before he lost too much blood. He may have a cracked rib or two, but nothing a Marine can’t shake off.”
“You should have seen it ma’am,” one of the troopers declared—she thought it was Clarke, the autogunner. “There was dead Gomers piled up around him so thick you could of walked on ’em. He stood his ground, bullet in him and all, and chopped ’em down one after another.”
“Semper Fi, sir,” Vinnie grunted proudly.
“Valerie!” Shannon heard Glen Mulrooney’s astonished voice, and twisted around to see the man rushing up to the rover’s side door.
“Oh, my God, Valerie!” Glen pulled her out of the car and into his arms, rocking her back and forth like an infant, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Oh, God, honey! I thought you were dead!”
“Glen?” She shook herself, as if waking from a dream, finally seemed to realize where she was.
“Yes, honey, it’s me,” he assured her, holding her out to arm’s length. “Are you all right, Val? My God, what happened to you?” He glanced from her to Jason, his face clouding over. “Did you let something happen to her?”
“No, Glen.” Valerie put a hand on his arm, her voice stronger, her eyes on Jason. “I’m okay, I swear. We were attacked at Jorge and Carmella’s house—Jorge was killed, but Jason— Lieutenant McKay protected me.”
“Oh.” Glen visibly calmed down. “Uh, well, thank you, Lieutenant,” he nodded to McKay, obviously embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”
Shannon shot a glance at Jock Mahoney. “Help me get him up.”
The enlisted man moved forward and helped Shannon carefully slide Jason out of the car, each of them getting beneath a shoulder and supporting him as he slowly and painfully got to his feet.
“Crossman.” Shannon turned to the Tech-2, who was loitering near the back of the room in his neon-green shorts, arm around the girl who’d accompanied him from the Governor’s mansion. “Take care of Ms. Mendoza and her children. Make sure they have a place to sleep and something to eat, if they need it.”
“Sure thing, ma’am,” he replied, tossing her a salute. He turned to the Hispanic girl beside him, still wearing his borrowed shirt but at least now supplementing it with a pair of borrowed shorts. “Rosalita, why don’t you take them to freshen up and I’ll get them some food?”
“
“Where to?” Jock asked Shannon, effortlessly carrying Jason through the garage, heading for the corridor leading back into the shelter.
“My room,” she told him and then looked up to see Nathan Tanaka standing just inside the door, arms folded, observing impassively. She froze, eyes locked with his, each reading in the other a hint of disappointment and a wealth of understanding.
“Lieutenant McKay.” Tanaka stepped forward, blocking their way.
“Yeah?” Jason grunted, eyes squinting in confusion.
“You have my deepest gratitude for safeguarding Ms. O’Keefe,” Nathan told him, executing a sharp, shallow bow. “I am in your debt.”
“It’s my job,” McKay muttered. Behind him, still cradled in Glen’s arms, Valerie’s head snapped up, her desensitized expression sharpening into something between anger and pain.
“As you say.” Tanaka stepped out of their way.
Shannon didn’t glance back at him as she helped Jock carry Jason down the hallway, but she could still see the bittersweet disillusionment in the bodyguard’s expression.
Damn, she thought. I’ve already felt guilty twice today, and I’m not even Catholic.
Jason lifted slowly from a fuzzy darkness, only gradually aware of an irritating itch in his side and a cool, pleasant sensation on his chest. He opened his eyes cautiously, but the lights were dimmed and it took only a moment for his vision to adjust, and for the light-colored blur above him to solidify into Shannon Stark.
“So you’re finally awake.” She smiled, squeezing out the wet cloth with which she’d been bathing him.
“How long…” he began to ask, but the words caught in a ball of cotton deep in his throat and died with a dry croak. Shannon handed him a cup of water and he gulped at it gratefully, took a deep breath before he was ready to attempt conversation again. “How long have I been out?” he finally finished the question.
“Oh, about…” She checked her wristwatch. “Fifty-six hours.”
“Jee-sus!” His eyes popped open wide and he sat up suddenly, surprised that the sudden movement didn’t cause him more pain. “Two days?”
She pushed him back gently. “Take it easy. The Marine medic says you had a classic case of emotional and physical exhaustion, compounded by loss of blood and a lingering concussion. They’ve got a Smart Bandage on you now,” she nodded at the black plastic patch adhered to his wound, “but you’ve got to stay off your feet and let it work for a couple days.”
“Never liked the idea,” he grumbled, grimacing at the bandage, “of an army of little genetic goblins chewing at my insides.”
“Aren’t you the throwback?” Shannon laughed, using the damp cloth to swab at his forehead. “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard medical nanotech called ‘goblins’ before. Anyway, the bacteria will have the muscle grafted back together soon, and you should be on your feet in no time.”
“Is…” He hesitated. “Are the others all right?”
“I haven’t seen Ms. O’Keefe,” Shannon told him, “but Mulrooney tells me she’s fine, physically. She’s probably still in shock emotionally. Carmella and her children are doing okay—I don’t think the girls have stopped eating since they got here. But their father’s death will hit them sooner or later.”
“What about you?” Jason caught her eye.
“What about me?” She evaded his gaze, trying to concentrate on the sponge bath.
“Lambert told me what happened,” he explained, covering her hands with his. “I was pretty groggy, but I got the gist of it. I guess maybe it’s a little better now that you know some of them survived, but I know what it’s like to watch troops die following your orders. It took me a long time to get my head right—I’m not even sure I have yet.”
“I’m okay,” she assured him. “I’m dealing with it. But thank you,” she ran a hand affectionately over his cheek, “for thinking about me.”
Jason thought he saw a moment’s indecision behind her eyes, just before she leaned over to kiss him. It was just a chaste, friendly kiss at first, but then he was slipping his arms around her, ignoring the slight pain the motion caused in his side. She swung her legs onto the bed, getting a bit more comfortable and giving the kiss her full attention, her tongue flicking playfully between his lips.
“Why, Dr. Stark,” Jason murmured, feeling her warm breath on his cheek. “What a marvelous bedside manner you have.”
“Are you sure,” she asked breathlessly, nibbling at his ear, “that you’re up to this? I wouldn’t want to reopen your wound.”
“Shannon, darling,” he said, guiding her hands beneath the covers, “I am definitely
Shannon tossed the blanket aside and Jason was suddenly aware that he was naked beneath it, his excitement visibly apparent. A wicked glint lit up Shannon’s emerald eyes as she quickly stripped off her T-shirt and shorts. Jason watched her undress, his breath catching at the way the soft glow of the ghostlights played over her tanned skin. She was the antithesis of Valerie—toned athleticism to Val’s rounded softness—and he found the difference as arousing as the sight of her body.
Her lips parted slightly, her eyes filled with sexual hunger as she straddled his hips, guiding him into her and slowly, carefully sliding down the length of him. Jason moaned softly at the feel of her warm dampness gripping him and his hands went to her breasts as her back arched like a cat’s, her head thrown back, eyes half-closed.
He tried to thrust himself upward, matching her movements, but had to wince from a sudden twinge of pain in his side. She put a hand on his chest, shaking her head.
“Let me do the work,” she cautioned him. “You’re the patient.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he sighed, settling back.
She worked back into a gentle rhythm, being cautious not to put too much pressure on him, the effort evident in the strain on her face. It was a warm spring shower rather than the raging thunderstorm of the first time, only
