Page 282 of Fearless

“He’s sleeping,” Ava said.

“Maybe I could–”

“No,” Ava said, and felt her father’s gaze against the side of her face.

Evie wiped at her eyes. “I’m sorry, Ava. I’m so sorry. Larry and me, we – I – we did–” She struggled for the words, wrestling with the past and present tense concerning her freshly-dead husband. The Dogs had broken the news to her, when they’d found her, held hostage in her own home. “We didn’t want any of this to happen. We love Felix. You know we do.”

Ava nodded, but she couldn’t stop the words from falling off her tongue. “What I know,” she said quietly, “is that everyone in his life who loved him, or claimed to, allowed him to get hurt. Badly. His whole life. That stops with me. I love him. And I won’t let him get hurt anymore.” She pointed to the parking lot. “Please leave, Evie. Please.”

“I’m sorry,” Evie said again, but when Ava wouldn’t budge, she turned and walked back to her car, crying into her hand.

When she was gone, Ghost took a deep breath. Here came the judgment. The lecture. The fatherly advice that it was good to be cold, but not this cold. Nothing she ever did would hit the mark with him. She didn’t care anymore. What she’d told Evie was true: it didn’t matter if she was a disappointment to Ghost for the rest of her life; she was the person who wasn’t going to hurt Mercy. That was all she needed when it came to the approval of men.

But to her surprise, he said, “I was wrong.”

Ava couldn’t blink. “What?”

He sighed, and gave her a tiny wry smile. “I’ve spent years worried that Mercy was bad for you. I don’t think I saw things the way they really are.”

She felt a stinging in her throat, creeping to her eyes. “What way is that?”

“A girl like you isn’t ever in danger of changing. The influence is the other way; you’re good for him. You make him better. There’s not anyone in the world who could make you less than what you are.”

She closed her eyes, fighting the sudden wave of emotion.

She felt Ghost’s arms close around her, and he pulled her into a gentle hug, his face against the top of her head. “Do you have any idea how strong you are, little Rose? I’m so proud of you, sweetheart.”

“Even if I married him?” she asked, sniffing hard.

“Especially because you married him. I love you,” he whispered into her hair, and she felt it, the love, its stern, strong warmth radiating through her.

“Dad, I want to go home.”

“We’re going. Soon as we can.”

“When you guys gonna discharge me, Doc?” Mercy asked as Dr. Roth pulled his stethoscope back and looped it around his neck. His voice wasn’t full of its usual bright spark. It sounded dry and hoarse. His dark eyes were still slumberous, and when they passed over Ava, she felt the heat of a hundred unsaid things in them.

But he was awake, and according to Dr. Roth, he was healing up beautifully.

Dr. Roth had also become totally comfortable with the whole rag-tag lot of them at this point: Ghost, Maggie, Ava, Aidan, Tango and Rottie all camped in Mercy’s private room for the afternoon.

“Considering you had two major surgeries in the last two days,” he said, “I’d give it another three or four days. You can sign yourself out before then, obviously” – he passed a look across all of them that suggested they not do that – “but Dr. Evans and Dr. Kimber want to be on the safe side.”

“Hmph.” Mercy gave the doctor an unimpressed look.

“Everything looks good,” Dr. Roth said. “Your white cell count’s great. The incisions on your knee look good.” He gave them all a little smile. “I’ll check back in later.”

“Thank you, Dr. Roth,” Maggie said as he left. “I want to bake him cookies,” she commented, when he was gone. “He’s a sweet boy.”

Ghost snorted. “Bake them on what? Should I smuggle in an Easy-Bake Oven?”

She smacked his leg with her magazine.

“Speaking of food,” Ghost said. “How much have you eaten today, Ava?”

She lifted her chin in mild defiance. “I had yogurt with berries at the cafeteria this morning.”

“Wow. Call Weight Watchers,” he muttered.

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