Lucky Like Us

chapter Twenty-Six

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Sunday, 6:00 P.M.

SAM MANAGED TO get himself cleaned up, say goodbye to his family, and make it to the hospital in time for dinner with the Hamilton family. Gathered in Elizabeth’s room when he arrived, he didn’t even glance at them; his eyes went right to Elizabeth, the ventilator still doing its job keeping her alive. Her dark hair was pulled back by a white headband. No doubt her mother’s way of taking care of her.

“Hello, Sam. It’s so nice you could join us. We were about to eat. Come. Sit down, and we’ll fill you in on Elizabeth’s condition.” Rachel led Sam by the arm toward the table.

“Hi, everyone.” Sam took in the family sitting at the small table set up in the room. The second bed had been removed to make room for their dinner. He thought it amazing anyone could set a table with linens, silver, and crystal in ICU. But these were the Hamiltons and he imagined they could make just about anything happen.

Each place setting had a covered plate. Gerard’s, one of the finest restaurants in the city, had delivered dinner. A box from Decadence, Elizabeth’s store, sat on the other table.

Sam took the empty seat facing Elizabeth and tried not to stare at her. It didn’t work. He couldn’t help but watch her, hoping she’d wake up, move her hand, something.

The Judge cleared his throat and gave him a knowing look across the table. “Sorry, sir. How is she?”

“Better. They’re weaning her off the ventilator. It’s only helping her now. She’s doing most the work. They’ll try to take her off of it completely sometime tonight. It’s the best we can hope for right now.”

Sam understood the waning hope in the Judge’s tone. Every second Elizabeth lay silent made it more and more difficult to believe she’d wake up and be fine.

“I hope you’re hungry. Gerard’s makes the best prime rib dinner with all the fixings,” the Judge went on, trying to sound jovial.

“Thank you for inviting me.” Sam’s stomach wanted to rebel at the sight and smell of food, but he’d get through dinner and hope for time alone with Elizabeth.

Rachel removed the covers from all the plates. Prime rib dinner with all the fixings included mashed potatoes, green beans with bacon and caramelized onions, and sautéed mushrooms. Once he got a look at and smelled the food, he decided he was hungry after all. He grabbed a roll from the basket on the table, buttered it, and tried to make nice with Elizabeth’s brothers. “How’s it going, Patrick? Daniel?”

“Just fine, Sam. Any news on the person who did this to our sister?” Patrick asked hopefully.

“Nothing definitive. The best information we have came from Elizabeth. She gave us a very good description of the man. We’ve narrowed our suspects considerably. I’ll be back on duty by Tuesday, and I’ll help Agent Reed until we catch this guy.”

“I know you guys are doing your best and giving everything you have to the case, but don’t you have any idea who did this?” Daniel was still fuming about his sister, but he’d mellowed considerably since the last time they crossed paths.

“That’s been the problem all along. The guy is a ghost. No one has ever seen him, except Elizabeth.”

A few feet away, Elizabeth lay still. She looked like a shell, no life or glow to her, like she wasn’t really in her own body.

“She mentioned she might have seen him somewhere before, but I imagine with the social obligations and other benefits she and your family attend, the number of people she meets and runs into is enormous. Not to mention the horde of people who storm her shop each day.”

“Her business is very popular.” Rachel beamed. “She meets all kinds of people at work and at the other social events she attends. I’d imagine trying to sort out who might have been at one of those places and attacked you both would be difficult for her to remember precisely,” Rachel said discouraged.

Sam nodded and continued to eat with the family. Their conversation centered on their work and their lives, while Sam sat mechanically eating. Whenever they asked him a question, or for his opinion, he gave it, but never took his eyes off Elizabeth, waiting for any sign she was coming back from the black oblivion. Rachel served desert, a rich chocolate cake. He didn’t remember eating it, or the fact he’d managed to down two cups of coffee on top of it. He couldn’t remember half of what he’d talked with her family about either. He was too busy watching her.

“Sam,” Daniel bellowed.

