Page 46 of Valor

“You’re awake!” Emily’s smile warmed his heart. “I was getting worried because you slept for such a long time. You had abdominal surgery. Dr. Scofield did a wash out of your wound with antibiotics, then sutured it closed while leaving a drain in place. They did a CT scan afterward and confirmed you had a liver laceration. You lost a lot of blood, so they gave you two units of packed red blood cells. You’ll need IV antibiotics for the next twenty-four hours or so before you can be switched to oral medications.” She flushed and patted his arm. “I guess that was more than you needed to know, sorry. I’m so relieved that you’re awake.”

She was so cute when she rattled off medical stuff. “What happened?” he repeated. The last thing he remembered was running toward Doug and Emily, when he was pushed sideways as gunfire rang out. “Was Granger dirty?”

“Yes, Doug is dealing with that now.” Emily’s expression turned somber. “Doug shot and killed Granger after he attempted to kill you. Doug was here at the hospital with me for about an hour but then headed back out to the ranger station. I’m sure he’s going to be tied up at the scene for a while.”

It bothered him to know Doug had shot and killed Colin Granger. What if he was wrong about the guy? His chest squeezed with fear and dread, but then he remembered how Granger had fired at him. Just as someone had pushed him.

He frowned. That didn’t make sense because no one had been close enough to push him. Maybe he’d imagined the feeling of being shoved. It could be that he tripped over a rock on the parking lot.

Yeah, that had to be it.

A wet nose pressed against his arm. He turned his head to see Bear lying beside him in the bed. The pup was snuggled against him with his eyes closed. “I can’t believe the nurses let you bring Bear in.”

Emily waved a hand. “What they don’t know won’t hurt them. Besides, I wasn’t going to leave. And Doug couldn’t keep Bear with him while working the crime scene.”

With a grimace, he shifted on the bed. Throbbing pain along his right side made it difficult to find a comfortable position. But he was alive, and that was all that mattered.

Unless... he lifted both of his wrists to make sure he wasn’t handcuffed to the bed. He wasn’t, but that fact alone might not mean much. It wasn’t like he was going to get very far in his current condition.

“Would you like some ice chips?” Emily held up a plastic cup and spoon. “You can’t eat or drink anything until your stomach starts working again. Tomorrow morning, they’ll start you on clear liquids.”

Feeling foolish, he opened his mouth for the ice chips. As the ice melted down his throat, he let out a sigh. That felt much better. “Thanks. Ah, did Doug say anything else?” He wasn’t sure how to ask the question. “Like what he plans to do with me?”

“No, but I know that Doug feels bad about Granger. Doug told me he was in contact with Granger this whole time, which is how we kept getting found.” Her brow furrowed. “I know Doug wants to interview you, but he explained that he’d have to wait for that until you’re no longer on pain medication.”

He nodded, realizing this was a temporary reprieve. There was still a very real possibility he could go to jail. Gazing up at Emily, he wished he could tell her how much he loved her. How much she’d changed his life over the past few months.

But he couldn’t say anything yet. Not until he knew what his future held. The last thing he wanted was for her to wait for him to get out of prison.

She deserved better than that.

Bear shifted beside him, making him smile. He’d miss the pup. But he’d miss Emily more.

“Well, thanks for sticking around.” He wanted more ice chips, but he would prefer to get them himself. Emily had done more than enough for him. She’d saved his life as much or more than he’d saved hers. He gazed down at the puppy. “You should probably get Bear out of here before you get caught.”

“I’ll take him outside for a bit, but then I’ll be back.” She frowned. “I’m not leaving you, Owen.”

Her words shouldn’t have given him a secret thrill. No matter how much he’d like nothing more than to spend time with her, he refused to let her throw her life away for him.

Forcing her to move on with her life was the best thing he could do for her.

“Don’t come back.” The words sounded harsher than he’d intended. “I stayed with you because I needed to keep you safe. The danger is over now, so it’s time for you to go home. Be with your family. I’ll be fine here on my own.”

The flash of hurt in her brown eyes stabbed deep. Without saying anything, she picked up Bear and walked to the door.

A moment later, she was gone. He squeezed his eyes shut, reminding himself this was for the best. He loved Emily too much to hold her back.

A minute later, he heard his door open.

“Good evening, how are you feeling?” A cheerful nurse entered his room. “Do you need more pain medication?”

“Yes, please.” He shifted on the bed again and reached for the ice chips. He took a big spoonful, allowing them to melt in his mouth.

“Take it easy on those,” the nurse warned as she injected something into his IV. “It will not feel good to throw up.”

That was enough for him to ignore the urge to empty the cup and to quickly set it aside.

“Time to get you up on your feet.” The nurse finished with his IV. “Walking is good, and I’m sure you could use a trip to the bathroom.”

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