in precisely what Bowen wanted to avoid.
Margaret would be left to fend for herself.
The only solution he could think of was for him to join her in the cabin and take care of her, freeing Leon and Anastasia to work on their budding relationship.
He could just imagine the pushback and the crap he was going to get from his fellow Guardians for taking on another needy case. Last night, Elliot and Ritchie had already given him a taste of that when they had come to collect the ambulance, teasing him mercilessly about staying the night to watch over Margaret.
And what about Ronja?
She and Lisa needed him too.
Perhaps he could ask Peter to stop by their house every other day or so and spend time with Ronja? She was an outgoing woman, and she was making plenty of new friends in the village, but he still felt guilty about abandoning her to take on another damsel in distress.
Except, it wasn’t the same with Margaret.
There was something about her that called to him as a male, and not just as a friend and protector. She was so damn fragile, and he was irresistibly drawn to that.
When a knock sounded on the door and the doctor walked in, Margaret opened her eyes. “Is it morning?”
“It is.” The doctor smiled. “Let’s check that knee.” She looked at Bowen. “Would you mind waiting outside?”
“Not at all.”
He cast Margaret a reassuring smile as he pushed to his feet. “I’m going to the cafeteria to get breakfast. Do you want anything?”
The doctor shook her head. “Breakfast will be delivered shortly.”
He nodded, but he was going to get Margaret something from the cafeteria nonetheless. The woman needed to put some meat on her bones, and now that he’d assigned himself to her care, he was going to feed her and make sure that she gained some weight.
Out in the hallway, Bowen leaned against the wall and pulled his phone out to call Onegus.
The call went to voicemail, which made it easier. He could just leave a message.
“Good morning, Chief. I need to take a week off to take care of Anastasia’s friend. Anastasia insisted that I bring Margaret to the cabin so she could look after her, but we both know that’s not a good idea. She and Leon have more important things to do than play nursemaid. Let me know if that’s a problem.”
It shouldn’t be. Bowen had accumulated plenty of vacation days, and it was about time that he used some of them. Unless Onegus was planning a major mission, the Guardian force could do without him for a week.
His phone rang when he was standing in line in the cafeteria.
Pulling it out of his pocket, Bowen looked at the screen and stepped out of line to find a quiet spot to speak with Onegus.
“Thanks for returning my call, Chief.”
“Right now, I have no problem approving your vacation, but Kian is considering beefing up security, so things might change.”
“Because of Emmett?”
“Yeah. I just walked out of a meeting with him.”
“Is Kian taking him seriously?”
“At the moment, we are still not sure. William is taking a crack at deciphering the email to see if it’s a real language. Personally, I don’t think we need to be overly concerned. But I just want you to know that there is a small chance you’ll need to cut your vacation short.”
“It’s not exactly a vacation.”
Onegus chuckled. “If you are not working, you are on vacation. I don’t care what you do with your free time.”
“Right. Thanks for approving it. I’ll talk to you later.”
“No problem.” The chief ended the call.
The first step was done, but there were more things Bowen needed to arrange. He could rent a car and drive Margaret all the way to the cabin, but that would take twelve hours, and she was in no shape to sit in a car for so long. He could book them a flight, but it would be best if Kian sent Charlie with the jet to pick them up.
Could he ask for that, though?
Margaret wasn’t the clan’s responsibility, and Kian had no reason to use clan resources for her, but he might do that as a personal favor to Bowen.
After getting in line again and paying for his order, he put his tray on one of the tables, pulled out his phone, and called the big boss.
“Bowen.” Kian’s gruff voice sounded concerned. “What’s going on?”
He wasn’t sure how much Kian knew. “I’m in a hospital in Eugene with Anastasia’s friend.”
“I