“What?” Sam jerked around. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“Did you accept the assignment to protect Elizabeth when she’s released and can go home? I gave you a hard time, but I think you’re the best man for the job. Hell, if all you have to do is watch her, you’re getting a lot of practice tonight.”

Daniel laughed at his expense, and Sam glared back at him, despite the truth in Daniel’s observation.

“Yes. I’ll be the one assigned to her if that’s what she still wants when she wakes up.”

“She will.” The Judge said it like he had no doubt. “More importantly, her mother and I want you with her.” He winked at Rachel.

It might be nice to see his daughter date a man for more than a few weeks. Sam wasn’t like the other men who tried to get in Elizabeth’s good graces. Sam didn’t want anything from her or them. He was his own man. He hadn’t asked John once who he might know in the upper ranks of the FBI, or to put in a good word for him with so and so. A straight shooter, he didn’t want anything he didn’t earn himself, and the Judge liked him for it all the better.

Sam hoped she would want him to protect her. The conversation around him started up again between the guys and their parents. The dream he’d had that day came back to him. He remembered waking up to find Lily by his bed with Elizabeth screaming his name ringing in his ears. He heard her sharp piercing cry now, calling out to him. A single tear trailed down the side of her face, and another, and by the time the third one ran down, he realized he wasn’t seeing things. She was crying.

In the next second, all hell broke loose. She moved so quickly no one had time to stop her from grabbing at the breathing tube. She thrashed in the bed trying to get the tube out, but the tape and strap were secure. Buzzers and alarms went off like slots in a casino. Sam jumped up from his seat and made it to the bed before anyone else had a chance to get to her. He leaned over her face, whispering in her ear.

“Sweetheart. Stop. Stop. You’re okay.” Grabbing both her hands, she finally focused on him. Wide blue eyes filled with fear stared up at him. “They’ll take it out. Stop.” She gripped his hands, her nails digging into his skin, and kept her eyes locked on his. “The doctor’s coming. They’ll take it out. Are you okay?”

She shook her head no, but relaxed. She never took her gaze from his, or let go. At that point, he was her lifeline. He made her feel safe. He was real, and after being in the black ooze, she needed a buoy to keep her afloat, she held on to him.

“Ellie Girl. I’m so happy you’ve come back to us. You missed dinner. We had it right here in your room. Sam joined us, of course.” Her father’s happiness at seeing her awake filled his every word. She couldn’t turn away from Sam. She held on with everything she had.

“Your Mom went to get the doctor. Hold on for a minute, Ellie Girl.”

“Hey, Busy Bee. We’re so happy you woke up. Don’t worry, you’ll be home in a few days. I bet you’d like that. The Muffin Man misses you. I think he hates me.” She caught his weak smile out of the corner of her eye.

She wanted the tube down her throat out.

“Everything at the shop is fine, Lizzy. I’ve been checking in as often as I can. Amy and the rest of the staff are keeping everything the way you like it. We had one of your triple chocolate cakes tonight. It was really good.”

Elizabeth was happy to hear all of them talking to her, but she couldn’t shake the need to keep the connection with Sam. He kept her afloat when the black wanted to come back and pull her down. She didn’t want to go there ever again. She willed herself to stay with Sam, with them all. The tube made her feel like she was choking. She tried to make a grab for it again, but Sam stayed her hands and held on to her tight.

“Stop. Don’t pull at it. You’ll hurt yourself. They’ll take it out. Relax.” Sam was thankful to see she had so much strength. He kept a good grip on her hands to keep her from grabbing the tube. Once the adrenaline wore off, she’d be weak as a newborn baby.

Doctor Watts hurried into the room and came right to Elizabeth. “Please give us a few minutes alone. It looks like she’s fighting mad to get the tube out. Let us get her settled again, and you can spend some time with her.”

