her eyes filled with tears. “Let me tell the officers where we’re going.” She looked over my shoulder, raised her voice. “I’m taking my patient to a private room. You’re free to come with us, but you’re required to wait outside.”
Whatever signal she got must have satisfied her because she nodded and hurried down a branching hallway. She pushed open the door to the room we’d used earlier.
The sound of broken glass grinding against the cement floor reminded me I still didn’t have shoes on. I tried to tiptoe around the debris on the floor. Winced, when I hit at least one shard of glass.
Following Jessa, I set Willow down on the bed.
“What hurts the most physically right now, babe?” Jessa asked.
Willow rubbed her hands over her eyes. “My right thigh. It could just be because I’m tired, but it’s aching.”
“I’m going to touch you. Okay?” Jessa asked, her hands hovering over Willow’s right leg.
Willow leaned back. I caught her against me, provided her a steady base. I pulled her hair back, rubbed my lips over her ear.
Jessa poked and prodded Willow’s leg softly for a couple minutes.
Willow sat quietly in my lap. Not moving, not talking. I checked to make sure she was still breathing.
Jessa looked up after a moment. “Nothing feels damaged or reopened. What kind of ache? Like you’ve been on it too long? Pins and needles? Worked out too hard?”
Willow laughed at the last suggestion, so raw and exhausted. “Girl, I don’t work out.” She smiled. “But yeah, it feels like I worked out too hard.”
Jessa smiled, sat back. “You’ve been on it quite a bit. Not to mention curled up in Ryker’s lap for quite some time.” She glanced at her watch. Returned her gaze to Willow. “From my best guess, you managed maybe five hours of sleep. That’s not long enough to give your underlying tissue and vasculature a break. I’ll see about getting you released from the bunker. I would have to admit you to the hospit—”
Willow shook her head. “No. No hospitals if I can help it.” She rubbed a hand over her temple. “Would it help if I just laid down flat? Can I do that?” With her free hand, she gripped mine.
Jessa smiled. “I’ll make it work.” She squeezed Willow’s leg. “Give me two minutes to work my magic.”
Willow chuckled. “And, baby, your magic is good.” She grabbed the doctor’s hand. “Thank you.”
Jessa patted Willow’s hand. “Hey, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t make your police confinement at least physically bearable?”
She laid her hand on my shoulder as she passed.
Willow must have been tired. She didn’t even make a passing comment about another woman touching me. Even if it was Jessa.
I tugged Willow down next to me as I stretched out on the bed. We lay there in silence. I tried to create a space for her. A space of peace and solace. I wasn’t sure how successful I was, but my girl did fall asleep. So I guess it hadn’t been an awful attempt.
Chapter 3 – Willow
A nagging jiggle of my shoulders heralded someone’s immediate demise. I batted at them. “’o way.”
A snicker sounded. She jiggled me again. “We get to leave, Chase. Come on. Up and at’em,” Tali said. “Momma and Papa are taking us to lunch at Freddie’s.”
I groaned and blinked my eyes open in the dim lighting. Alone on the tiniest bed, I pushed my hair back as I looked around the room. No Ryker. I pouted at the idea that he wasn’t still with me, but pushed it back. Sucked it up. I was a strong, capable woman. I didn’t need a man to hold my hand.
“He’s finishing up with the DA and Nik. I’ve been sitting in here with you for the last two hours,” Tali offered.
I wrinkled my nose. “That obvious?”
She chuckled softly. “Probably only to me. Bright lights,” she warned right before the overhead lights buzzed to blinding life.
I winced, slapped a hand over my eyes. “Shit, Tali.”
“Come on, Chase. I want to get out of this hellhole. I let you sleep as long as I could. But we need to get back. We’ve got busy days ahead of us.”
I looked up at her. She’d had a tone in her voice. One I didn’t think I’d ever heard before. I eased to my feet as I studied her. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “We’ll get into it later. Come on.” She waved me forward as if she were