Page 3 of Saving St. Nicolas

I see the hard lines around his face that were never there before when we were growing up, and it makes me wonder what all he has seen and done in his military career. Of course, people could probably say the same about me, with all the things I have seen being a firefighter.

I take in the hard outline of his muscles that have never been there before. It tells me he has worked out a lot over these years.

"Are you done perusing me?" Mike says, with his eyes still closed.

"I'm trying to figure out why you are here, to be honest," I say, not wanting him to know I was kind of ogling him.

"I promised Leia I would stay with you, and if it allows my sister to get some much-needed rest, then that's what I'm going to do," he says as he opens his eyes, looking at me.

"Well, I see no reason that you need to stay. You can leave, I'm fine."

He jumps up from his chair quicker than I thought anyone could, causing me to flinch.

"You are not fine, Riley. That son of a bitch did a number on you, and you are far from fine," he says, leaning his face down to mine.

I can't help the fear that seeps into me, causing my heart rate to speed up.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you, Riley," he tells me as he cups my face lightly.

My body heats up with his nearness and touch. I can feel wetness pooling between my thighs. I lick my dry lips and feel the cut there. I wince with the pain, and see his eyes soften.

"What did you do to Josh?" I ask.

"Nothing. You and Leia are safe, and that's all that matters," he tells me, before walking back to the chair in the corner.

I take a deep breath and try to get my body under control. This is my best friend's brother, my body should not be reacting like this with his nearness. I need to get him to leave.

The nurse walks in. “Are you okay, Ms. Winters,” she asks, looking over at Mike, then at my monitors.

“Yes, sorry about that. I moved wrong, and things hurt,” I tell her.

“Would you like some medication for the pain?”

“No, thank you. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. Well, if you need anything, press the call button.”

“Thank you,” I tell her with a small smile that causes me to wince again.

She nods before looking at Mike, then she walks out of the room.

"Since you say I'm safe, then you should leave and go get some decent rest yourself. I'm not going anywhere, so there is no reason for both of us to be uncomfortable," I tell him and watch as his eyes stare at me. I stare back, not relenting or backing down.

"Fine, but I'll be back, Riley."

He leaves the room, and I melt into the bed. "Good God, what the hell is wrong with me?" I mutter.

I grab my phone off the table next to me and call Chief Yates to let him know I am awake, and everything is fine. Once I'm done with that call, I close my eyes, falling back into a deep sleep.

* * *

Two months later

We all get in the car, still reeling from the revelations that were just revealed. I’m sitting up front with Mike driving, while Leia and Noah are in the backseat, no one is saying a word.

I look over at Mike and see the tension in his jaws. “You knew, and you said nothing to Leia?”

“First off, I didn’t know all that. Let’s be clear. I was just a kid, but I remember our dad dangling Leia over the bridge, and not understanding why. Then he started crying before he jumped over the bridge himself. I only remember I needed to get to Leia and protect her. After that, dad never came home, but mom said we will always have to protect Leia.”

---