He forced a grin. “Let’s go catch a few hours of sleep.”
As Alexa walked out with him, she glanced over her shoulder once again in hopes of catching a glimpse of that doctor but he was nowhere in sight.
CHAPTER 3
It was half past five when Kyle roused from his catnap on the cot. He yawned and stretched as he got up, headed to the washroom to freshen up. He grabbed some coffee after that and by six he started his rounds. Since he had no intention of leaving the hospital for his vacation until he was assured Kit was fully conscious, lucid and in optimum health, he picked up a rotation for a friend to pass the time.
By seven, he grabbed her chart and made his way to her room, slowly poking his head in first. Hooked up to every monitor imaginable, she slept peacefully, and he grinned, relieved his timing was perfect.
As he quietly approached and examined each monitor closely, he prayed she wouldn’t wake up in his presence. He sighed for a moment before opening her chart and couldn’t resist taking her hand in his.
He closed his eyes for a moment and felt their past resurfacing and leaving him with a heavy heart. He gently stroked her hand with his thumb and opened his eyes, watching her. He grinned, wanting so badly to wake her up and tell her everything, but he didn’t. He gently removed his hand and shifted his focus to her chart.
As he wrote down notes, he glanced up at some earlier annotations and started recalling what he had reported to Sully earlier. He let out a long, defeated sigh, quietly shut the chart and hung his head. It was over now. There was no chance that they could be together. He was way too late.
He kissed her on the forehead once again, smoothed her hair gently as he squeaked out a whisper. “Goodbye, Kit. I love you. I’ll always love you.”
He stood up and walked out. He was about to continue down the hallway when Moira approached. She smiled wide, her eyes dancing with contentment, as she held her arms open to him. “I was hoping I’d run into you today. I wanted to thank you personally for attending to my daughter-in-law so brilliantly. You saved her life.”
He chuckled, gave her a kiss on the cheek and hugged her tightly. He pulled back and met her eyes. “Moira, I’m glad to see you. Sorry, the gala didn’t work out last night. I promise I’ll make the next one.” He gently led her down the hallway. “Let’s go grab a cup of coffee and I’ll give you the latest on Kit before I’m off of my shift.”
She nodded. “I’d like that. Thanks for the personal touch, Kyle.”
Sully sat in the chair, arms folded in front of him as he lightly snoozed. The moment Kit had been transferred to a VIP suite after being in recovery from surgery, he set up camp right by her side. He felt safer there than being at home. He didn’t want her to be out of his reach, even for a second.
“Hey, you’re here,” Kit uttered groggily. “Did I fuck up the tour?”
Sully sprung to attention and smiled wide. “Kitty!” He jumped up and grabbed her hand, sitting on the side of the bed and leaning forward to give her a soft kiss on the lips. “How are you feeling?”
She chuckled. “I think I’ve had better days. Everything is still really fuzzy.”
He nodded and grinned as he gently stroked her face. “Understandably, babe. You gave us all quite a scare. I’m so happy you’re ok.”
She nodded slowly. “Me too. You didn’t answer my question. Did I fuck up the tour?”
He chuckled as he squeezed her hand. “That should be the least of your worries right now. Babe, it’s important for you to rest. No business talk. The only business you’re gonna be doing right now is recovering, ok?” He gazed into her eyes.
She met his eyes and nodded. “I’m so sorry, Sull. I’m so sorry this happened.”
He frowned. “Babe, from what I understand this wasn’t your fault. You were gunned down by a crazy man.” He gently took her face into his hands and gazed deeply into her eyes to make his point. “No matter who he was in your past or whatever happened, it’s still not your fault. It’s not. Ok?”
Tears welled up in her eyes and started streaming down her cheeks as she nodded her head. He continued, plagued deeply with guilt. “Kitty, I’m the one who should be sorry. I should have been there to protect you. I should have taken that bullet for you. I can’t even begin to imagine how horrific that experience was for you in our own home and I’m so sorry I wasn’t there, babe.”
She started sobbing and he took her into his arms and held her. She melted into his embrace and felt a deep sense of security. She had forgotten how he could anchor her in a matter of seconds and she was relishing the moment. He continued to hold her, pressing his cheek against hers. “I’ve got you, babe. I’ve got you.”
After several minutes, he finally pulled back and gazed into her eyes again, forcing a smile. “I knew you’d pull through this. You’re a fighter.”
She grinned. “Too much to live for, I guess. Sully, I have something to tell you.”
He sighed and met her eyes, taking her hand. “Babe, if this is about the baby…”
She searched his eyes and shook her head, her eyes welling up with tears. “Oh no…”
He could feel himself getting choked up. “Your body endured too much trauma and you had a miscarriage.”
She let out a defeated sigh and looked crestfallen. “I didn’t even
