they could do to ease his pain was to let him get to Rachel.
Donovan sighed in exasperation and then tossed him a T-shirt from his pack.
“Get your dumb ass dressed while I find out where they put Rachel. Swear to God, if you so much as move before I get back, I’ll hold you down while they sedate you. You can’t go barging through the E.R. scaring the shit out of the other patients.”
“Then hurry the hell up,” Ethan snapped.
He yanked on the T-shirt, wincing when his knuckles brushed over the tender spot on his midsection. Not that he’d admit it in a million years, but he hurt like a son of a bitch. Taking a bullet close range, even with the vest on, wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.
A bruise the size of a softball had already formed.
But that’s all it was. A bruise. Hell if he was going to be sidelined over a damn bruise. He’d endured worse, and nothing was going to keep him from Rachel.
He was getting fidgety when Donovan finally walked back into the tiny cubicle. He lunged up from where he had been leaning against the bed and confronted his brother.
“So where is she? And is she all right?”
Donovan held up his hands. “Garrett’s with her, and Ma just got here. The wives are in the waiting room, and Dad’s on his way to see you right now. Just settle down. Let Dad see that you’re okay, and then we can all go down and see Rachel. The E.R. is a madhouse, and they’ve had to position police officers to keep the media out. Getting home is going to be interesting.”
Ethan sighed and leaned back against the bed again. He was going to go out of his mind if he didn’t get to Rachel soon, but he also didn’t want his Dad worried about him. The last thing Frank Kelly needed was more stress. He’d already had one heart attack, and Ethan wasn’t going to be responsible for giving him another.
The door burst open, and his dad barreled through it. As soon as his gaze lighted on Ethan, his entire body sagged in relief.
“See, I told you, Dad. He’s fine and cranky as ever,” Donovan said.
Frank Kelly didn’t respond. He hauled Ethan into his beefy embrace and damn near squeezed the life from Ethan. Ethan winced but held on to his Dad.
“I’m fine, Dad,” Ethan said in a low voice. “It’s Rachel I’m worried about.”
His Dad held him for another long moment and then pulled away, his eyes suspiciously bright.
“Your mother and my daughters-in-laware checking in on her now,” Frank said gruffly.
“I’m heading down there. Was just waiting on you once I heard you were here,” Ethan said.
Frank frowned. “They’re already finished with you?”
Ethan cleared his throat, and to his relief, Donovan came to his rescue.
“Told you nothing was wrong with the ornery bastard. He’s too much like Garrett. He’s worried about Rachel though. It would calm him down if he could just see her, so let’s move down there so he can put his mind at ease.”
Ethan shot Donovan a grateful look.
“You scared me, son,” Frank said gruffly. “I swear you boys are always getting up to something. You’re going to make an old man out of me yet.”
Ethan grinned. “Nah. Just keeping you on your toes.” He slapped his dad on the back. “Come on. Let’s go see, Rachel.”
*
It was hard to keep her pregnancy secret when the medical personnel were ensuring that all was still well with her pregnancy. Garrett stayed off to the side and out of the way, but then Marlene Kelly arrived, and hell no was anyone keeping her from her baby.
Disregarding medical staff objections, Marlene pushed her way to the bedside, sat down, and gathered Rachel into her arms, hugging her so tightly that Rachel felt smothered.
It was the very best kind of smothering.
“You scared the wits out of us all,” Marlene said even as she held Rachel closer to her. “I’ve never been so scared in my life, baby. It was all over the news, and then I saw you being carried away on a stretcher, and I made poor Frank break every speed limit getting
Donovan sighed in exasperation and then tossed him a T-shirt from his pack.
“Get your dumb ass dressed while I find out where they put Rachel. Swear to God, if you so much as move before I get back, I’ll hold you down while they sedate you. You can’t go barging through the E.R. scaring the shit out of the other patients.”
“Then hurry the hell up,” Ethan snapped.
He yanked on the T-shirt, wincing when his knuckles brushed over the tender spot on his midsection. Not that he’d admit it in a million years, but he hurt like a son of a bitch. Taking a bullet close range, even with the vest on, wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.
A bruise the size of a softball had already formed.
But that’s all it was. A bruise. Hell if he was going to be sidelined over a damn bruise. He’d endured worse, and nothing was going to keep him from Rachel.
He was getting fidgety when Donovan finally walked back into the tiny cubicle. He lunged up from where he had been leaning against the bed and confronted his brother.
“So where is she? And is she all right?”
Donovan held up his hands. “Garrett’s with her, and Ma just got here. The wives are in the waiting room, and Dad’s on his way to see you right now. Just settle down. Let Dad see that you’re okay, and then we can all go down and see Rachel. The E.R. is a madhouse, and they’ve had to position police officers to keep the media out. Getting home is going to be interesting.”
Ethan sighed and leaned back against the bed again. He was going to go out of his mind if he didn’t get to Rachel soon, but he also didn’t want his Dad worried about him. The last thing Frank Kelly needed was more stress. He’d already had one heart attack, and Ethan wasn’t going to be responsible for giving him another.
The door burst open, and his dad barreled through it. As soon as his gaze lighted on Ethan, his entire body sagged in relief.
“See, I told you, Dad. He’s fine and cranky as ever,” Donovan said.
Frank Kelly didn’t respond. He hauled Ethan into his beefy embrace and damn near squeezed the life from Ethan. Ethan winced but held on to his Dad.
“I’m fine, Dad,” Ethan said in a low voice. “It’s Rachel I’m worried about.”
His Dad held him for another long moment and then pulled away, his eyes suspiciously bright.
“Your mother and my daughters-in-laware checking in on her now,” Frank said gruffly.
“I’m heading down there. Was just waiting on you once I heard you were here,” Ethan said.
Frank frowned. “They’re already finished with you?”
Ethan cleared his throat, and to his relief, Donovan came to his rescue.
“Told you nothing was wrong with the ornery bastard. He’s too much like Garrett. He’s worried about Rachel though. It would calm him down if he could just see her, so let’s move down there so he can put his mind at ease.”
Ethan shot Donovan a grateful look.
“You scared me, son,” Frank said gruffly. “I swear you boys are always getting up to something. You’re going to make an old man out of me yet.”
Ethan grinned. “Nah. Just keeping you on your toes.” He slapped his dad on the back. “Come on. Let’s go see, Rachel.”
*
It was hard to keep her pregnancy secret when the medical personnel were ensuring that all was still well with her pregnancy. Garrett stayed off to the side and out of the way, but then Marlene Kelly arrived, and hell no was anyone keeping her from her baby.
Disregarding medical staff objections, Marlene pushed her way to the bedside, sat down, and gathered Rachel into her arms, hugging her so tightly that Rachel felt smothered.
It was the very best kind of smothering.
“You scared the wits out of us all,” Marlene said even as she held Rachel closer to her. “I’ve never been so scared in my life, baby. It was all over the news, and then I saw you being carried away on a stretcher, and I made poor Frank break every speed limit getting
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