Protective Ink (Urban Fantasy) by Misty Simon Page A

and then jackknifed into a sitting position.
    Before Jackson or Dory could stop him, Garrett began yanking tubes and adhesives off his body, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “The ink. It has to be the ink.”
    Even Lissa at her loudest and most obnoxious could not have kept the staff from running into Garrett’s room at that point. Jackson had about two-point-one seconds to get Dory out of there before doctors and nurses came streaming in.
    He lifted her away from Garrett and double-timed it out of the cubicle, barely brushing against the first responders. The nurse looked over his shoulder, but he apparently didn’t see them, because he continued on his way.
    Jackson didn’t breathe easy again until he deposited Dory into one of the hard-backed chairs and dropped into one himself.
    “Jesus.” He dropped his head in his hands and started shaking. A soft hand on his shoulder made him jerk, but it was just Dory. She was looking at him with eyes shining again, eyes filled with hope.
    “We did it, Jackson. We did it. I could kiss you!”
    “Why don’t you let me handle that for you, Dory?” Lissa said a split second before she launched herself into his lap and covered his face with kisses.
    He jerked to his feet but she hung on and he was forced to cradle her in his arms.
    * * *
    “They’re not going to let you out on good behavior if you’re not exhibiting it, Garrett.” Lissa clamped his wrist against the sheets of his hospital bed, determination making her stronger than him for once. They needed to get out of here so Garrett would not be found out and so she could process the extremely intimate connection she’d made with Jackson. She’d heard of other Meridians, what people with her talents called themselves, enhancing a person’s powers by touch alone, but she’d never tried it herself.
    She shouldn’t have tried it this time, dammit. It had created an even more intimate connection between her and Jackson. And now she had to deal with the fall out. She needed space and time to think about what had happened.
    “Get me the hell out of here,” Garrett said in a low growl, interrupting the train of thought she should have never boarded.
    “Dory’s working on it. But if you don’t act like a model patient, they might keep you. You don’t want them running a bunch of tests on you.” Jackson was even now using his newfound power to search out and destroy every vial of Garrett’s blood that had been drawn while he was in the hospital. There was no telling what was in it, but everyone would be better off not knowing.
    “Ten minutes and then I’m leaving with or without permission.”
    “To display your cute little ass all over town in that flapping hospital gown? I don’t think so.”
    That was when the doctor came in, scratching his head, his brown hair curled around his ears and his glasses slightly askew. “I’m not sure what to tell you, Mr. Blackwell. The difference between when you came in and now is remarkable. I don’t know what kind of episode you were having, but I don’t see signs of a seizure at all.” He shook his head. “Your fiancée is filling out the paperwork now. When we get the lab results back, we’ll definitely give you a call, but I don’t see any reason to keep you beyond curiosity.”
    “Thanks,” Garrett said roughly when Lissa pinched his arm. “Can I get my clothes back now?”
    “I’m afraid we cut those off you, but I can offer you a pair of scrubs.”
    “Whatever. I just want out.”
    The doctor made a note on Garrett’s chart then left, his shoes squeaking against the polished floor.
    “You might try to be a little more polite.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “So do I owe you my congratulations or was Dory just trying to get the doctors to pay more attention to her by calling herself your fiancée?”
    “I haven’t asked her yet. Hell, I probably haven’t told her I loved more than a handful of times. What if this is all too much for