“Sweetheart, I’m going to let go of you. Don’t pull at the tube. Let the doctor take it out. Okay?” She blinked at him once. “Okay, sweetheart. We’ll be right outside the door. We’ll come back in a minute.” He let go of her hands and gently wiped away the tears from her cheeks. She started to panic again, and he laid a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be right back. You can’t talk to me until they take the tube out. I’ll be back. Okay?”

She blinked once for him and let him go. She needed to talk to him, and the sooner the tube was out, the sooner she could speak. The doctor worked quickly. Uncomfortable, to say the least, and once it was out she tried to say something, but her voice came out scratchy and her throat hurt.

“It’ll take some time for your voice to come back.” He held a glass of water by her head and helped put the straw in her mouth. She drank deeply. “Slow down. You don’t want to make yourself sick. How are you feeling?”

“Like I’m neck deep in the sand. It’s hard to move. I feel like there’s a weight on me, and there’s a fog in my head. My heartbeat echoes ten times louder in my ears, and I have the worst headache.”

“I’ll give you some meds for that.”

“No more drugs. I’ve had enough. I want to go home,” she said, knowing sitting up was beyond her strength. Getting up and walking, out of the question.

“It’ll be some time before that happens.” She turned her head away while he listened to her heart and lungs. She’d been through a lot and in the hospital for a long time. She wanted to get her life back on track. Forget all this ever happened. Like that was possible. “You’ll be home before you know it,” he assured her.

“Can they come back in now?”

“Sure. I’ll check on you in a little while. If you want more medication, let us know.”

Blessedly alone for a few moments, she tried to compose herself. She didn’t have a lot of energy, but she needed to talk to Sam. She’d have to get through the time with her family, and hope she had a moment alone with him.

Her mother came in crying, followed by her father. He exhaled with relief and reached for her hand. “There’s my Ellie Girl. You look much better. How are you feeling?”

“Tired, but fine.” Her voice croaked like a frog, but at least she got the word out.

“That’s good. The doctor told us you’re not supposed to talk too much. You need to let your throat heal. They quickly gave you the antidote for the drugs you were given. There’s no permanent damage. You needed time to recover. I told your mother you’d wake up for Sunday dinner. You wouldn’t disappoint your dad, now would you? Not that you ever could.” He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. Her gaze went to the bruises on her arm, but she didn’t say anything.

Her mother leaned over and hugged her, trying her best not to hurt her. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her mother and held on, trying to keep from breaking down. She wanted them to believe she was okay, even though she was a mess on the inside. She’d let herself go when she was alone. Her brothers came in, but she held fast to her mother. After giving her a big kiss on the head, her mother let go. She listened to her brothers tell her about her shop and everything she’d missed over the past two weeks in their lives. Her mother cleaned up the dining table, having everything wheeled out on a cart, including the empty box from her shop. She tried to keep track of the conversation, but she struggled to focus.

“I’m tired. I think I’ll go to sleep now.” She couldn’t hold on much longer. The emotions raged inside her and wanted to come out. Turning into a sobbing ball of fear and pain was not an option in front of them.

Sam hadn’t come back like he promised. She needed to talk to him, and he’d left. Her family reluctantly said goodbye and promised to return in the morning. She didn’t want them returning in the morning. She wanted to go home and sleep in her own bed, hide in her own house.

When the goodbyes and hugs were over, and she was alone in her room, she lowered the bed, rolled onto her side, and curled up. The bruises on her arm reminded her of what happened and fear washed over her again. Shaking, she put her arms over her head and sobbed. It all came up from inside and poured out in her tears.

Sam walked in quietly and found her curled up in bed crying her heart out. The wracking sobs tore his heart to shreds. He moved the IV lines and wires connected to her monitors and lay down on the bed behind her, pulling her to his chest. Wrapping his arm around her, he held her while she cried.

The second Sam entered her room, she felt him. Gently, he pulled her to him. The feel of his strong body pressed to her back, so reassuring, so warm and solid, she simply gave in and let the rest of the tears come out. He’d hold her until she regained some semblance of herself and strength. Right now, it was heaven to feel his arms around her and know she was safe, if only for a little while. She could let the tears fall and feel the fear with him. Her family would have been concerned, but Sam would understand.

