Dallas Fire & Rescue: Scorched (Kindle Worlds Novella) (The Eldridges Book 1) Read online

  Cooper shifted in his sleep, and groaned in pain. She watched and waited, but his breathing evened out again, and he seemed to slip into deeper sleep.

  She watched him sleep as she pulled her necklace out from beneath her shirt. Holding it up, she watched her wedding rings dangle from the chain. She was a sap. He called and she ran, but she couldn’t help it. Even if she didn’t love him, she knew that he had no one else in his life. Or at least, she assumed he was alone. And she had been right.

  Slipping the necklace back under her shit, she turned her attention back to Cooper.

  Just what was she going to do about him?

  Cooper felt as if he had a thousand ants marching up and down his skin. He hated being in confined places, and stuck in bed was not fun. Even with the added benefit of having Misty around, he was ready to scream.

  “I want to get out of here.”

  She didn’t look up from the magazine she was reading. She just ignored him…which aggravated him even more. Since they had moved him into a regular room and out of ICU, he had been ready to leave. They wanted him to stay until the end of the week, but he had other ideas.

  “You know, like now.”

  Again, no comment from Misty. The woman knew how to give someone the silent treatment. If it were an Olympic sport, Misty would win every damned event.

  He opened his mouth, but the door swung open and revealed Mike.

  “Hey, Coop,” he said, glancing in Misty’s direction. “How’s it going?”

  “Mike.”

  What did you say to a man who saved your life? It was hard to come up with the words, truthfully. He felt Misty glance at him, then she stood.

  “Mike? You’re the man who saved Cooper?”

  The big linebacker smiled. “Just doing my job.”

  “I want to thank you so much.” She glanced back at Cooper. “I’ve got a phone call to make, then I’ll be right back.”

  She grabbed her purse and hurried out of the room. As soon as the door closed, Mike shook his head. “Dude, where have you been hiding her?”

  “I haven’t been hiding her. I didn’t know where she was.”

  “What?”

  Dammit, this is why he hadn’t told anyone at Station 58 about his wife. He’d started on with them six months ago after Misty had walked out.

  “We split. She went back home and I came here.”

  “Ah. Well, if I were you, brother, I would convince her to stay.”

  Happily married with three kids, Mike was always talking about the joys of marriage and children. Outwardly, Cooper had always scoffed at the idea; but, more than once, he had wondered what it would be like to have kids with Misty. He had hoped to make a life with her like that. Yearned for it, but six weeks after the vows, she had been out the door.

  “Yeah, well, I might not have a choice but to beg.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know the city insurance sucks, so I’m not sure how much help I’m going to get at home.”

  “Aw, you know Sam will help you out if she can.”

  Sam was his wife. Yes, she was a stay at home mom with three kids under the age of five. Sure, she had time to take care of him. There was a good chance Sam might kill Mike if Cooper took him up on the offer.

  “No, I can’t have that. She’s busy.” Mike opened his mouth to argue, but Cooper trudged on. “Listen, seriously, you did enough. You saved my life, man.”

  “All part of the job.”

  “Yeah, but still. Besides, if Sam spends so much time with me, there is a good chance she would drop your sorry ass and come live in sin with me.”

  “Bullshit.”

  That much was true. He had never seen two people so madly in love with each other.

  “So, you don’t know when you are getting out of here?”

  “I think I can answer that,” Dr. Wilbur said. “How are you feeling?”

  “Okay, since you have me hopped up on painkillers.”

  “Yes, well. Since you seem to be doing well, we might be able to let you out of here tomorrow or Friday. I’m compiling a list of physical therapists, which you will need.”

  “After the cast comes off.”

  “I would rather you start sooner rather than later. Not much right now, however, but you need to make sure that you keep your upper body muscles in check. With your job, you are already in good shape, but you need to keep that up. You’re going to need them to recover.”

  “I can handle it myself. I worked as a trainer while I was in college, and I have a home gym.”

