Songbird(40)

You were right, Sean. I can’t leave them. I’m so sorry.

Don’t be sorry, love. I’ll wait for you. Go now. They’re worried.

Sean’s warmth and strength surrounded her, urging her, pushing her back to the voices calling for her.

I love you. I’ll miss you.

She felt his smile all the way to her toes.

I love you too, Songbird.

A gasp of pain escaped as suddenly she was brutally thrust out of the shadows. Noise surrounded her. Beeping, loud voices, the sound of wrappers tearing, hurried footsteps. And pain. God, the pain.

“We’re here, Emmy. You stay with us,” Greer said.

Not going anywhere.

She tried to stay aware, but the pain was horrific. She felt a gentle hand on her cheek. Taggert. Comforted by the knowledge he was there and she wasn’t alone, she surrendered to the heavy drag of oblivion.

***

Quiet surrounded her. She was dimly aware of pain, but it seemed muffled and a little fuzzy. It was a welcome change from the way she’d been thrust so rudely into chaos before.

Her eyelids weighed about two tons, and by sheer force of will she managed to pry them open. Thankfully the room was mostly dark with the only light showing from the hallway. The entire front of her room had windows looking out to the nurses station, and she could see medical personnel bustling back and forth between the station and the other rooms. She must be in ICU. Things must have been bad.

Slowly she registered her surroundings. Greer sat next to the bed, his head back, eyes closed. On her other side, Taggert sat bent forward in his chair, his head between his hands. He was completely still, and she wasn’t sure if he was also sleeping or just at his wit’s end.

Guilt hit her hard. While she’d been begging Sean to let her stay, Taggert and Greer had been fighting for her life. Sean was right. She couldn’t give up. They needed her, and she needed them.

For once the idea that Sean was no longer here didn’t fill her with relentless grief. She felt him as surely as if he were standing at her bedside. He’d made her a promise, and she knew he’d never go back on his word. He’d be there when it was her time. Until then she had a lifetime to look forward to with Taggert and Greer.

She opened her mouth to call out to Taggert and frowned when absolutely nothing came out. Her throat hurt. Probably had a damn tube shoved down it. She licked her lips and tried again.

“Taggert.”

It came out in barely a whisper, but Taggert’s head immediately popped up. So much relief washed over his face. He leaned forward, his hands reaching for her and then he seemed to think better of touching her. He looked down and then back at her almost as if he didn’t have the first clue what to do.

She smiled and moaned when that simple action sent pain rocketing through her body.

That woke Greer up. He jolted forward, his feet hitting the floor with a thump.

“Emmy,” he breathed.

Taggert scooted his chair to the edge of her bed. He tentatively touched her arm, and her gaze fell down her body, her eyes widening at the bulky bandages decorating her chest.

“Hi,” she croaked out.

Taggert smiled, and then his face completely crumbled. Tears shimmered in his dark eyes, and he picked up her hand, pressing it to his cheek.

“Thank God,” he choked out. “You had us so worried.”

“We should call the nurse. They’ve been waiting for you to wake up,” Greer said.

“No, not yet. Please. Just let me lie here for a minute while you two talk to me.”

Greer took her other hand and rubbed his thumb over her palm.

“How long have I been here?” she asked.

Taggert grimaced. “Four days. You were taken here after surgery. I was beginning to think you planned to sleep for the rest of the year.”

The memory of that gun staring her in the face made her flinch. “Rand?”

Greer’s face blackened. “Dead.”

“Oh.”

She attempted to turn more so she could see Taggert better but quickly abandoned that idea. Hurt too damn much to move.

“He didn’t shoot you?”

“No, baby. You took the bullet meant for me,” he said fiercely. “I shot him. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“Pity,” she murmured. “Would be nice to see him go to prison for a long time.”

Greer muttered a few choice words under his breath.

“Better this way. He’s out of our lives and it’ll save the taxpayers the expense of a trial,” Taggert said with a scowl.

She smiled. “I knew you’d say something like that.”

“I’m so pissed at you,” Greer growled.

She raised one eyebrow. “I know. You sounded mad when you were shouting at me not to die. I didn’t shoot myself, you know.”

Taggert actually smiled.

Greer wasn’t smiling, though. “You ever pull a stunt like that again and I swear I’ll tan your ass.”

“Trust me. Getting shot again isn’t high on my list of priorities.”

Taggert sobered and gripped her hand a little tighter.

“I couldn’t let him take someone else I loved from me,” she said softly. “Now will one of you tell me how bad it is? I don’t remember much.”

Both men scowled.