Page 113 of Nothing to Fear

Yeah, and if she was a more suspicious person…

“For what reason?”

“Bright!” Tripp called from behind her. “Hey, baby.”

“These are your nurses?” Brant asked. “Shit, wait ‘til Mom sees this.”

Tripp swerved past her to curve an arm around the fishnet woman’s waist. Had he called her Bright? Her actual name or a nickname?

“Your brother? That’s why you called me?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about that, Bright, baby. His girlfriend’s standing right there.”

“What’s going on?”

Darroch rolled up with a couple of brothers.

“Mom and Dad are downstairs with the neurologist and a nurse, Tripp—”

“Jodi, there,” he said, gesturing to the woman in scrubs. “The best nurse you’ll ever meet. We…” He backed off keeping the other woman pressed to his side. “Will see you all at breakfast.”

Tripp was happy to saunter off, down the hallway.

“Brant, take Jodi downstairs to Mom.”

The woman went when Brant raised an arm the other way.

Caber opened the bedroom door and entered before Ward wheeled Darroch in.

The first thing she did was double clap, then pulled back the covers.

“Help me get him into bed.”

“Baby, you don’t need no help with that,” Darroch said, planting his feet on the floor as he bounced forward in the chair.

His brothers grabbed his shoulders to hold him back. “Dad was clear on this, fresh meat. Mom and Sav’s word is law.”

“She wants me in bed, you heard her say that.”

“I heard her ask us to help you in bed.”

“Okay,” Darroch said as Troy came around to fold back the feet rests. “You know we’re not playing that game. Help? With Savvy in bed? Not a chance, Sunshine.”

Caber took one arm, Ward the other, they pulled him up and did more of a toss than a help.

He took it with a laugh and flipped himself over, she was less amused.

“Okay, maybe I’ll just help him get ready for bed alone,” she said, trying and failing to contain her offense. “Go and checkwhen he next needs his meds, please.” She pushed the chair toward them. “Go on.”

His kind of taken aback brothers shuffled out with the wheelchair.

“Cherry—”

“We don’t want you to get too hot.” She kneeled at his feet to take off his sneakers and socks. “Your sweats should be okay for—”

“Cherry,” he said, sliding a finger under her chin to elevate it. Nothing but tenderness bled from him when he witnessed her gathering tears. “What’s wrong, baby?”

Rising, she touched her mouth to his. “Sit back,” she whispered, climbing on as he shuffled back to lean on the headboard. Straddling him, she held his face in both hands. “I’ve never been so happy to see a man in his own bed.”

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