  “Yes, and that brings me to my other instructions. I’m not sure what kind of job your wife has, but you will need a lot of attention. The first week I don’t want you left alone.”

  “Ah, I’ll talk to her about it.” Truth was, he had no idea what Misty had been doing with herself. She could have been working as a circus performer for all he knew.

  “Good. I know that insurance will cover some home aid, but you don’t want to tap out too early. We are going to get prescriptions set up for you before you leave. Be careful with the opiates, of course; but also, don’t leave yourself in too much pain. The important thing is that you heal, and it’ll take you longer if you are trying to fight off pain.”

  “How long before I get out of this cast?”

  “It was a complex fracture, so I will say at least six weeks. That is if you make sure to rest and don’t do anything strenuous.”

  “Having a meeting without me?” Misty said from the doorway. She looked a little irritated, but he didn’t think it had much to do with him. He was just now wondering what the phone call she had made was about. He wanted to demand to know who she had been talking to, but he really didn’t have the right.

  “No, I was just telling your husband that he needed to rest once he got home. And he’s going to need constant care.”

  Her gaze flickered over to Cooper, then back to the doctor.

  “You don’t say.”

  “Yes, well, I have a couple more patients to see, so I’ll be on my way.”

  Mike was already up and walking to the door. “It was really nice to meet you, Misty.”

  Her expression softened as she smiled at his friend. And it made him feel horrible, but he wanted to hit Mike over the head with a two-by-four. Jealousy was a new emotion for him.

  “It was really nice meeting you too. And thank you again for saving Cooper.”

  He nodded. “See you later, Coop.”

  When they were finally alone, he didn’t know what to say. He had so many things going through his mind, and the pain meds were making it even harder to figure out what to say.

  “So, you are going to need someone to take care of you?”

  “Yeah.”

  She said nothing, but kept staring at him. It was like the first night he saw her. He’d been living in San Antonio then, and had been at the Riverwalk. He’d run into her, literally, and from that moment, he had been obsessed.

  “Who were you on the phone with?”

  “Why?

  “You looked upset when you came back in.”

  She sighed and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. He shouldn’t notice her chest, but he couldn’t help it. It was Misty, and there had never been a woman who lit his fire the way she did. And he hadn’t had a woman since they’d split. He couldn’t force himself to be interested in another woman—not after he’d had the best.

  “Work. I left in the middle of the night, and only texted that I wouldn’t be there. My supervisor wasn’t terribly happy with me.”

  “Oh. Are you going to get fired?”

  She snorted. “Not likely.”

  Then, silence.

  “I guess you heard part of what the doctor was saying. You know I need help at home.”

  She nodded but said nothing. Her usually expressive face revealed nothing to him.

  “So, I’ll get a little help thanks to my insurance, but they really want someone there twenty-four seven.”

 
“That makes sense.”

  “The doctor is assuming you’re going to be there.”

  “He would be wrong.”

  Damn. Panic set in. He didn’t know why it was so important to him that Misty was the one who took care of him, but for some reason, he wanted her there. She usually made him crazy. In fact, they drove each other crazy. It had been thrilling at first, but it had gotten exhausting after awhile. But now that she as here, he needed her. Something urged him but as his worry increased, he offered her something he had been denying her for months.

  “You help me recover and I’ll sign the divorce papers.”

  Chapter Three

  M isty was going to kill him. First she was going to stab him, pour salt into his open wounds, and watch him suffer.

  Then she would kill him.

  Dead.

  “What did you say?” she asked only when she was sure she wouldn’t scream.

  For a moment, Cooper looked a little unsure of himself. That was something she wasn’t used to seeing. He was always too damned cocky for his own good, just like her three older brothers. All of them would rather die before admitting they were unsure of themselves.

  “I said, if you help me through these next few weeks, I’ll sign the papers.”

