Page 61 of Grave Peril

“I’ll make sure he does,” Lela said. “He’s stubborn, but I’ll take care of him.”

The doctor nodded. “That’s good to hear. You can see your brother when he’s brought back to his room, but only for a few minutes. And I don’t expect that he will be conscious until the morning. We’ve given him medication for pain, and to sleep.”

Lela choked back tears. “Thank you, doctor.”

After another long wait, the nurse informed Lela that she could see her “brother.” So she went into the private room, which was quiet except for machines beeping.

The sight of Rip tore at her heart. He looked vulnerable in the hospital bed, with wires hooked up to him. There was an IV bag, and a screen monitoring his bodily functions.

Lela stood beside him. A wide white bandage was wrapped around his chest, but his body was unmoving. She touched his hand and spoke softly. “You scared me…so much.” Emotion seized her. “I thought I’d lost you.”

A tear rolled down Lela’s cheek, and she leaned over to kiss Rip’s cheek. His skin was cold and lacked color. She longed to see him up and about, bossing her around and telling her how she needed protection.

Lela needed something more than that. She needed him.

“Rest and get better. I’ll be here when you wake up.” Lela squeezed his hand. “And please don’t worry. I’ll take care of things.”

She left the room but didn’t go far. It was better to be close to Rip, even if he was knocked out. The sleep would be good for him.

There was a room provided for relatives who stayed overnight, so Lela catnapped there. She wanted to be the first person Rip saw when he opened his eyes.

After a restless night, Lela went to the ICU desk. “You’ll be able to visit in a little while,” the nurse said. “I’m not sure Ripley’s awake yet.”

The gift shop opened early. Lela had it all planned out. She could imagine the look on Rip’s face when she entered the room. And whatever he said would be perfect. It would be enough just to see him with his eyes open, and to hear his voice.

She purchased flowers to take up to him. The dozen yellow roses were beautiful in the crystal vase. It would cheer him up and brighten the room. She wondered how long he’d be in ICU before being moved to another room.

*****

Rip was in an unfamiliar bed. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids didn’t budge. Someone had drugged him. The beeping sounds from a machine annoyed him, and a needle poked into his arm.

Then memories of what had happened flooded back.

He managed to peel his eyelids back, but his head pounded like some idiot had hit him with a two-by-four. And he couldn’t seem to move.

A thick bandage was wrapped around his middle. That would be from the stab wound. He must have had surgery. The pain meds had worn off, because he hurt like hell.

A nurse entered with a warm smile. “Good morning, Mr. McConnell. How are you feeling?”

“Like hell.” Rip was surprised that his voice worked.

“That sounds about right.” The nurse smiled. “But you’re recovering just fine. I’m here to take your vitals and see if you need anything.”

Rip had to behave for the moment. But his mind raced. He was in a hospital. That was the bad news. It was a public place. In larger hospitals, the overworked staff could sometimes be too busy to notice a person who didn’t belong there.

Anyone could walk right in, and Rip would be toast. The assassin hadn’t finished the job, so he’d be back. And there wasn’t a damn thing to stop him from strolling right into the hospital room.

“Everything looks good,” the nurse said, and held out a plastic cup. “Here are some pain meds for you.”

“No.” Rip noted the look on her face. “I mean…I’m not in pain.” He was going to adamantly refuse medication. Knocked out, he’d be easy prey.

“Well, I’ll keep the pills here in this cup, in case you change your mind.” The nurse walked toward the door. “And if the pain gets too bad, we can give you a shot, something more potent than the pills. Just press that red button if you need me, okay?”

Rip waited until the nurse was gone and the door closed behind her. Then he willed his body to move. He had to get out of here. And he had to find Lela.

After he managed to turn on his side, he swung his legs over the side of the bed. A wave of dizziness hit, but he brushed it off. Blinking, he focused on his situation. A lot of wires were attached to him, and the IV had to go too.

Rip stood up, a bit unsteady at first. He took two shaky steps to the cabinet, relieved to find his duffel bag with his clean clothes and wallet. His phone was missing, but he couldn’t worry about that now. And his gun was gone too. No surprise that the cops had confiscated it.

---