“She’s got lacerations and bruises, and a pretty bad bump on the back of her skull. Probably a concussion. I’m a little worried she hasn’t regained consciousness yet. We’ll transport her to the emergency clinic and have them check her out.”
“I’m going with you.” Antonio kept pace with the EMTs, his eyes never leaving Serena.
“I’ll find out what happened and meet you there,” Rafe promised.
The EMTs made quick work of loading her into the back of the ambulance, and Antonio climbed on board and reached for her hand. The need to touch her, watch her breathe, nearly overwhelmed him. Somehow, Serena had wormed her way into his heart and mind in a way he’d never expected, and he was afraid he’d lose her. He couldn’t. The thought was unbearable.
The sirens blared as they sped toward the emergency clinic, with Antonio praying the whole way. The clinic served Shiloh Springs for most non-life-threatening issues, and was closer than trying to get Serena to the hospital, which was over an hour away. Once the doctor evaluated her, if needed, they’d Medevac her. Chances were good she had a concussion and nothing more serious, like internal injuries. He squeezed her hand, his eyes never leaving her pale face, and willed her to wake up.
This had to end once and for all. Serena needed peace and safety, without the threat of Big Jim Berkley and his followers or the federal government breathing down her neck. Somehow, some way, he was going to make it happen or die trying.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Serena opened her eyes, wincing at the light shining through the window. She tried raising her hand to block out the glare, but couldn’t move it. There was a weight keeping her from lifting it, and when she looked, she couldn’t help smiling. A dark, masculine head lay cradled against her palm, the hair mussed, but she’d recognize those wavy locks anywhere.
Why was Antonio lying in a chair in her room? Only it wasn’t her room, she realized, as memories started flooding back. The accident. Drury. Running for her life through the woods.
A monitor at the head of her bed beeped quietly. If she listened closely, she could hear footsteps outside the partially open door across from her bed. It didn’t look like a hospital room, so it had to be the emergency clinic. Last she’d heard, Doctor Jennings was getting ready to retire and had hired a new doctor to take over running the clinic and handling the emergency situations.
“Good morning, pretty lady.”
Serena smiled at Doctor Jennings. Guess he hadn’t bit the retirement bullet yet. His white coat was pristine, crisp and looked freshly pressed. A stethoscope hung around his neck, and his blue eyes sparkled with humor. He nodded toward the still sleeping Antonio.
“I hear he’s been here all night. Wouldn’t leave, no matter how hard the staff tried.”
Antonio raised his head at the doctor’s words, his eyes going to Serena. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. A little sore.” His brow raised at her blatant lie. “Okay, a lot sore.”
“Not surprising. You got pretty banged up.” Doctor Jennings strode over to her bedside, and turned to face Antonio. “You need to wait outside while I examine Miss Serena. Tell Betty Sue I’m ready for her.”
“I’d rather stay.” Antonio’s expression turned mulish, and Serena was afraid there was going to be a confrontation between him and the doctor.
“Son, it don’t matter what you want. There are rules in the clinic, and one of ’em is putting patient care first. Now, I need to take a gander at your gal, and then you can come back in. I wasn’t on call when she was brought in yesterday, Doc Stevens was. He’s good, but I still need to check Miss Serena myself, make sure we’ve got all the bases covered and she doesn’t need to be transferred. Now get Betty Sue, and wait outside. The faster you leave, the faster you’ll get back in here.”
Antonio hesitated and Serena touched his hand. “It’s okay. Get the nurse and let them check me over, so we can go home.”
“I’ll be right outside. Call me if you need anything.”
He spun on his heel and stormed out of the room, and Doctor Jennings gave her a wink. “He’s got it bad.”
Serena shook her head, instantly regretting the movement. “It’s not like that. He’s just a friend. There’s nothing between us. He’s protecting me…it’s complicated.”
Betty Sue, the nurse who worked the day shift at the clinic, slipped through the door and gave her a smile. He took the stethoscope from around his neck and placed the disk against her chest. “Well, if he’s protecting you, I’d say he’s falling down on the job.”
“I wasn’t supposed to leave the Big House, but I needed to meet with a client. The accident wasn’t Antonio’s fault.”
“I’m teasing you, gal. I’ve known Antonio ever since he moved in with the Boudreaus. Shoot, I’ve patched up and stitched more cuts on that boy than I can count. He’s grown into a good man.” He stared at her, his expression somber. “You ain’t gonna find anybody better than Antonio.”
Serena felt the heat rush into her cheeks. “It’s not like that. We aren’t…we haven’t…” Her words trailed off at the smirk on the older man’s face. For an octogenarian, he was pretty darn intuitive.
“He’s right,” Betty Sue added. “I got here at five a.m., and he was sitting there, didn’t budge when I was checking your vitals. You woke up, looked around, spotted him and went right back to sleep, like him being there made you feel better.”
“From what Doc Stevens told me, Antonio ain’t left your side from the moment the ambulance pulled into the driveway. Spent the night in the chair, holding your hand. Kinda hard not to think there’s more than mere acquaintanceship between you two.” He
