Page 16 of Brax

“Oh, nooo,” said Brax with emphasis.

“Oh, yes. We had to call security for help with him. He didn’t know what he was doing, but he was an oilfield worker. Big, strong, and, unfortunately for her, covered in oil. It’s a hazard of the job. Usually, the patients listen when we say stop, and thanks to our big, handsome, strong husbands and male nursing staff, we’ve learned a few moves that put them in their places.”

“This is why I love this place and don’t ever want to leave,” said Stephanie.

“Good. Then don’t ever leave again. I don’t like seeing you hurt or sick,” said Brax, kissing her temple. She frowned, sitting up straighter, and looked at Gabi.

“What’s wrong, honey?” she asked.

“Gabi, what if this person is sick and needs me? What if they’re connected to my donor original and needs something that only I can provide?”

“If she is, she should have asked for help nicely, not tried to kill you,” said Brax.

“I guess you’re right. I’m just thinking that we really don’t know all the details of what they did to us. Once I’m feeling better, I think I want to ask Regan about all those files he absorbed. I know it was twenty years ago or more, but there could be something in there that’s connected to the school in Maine.”

“Let’s not worry about that right now,” said Brax, helping her to get off the table. “All I want to do is get you home.”

“Then let’s go,” smiled Stephanie. “But if you don’t mind, can we go to the cottage I was using? I really liked being near the water.”

“We can do that, honey. I’ll get you settled and start moving my things over. With the help of my brother and a few others, we should be good.”

Brax wasn’t surprised that Stephanie fell asleep on the sofa almost as quickly as he tucked her in. With the help of Pax, Mav, Saint, and a few of the other men, they had all his things moved into the cottage by the water before she even woke. It wasn’t like he had closets full of clothing.

His uniforms were carefully packed in garment bags, but other than that, he possessed one suit, one tuxedo, a few pairs of jeans, military-style utility pants, and the rest were shorts and t-shirts.

“You seriously need to consider upgrading your wardrobe, brother,” laughed Pax.

“Yeah, I’m looking at it and thinking the same thing. Although, in fairness, Steph doesn’t seem obsessed with clothing or makeup right now, either. Maybe she will the more she’s around the others.”

“Maybe,” nodded Saint.

They all stepped onto the front porch, and Brax gently closed the door behind him. He handed the guys some drinks, and they sat down, enjoying the late afternoon sun and light breeze.

“Hey, Steph said something earlier that has me thinking. She asked if it was possible that if this shooter, or someone connected to the shooter, was a clone like her or a clone from her original, might need something from a medical standpoint.”

“That’s an interesting thought,” said Mav, “but why not just ask for the help? The others are able to communicate. They’ve sort of always been able to communicate. Why not try to find us in the right way?”

“I have to agree with that,” said Saint. “If you want our help, don’t try to kill someone we love.”

“I’m not sure,” said Brax. “But I can tell you this. They won’t come near her again.”

CHAPTER NINE

It was a week later before Stephanie was allowed to return to G.R.I.P., but only part-time. Doug and the others watched her carefully but saw no residual effects of the crash. In fact, she seemed happier than ever before.

“I’m guessing that your enthusiasm for work has something to do with living with Brax,” smirked Paige, looking over her shoulder. Paige was nearly six-feet tall, and Steph was only five-three, so it was a comical sight.

“It definitely does,” she smiled. “It’s not just living with him, but he’s much more open about his feelings and our future. I think once he told me about his concerns, I mean, why he was concerned, he knew it wouldn’t matter to me.”

“I’m glad he told you,” said Paige.

“You knew?” she frowned.

“Honey, there’s not much here that we all don’t know. We’re family, but we also keep people’s secrets. They’re not our stories to tell. We knew Brax would say something eventually, but it had to be in his own time.”

“I wish you would have given me hints,” she said quietly.

“Steph, we did give you some hints. We told you that Brax had some issues that he had to work out and that you should be patient,” smiled Paige.

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