"You're back in your room." He stroked her hair. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you. But I wanted—I needed to see you awake. I was so afraid—" his husky voice faltered.
"What happened?"
"Do you remember anything at all?"
She sorted through the blurred images in her mind. "Peter tried to kill you. I stopped him. Fell into your eyes."
"You fell into the Pacific Ocean." He choked. "With your hands tied behind you." His hand at her forehead started to tremble. "You scared forty years off my life."
"I hurt. All over. A lot."
Gabe's breath caught. "I know. But you'll be fine, I promise." He smiled at her. "You'll be tap dancing before you know it."
Scared, dazed, she stared at him, trying to make sense of the information bombarding her. "You're not hurt?"
Gabe's smile wobbled. "No. You saved both of us, Houdini."
He was all right and they were together. Beyond that, her mind refused to function any longer. "I'm so tired."
"Go ahead and sleep. But promise you'll wake up real soon."
"Promise." She closed her eyes and everything went black.
Some time later, Tessa floated to awareness. She heard Mel and Gabe talking, their voices pitched low.
"The CAT scan showed no brain impairment, thank God." Gabe murmured. "The frigid water sent her body into hibernation, so the lack of oxygen didn't affect her as severely as it could have." Humor lightened his tone. "She's sharp as ever. She gave me what-for about my singing when they did the scan."
Mel chuckled. "How long is her estimated recovery?"
"The doctor told me she'll probably be out of here in less than a week."
Mel sniffled. "It's a miracle."
"It is at that. Our own personal miracle."
"Hey, stop talking about me," Tessa said, her voice still too feeble for her own liking. "My ears are burning."
Gabe and Mel rushed to her side. "Hi, there, Houdini. Welcome back." Gabe tenderly smoothed his hand over her hair. "How do you feel?"
"Like Wile E. Coyote after a hard day's night."
Gabe chuckled. "Yeah, and no wonder."
Mel enveloped her in a gentle hug, then drew back, tears shimmering in her eyes. "I love ya, kid."
"I love you, too, Mel." Tessa smiled at her friend. She tried to marshal her scattered thoughts and frowned. "What happened to Peter and Vic?"
Gabe and Mel exchanged a silent communication. Gabe took her hand. "They—" He cleared his throat. "It's all over. They're dead. They didn't leave me any choice."
She nodded. Gabe would have helped Peter escape from Leo, but Peter had sealed his own fate when he chose money and power instead. Considering he'd nearly succeeded in murdering them, she couldn't feel much regret.
"Did you call my mom?"
Gabe's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. "Yeah, Mel called her. She couldn't come."
"Let me guess. Too busy."
"I'm sorry, honey." Gabe scowled. "I know how much your mom's attitude hurts."
It didn't hurt nearly as much as it should, which surprised her. "I should be used to it by now."
"She's the one who lost, sweetheart. She's missing out on you in her life."
She firmly put the final cruelty behind her. She wouldn't waste any more time wishing for Vivienne's affection. Gabe was her future. She channeled every ounce of strength and determination she possessed toward recovery. "I want to sit up."
Gabe pursed his lips. "Probably not a good idea just yet. Give yourself time."
"I'm sitting up, with or without your assistance, Mr. Bond."
"Stubborn wench." He shook his head. "If you weren't so bruised and battered, I'd spank you."
She knew darn well he'd never do such a thing. Unless she asked him to. She grinned at him. "Pervert."
He grinned back. "And don't you love it?"
For the next five days as she recovered in the hospital, Gabe thoughtfully attended her every need. He supplied fresh apricot roses daily. The place looked like a florist's shop. In cahoots with Mel, he brought her snacks, magazines and movies. He joked and laughed and kept her spirits high. But he studiously avoided talking about anything personal.
She ached for his warm embrace. For his tender kisses. For his love. Even though he seemed to be avoiding intimacy, every time he thought she wasn't looking, she'd catch him staring at her with desire so intense, so hungry it made her shiver.
On the ship, he'd told her he had something to confess. She yearned to know, but refused to bring it up first. Pushing him had resulted in disaster before, and she wasn't about to repeat the mistake. He had to conquer his own demons, just as