ice packs,” Ben ordered Sam. “She has to work soon.”

“Yes, Dr. Martin. I’ll get right on that.”

“Brat,” he growled.

Shadow’s medic grinned.

Rio returned a few minutes later with his bag. He donned rubber gloves. “We ready, Sam?”

She pinched various places along Ben’s back. “Feel anything?”

“Pressure.” He sounded sleepy.

“That’s what we want. You can either look at your girl or go to sleep.”

His eyes were already closing. “Don’t leave me, Ruth.”

As if she would. Nope, the handsome operative had her heart. “Never. Sleep, Ben. I’ll watch over you.”

With a slight smile on his mouth, he fell asleep.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Ben glared at Sorenson. “Let me out of here, Doc. Your dogs are driving me nuts.” That was a lie, but he couldn’t stay in the doctor’s recovery room another day. The walls were closing in on him. Worse, he was afraid to fall into a deep sleep. What if he woke up screaming, a good possibility since his confrontation with Davidson and his cronies? Despite having the means to free himself from the chains, being restrained had reawakened nightmares.

Not only that, his mother was stuck in this clinic with him and Ruth. He wanted to get her to Nashville and settled in a place of her own as soon as possible. Time for her to find out who she was without Davidson’s abuse, the woman she might have become after his father’s death if not for the influence of a man who lived to manipulate and hurt others.

Knowing what she’d been through, he’d already had a few conversations with Maddox about counseling for his mother. She’d need help transitioning back into society after the cloistered confines of Eden not to mention the years of trauma she’d suffered at Davidson’s hands.

His boss had arrived at the Bayside clinic three hours after Ben and the others landed. While Durango, Nico, and Trace had returned home, his teammates Joe and Sam remained behind with him and the women. Maddox and the Grays provided security while Ben concentrated on healing and making sure Maren and Ruth were all right.

The surgeon had won Ruth over immediately. Even though he gave Sorenson a hard time on principal, Ben owed the doctor for convincing Ruth and his mother to let him check them for injuries and persuading them to talk about their experiences in the compound. He didn’t know what they discussed in their one-on-one meetings in the office, but Ruth and Maren were more at peace when they returned from the sessions. Who knew the hard-nosed vet with a soft spot for animals was also capable of soothing traumatized women?

Sorenson glowered at Ben. “Don’t try to con me, Martin. I’ve seen you sneaking down the hall to the animal recovery room off and on for the past two days. What’s the real reason you want away from my stimulating company?”

He’d have to give the other man something. As a former operative, Sorenson had seen almost everything. “I can’t breathe here.”

The doctor’s eyes narrowed. “Not buying it. Try again.”

Ben dragged a hand down his face. Fantastic. He should have known the taciturn surgeon would see right through him. “If I fall into a deep sleep, there’s an excellent chance I’ll wake up screaming.”

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