Page 15 of The Library on Plum Island
“Who is taking care of Shay, Alex, and Ethan?” Oz asked her.
“Harley has commissioned a few of his old buddies from the military who were pleased to get the work,” Daniella put his mind at ease. “Harley, Alex, and Ethan have been wanting to see you since they got back from Boston, but I won’t allow them to visit until tomorrow.” She gently pulled the gauze from his wound. “Oz, I’m going to have to fix this as you opened up nearly all of your stitches.” She looked at the swelling on his cheek. “And you’ve given yourself another bruise on your cheek.”
“War wounds!” Oz laughed.
“I fear this one is a war you’re waging against yourself, trying to force your body to cooperate when you need to rest and let it heal.”
She gently felt his cheekbone, and Oz winced.
“I just don’t like leaving my duty,” Oz reiterated.
“I know.” Daniella nodded, getting to work on his head. “But we all need downtime, and right now, that means complete bed rest for you. Nurse Beckett and Wally will be here when I’m done to take you for another scan. Please get in the wheelchair this time.”
“Sure, I’ll use the wheelchair,” Oz promised with a sigh.
When Daniella was done, she told Oz to relax until Nurse Beckett came to take him for his scan. She left Oz watching television and decided to pop in and check on her other two patients who were occupying two of the other wards. Once she was satisfied and had updated their charts, she went back toward the examination rooms on the other side of the clinic.
The clinic reception area was eerily quiet, and the waiting area was empty. Daniella quickly made sure that the automatic entry doors were locked. A shudder went down her spine remembering the phone call from earlier, and her heart thudded in fear as her mind started racing. Daniella wished Uncle Sam was back home with news on the situation for her. He had stayed in Boston when Harley had called him to let him know about the phone call Daniella had gotten. Uncle Sam was going to consult with his friends in the US Marshal office. She knew she wasn’t going to be able to rest and would be on edge until she heard from her uncle.
Daniella glanced at her wristwatch. It was the early hours of the morning. She loved the stillness of this time of day and took a moment to quieten the storm of emotions raging within. Daniella allowed herself a moment to reflect on the day’s events and how thankful she was that Emily, Carly, Shay, and Alex were all okay and safe. She rubbed her eyes suddenly, feeling exhausted, but Daniella also knew that the moment her head hit her pillow, she’d be wide awake, worrying because that was the time when a person’s worries seemed to be greater than they truly were.
A few hours later, the first light of dawn began to filter through the clinic windows, casting a soft glow over the room. Emily and Alex were ready to go home while Tanya and Wally got ready to hand over to the day shift in another two hours. While the sun was coming up to ensure another clear day, the shadow of the threatening phone call loomed large in Daniella’s mind, a dark cloud on the horizon of her newly found tranquility.
As Harley helped Emily into his pickup, Daniella couldn’t help but steal a glance at Alex, his profile silhouetted against the morning light. There was a ruggedness to him, a strength that she found both reassuring and dangerous. It was a paradox she wasn’t ready to explore, not when her world felt so precariously balanced on the edge of upheaval. Daniella wasn’t looking for a romance, especially with someone like Alex, whose relationships never went longer than a couple of months. It wasn’t only her life and heart that Daniella had to protect.
If her past taught her anything, it was that you couldn’t trust anyone as we all hid parts of us away from the world. And she’d learned firsthand just how dangerous those hidden parts of a person could be. Daniella watched Alex protesting when Harley insisted Alex wait to be helped into the pickup by Harley. She couldn’t help the smile that split her lips as Alex moaned about it being bad enough that Harriet had to push him out of the clinic in a wheelchair. He didn’t need Harley’s help getting into the vehicle. It was only his hand that was injured, not the rest of him.
“Stop moaning and get in,” Harley’s voice was laced with impatience. “Hicks listens better than you do.”
“That’s because Hicks is highly intelligent and trained,” Harriet added, grinning at the glare Alex shot her.
And there it was again—the green emotion as she watched the easy interaction between Alex and Harriet. She shook it off, and as she was getting into the car, a creepy feeling that she was being watched made her shudder. Daniella looked around but couldn’t see anyone.
You’re being way too paranoid!She scolded herself, pulling the door shut and cradling Emily’s head in her lap.
CHAPTER 4
Thealarmclockstruckeight, and the house opened the blackout drapes, allowing the morning light to stream through the vast windows of Alex’s bedroom, heralding the start of a new day. Usually, Alex would’ve awoken with a stretch and lay in his bed, savoring five more minutes between the sheets before climbing out of bed. But today, he woke to a pounding headache and a throbbing pain in his hand—a stark reminder of the previous day’s events.
Daniella was right. I overdid things last night.Alex hit the screaming alarm and pulled a pillow over his head to block out the sun. He immediately regretted using two hands as pain seared through his broken one. He was about to fish for the remote to close the blinds, as this light was making his headache worse, when his bedroom door banged open.
“Knock, knock, and wakey, wakey!” Harriet’s cheery voice was muffled by the pillow over his face. “Are you trying to commit suicide by smothering yourself?”
“Why are you so cheery?” Alex muttered through the pillow.
Harriet pulled the pillow from his face, and the unmistakable aroma of freshly brewed coffee and breakfast filled his nostrils.
“Agh! What are you doing?” Alex’s brow creased, and he squinted, trying to fight back the sun, which was sending hot rays of pain into his eyes and aggravating his pounding head.
“I’ve been up for hours,” Harriet informed him, her tone laced with concern as she noticed his pained expression. “You look terrible.”
“You know not everyone jumps out of bed looking like they’d just walked off the cover of a glitzy magazine,Princess!“ Alex grabbed for another pillow, stopping before he pulled it over his face. “Did you make breakfast?”
“I did!” Harriet nodded.
“Are you trying to poison me?” Alex raised his eyebrows. “Because I can assure you I think my head is trying to kill me today, and the sun is helping it.”
“Here…” Harriet disappeared from staring down at him for a few seconds before popping back into his vision. “Take these Mr. Grumpy Pants.”
