Chapter Seventy-Six
Eli
As I lay here with Dani in my arms, I try to go over everything that happened last night. That nightmare really freaked her out. I don't think she would have made me take my shirt off or climb onto the bed with her if she was thinking straight. I'm glad she did ask though. It points to some progress and she even admitted she doesn't want me to leave. That might not seem like a big deal, but trust me, it is. For her to admit something like that is major progress. I don't want to move, but I know I'm going to have to leave soon. I'm running my fingers up and down Dani's arm as she sleeps and for once, she looks peaceful. I wish she could sleep like this all of the time. Maybe when she goes home then she'll feel safer and she'll be able to sleep a bit better. I can only hope, even if I don't think it's a possibility.
I brush a kiss over Dani's knuckles as I let my eyes drift shut again. I just want a few more minutes of this peace. Just a few more minutes of the feel of her in my arms. I don't know when I'm going to be able to do this again so I need to make the most of it now.
I'm startled awake when I hear a noise at the door. My eyes fly open and I listen for any little sound. It takes me a while to get my bearings because I'm still shirtless, with Dani wrapped up in my embrace. I look over Dani's shoulder to see Dr. Stone's face in the doorway and I let out a sigh.
Dr. Stone whispers, “Sorry Lieutenant, I was just doing my morning rounds.”
I frown, “What time is it?”
“7:30.”
My eyes widen in shock. I fell asleep again. That's really not like me. I let go of Dani's hand to reach for my cell in my pant's pocket. I quickly send a text to Ash, letting him know I'm still at the hospital and I need to see the doctor before coming into work. I ask him to apologize to the Cap and to tell him I'll be there as soon as I can. Ash asks me if everything is ok, so I just tell him I need to talk to the doc about Dani's PT and that I'll speak to him later on.
Dr. Stone checks Dani's vitals and then adds her meds to the IV bag. While Dani's asleep, I take this time to talk to the doctor.
“Hey, Doc?”
“Yeah.”
“Dani's worried about her PT.”
“How come?”
“She doesn't like being touched, as you're well aware. She doesn't want anyone to touch her in PT. In fact, she doesn't actually want anyone near her...”
The doc shoots me a look, eyeing our current situation. I sheepishly smile and say, “I'm a different case entirely. It's taken me a while to get here, trust me.”
I don't know why I feel the need to explain to him. Maybe it's because I don't want him to think that Dani is easy or that she's just being difficult for the hospital staff.
“We had trouble yesterday with taking the casts off. As you know, we had to sedate her. How was she last night? Sometimes sedation can cause crazy dreams.”
“Yeah, I know. We had a rough night. My Captain was in here last night to go through the case with her, so she wasn't particularly settled going into sleep.”
“The nurses said she woke up screaming, but when they came to check her, you were handling it. Anything we need to know about?”
“No sir, just stuff we're dealing with. It's of no medical importance. What's going to happen about PT?”
“Well, I'll get a female specialist to do the sessions and I'll briefly explain the situation. I'll stress that Dani doesn't like to be touched or have anyone too close. I'll just make sure the doctor knows all of that before starting. I assume that she'll be able to show Dani what to do and just watch her to make sure she's doing it correctly. Failing that, we'll have to drug her for the sessions, I'm afraid.”
I nod, knowing that was a possibility. “When can she go home?”
“I'm going to take the head bandage off today and providing the wound looks good, she could be home by the weekend. She will have to use a wheelchair until her arms are strong enough for crutches though. Have you thought about how she'll get around at home?”
“Not yet. We need to discuss that. But I'd rather do it when we know a rough time of her being able to leave. I should really get ready to go.”
“Well, it might be helpful if you could stay for her first PT session, but I don't know if you'll be able to do that. Have you spoken to your Captain this morning?”
“No sir. I'll call him now. Shouldn't Dani be awake now?”
“The nurse put some meds in her IV at 3am. We're trying to keep her rested so she heals better. I'm surprised you didn't hear the nurse come in.”
