me, Cara,” Raven said, pushing all his love telepathically into her mind. “I want you to let Rick help you.”
“Don’t leave me,” she whimpered.
“I’ll be right here. Now, Dr. Rick is going to give you the shot. Are you ready?” he asked softly, still sending her love and encouragement through their link.
Cara nodded her head. She felt the needle go into her arm. How she hated that! Then, she felt herself getting sleepy. She fought it. Dark was a scary place. She could hear Raven telling her it was all right. His voice kept getting fainter.
Finally, she was asleep. Raven very reluctantly placed Cara on the bed. Rick was already bringing in equipment and bandages. Cara wasn’t letting go of Raven even in her sleep. Raven kissed her hands and gently untangled them from his shirt. He continued to hold her right hand. Touching him seemed to comfort her, and if he would admit it, her touch helped him too.
Dr. Rick began his examination. He rolled in a portable x-ray machine. Taking pictures of her ribs, he reported they were bruised but not broken. Next, he cleaned her cuts and put butterfly stitches on them. When he was finally done, he turned to Raven.
“You should go get some rest. She should feel much better in the morning.”
“I’m not leaving her. I don’t want her to wake up and be alone.”
“You aren’t going to do her any good exhausted,” Rick started to argue. But seeing the look on Raven’s face must have convinced him it was a lost cause. “Very well. I’ll have a cot brought in.”
“Don’t bother, Rick. I won’t be using it. How’s my brother doing?”
“He’ll survive with some rest. No gallivanting around or going on missions until I clear him for duty.”
“I’m sure he’ll enjoy the nurses fawning on him.”
“How is she?” Joe asked from the door. “All the men are back, and except for a few bruises, everyone is fine. Here is your father’s knife. I destroyed the video camera, and except for the outside guard, all of Adar’s men were taken out. I was tempted to keep the footage of Adar dying with his pants down. But I figured you would want all the images destroyed.”
“You figured right. Cara is sleeping, and both she and Derek will mend with some rest,” Raven said, standing and grabbing his friend by the forearm. “I need you to hold down the fort until Cara is well. I’ll be glued to her side for now. Order a cleaning crew to take care of her apartment, and can you fetch my coat and some clothes for her? I want her to be comfortable when she wakes up.”
“You got it, Boss. Are you all right? You look like shit.”
“I almost lost her, and I still might. She was terrified. I felt it. I don’t know how she’s going to react.”
“You came for her,” Joe said. “She can feel us even when in Shadow. She knew you were going to save her.”
“Gentlemen, Cara needs to rest. I suggest you finish this discussion another time or in another place,” Dr. Rick chimed in.
“We hear you, Rick. Give her time, Raven. I’ll see you later,” Joe said, heading out the door. Dr. Rick followed him and shut the door behind them.
Raven got up and shut off the lights, before stripping off his shirt and pants. Then, he pulled down the sheet and climbed into the bed, slowly drawing Cara into his arms. She snuggled closer and sighed contentedly as he covered them both.
“I’m not letting you go, tehila,” he whispered to her.
Chapter Eight
“Really, this is unprecedented. What are you doing in this patient’s bed?” a haughty voice asked.
Raven opened one eye and looked up at the irate nurse standing over him. “Be quiet, you’ll wake her up,” he growled.
“Hmph,” the nurse said, stalking out the door and calling for Dr. Rick. She must be new, Raven mused as he looked down at Cara sleeping soundly in his arms. The swelling in her one eye looked like it was going down, but the bruises had turned a dark purple. He better keep her away from a mirror.
Just then, Dr. Rick walked into the room followed by the indignant nurse.
“Good morning, Raven. I can see that Cara slept well last night. Nurse Eschbach, this is Raven Darkwood, CEO of Isanti, Inc. Your boss, by the way. Raven, Cara is going to wake up anytime now and need more pain medication. Let the nurse take her vital signs,