Page 83 of Under Control

“Yeah—I just need to piss,” he said, feeling the immediate need to urinate.

The nurse laughed and took his arm, securing him as he sat up. He pushed himself up off the bed, holding on to the rail for stability.

“Holy fuck,” he ground out, feeling pain up his back as he slowly moved toward the small washroom in the corner of his private accommodation.

“It’s going to hurt. You’ve put your body through hell,” the nurse called behind him. “But this is a good idea—to get up for a minute. You’ve been down for a while.”

Carrick finished and stood in the doorway.

“How long have I been out?” he asked the nurse as she wrote on his chart.

“About fourteen hours,” a familiar feminine voice answered from the entrance to his room. “But who’s counting?”

Carrick had to grab on to the bathroom doorframe for stability. There stood Dani, her eyes wide and red, dark circles under her eyes. She was still wearing yesterday’s clothes, with his blood on her pink hoodie, and he saw that black bruise over her eyebrow from where she’d been hit. Everything in his body screamed to lunge toward her, to pick her up in his arms and kiss her until neither of them could breathe, but then Delta burst into the room with Carrick’s tiny Aunt Kathy behind him.

“Carrick!” Kathy bounced forward, wearing a pink blazer, her gray bob bouncing and with a bright smile on her face.

They both rushed into the room, but Danica held back, watching from the sidelines, her face hollow and haunted. She seemed empty and exhausted—completely burnt out. All he wanted to do was grab her and order her to take care of herself. But she was holding back from him, leaning against the far wall for support.

Delta helped Carrick back to his bedside, holding on to him as he sat. Kathy chattered about how his surgery had lasted forever and Danica had spent the night in the hospital waiting room, unwilling to leave.

“LAPD came for statements,” Delta began, but the inflection in his tone tipped Carrick off. Something else had happened.

Carrick locked his gaze on Delta, raising his eyebrow.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Delta grumbled under his breath. “Yes, it was her.”

Kathy pushed forward to his bedside, bringing his side table up and over the bed. She fumbled in her purse for paperwork.

“Carrick, you know I wouldn’t do this unless it was absolutely urgent, but our twenty-four-hour-window is closing. If you want to sell and buy, you’ve got to sign these now.” She slammed two separate contracts in front of him with a pen. “They’re both solid offers.”

Leaning back in his bed, he flipped through the documents in front of him—an offer from someone to buy his place on Coronado Island and an offer for him to buy a commercial property in Sunset Beach.

“You’ve got to make a decision on this,” his aunt rattled off quickly. “Sign both now and I’ll just have enough time to make the deadlines before they go on to the next buyer.”

Carrick picked up his pen, quickly signing off on his offer for the commercial property. That one was a no-brainer. It would be the best investment he’d ever make. But his pen hovered over the offer to sell his old house, and he raised his eyebrow at his aunt. It was a great offer—a private offer.

He looked up and over at Danica as her hollow eyes followed him. There was a lot still unresolved between them, and he needed to talk to her pronto. He had a lot to say.

His pen hit the paper, and he signed his name to the second document. It was done. Now, all he had to do was convince Danica to marry him this time.

Kathy scooped up the papers, stuffing them in her bag and running out to go send them to the other agents to make them final.

“Ready to blow this popsicle stand?” Delta asked, eyeing the nurses.

Carrick coughed then asked, “How many bullets did they take out of me?”

He shrugged and replied, “Fewer than I had to pull out of you in Mosul. You’ve got this.” Then, moving toward the exit, Delta nodded to the room. “Let’s get you released.”

Danica offered his buddy a forced smile as he walked out, but things were far from being right. As Delta left her alone with Carrick, she let out a breath she’d apparently been holding.

“How are you?” Carrick probed, trying to get her to open up and come closer.

“Tired,” she replied, and he saw the pain in her eyes. “What was that all about with your aunt?”

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” he began, but swallowed, realizing those were the words she hated—so he leveled with her. “Look… I’m selling my old place.”

The meaning was clear—and Danica’s eyes widened. Carrick appreciated how quickly she caught on, which was something he’d come to value a great deal.

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