  Why did she feel so sad and angry at the same time? This is what she wanted, right? For eight months, she’d been waiting for the papers, and now that she had him cornered, she felt somehow defeated. She should be ready to throw a party and dance until dawn. Instead, she felt like crying.

  “Just help you through your recovery, and you’ll sign the papers?”

  She didn’t mean to sound suspicious but, damn, the man could be sneaky.

  He hesitated. “Yeah.”

  “And you won’t contest the divorce?”

  He nodded, even though he frowned as if irritated with her. It wasn’t her fault that he was trying to make this kind of deal with her. And it wasn’t her fault that he had avoided her for eight months.

  “Fine. I just have to make a few calls.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I have a life outside of you, Cooper.”

  “Are you seeing someone?”

  Was he serious? Looking at the irritated expression in his eyes told her he was. The man had a lot of damned nerve.

  “Not that you have a right to know, but I have a job. One that requires me to check in, especially since I left in the middle of the night and couldn’t call anyone.” That much was true. If she had called her brothers in the middle of the night, they would have shown up at her place demanding answers.

  “Fine.”

  “Are you sure you’ll hold up your end of the deal?”

  Oh, Mr. Cooper Murray didn’t like that question. He ground his teeth and that stubborn chin of his jutted out. They might have had a whirlwind romance and barely knew each other before they ran to Vegas for that wedding, but she knew certain things about him. He sniffed in her direction. Oh, yeah, he was pissed.

  “Yes.”

  “Fine. I’ll call my…boss and let him know.”

  She said nothing else as she hurried out of the room. She had been very close to saying brothers and then all hell would have broken loose. That had been the argument that had caused them to split up. Hell, they didn’t discuss much. They mainly fought and made love. A lot. Of both. Drawing in a deep breath, she dialed the number to the ranch.

  Her oldest brother Smith answered on the first ring.

  “Where the hell are you?” he demanded.

  She fought the urge to yell back. It was her go to response to Smith’s rudeness. Still, she was in an unfamiliar situation. She didn’t know even one of Cooper’s work friends. She didn’t know who was watching, and there was always a chance of that, but she didn’t want to draw attention to herself.

  “I have a friend who was hurt,” she said.

  A pause. That was never good with Smith. When he had time to think he always nailed her in her lies.

  “Here? In Eldridge?”

  “No. In Dallas. She’s been in a bad wreck and doesn’t have any family.”

  Okay, she was going to hell. There was a tickle at the back of her throat as she tried to ignore the guilt now burning a hole in her gut.

  “Do I know this friend?”

  “No.”

  Another pause. Smith was always vocal, sometimes too vocal. As the brother who practically raised her, Smith always thought he had a say in her life. When he got quiet like this, it was somehow scarier.

  “What’s this friend’s name?”

  “Constance. Constance Murray.”

  “Yeah?”

  He didn’t sound like he believed her, and she didn’t know why. She was lying, but it wasn’t like Smith to be this pushy about one of her friends. Especially not these last few months. In fact, for the first time in her life, Smith had been kind of quiet about her personal life. It had been odd and wonderfully refreshing.

  “Yes. She lived down the hall from me in the dorms.”

  Apparently, that was enough to convince him. “Okay. Do you know when you’ll be back?”

  “It might be a few weeks.”

  “A few weeks? What are you going to do for clothes?”

  “I threw a suitcase together before I left.”

  “You had time for that and you didn’t call us before you left?”

  “I wasn’t thinking straight.” That was the honest truth. She heard a man on the phone tell her that Cooper was critically injured, and she had freaked out. There was a good chance all she packed was panties and socks, but at least she had clothes.

  “Is that a fact?”

  Crap, he was starting to sound like he didn’t believe her again.

  “She broke her leg in a few places. But, I brought my laptop with me, so I can take care of the accounts payable this month.”

  “If you’re going to be busy with Constance, I don’t want you to worry. I’ll let Chet do it.”

