Page 82 of Dance for Me

His lip curled. “She shouldn’t have fucking been there by herself!”

“Boadicea’s one of the most independent women I’ve ever met. She’s had to be. She hasn’t had a choice to be dependent on anyone but herself; living with you for a few days isn’t enough time to alter the habits of a lifetime, and you know it.” She shook her head. “That woman loves you, boss. She went there to close out a chapter of her life she hated so she could start a new one with you.”

Braun closed his eyes, breathed through the constriction in his chest. He was well aware there was no sense in flogging himself for not being there with her—choices and destiny, after all—but guilt was a tenacious bitch, savaging his heels with nasty teeth. “I could have made her stay with me until the plumbing was fixed. It wasn’t that important, for fuck’s sake. It would’ve waited until tomorrow. Now I don’t even know if she’ll see tomorrow.”

With strength he often forgot she possessed, Connie pulled his head down to her shoulder, wrapped her arms around him. “You bet your ass she will. You think she fought like hell to get here and then let it slide through her fingers? Don’t be an idiot. She’ll be sassing the nurses before she comes around from the anesthetic.”

He laughed, the sound perilously close to a sob. “Yeah, she will. God help them if they put a catheter in; I really don’t think medical play is up her alley.”

“Unfortunately, she’ll need to learn how to lean on people and let them do what they know is best for her, regardless of what she believes. Those injuries are life-altering, and she needs to come to terms with that. She’ll need you more than anyone, Braun.” When she jerked in surprise, Braun opened his eyes and sat up straight. “Well, I didn’t see that coming.”

At first, he thought the figure in the doorway was a nurse. His heart sank before his vision cleared and focused properly on the tiny blonde hovering in the doorway, her fingers linked at her waist. Sad brown eyes met his, and she lowered her gaze respectfully for the briefest second before they searched the room and found who she was looking for.

He watched her take a slow, bolstering breath, then step into the room as though afraid she might be accosted by the men seated in various seats like a bachelor pride of lions. When she wasn’t immediately set upon, she slipped through them until she reached Jasper.

“Anarchy,” he murmured, impressed by her guts. “Good. He needs her.”

All eyes swung to her as she stood beside Jasper. The sadist had his eyes closed, the stress of the night and his heroics written over his face. What they’d been through tonight had etched into his skin like age rings in an oak tree. He’d withstand the storm, but not without some damage.

Anarchy’s bottom lip quivered as she seemed to read the whole sordid story from his face alone, then sank to her knees on the thin, worn carpet and simply rested her cheek on Jasper’s thigh, offering silent support when he needed it most.

Jasper’s ice-blue eyes opened slowly, stared down at the head on his leg. Longing flashed over his face, followed by something darker, more carnal. Braun thought for a long moment that his friend might do something stupid like reject the precious gift the girl was giving him, but Jasper’s lips curved into the briefest smile before he closed his eyes again.

And moved his hand to rest on Anarchy’s head, fingers stroking gently through the pale blonde strands.

The sub shivered once, then settled more firmly into position, curling her arm around the Dominant’s calf, and closing her own eyes to the world.

“Think he knows how much of a goner he is?” Connie murmured with a sigh of longing.

Leaving the pair to their moment, Braun adjusted his aching body in his chair. He felt old tonight, emotions eating through his bones and making him acknowledge every moment of his forty years. “He’ll deny it to his last breath. He’s determined to protect her from herself as much as him. I don’t know who’s capable of doing the most damage.”

“She’s a sweetheart.”

“She is, and she could do worse than Jasper. Maybe this...maybe what’s happened to Bodie will open his eyes and force him to look at the bigger picture. Sometimes we don’t get the time we think we have. We don’t get the years we deserve with the ones we love. We have to take the time we do have and make every second count, because that fucking clock stops before we’re ready, and we can’t get back the time we waste dancing around each other. When the clock stops, it’s done. All we have is memories.”

“Bodie’s clock is still ticking, Braun.”

He said nothing. As the minutes passed by, the room shrouded in silence punctuated only by the sounds of life outside the open doorway, he wondered how much time she had left before that damned clock wound down.

*

Two more hours passed before the doctor graced them with her presence.

Exhaustion weighed heavy on Braun, and he was half-asleep in an upright position when Connie gently roused him with a shake of his arm. He blinked himself awake, squinting at the woman crouched in front of him in bloodied green scrubs.

She looked as tired as he felt.

“Mr. Fitzpatrick, I’m Doctor Faraday. We met earlier.”

Braun cleared his throat, barely stopped himself from scrubbing his hands over his face. “Yes, I remember. I...Bodie?”

“The surgeons are just finishing up. Boadicea gave us some trouble during surgery, but she’s alive. We’ve had to give her several blood transfusions, and she’s got a rough road ahead of her, but we’re satisfied she’d heading in the right direction for the moment. The internal bleeding posed an issue, but that’s now under control.” Her lips pursed, then she sighed. “Our team of orthopedic surgeons have been working on the injuries to her legs and arm. She’ll be wearing a cast on her arm and left leg for a few weeks.”

Ice shot down his spine. “The right leg?”

Her expression was grim. “The break was more severe than anticipated. We’ve had to piece it back together with several pins and a metal plate. Your friend’s quick actions in the field undoubtedly saved her foot. Boadicea may require further surgeries in the future to keep the leg functioning, but we’re confident she’ll have close to a full range of normal movement.”

Pins and plates, Braun thought and let it seep in. “But she’s a dancer. She loves to dance. It’s not just her job, it’s her escape from reality.”

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