wrong according to Gillie, from the wrong kind of batteries to the wrong cold medicine. Although, for the pseudoephedrine, he probably didn't want his name on the buy list right before he murdered me in an explosion.
My head spun at the logic and from the lingering effects of ammonia as I left the hospital exam room. The receptionist at the desk handed me an envelope with my name on it. I opened it to find my cell phone and car keys with a note from Gillie telling me where he had parked the vehicle.
I called his private cell phone and was immediately shunted to voicemail. I hoped it was because he was busy working the scene at the horse farm. Hoping I hadn't killed our friendship with my reaction to Stark's injuries, I left a message thanking Gillie for his thoughtfulness.
To the doctor's dismay, my blood pressure hadn't dropped to a normal range the entire time I was being examined. It wouldn't until I knew Stark's condition, so I went in search of information. I hit my first road block in the emergency room, which wouldn't even confirm he had been brought in. I tried the receptionist in surgery with the same result.
Standing in front of the hospital directory trying to figure out my next move, a warm, feminine hand curled around my elbow.
"Miss James?"
I turned to find a fifty-something woman in scrubs with a name badge identifying her as Linda Parks, RN. I nodded and she immediately started tugging me to follow her.
"It's supposed to be family only," she explained, pulling me through the doors to the recovery rooms. "But I'm going to have to sedate him if he doesn't calm, which I can't do until his surgeon is out of OR again."
She opened the door on a private room to reveal Collin standing next to the hospital bed and scowling at his ruined pants.
"You are not to remove your IV." Her hands found her hips and her shoulders squared like she was ready to tackle block him.
His scowl deepened for a second and then he seemed to realize I stood behind her. Dropping the pants, he sat down, the scowl erased as his gaze remained on me.
She waggled her finger at him. "All the way on the bed."
He complied, not looking at her.
"Stay put while I get another IV catheter." She raised the safety rail then turned, mumbling as she brushed past me on her way out of the room. "And restraints."
Alone and knowing the nurse would be back any second, I had no idea what to say to him. He had saved my life and tried to save Evan's. That made Stark a better person than me, no matter what I thought about Collin and how he had treated me.
Better than me or not, being around him wasn't any less toxic for my mind than the chemicals that had surrounded us in the stable. I wanted to know he was okay, but I didn't want to talk to him, not when my emotions were as raw as my throat, maybe worse.
Catching the scent of the chemicals on his clothes, I huffed.
"I don't think these are supposed to be in here." Spotting a box with latex gloves, I put them on then searched the cupboard beneath for something to put the clothes in. I found a big red plastic bag just as the nurse came in.
"I was going to do that before he started acting like a--" Stopping short, she glared at him then started to work on re-inserting the IV.
Except for one wince when the woman's hand brushed against a quarter-sized burn a few inches up from his wrist, he didn't acknowledge her but kept his attention focused on me.
"How did I get out?"
"One of your team pulled you out," I started.
He shook his head. "I didn't have a team. Kane..."
He paused while the nurse finished. Done, she stared at him. He stared back, his expression wholly that of Collin Stark, Chief Executive Bad Ass of Stark International. I sort of felt sorry for her. Veteran nurses don't wilt easily, especially when pissed at a problem patient, but she withered in a heartbeat beneath that stare of his.
He waited until the door clicked shut behind her before he finished. "Kane cut me off -- my company, my
My head spun at the logic and from the lingering effects of ammonia as I left the hospital exam room. The receptionist at the desk handed me an envelope with my name on it. I opened it to find my cell phone and car keys with a note from Gillie telling me where he had parked the vehicle.
I called his private cell phone and was immediately shunted to voicemail. I hoped it was because he was busy working the scene at the horse farm. Hoping I hadn't killed our friendship with my reaction to Stark's injuries, I left a message thanking Gillie for his thoughtfulness.
To the doctor's dismay, my blood pressure hadn't dropped to a normal range the entire time I was being examined. It wouldn't until I knew Stark's condition, so I went in search of information. I hit my first road block in the emergency room, which wouldn't even confirm he had been brought in. I tried the receptionist in surgery with the same result.
Standing in front of the hospital directory trying to figure out my next move, a warm, feminine hand curled around my elbow.
"Miss James?"
I turned to find a fifty-something woman in scrubs with a name badge identifying her as Linda Parks, RN. I nodded and she immediately started tugging me to follow her.
"It's supposed to be family only," she explained, pulling me through the doors to the recovery rooms. "But I'm going to have to sedate him if he doesn't calm, which I can't do until his surgeon is out of OR again."
She opened the door on a private room to reveal Collin standing next to the hospital bed and scowling at his ruined pants.
"You are not to remove your IV." Her hands found her hips and her shoulders squared like she was ready to tackle block him.
His scowl deepened for a second and then he seemed to realize I stood behind her. Dropping the pants, he sat down, the scowl erased as his gaze remained on me.
She waggled her finger at him. "All the way on the bed."
He complied, not looking at her.
"Stay put while I get another IV catheter." She raised the safety rail then turned, mumbling as she brushed past me on her way out of the room. "And restraints."
Alone and knowing the nurse would be back any second, I had no idea what to say to him. He had saved my life and tried to save Evan's. That made Stark a better person than me, no matter what I thought about Collin and how he had treated me.
Better than me or not, being around him wasn't any less toxic for my mind than the chemicals that had surrounded us in the stable. I wanted to know he was okay, but I didn't want to talk to him, not when my emotions were as raw as my throat, maybe worse.
Catching the scent of the chemicals on his clothes, I huffed.
"I don't think these are supposed to be in here." Spotting a box with latex gloves, I put them on then searched the cupboard beneath for something to put the clothes in. I found a big red plastic bag just as the nurse came in.
"I was going to do that before he started acting like a--" Stopping short, she glared at him then started to work on re-inserting the IV.
Except for one wince when the woman's hand brushed against a quarter-sized burn a few inches up from his wrist, he didn't acknowledge her but kept his attention focused on me.
"How did I get out?"
"One of your team pulled you out," I started.
He shook his head. "I didn't have a team. Kane..."
He paused while the nurse finished. Done, she stared at him. He stared back, his expression wholly that of Collin Stark, Chief Executive Bad Ass of Stark International. I sort of felt sorry for her. Veteran nurses don't wilt easily, especially when pissed at a problem patient, but she withered in a heartbeat beneath that stare of his.
He waited until the door clicked shut behind her before he finished. "Kane cut me off -- my company, my
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