"They're good, but your man is better." Eva returned to the room, set the clean pan aside, and came back to her bedside. "It's typical to want to push him away but don't, hun. Let him help you. He's been worried sick."
"He's a good friend." Christine pleated the sheet and blanket between her fingers.
Eva raised a brow. "He said fiancé, but the secret is safe with me. Doesn't matter what he officially is. He's your guardian angel from what I've seen. And I'm here too, if you need me."
"Thanks." Charlie claimed to be my fiancé? Why?
"No problem. Not just my job either, so if and when you do want to talk, call on me." Eva patted her leg. "The police detectives want to speak to you. I can stay and your man too. Sometimes it helps to have people you care about around."
Charlie walked back in with two trade mark cups. Christine smelled mocha over the antiseptic of the hospital; so normal it made her want to cry. "One of those better be for me or I'm blowing the whistle right here and now and confiscating both of them." Eva wagged her finger.
Charlie grinned and handed her one. "Of course it's yours. Would I bite the hand who pleads my case to allow me to stay?"
"Depends on the tone of the bite I think." Eva winked. "Call if you need anything, hun. Doc should be here in about thirty minutes, so drink your coffee straight away if you can. I didn't see a thing." After taking a deep sip from her cup, sighing with pleasure, and giving Charlie's arm a squeeze, Eva breezed out the door.
It seemed quiet after she left. Christine had no clue what to say or how. Charlie sat beside her and set the cup on the bedside table, his gaze dark and soft. "May I hug you?"
"You have to ask?" Christine swallowed the lump in her throat and chest.
He held both hands palms up. "I don't want to upset you. I just want to hold you, feel your heart beating, and comfort us both."
Christine reached for him. He had her in his arms before she could more than lift her hand. As she smelled his scent, felt his warmth, his breath in her hair, and his cheek against hers, the lump inside her burst. She cried out all the pain, terror, and uncertainty. Through it all, he held her as if she were something precious, special, and cherished. She couldn't hear his words, only the murmur of his voice, and felt the tenderness in how he wiped her aching cheeks. The deep blue of his eyes when she finally shifted to occasional sniffs calmed more than anything except his presence. "Thank you, Kale, for being here with me."
He smiled at the use of his native name. "No need to thank me. Ever." His kiss gentle on her lips, the warmth of his skin pulsed through her and made her feel nothing but security. His hand entwined with both of hers, a simple touch to anchor her to the present and to him. "Have some coffee." He held the cup to her lips with his other hand.
She took a sip and felt it ease down her throat. It didn't feel as scratchy as when she first woke, but the rawness of it ached. He drank from the same cup as his gaze skimmed her face. "I used your cell phone and called your children. Adam came here and stayed for a while, but we convinced Anna not to miss her classes or exams. He had an exam too, but he'll be back when it's over. Anna will be here this weekend with her friend Robin."
He'd called her children? They knew him, of course, from the funeral. But they were adults; they'd wonder why her 'friend from work' stayed at her hospital bedside. Could Charlie be prepared to answer questions he and she hadn't even discussed themselves?
He must have seen the questions in her face. "I told everyone I'm your fiancé, so I could stay with and protect you. Plus Adam needed someone with him; I didn't want him to sit alone and worried. It seemed the right thing to do."
Oh damn, now there were tears flooding. "Thank you, you've been so good to me and my kids. But what if the corporation hears you're here with me? Your promotion could be in danger."
"I don't give a damn. You are what matters." His gaze became intense and narrowed as if he dared her to argue. The very air between them pressed thick and close. "I would say and do anything to keep you safe, to be with you."
She couldn't breathe and not because her ribs hurt. Did he mean what she thought? Or did he just want to protect her? She wiggled her fingers in his and smiled to lighten the mood a bit. "I don't have a ring."
"It's being resized because your fingers are so small. You deserve a sapphire and not a diamond, something antique and classic for these beautiful hands." He lifted one to his lips and winked. "Plus, they wouldn't let you keep it on while you're in here anyway."
Her heart sped again, making the monitor drum. "You're a charmer, my knight in shining jogging gear."
"I should never have left you." He gripped her hand tighter. "If you can, I want you to tell me what happened." For the first time, she saw the hardness in his face. His jaw clenched as his gaze slid over what must be the awful bruises on her face. She shivered. Charlie angry, truly angry, would never be something she wanted directed at her. She took a breath to begin and the door to her room opened to admit two people.