He whispered to her, telling her she’d be all right, and she’d get through this. He told her to let it out, let it go, and held her close.

All the tears spent, the fear subsided. She didn’t mind Sam being in bed with her, but after all the sobbing ended came the embarrassment.

“I’m sorry. I’m a mess. This is probably the last thing you needed, some hysterical woman crying all over you.”

“You’ve been through one traumatic thing after another. I think you’re entitled to a crying jag. I’m surprised you’ve held up so well.” He liked the feel of her pressed up to him. Reluctant to let her go now that she was recovering, he stayed put.

“Traumatic is right. Some fake fiancé you turned out to be. You didn’t even save me a piece of chocolate cake.” She tried to overcome her embarrassment with humor.

His laugh rumbled up his chest pressed to her back. She loved the solid feel of him and his amusement made her feel lighter. He gave her a warm, soft squeeze.

“I’ll get you some cake if you want it. I’ll get you anything you want if you stay awake.” He nuzzled his nose into her hair behind her ear and said, “I’ll be the best fake fiancé you’ve ever had if you get better. I don’t think I can take much more of you being unconscious.” His lips brushed the ridge of her ear, and her whole body tingled. “I like your new sexy voice too. Talk dirty to me, baby.”

He was trying hard to keep things light and make her laugh. She couldn’t manage. “He tried to kill me.” Shaking again, it was okay, because Sam held her tight and waited for her to go on. “He came in while I slept. I thought, maybe it was . . .” She stopped, not wanting to make him feel guilty because she thought it was him coming to see her. She’d been so excited to see him again. Only it wasn’t him.

“You thought it was me,” Sam finished for her. “It’s okay, Elizabeth. I came to see you several times late at night. You thought I came into the room. Finish the story.”

“I opened my eyes and was about to make a smartass remark about sneaking into girls rooms in the middle of the night, but it wasn’t you. He’d already pushed the needle into the IV line and I tried to pull the needle out of my arm, but he grabbed my wrist. My eyes were about to close when he grabbed my hair and pulled my head up. He said . . . he said the Hamilton name wouldn’t buy my way out of death. He knows who I am. I know you kept the majority of the story out of the papers, but he knows who I am. I can’t help but think he knows me from somewhere else.”

“So you saw him again with the lights on. You can be sure of his description now.”

“I’m already sure. This time, though, he disguised his appearance. He wore a heavy, thick coat and a ball cap. His face was the same, but with the coat and hat it would be hard to say how much he weighed or the color of his hair. He’s slim, but the bulky coat made him look bigger. I guess he figured that if someone in the hospital saw him, they’d get the description wrong.”

“Okay, so it’s the same guy. We knew it based on the drugs he gave you. They were the same thing he used on a couple of his victims and me.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here. You asked me to protect you and I didn’t.” He continued to hold her, his face pressed against her head.

So sincere, his voice rough with emotion and laced with guilt. “Sam, we had a guard on the door, a hospital full of security, and doctors and nurses who check on me every hour on the hour. It isn’t your fault the guy got past everyone. You aren’t supposed to be with me until I go home.”

“I should have known he’d try to get to you. Dickweed got in, didn’t he?”

“Dickweed? You mean Jarred. Well, he’s a psychotic stalker who thinks we’re getting married. You can’t protect against that kind of obsession. I’d take you as my fake fiancé over him any day.” She eased her sore body over toward him. The fog from the drugs still blanketed her mind. “None of this is your fault. I couldn’t leave you lying in the street. I’d do it all again to make sure you were alive and safe.”

“You like me, huh?”

“As fake fiancés go, you’re not so bad. Except for the chocolate cake thing, of course.”

“Of course,” he mimicked her serious tone.

