Beyond the Shadows Read Free Page A

hoping to witness the miracle of him opening his eyes again.
    She leaned over and stroked her fingers through his thick, dark hair. “Come on, Nate,” she whispered in his ear. Her voice thickened with unshed tears. “When you wake up, you’re going to owe me big time for all this leave I’m taking to look after you. I’m thinking dinner at that fancy restaurant on the waterfront. And then, we’ll go to the nightclub across the way—the one we’re always being called to. I can’t wait to watch your tight, little butt wriggle to the music.” She laughed lightly. “You profess to hate dancing, but I’ve seen your toes tapping to the beat a time or two. You can’t lie to me. I’m a cop remember?”
    She studied his face for any signs her teasing had gotten through to him, but his features remained impassive. There wasn’t even a hint of the frown she usually found on his face when he looked at her. She couldn’t believe she missed that forbidding expression. Lately, she’d wondered if the frown was an act intended to mask his thoughts from her. She snorted. More than likely, it was her overactive imagination.
    “I’m a pain in his ass and that’s the end of it.” The idea hurt—not that she’d ever admit it to anyone. Especially Nate. She’d rather have her incisors pulled out with pliers.
    She rose from the chair to ease her stiff limbs, and the vinyl creaked in protest. Raising her arms over her head, she stretched to loosen the kinks in her back. Cartilage popped and she groaned aloud in relief. The hospital had provided a bed, but she’d shunned it for the chair, being able to move it closer to Nate and listen to the reassuring sound of his breathing. She needed to see the strong heartbeat register in steady blips on the machine.
    A nurse bustled in pushing a trolley, and Kelly glanced at her watch. It was seven o’clock on the dot. “Impressive, Caitlyn. You run a tight ship.”
    The woman threw a smile at her over her shoulder as she headed to the bathroom with an empty bowl in her hands. “We try.”
    Kelly rose to allow privacy for the nurse to deal with Nate’s daily sponge bath. She bent to retrieve her bag when Caitlyn called out. “Could you hang about for a minute, Kelly? I’m going to need some help to turn Mr. O’Leary so I can wash his back. We’re short-staffed.”
    Kelly hesitated, reluctant and bit her lip. The nurses were used to dealing with their patients efficiently, leaving emotions at the door. It wasn’t in Kelly to do the same, and this was Nate.
    “Are you sure you don’t have anyone else to help?” At the shake of the nurse’s head, she swallowed hard and dropped her bag.
    When Caitlyn expertly loosened the hospital gown and tugged at the material, Kelly felt her face flame. She’d never felt so awkward in her life. This was her partner. The man could hardly stand to be in the same room with her. How mortified would he be to know she was about to witness him being attended to so intimately? But at the same time, a frisson of excitement lit her nerves. She’d never had occasion to be so close to him before, and even though the situation wasn’t ideal, being in close proximity to all that raw male power made her pulse race.
    “Put one hand on the small of his back, and the other at his shoulder-blade. Push firmly but gently in an even manner when I tell you. Stop when he is on his side and hold him there. Okay?”
    “Got it.” Gingerly, Kelly followed the instructions. The heat of his skin seared her palms, and she sucked in a quick breath through flared nostrils. When the nurse gave the instruction, she pushed. It was harder than it looked. Nate was pure muscle. Even after a week of enforced inactivity, his body was sculpted like a Greek god. She swallowed to ease a suddenly dry throat and made a valiant effort to concentrate on the mechanics of what she needed to do. When she had him on his side, she could feel the sweat from the exertion break out and