“We'd just got back to sleep around then. I'm guessing we were both completely out of it.”
This does worry me though. I wouldn't have been able to hear a threat if we'd have been presented with one. Just as I'm contemplating this, my cell rings.
I speak quietly as I hold Dani close to me, “Hey Cap. Everything ok?”
“Ash said you need to see the doctor. Is Dani ok?”
“Yeah, rough night. What's happening this morning?”
“The guys are booked in for a fitness session first thing and then a training session with Simon. Why?”
“Dani has her first PT session this morning. I was just wondering if I could stick around here for that and come in after.”
“Yeah, on one condition though. You need to stay later tonight. I need you to run through some files with me and Carlos wants your advice on his sessions with Bravo team. Is that a fair trade?”
“Yes sir. What's happening with those guys in holding?”
I don't need to say who I mean; he knows straight away.
“Their arraignment is this afternoon. We'll know if they get bail before the day is over.”
“Hopefully not. I don't want to have to explain that to Dani.”
“No, neither me. Hopefully it won't come to that. We'll have to think about a tail for them if they do, though. Just in case.”
“I'll speak to Arrow. I should be there in a couple hours. Thanks Cap.”
As I hang up, the doc smiles at me. “I take it you'll be here for PT then? That'll be a real help to Dani. You never stop working, do you?”
“I did, before all of this happened. Dani was my break from work... Until the lines merged. Now I just want to lock these scum bags up.”
“It must be very difficult having to stay out of the active investigation.”
“You have no idea. I understand the reasoning behind it completely and if it was anyone else on my team I'd be telling them exactly what my Cap tells me. But it's no fun being on the receiving end of it.”
“No, I don't suppose it is. As they say, doctors make the worst patients and I'm guessing cops are the worst at taking a back seat in investigations. Especially if it involves someone they care about. Can I make a very blunt statement? If you don't think I'm being too forward, that is.”
“Doc, I think we've passed that stage. You know us better than most.”
“She's different with you, like a completely different person. I'm not suggesting that it's been easy to get to where you are, but I just want you to know that you're good for her. You make things more manageable for her. I've seen it when you're not here, so I know how bad it can get. She's not really like that when you are around.”
“I'm glad to hear that. The fact that you can see I make it easier means I'm doing something right. I'm happy she has someone to help. I'm even more happy that it's me...”
Dani tenses in my arms and I can hear her speaking in Russian. She just keeps repeating no over and over. She screams my name and she sobs. The fear in her voice is almost tangible and it kills me to hear such panic coming from her in a dream state. I tighten my arms around her and whisper comforting words in Russian, just trying to assure her everything is ok. Not even 30 seconds later, her eyes fly open and I can see the fear and panic in those blue orbs.
She freaks out and tries to back off, but I hold onto her because she'll fall off the bed if I let go.
“Baby, it's just me. It's Eli. It's ok, sweetheart. You're ok, it was just a dream. It's alright.”
She looks at me for a few seconds, like her vision is starting to clear and then she looks down at my bare chest.
“Wha....?”
I know what she's thinking. She's wondering what the heck is going on, so I quickly ask, “Do you remember last night?”
Her eyes widen as she nods quickly, but then it's like she really remembers all over again because she rushes out in a panic, “No, no, no, no....”
She searches my chest and quickly runs her hands over my skin. I fight to keep control of my emotions, because this is killing me right now, for a number of reasons. Let's be honest now, I'm still a guy, and Dani is the girl I love. I'll let you do the math here. But it's more than that, the fact that she's so panicked about this means she cares about me as well, that's a very touching thing. I also find it heartbreaking that she's so distraught right now. She shouldn't have to keep going through things like this.
I whisper, “Dani, it was a nightmare. I'm fine, I swear. I'm ok and you're ok right now. It's alright.”
She lets out a shaky breath and starts to calm down. Once she's calmer, I can see just how embarrassed she is. I also feel the trembling start and I know that's because I'm too close right now. I know I need to get out of the bed, so I whisper, “I'm going to move, Dani. That ok?”
