Page 85 of Winters Heat

A cough caught her attention. Jared pointed at her. “This is Mia. She goes where he goes. Tell whoever you need to.”

Mia’s mouth dropped and hung slack-jawed. Her thoughts of gratitude scrambled to form before she pulled it together to mouththank you. She didn’t have the energy to do anything more, but his look of acknowledgement said she didn’t need to. His eyes were very expressive. Did he know about that chink in his tough guy armor?

She stayed with the medevac crew as they loaded Colby up and ran him from the plane to the chopper. Immediately, they were airborne again. Not flying high, but they moved forward like a hurricane blast.

A crew member gave her headphones. It muffled the dull roar from the chopper blades. When the pilot talked to the hospital, it sounded so formal—their estimated time of arrival, Colby’s condition, and his vitals.

Mia watched out the window, not wanting to hear his reality. The farther away they flew, the more the Titan team became tiny action figures trudging to their waiting trucks and SUVs. Just another day in the life of those guys. Parking their vehicles at a private airstrip to go battle evil, dodge bullets, and save the day.

One truck remained—Colby’s—and she focused on it until it was out of sight.

What a crazy life. It should’ve scared the hell out of her, but it didn’t. He’d pull out of this. No problem. He’d be up, ready, and waiting for another chance to chase down the bad guys. She laughed.Tangle. He loved that word. He wanted totanglewith the bad guys. Always looking for the righteous fight. This was how he earned a well-paid living, doing right in the shadowy face of malevolence. His job was an intrinsic part of him, which made her proud. He was her body-armor-clad dark knight. A silent hero. The man wagered his life in high stakes combat games. He had the training and the know-how. She’d seen that in action. He was careful and deliberative. Tough as he was smart.

When he busted out of his coma, she’d tell him how she felt. She was proud, accepting, and in love.

In love.

Her blood thumped in her neck. Her mouth went dry. When had that crept up? He was sexy and strong, with a tender heart and a caring soul. She trusted him. Believed in him. But in love with him? Love was a deep personal attachment. A profound affection. Love was something she hadn’t thought possible in her situation.

But, yes, she loved him.

And, surprise, surprise, it wasn’t a scary realization. Rather, it was warm and calming. Centering. She was secure and stable with him. When he awoke, those would be the first words out of her mouth. She might even shout them, shaking him completely awake at the first sign of stirrings. Until then, all she could do was hold his lifeless hand, as they floated through the air.

Exhausting minutes later, she heard the approach in her headphones before they landed at the top of a hospital tower. Nurses stood by, ready for their arrival, heads down and hair blowing, as the chopper hovered over the red and white painted landing zone. The flight crew disembarked, and the hospital nurses took over. Everyone moved fast, checking monitors, bags, and wires.

They rushed into an elevator, and Mia pressed against the wall. No one spoke to her. She was invisible in the midst of chaos. The doors opened, and they rolled into a quiet hallway, then a private suite. Such a whirlwind. She didn’t know what to say or who to thank. Each person placated her with a pitying smile as they left her alone in the room. Well, not alone. Colby was in bed. The only noise breaking the silence between them was the beeping of machines.

It was only after they left that she saw herself. She was filth covered, blood spattered, and her dress had only one working sleeve. She looked like death and smelled like it, too.

A tap on her shoulder startled her out of a downward descent of depression. A man with salt and pepper hair, caring brown eyes, and a white coat stood in front of her, clipboard in hand.

“You must be Mia.”

He knew her name. “Uh, yes.”

“I’m Dr. Tuska. I’ll be taking care of Colby from here on out. Anything you need, just ask for it.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t have his health insurance card, or his—”

“Don’t worry about it.” He flipped through the chart.

“I don’t understand.”

Dr. Tuska chuckled. “The Titan Group has been very, very generous to us in the past. You have to be the first wife I’ve met, so it’s—”

“I’m not his wife.”

“Whatever you are, Mia, you have the Titan stamp of approval. I’ll have a cot brought in here so you can rest. There’s a shower in the bathroom. I’ll ask the nurse to bring you some scrubs to change into. You’ll probably feel better, sleep better, if you’re able to shower and relax. There’s a menu card on that table.” He pointed to a small table beside Colby’s bed. “Fill it out, and lunch will be here by the time you’re out of the shower.”

She felt her eyes bulge, and couldn’t shake the shock long enough to mind her manners.

The doctor tilted his head, seemingly aware that she didn’t expect the first class treatment. “Like I said, Mia, very generous. I’m going to do a once over on Colby to see if I want to change anything, then I’ll be out of your hair.”

“When will he wake up?”Please, please have an answer.

“That’s up to him. He’ll wake up when he’s ready, when his body is ready. Until then, we monitor him, make sure nothing changes for the worse, and we wait.”

Not the answer she wanted. Mia saw the doctor off and eyed the lunch menu. Not the typical cafeteria fare. Right about now, anything other than MREs and the protein bars she found on the plane would be delicious. She circled grilled chicken, macaroni and cheese, and a salad. Oh, and a cookie. Definitely needed a cookie.

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