The Cain Casey Series

before I took you to see someone. Do you remember me telling you about your mom Cain?”

The little head nodded.

“Well, she wants to meet you, but she got hurt and has a big boo-boo.”

“We make it better, Mama?”

“We’ll try, angel. Do you want to go and see your mom?”

When Emma walked back into the unit holding Hannah’s hand, the nurses didn’t dare tell her children weren’t allowed. All of the men outside Cain’s door stared at the little girl in the pink dress. Emma could imagine what they were thinking—that maybe it was a good thing the boss was out for the count at the moment.

She picked Hannah up as they entered the room and sat close to Cain’s head. “Honey, I know you can hear me, so I want you to open your eyes and meet your daughter. Cain, she’s waited so long for this. Please don’t disappoint her.”

Before Emma could stop her, Hannah reached out and put her hand over Cain’s mouth. “Mom, it’s me, Hannah. Mama said it was okay to come see you now.”

The fog was thick where Cain was stuck, but she could hear voices. A panicked shock stalled her emotions because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t open her eyes. Something had happened. She felt paralyzed. But no amount of concentration could make her remember. It was a soft slap to the mouth that made her eyes flutter.

“That’s it, baby, come back to us. I need you,” said Emma. It wasn’t important that Hannah had crawled out of her lap and was pulling on Cain’s top lip. She focused on the struggle Cain was going through to open her eyes. The hand she was holding had come back to life, as did the monitor next to the bed as Cain’s heartbeat increased.

Mother and daughter jumped a little when blue eyes opened without warning. Cain inhaled sharply, struggling to figure out what had a death-grip on her lip. The pain stopped her from moving around too much and from taking too deep a breath. Not having full control was making Cain panic.

“Don’t try to move, baby. You’ve been hurt.”

Really. I wouldn’t have guessed that on my own. Cain blinked a few times and noticed Emma hadn’t heard her comment. She could have sworn she had been actually talking. She managed to turn her head a little and found a beautiful sight—the little girl from the farm next to Ross’s. This was her little girl, hers and Emma’s.

“Hannah, this is your Mom Cain, and she’s been looking forward to meeting you. Only she might feel better if you stop pulling on her like that.” Emma heard her own voice quiver and wished the introductions could have been like she had dreamed so many times, with Cain scooping the little girl into her arms and giving her a big kiss. The blue eyes looking up at her told her that was exactly what Cain would have done if she’d been able. “Baby, this is your daughter, Hannah Marie Casey.”

“Love you.” It came out in a whisper, but it was just as effective as if Cain had screamed it.

“Ma’am, could we get in there for a minute?” The nurse had an entourage with her, and someone was calling the doctor. Cain wasn’t supposed to be awake with the massive amount of medication running through her.

When Emma grabbed Hannah and started to move out of the way, Cain’s voice rose a little. “No.”

“We’ll be right over here, Cain. Don’t worry. I’m not taking her anywhere.” Emma stood back and watched as some of the medical team pulled the sheet back and checked Cain’s injuries, while others attended to her vital signs.

When the head nurse took out a penlight and pointed it into Cain’s eyes to check for pupil reaction, Cain rasped, “Take this out.”

“Take what out, Ms. Casey?”

Uncoordinated, Cain was able finally to move her hand close to her mouth. “This, take it out.” She put her fingers on the tube in her throat.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m not authorized to do so.”

“Take it out, or I’ll do it myself.” The voice was low, but it made Emma laugh because it carried Cain’s usual amount of venom.

“Ma’am, please calm down, or we’ll be forced to sedate you.”

“Go anywhere near her again with a needle, and you’ll have to deal with me,” Emma threatened from where she was standing. She had just gotten Cain back, and she wasn’t going to let go so easily. “Is she all right for the moment?”

“Yes, but—” said the middle-aged woman.

“Then get out and we’ll wait for the doctor.”

“We just want to understand why this happened, Mrs. Casey. We’re just trying to do our jobs. If you can’t understand that, I’ll have to remove you.” The stout middle-aged nurse obviously wasn’t used to being talked down to.

“You can try and remove her, lady, but make sure you bring enough people to take Freddie and me with her,” said Lou, who stood just inside Cain’s room.

A man at the counter surrounding the nurses’ station chuckled. Cain’s surgeon had arrived and was glancing over the paper readouts her monitors had produced as he listened to the fighting going on in the room.

Emma glanced toward the door as Dr. Elton opened it. With Cain’s chart under his arm, he motioned all the healthcare workers out. “It’s no wonder you’re awake, with all the noise,” he joked as he began his examination. He explained to Emma that Cain was a medical enigma to him. Her condition was something he expected to see in a couple of weeks, if she survived at all, but the alert blue eyes and reflex response were almost normal.

“Take this out. Now.” Cain’s tone belonged to someone not used to being denied.

“Cain, I want you to understand something, so hear me out, okay?”