A Warrior Wedding (The Protectors #7)(30)
Grabbing as many towels as she could, Jill tossed them on Slade’s desk, except for one. Turning, she stared at the examination table as more tears threatened to fall. As she stared at the blood, Jill knew she would never forget the sound of pure anguish that had rose from Duncan’s throat. That had to be what hell sounded like. Squeezing her eyes shut, she put her hands over her ears trying to block out the memory.
Feeling someone take the towel from her hand, she opened her eyes to find Adam looking down at her. Turning, he walked away and began cleaning up Slade’s office. Steve and Angelina worked side by side doing the same. Taking a deep breath, Jill once again wiped her tears away, grabbed another towel and went to work. A Warrior never gave up. They may get knocked down, but they never stayed down, and she was a Warrior.
CHAPTER 13
Caroline slowly opened her eyes, a streak of bright sunlight blinding her momentarily. Tilting her head, she looked around the room from her position in a chair she had propped herself in to get a few hours of sleep. She hadn’t stepped foot out of Duncan and Pam’s small apartment for three days, neither had Nicole or Lana. They ate, showered and slept while waiting for Pam to pull through, praying for her survival.
Moving only her eyes, she saw Pam laying in the bed in the same position, with Duncan holding her hand, staring down at her with such hope, love and despair that it actually hurt her heart to keep looking at them. Shifting her eyes away from them, they landed on Jax who was staring directly at her from across the room where he leaned against the wall, arms crossed. In these three days, she had learned more about Jax Wheeler than she ever would have, even though they had hardly spoken. His devotion to his fellow Warrior was beyond belief, and his care for her, Nicole and Lana was just as impressive.
She couldn’t stop staring at him. It was as if her soul sought him out and couldn’t let go once it found him. Neither she nor Lana had been left alone in the room without one Warrior with them, and she knew why, without anyone telling her. If Pam didn’t pull out of this, Duncan would be out of control with sorrow and rage. It was for their protection as well as Duncan’s. If Jax was gone, another Warrior took his place. Even Sloan had kept vigil. Slade was in and out, his duty split between Pam and Jill. His focus and determination were admirable, but she saw in Slade’s eyes that Pam’s future was out of his hands now.
Finally closing her eyes, she rubbed her face, and then sat up slowly. In her younger days, this chair would have been no problem, but it was kicking her ass. She stretched, trying to work out the stiffness. A moment later, Nicole brought her a cup of coffee. Taking it, she smiled a thanks, her eyes searching for Lana. She found her in Sid’s arms on the floor. Sid looked up from watching Lana, giving her a wink.
At first, she had been confused why Duncan would want her with him during this time of such personal sadness, but then she realized why before it was explained to her by Nicole. He wanted her and Lana there just in case Pam didn’t make it. She wasn’t sure of the exact reason, but knew it had to do with their gifts and honestly, she didn’t care what it was. She was there to help in any way she could.
She, Nicole and Lana had wanted to help clean the blood from Pam that night, but Duncan had refused with an aggressiveness that honestly scared Caroline, but she understood it. So she had kept her distance and watched as this strong Warrior had heartbreakingly taken care of his mate.
Caroline shivered with anxious aggravation. For two of the three days in this room, something had been nagging at her and it was starting to drive her crazy. With her coffee that had been her lifeline, she quietly walked over to Sid and Lana. Kneeling on the ground, she gently nudged her sister. Sid frowned at her for waking up Lana, but Caroline just frowned back at him.
“What?” Lana grumbled, then sat up quickly, looking over at the bed in panic.
“Do you feel it?” Caroline whispered low enough she was sure Duncan couldn’t hear her.
Lana sat up surprisingly focused for just waking up. The sisters stared at each other for a long minute. “Yeah, I do.” Lana frowned. “Who is it?”
“I don’t know, but I think whoever it is, they’re right.” Caroline downed the rest of her coffee.
“Is it Pam?” The worried tone in Sid’s voice rang true. His body became suddenly tense as his eyes shot to Duncan.
“No,” both Lana and Caroline reassured him.
Relief shadowed his features, but then he frowned. “Then who are you talking about?”
Jax had walked over and was standing over them. “She needs something to fight for.” Caroline looked at Nicole who also joined them.
“And that something has been sitting at her side without moving an inch for three days,” Sid replied, his frown deepening.
“A woman would walk through hellfire for their man, but a mother would fight the devil himself for her child.” Caroline looked back over at Pam and knew she was right, or at least knew whoever put that thought in her head was right.
“Duncan won’t allow it.” Sid shook his head.
The three women looked at each other with determination. “I’ll get Daniel.” Nicole stood, but stopped when Sid grabbed her leg. “Let go, Sid.”
“Did you hear me?” Sid hissed. “Duncan will not allow this. You’re going to upset him and he doesn’t need this shit right now.”
Nicole jerked her leg away. “This isn’t about Duncan,” she hissed back. “And I’m not going to lose my best friend because it might upset Duncan.”