Page 141 of Mangled Memory
We wait for Fitz. We chat with Fitz. Ayla cries over and fawns over Fitz.
He was Special Forces and to this day is a badass, and she is doing everything but pulling up his covers and wiping his brow. It isn’t sexual. It’s maternal. It is funny and heartwarming and annoying as fuck, because I just want to go home. I left for the office by five this morning. Or was that yesterday morning, technically?
I have no clue, but I haven’t slept well in more than a week.
Liam left an hour ago. Janie disappeared before her younger son, slipping out with little fanfare.
Cian, though, is Ayla’s shadow. There’s no way one will be far from the other right now. Anyone who loves my wife like that is good with me.
“Come on, Princess. We can come back tomorrow.”
“But…”
“Let Fitz sleep. His body needs itto recover.”
He gives me a thumbs-up before she turns back from me to the man who seems to take up the whole hospital bed. He’s tall enough his feet would probably hang off the edge if he were to stretch out fully. “I’m so sorry, Fitz. I didn’t mean to mess with your recuperation. I’ll come back tomorrow. I’ll call you first. The food here sucks so let me know what you want, and I’ll smuggle it in.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Barone.”
“For the last time, call me Ayla.” She looks over her shoulder to me before focusing again on the Ranger. “I insist. You can’t call me Mrs. Barone after taking a bullet for me.” She pauses. “You took a bullet for me.” Her voice is quiet and choked as the tears return.
The caveman in me wants to say thatI did too, but I won’t compare my graze to his gut wound. Besides, she’s going home with me. Anytime now…
How is my wife functioning? If I had to guess, adrenaline-fueled panic mixed with relief.
“Baby, come to bed.”
“I need to make sure everything is good first.”
“Everything is perfect.”
“But it’s not.” There’s panic in her eyes as she looks up from cleaning the island counter of all things.
“The kitchen isn’t going to get any cleaner. Cian is asleep. The house is locked up tighter than Fort Knox.”
“You sure?”
“About all of it. And Ren has extra guys outside just in case.”
“Just in case what?”
“Just in case you were scared to go to sleep and might worry about us.”
Her rag comes to a stop. “Oh.” She turns to drop it in the sink. “Ci might need me.”
“He’s a grown man, Ayla. He’s figured out a lot of shit on his own.” I lift a hand when she wants to interrupt. “He has fresh ice packs, a small pharmacy at his bedside, and a cell phone with you on speed dial.”
“What if he gets sick? How does that work with his jaw wired shut?”
“They gave him anti-nausea meds and he’s wearing a patch as well. Baby, if he needs anything, you can be to him in twenty seconds, whether you’re in the kitchen or our bedroom.”
“What if I don’t hear him?” Her voice is small and way too tentative for the ball-busting woman I married.
“Then I will.”
Her shoulders sag, and she comes around the counter to me and faceplants into my chest. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
