Page 31 of Rescuing Ryder

“Do you have a robe or something Kassie can put on? We want to eliminate any traces of the mace. Do you have any soap for her to shower with? I’m afraid we’ll need to scrub her down.” Chase started unbuttoning Kassie’s clothes with his gloved hands and Leo remained in front of the door as Claire rushed to her bedroom, grabbed a clean pair of pajamas and returned to pass them to Leo.

“I feel terrible,” she choked.

“You didn’t know. It’s our fault for scaring you half to death,” Shadow assured her as he guided her into the living room. “PITA always wants to experience some of what we do to learn how to combat it. You can bet she’ll research the heck out of this one.”

Leo called to Catherine, handing her an overly large T-shirt and pointed toward the bathroom.

Lizzy and Bryanna, Kassie’s friends, joined them and sat beside her.

“Kassie’s a tough cookie and you know how Chase acts with her. She’ll feel right as rain in no time,” Lizzy attempted to comfort her.

“Taco said the can expired. It’s not at its strongest strength,” Bryanna offered. “Leo’s making Catherine change clothes in case any residue ended up on her clothing. The men opened the windows and doors to allow some fresh air in. Taco’s mopping the floors.”

Claire put her head in her hands. “Poor Kassie,” she moaned. “I can’t believe this happened.”

Lizzy passed her a tissue. “Leave it to the Serenity crew to give you a memorable party,” she mused.

“Trust me, Kassie’s in the best hands. Between two nurses, a physician, and a SEAL team, we’ll get her handled,” Catherine assured her, walking into the room. “They’ve almost finished cleaning everything up.”

Claire wanted to huddle into a ball and die. First, her situation with Ryder, then the housewarming party from hell. She wanted the day to end.

An hour later, Kassie emerged. Her eyes and nose area remained angrily red and puffy. She held a wad of tissues to her nose. Taco left to purchase more items while Chase led her to the couch.

Tears streamed down Claire’s face at seeing the painful expression on Kassie’s.

“I’m fine, Claire. The burning sensation went down, and I think the milk helped more than the baby shampoo or the combination of the two.” Shadow handed Kassie a bottle of water while Chase listened to her chest.

“Does she have problems breathing?” Claire asked, worried.

Kassie shook her head. “No. At first, I did, but now my throat burns. Leo assured me I handled it like a champ,” she answered her with pride.

Claire grimaced. “I appreciate the gesture and the hard work you must’ve done to pull this off. You’ll probably feel better if you go home and rest.” Saint walked in, carrying t-shirts for all the men.

“I’ve cleaned the floor and the wall. Luckily, it only hit Kassie. Catherine, Bryanna sent me over with fresh clothes, and with the baby and all, you might want to shower, too. Shadow’s prepping the bathroom now for you.”

“Oh, all right.” She followed the large man into the other room.

“Can I get you anything?” Claire asked, feeling guilty.

“No. Chase will tend to me. We came to throw you a party. I placed the food in the kitchen, and we put the gifts by the fireplace.”

“I sprayed you with pepper spray and you want me to open gifts?” Claire asked her miserably.

“Yes. We want to welcome you to Serenity. I might disappear for a few minutes, but I’ll survive,” Kassie smiled and winced.

The men and Catherine changed while Chase fussed over his wife.

Arriving late, Samantha and Whiskey walked into the room.

Samantha rushed to her friend and knelt, “Does it burn very badly?”

“At least we know Claire can wield one mean can of pepper spray. Now, stop fussing and grab some food.” Kassie ordered as Chase placed a cool towel on her neck and chest.

Samantha turned to Whiskey, “Run back to the house and bring me the green ointment can. It’ll help with the burning sensation on your skin. Unfortunately, I can’t think of anything for your eyes and throat.”

“Michael, can you pull some banana popsicles from our freezer? It’ll help with the throat,” Lizzy suggested.

“See? We pitch in to take care of everyone, including you. Let’s open presents and eat. Taco, take Claire into the kitchen and help her get a plate. Tess will arrive shortly. She’s finishing up at the community kitchen. Go on,” Kassie tugged at Claire to rise. “Really, I’m all right.”

---