Eve looked over her shoulder, her sympathetic expression landing on Grant in the recliner. “He’s been there since Madelyn came out of surgery. He won’t leave her.”
Jay turned his gaze to the woman in the hospital bed. Compared to the fearless pilot he’d met in Wales, she seemed so fragile, hooked up to various machines, monitors, and IVs. “How’s she doing?”
“She’s doing well. Full recovery will take a bit of time, but she’s in good hands with Jamie.”
“With you too,” Jay said, knowing full well she’d be in charge of Madelyn’s physical rehabilitation. His too. And Grant’s. A healer at her core, Eve had a gift, and her patients were lucky to have her.
She smiled at him. “It’s late. Why don’t you go upstairs and have a bite to eat, then you can wash up and lie down for a bit. We’ll meet first thing in the morning to put together a plan for your shoulder, then Adam has a full team briefing scheduled for ten, and we both know what that means.”
He nodded. Regardless of their injuries, the JTT had a job to do. And now that they had the key to Dominion, it’d be full speed ahead on finding a way to control the virus while exposing Johnson and the Imperium Council. “Have you seen Becca?”
“She’s sleeping,” she replied. “She met with Adam earlier. They talked. She ate. And Davis brought her up to your room. Hope that’s okay?”
“Yeah, that’s where she belongs,” he said without thinking, and spoken out loud, the words took on a different meaning. “Shit. That’s not what I meant. She doesn’t belong in my bedroom, in any bedroom, I meant?—”
“I’m engaged to the leader of the alpha pack, Jay. I know what you meant.” Her smile widened, and she laid her palm on his uninjured arm. “You want Becca to be comfortable, happy, and to feel safe with us, and with you.” He nodded, and she nodded back. “Those things will take time.”
“We don’t have a lot of time left.”
“We have enough for the two of you to find your way back to each other.” She hooked her arm through his and started to shuffle him toward the exit on the adjacent wall. “Just take it one day at a time, okay?”
He grinned at the familiar saying. “You sound like Nalini.” As the JTT’s on-call psychologist, Doctor Christina’s ‘one day at a time’ mantra had seen all of them through some difficult times over the last several months.
“She’s definitely good at what she does.”
It took a second for the light bulb to switch on, but when it did, he understood why Eve had steered their conversation toward the therapist. “You think Becca needs to meet with her?”
“Yes. As soon as possible,” Eve replied, her tone gentle but firm. “She’s dealing with a lot of unresolved issues, and with everything happening so fast, she’s barely had a moment to breathe, let alone process any of it.”
Jay frowned, his mind replaying Becca’s episode from earlier. An empath with an extraordinary ability to connect with people, she not only experienced her own feelings intensely but also absorbed the emotional currents of those around her.
And what they’d witnessed earlier—her complete emotional and physical shutdown—was unlike anything he’d ever seen. Unlike anything he was equipped to deal with.
His steps faltered as they neared the door.
Becca would never hurt another human being, but after everything she’d been through…
“Do you think she’s a danger to herself?” he asked.
“I don’t know her well enough to say one way or another,” she replied honestly. “She’s strong, Jay. She’d have to be to get this far after everything she’s been through. But even the strongest of us can’t carry the weight of the world without help. You know better than anyone what that’s like. How isolating it can feel.”
He did. Memories of his own battles flashing through his mind, his jaw clenched, the muscles hardening in anticipation of being hit. His early therapy sessions hadn’t been easy, but they’d been necessary, and they’d saved him. In more ways than one.
“You’re right. Becca needs to talk to Nalini. But you saw how quickly she shut down earlier. She’s trying to bury her emotions, not deal with them, so how do I convince her to open up to a stranger?”
Eve’s expression softened. “You remind her it’s okay to need help. That it’s not a weakness, but a step toward strength, toward healing. Just like you took the same step when you needed it.”
He nodded, determination straightening his backbone and giving him an injection of hope. “I’ll talk to her. Tell her she’s not alone anymore, and that we’re here to help in any way she needs.”
“That’s all we can do,” she said, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze before she let go to open the door. “One day at a time, right?”
He let out a sigh of relief, the weight on his shoulders easing a fraction. “One day at a time.” He bent his head and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“We’re family, Jay. Becca will be too. You’ll see.” Her grin turned evil, and she poked him in the chest, setting off a pain reaction strong enough to make his knees buckle. “And if you ever pull another stunt like driving a motorcycle off a cliff again, dealing with your JTT teammates will be a cake walk compared to what I’ll do to you. Understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He gave her a sloppy two-fingered salute, and after dismissing him with a shake of her head, she told him to be at her office by eight sharp and closed the door.
Out in the hallway, he made the short trek to the back stairs as long as possible with his slow gait. Then taking the treads one at a time, he convinced his legs to carry him up to the main level, where he paused on the landing to rethink his original plan.