She nods quickly.
“I'm going to move slowly, ok? Can you look at me? That's my girl. No one is going to hurt you...”
I slowly slide off the bed and take a step back. I think Dani thinks I'm leaving because she nearly shouts, “Don't go...!”
“I'm not going, baby. I'm just going to grab my shirt. Ok?”
I see her cheeks turn a deep shade of pink as she nods quickly. Dr. Stone takes this time to clear his throat and let us know he's in the room. Dani's eyes fly to him and her blush deepens. She quickly drops her gaze to the bed sheets again. I wish she wasn't so frightened all the time.
“Hey Dani. Do you need any more pain meds?”
I see the hesitation in her eyes. She wants more, but I think she doesn't want to say so.
She nods, so the doc asks, “Where's the pain?”
There's a slight hesitation before she answers, “My head.”
That hesitation makes me wonder about the whole situation and I start to question if she really is in as much pain as she says or if she just wants the drugs. I can't ponder this thought for long because Dr. Stone breaks my thoughts by saying, “I'd like to take your bandage off now, Dani. I want to make sure the wound is healing properly. You shouldn't really be in that much pain now. I'm just going to get a nurse and some scissors, ok?”
Dani's eyes widen in fear but the doctor doesn't give her time to respond before he leaves the room. I throw my shirt on quickly, before any nurses come into the room. I don't need them jumping to conclusions about what Dani and I were up to last night. I watch Dani carefully but I don't get the chance to ask her anything before Dr. Stone returns with a nurse called Sally. She's nice, but I like Nurse Mandy better.
Dani is freaking out right now, so I push all the previous thoughts to the back of my mind as I try to calm her down. I take her hand and I whisper, “Sweetheart, I need you to focus on me. Just look at me and everything will be ok. I promise no one is going to hurt you. Just look at me and let Dr. Stone take your bandage off. It's all going to be ok, I promise...”
Dani looks into my eyes and the breath catches in the back of my throat. The intensity literally takes my breath away. She must be frightened, because she rarely looks me straight in the eye. I'm guessing that has something to do with having to be submissive all the time, but I should really ask her about that. It's one of the things that let people know she's scared because she won't look up at them.
I whisper comforting words to Dani, as I nod to the doctor to start taking her bandage off. I don't take my eyes off Dani's as Dr. Stone and Nurse Sally start working. I haven't actually seen the wound on Dani's head, so I have no idea what awaits my vision under that gauze. I don't want my reaction to scare or shock Dani, so I keep my features impassive, so she can't read my expression.
Once the bandage is off, I glance at the wound and I'm surprised at how well it has healed. When Dani returned from surgery, Dr. Stone warned me that her wounds were severe. He'd actually told me he'd never seen such wounds on someone who survived. That shows just how much of a fighter Dani is. It also shows just how much pain the woman in front of me has been through.
I'm so lost in my thoughts, that I barely hear Dani whisper, “Is it bad?”
“No baby, it isn't. It's healed really well, actually.”
Dr. Stone agrees, “It looks really good, Dani. The new flesh has grown really nicely and I think we can leave the bandage off now. You shouldn't really be in pain now though, because it should be mostly healed by now. I would like to run some bloods to see if there are any infections.”
Dani mutters, “High white cell count can mean infection, stress, inflammation, trauma, allergy, or certain diseases. A high white cell count needs further investigation to determine the cause...”
I smile slightly, seeing Dani's amazing mind at work never fails to surprise me. Dr. Stone frowns, “Where did she get that?”
“She probably read it somewhere. Her pops was a heart surgeon.”
“Ah, I see.”
He doesn't ask any more questions, which I'm thankful for. I don't want to explain anything, especially not in front of Dani.
“Dani, I'll get a nurse to draw some blood and I'll run those tests. Until then, I just need you to sit tight and wait for the results. Ok?”
“Yes sir.”
After the room has cleared again, I sit next to the bed and raise my eyebrows at Dani. We need to have this discussion now, before any more drugs are administered.