  Alarm spread through her at the idea of her youngest brother getting his grubby fingers on her accounts. “You will do no such thing. It took me almost six months to fix his horrible bookkeeping when I returned home.”

  He chuckled. “Sure thing. Keep me updated.”

  “Will do. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  She clicked off her phone, then turned to find Mike watching her.

  “Oh, hey, Mike.”

  “Hey.” He was watching her with what could only be described as a suspicious gleam in his eye. Dammit. She didn’t need Cooper’s friend telling him about the conversation.

  “I had to talk to my boss and let him know I need to be here.”

  “Do you always tell him you love him?”

  Damn. “Yes. He’s my…” she sighed. “I work for my family. It was my oldest brother.”

  He rocked back on his heels as he studied her. “You don’t say?”

  “Seriously. I just didn’t want Cooper to know the only job I could get was working for my family. It’s kind of embarrassing.”

  It wasn’t exactly true. She had had a few job offers, but she had always wanted to work for the family ranch. It was somehow comforting to be surrounded by her stupid brothers.

  Mike’s shoulders immediately relaxed. “Oh. Okay.”

  “Seriously, I’m not involved with anyone. I would never do that to Cooper.”

  He cocked his head for a second, as if trying to figure out a puzzle. “Yeah, I can see that. I don’t know what’s going on with you two, and it isn’t any of my business, but if you hurt him, you might want to leave town.”

  Her stomach tightened. She hated confrontation with anyone but Cooper. “Is that a threat?”

  He smiled. “Not from me. My wife has grown particularly fond of Coop, and she might hurt you, if you get my drift?”

  “Yeah. He has that effect on women.”

  “I just wanted you to know that the guys and I are going to make sure there’s a ramp for Coop. We’ll take care of it
today.”

  “A ramp. Oh, of course. He’ll probably be in a wheelchair.”

  “At least when he’s tired. My brother broke his leg in a skiing accident, three places,” he said. “Hobbling around got a little difficult when he got tired.”

  The weight of what lay ahead of her for the next few weeks had her sagging her shoulders. “This is going to be hard.”

  “Don’t worry. Station 58 has your back.”

  She felt the backs of her eyes burning. She didn’t know why she was close to tears, but right now she just wanted to cry big fat baby tears.

  “Hey, are you alright?”

  She drew in a shaky breath and then released it. “Yeah. Sorry. It’s been a long day.”

  “I can imagine.”

  Then, without asking permission, she stepped forward and gave him a big hug. “Thanks for everything. For saving him, for making sure things are taken care of. I really appreciate it.”

  “Just doing my job,” he said as he patted her back awkwardly.

  “I know,” she said before stepping back. “It’s your job, blah blah, but Cooper…”

  “What?” he asked when she didn’t continue.

  She didn’t know how much his coworkers knew about Cooper, and she didn’t want to blurt out his whole childhood. “I’m just glad he has people like you.”

  He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked so sweetly uncomfortable. “Yeah, well…”

  There was a commotion down the hall and she peeked around Mike to see what it was. It was a gathering of men, a lot of hot men, and they were surrounding the door to Cooper’s room. Their voices echoed down the hall, and an amazing number of female workers seemed to be milling around the area.

  “Oh, hey, the guys from the station are here. Come on. They all want to meet you.”

  “Great,” she said, forcing a smile. She had wanted to steal into town, make sure Cooper was alright and then run away again. Now she was meeting his coworkers.

  Yeah, she was definitely going to kill Cooper.

  Chapter Four

  L ater that night, Cooper started to feel antsy. He knew he had a couple more days of this, and he wasn’t looking forward to it. Misty had left earlier when visiting hours were over. He hadn’t even thought to offer her the house to stay in, and she hadn’t asked. Cooper figured she’d found a place to stay for the night. He was a little disappointed that she didn’t share and irritated that he hadn’t asked. He had thought about it, but something had forced him to hold back the question.