to take out that group of insurgents. He’d be paying a visit to the hospital later on though. There was no way he was leaving her there alone.
***
Kimberly winced as the nurse applied ointment to her wrists a few hours later. Her skin was irritated and raw, but she was alive. She was in the hospital. She didn’t even remember the last part of the helicopter ride. One moment she’d been sitting next to Ethan, and the next, she’d woken up here.
They’d cleaned her up as best they could with a sponge bath, and she was wearing a hospital gown. She was too weak to shower, but hopefully with the IV and medicine she’d be out of here sooner rather than later. She’d love to wash her hair and put on some real clothes. At the moment, she was grateful just to be alive.
“Knock-knock!” a male voice said, and then Ethan appeared in her doorway. He’d changed into a clean uniform and shaved, and she felt a little self-conscious by her own appearance. With his short-cropped hair, chiseled features, and dark eyes, he was handsome as hell. And she felt like an utter mess. She was already embarrassed she’d burst into tears around all the macho, alpha guys on his team during the helicopter ride.
Had she passed out?
She didn’t even remember landing or how she got to the hospital.
And now the man who’d saved her was really here, standing there in her doorway and looking handsomer than a man who’d gotten no sleep the night before should have.
“Hey there,” he said with a grin as she flushed. “I had to sweet talk the nurses to let me come see you.”
The nurse at Kimberly’s bedside raised her eyebrows. “Is he okay in here? Don’t think I can’t throw him out if need be.”
Kim laughed, shocking herself. The idea of the petite woman bodily removing the Navy SEAL was amusing as hell. She assumed the woman would’ve actually called security or something, but Ethan’s smile widened when he saw her laughing.
“He’s fine,” she assured the nurse.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes with your meds then.” She wrapped the bandage around Kim’s wrist and glanced at Ethan. “Make sure she eats some of that, will you?”
His gaze landed on her full tray of food. “Will do, ma’am,” he assured her.
“Ma’am,” the nurse said, pretending to be annoyed as she walked out the door.
Ethan strode in looking comfortable and at ease. He seemed even taller than she remembered, but then again, she was lying in a hospital bed. “It’s good to see you laugh,” he said, sinking down into a chair near her.
“I can’t remember the last time I laughed,” she admitted. “I also can’t remember how I got here.” She looked over at him, knowing he’d fill in the blanks.
“You blacked out in the helicopter,” he said, staring at her intently.
“Blacked out. Wow. Well, that’s embarrassing. I made it that long only to pass out beside you?”
“More like on me,” he said.
She blushed, and he quickly reassured her. “It’s okay, sweetheart. We covered you with blankets to keep you warm, and Troy put in an IV. We were only ten minutes out, so they took good care of you when we landed. I carried you out of the helicopter and right to the ambulance.”
“Thank you,” she said softly. “Not just for that, but for rescuing me. I was starting to lose hope that anyone would come find me.” Tears smarted her eyes, and she quickly blinked, looking away from Ethan.
“Hey, it’s okay. You’ve been through a lot,” he said, his voice soft. “And you’re welcome. I’m just glad the rescue went off without a hitch. We got you out of there and back to base, just like we wanted.”
He shifted slightly, and she looked at his muscular hands clasped together. Briefly, she wondered if he visited all the people he rescued in the hospital. Probably not. His team most likely carried out all sorts of hostage rescues and then went on their way to their next job. They’d connected though, as unexpected as that might be.
His gaze moved over her, as if trying to assess her injuries, and then he nodded toward her tray. “You should eat something.” He caught sight of her wrists as she moved. “Why didn’t you mention they were so bad? I could’ve wrapped them for you in the field.”
“Too much on my mind I guess,” she said with a shrug. “That might sound silly, but when you’re