She wrapped her arms over his arm lying across her and leaned her head against his chin and closed her eyes. “You really know how to hold on to a girl when she’s feeling scared and alone. I always feel safe when you’re here with me. That’s why I asked Deputy Director Davies to assign you to me. Well, that and the fact you need to work. I know you’re struggling with what happened, and you blame yourself for shooting me. I thought maybe you’d make it up to me by being the one to protect me until you guys catch this maniac. That, and I loved the look on Jarred’s face when you said you were marrying me. Absolutely priceless. He never gives up. Maybe now he will. One maniac down, one to go.”

“So you just want to use me to get rid of Dickweed.” He knew that wasn’t the case. It amazed him she understood his feelings about the shooting and the importance of his work.

“No, now that I know how safe I feel lying in your arms, I might make you sleep with me every night.” The wheels started turning as she replayed that in her head and gave him a lopsided smile. “My head is foggy, and that came out wrong.”

“I think it came out fine.” He leaned down and kissed her long and soft. She gave herself over to him; leaning in, she melted in his arms. Nothing could have made him stop kissing her at that moment. Until she squealed in pain. He backed away immediately. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

“No. I rolled onto my thigh and the pain streaked up my hip. Oh man, that’s better than a cup of coffee to wake a person up.”

Sam shifted to get up, but she grabbed him by the shirt.

“Don’t. Don’t go yet.”

Her eyes pleaded. How could anyone resist her? She was so beautiful, even in her condition. He couldn’t wait to see her well again. “I need to move so I don’t hurt you. I’m not leaving. You couldn’t pry me out of bed with a beautiful woman begging me not to go with a crowbar or a stick of dynamite. You said it before, I’m not stupid.” He helped her get settled and arranged the wires and IV lines so they weren’t tangled. He managed to scoot to the edge of the bed so she had enough room. “There. All better.”

“No.” She tried to get more comfortable and scoot closer to him. He was so warm and strong. Groggy and tired, she wanted to fall asleep before he left. Without him there, she’d stay up all night worried the man would come back to hurt her. If she could fall asleep before he left, maybe she wouldn’t realize he was gone and she could sleep.

“Don’t pout. What’s wrong?”

“If this fake marriage is going to last, we need a bigger bed.” She gave him a crooked smile while her eyes were closed. Her body began to relax and she drifted off.

“Stop it. A man can only take so much.” She set his whole body to flame. That kiss had started a slow burn that flashed each time she wiggled closer. He wanted to kiss her again and run his hands over her. The only thing separating her from him was a sheet and a flimsy gown, which he’d already noticed didn’t close in the back. She had the softest skin. He brushed his hand up and down her arm while she nestled against his chest. She felt so good curled up to him with her full breasts pressed against his side. Oh God, what sweet agony.

“Since I’m still foggy from the drugs, and I can use that as an excuse later, can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“Will you kiss me again when I get out of here?”

Sam groaned. He put a finger under her chin and lifted her head, so he could look at her. Her eyes, barely opened, appeared groggy and half asleep. “I’ll kiss you anytime, anywhere.” He kissed her softly, beginning slowly and nibbling at her lips. He traced her lower lip with the tip of his tongue. She sighed with pleasure, and he took the kiss deeper. He kept it slow and lingered over the task. She was so sweet, his mind went numb and his body raged with fire. He slid his tongue into her mouth. She opened for him and responded with long, slow thrusts of her tongue, sliding over his. They kept things slow and soft and warm. He pulled back just enough to trail kisses over her cheek to her temple.

Tucking her head in the crook of his shoulder, he said, “Go to sleep, sweetheart, before you kill me.”

Kissing the top of her head, he held her while she drifted off, her hand resting on his chest over his heart. Damn if his heart didn’t already rest in her hands.

He stayed with her for two hours, watching her sleep and keeping her close, everything inside him in agony being so close to her and wanting her. He found it even harder to leave her, knowing she wanted him to stay and protect her, but he couldn’t let her family find him in bed with her in the morning. A nurse had already come in to check on her and gave him a wide, knowing grin. Besides, two of his fellow agents were stationed at the door. They’d never let him live it down if they caught him in bed with his witness. Clothes on or not.