Page 36 of Deadly Hacker

The nurses exchanged wary expressions.

“I promise I’ll come right back and let you guys do as many tests as you want. But I can’t possibly relax until I know Rad is safe,” she continued.

“Okay. I’ll take you down to his room, just for your own peace of mind,” the young nurse offered. “But I can’t guarantee he’ll be ready for visitors.”

“Even just a peek would be better than nothing. He means a lot to me,” she replied.

“I understand. I can’t let you walk unassisted—hang on while I get you a wheelchair,” the older nurse said.

But Emma Jean was already sliding out of bed in her flimsy hospital gown and sock feet. She was so overwhelmed by the circumstances that she didn’t have the energy to feel self-conscious.

The ride to the hospital had been a whirlwind of panic and relief intermingled, as she’d clutched Rad’s hand and whispered pleas for him to wake up, to be okay, to open up those soft brown eyes and smile at her again. They’d had to pull her away from him, and Emma Jean had been relentlessly bugging every staff member who crossed her path since then to let her see him. Now, she wasn’t about to waste any more time.

She felt a little tingle of dizziness when she made her way to the door. The young nurse could only trail after her, arms out, just in case her patient toppled over.

Emma Jean opened the door and stepped into the busy, noisy hallway. There were stretchers rolling by, surrounded by doctors, nurses, and attendants. Family members flooded the halls in search of their ailing loved ones. The nurse appeared at her side and offered an arm. Despite her pride, Emma Jean accepted it, and the two of them weaved through the crowded hallway, around a corner, to the end of a corridor.

There were four men in black stationed outside a hospital room, all wearing glum expressions. Emma Jean quickly put together that they were associates of Rad’s.

The way he’d handled that gun. The way he’d burst into that basement to save her and the kids. The secrecy around his work. Emma Jean knew there was something major going on, something he was reluctant to tell her. But now, after everything they had been through together in such a short time, she was determined to understand.

“Good evening, gents,” said the nurse to the men in black. “Mr. Radcliffe has another guest here to see him.”

The men bowed out of the way, keeping their serious expressions even as their eyes tracked Emma Jean’s every move. They were curious, she could tell. She knew so little about them. She wondered if they knew anything about her, or if Rad kept his two worlds separated neatly enough to prevent that.

Emma Jean opened the hospital room door slowly, almost afraid of what she might find. But she was relieved to see that Rad was not connected to a bunch of scary wires anymore. He was lying back in the bed with his laptop in front of him, cell phone on the side table. Emma Jean grinned. Even in a hospital bed, with bandages wrapped around his head, he looked like a supermodel-professor combination that made her heart flutter.

Rad did a double take when the door opened. His handsome face split into a big smile when he saw her. He hastily closed his laptop and set it aside, opening his arms wide for her. Emma Jean giggled and rushed to his side. Ignoring the nurse’s soft warnings, Emma Jean climbed into the bed with Rad, cuddling up to him. She peppered his face with kisses and lay against his chest, loving the solid, normal beating of his heart.

“My angel,” he growled, wrapping her in a tight hug.

“You’re alive,” Emma Jean murmured with her face pressed into his warm chest.

“Of course I’m alive,” he said, chuckling. “It’ll take more than a taser and a bump on the head to take me out.”

“You were in pretty bad shape when you first arrived,” the nurse said matter-of-factly. “Touch and go for the first half hour, just trying to get your vitals to settle. You sustained a nasty bump to the head and a worrisome level of blood loss. You’re very lucky things didn’t turn out much worse.”

“Iamlucky,” he agreed, beaming down at Emma Jean with adoration. “This one right here saved both our asses out there in the desert.”

“I did the best I could,” she mumbled.

He kissed the top of her head. “You were incredible.”

“How much do you remember? You were really out of it,” said Emma Jean.

“I remember you rushing back into danger to get that idiot’s car keys. I remember you dragging me away from the scene by yourself. I blacked out in the car,” he explained. “When I woke up, I was here, surrounded by doctors and some colleagues of mine. You might’ve met them in the hallway.”

“We, uh, didn’t speak,” said Emma Jean. “I don’t think they really approve of my being here right now.”

Rad smiled and patted her cheek. “Oh, they all have resting –disappointed face. That’s not your fault. They’re just guarding my room while I work.”

“About your ‘work,’” she replied slowly, “I have some questions, Rad.”

He gave the nurse a pointed look. “Could we have a few minutes to ourselves?”

The nurse hesitantly agreed. “Sure. But try to stay put. Don’t overexert yourself.”

She stepped out, leaving the pair alone. Emma Jean looked right into Rad’s eyes. She knew she could trust them not to lie. “What do you do for work?” she asked finally.

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