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motivate her to work toward her recovery.
 Rachel won t want to go home, but I doubt she ll agree to go to a
facility because she won t want to offend her mom. I ll talk to her and help
her to see she needs this. Can she get up at all?
 She can sit up in bed and sit on the edge of the bed. No walking unless
someone is holding her because she s going to be dizzy. In another day or
so, I d like to see her moving around in the halls. Will you talk to her, Eli?
Peter and Renata both seem to think she ll listen to you.
 I ll talk to her. She ll see reason, but she won t like it.
 Good luck with that, the doctor said dryly and shook his hand.  Let
me know what she agrees to.
* * * *
A week later, Rachel carried her favorite flower arrangement in her lap
as Eli wheeled her out of the hospital exit to his waiting truck, parked in the
shade under the portico. He opened the door, and she smiled at the
comforting blast of frigid air. The September heat was absolutely stifling.
He lifted her effortlessly into the passenger seat, and she had to stifle a
chuckle as she watched the two nurses who carried flowers out to the truck
for her. One s mouth popped open, and the other couldn t help the dreamy
sigh that escaped. She couldn t blame them for their admiration as they
watched him buckle her seatbelt for her.
He handed her the arrangement she d brought down, a squat vase filled
with exotic-colored roses from Merritt s Florist. He took the other two
arrangements from the nurses and thanked them graciously then placed them
in a cardboard box on the back floorboard. She waved at the nurses, who
smiled and waved back then turned the wheelchair and took it back into the
hospital entrance.
Rachel hadn t been happy with this arrangement when Eli had first
brought it up, saying she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself at
home. The first time he helped her to the restroom after they removed her
catheter, she changed her mind. That one little adventure out of bed had
used every bit of strength she had. She had asked him to call the nurse to
assist her, but he d helped her up and pulled up her panties himself, without
Her Gentle Giant, Part 1: No Regrets 219
batting an eyelash, then helped her back to bed. Rachel knew then that he
was right. She did need help. She d laid back down on the bed in a cold
sweat, completely wiped out by the short trip.
Now here she sat on her way to her parent s ranch feeling like an
invalid. It galled her that she would need someone to help her with the
basics for a while, but that wasn t what caused the pain she was in right
now. She felt like a big baby.
Tears filled her eyes, and she caught him look over in her direction with
concern in his eyes. A hitching pain clenched in her chest.
 Angel, you can do this. It won t be for long, and then you can be on
your own again. Your mom promised not to hover. She knows you like your
independence. It ll be okay. He covered her hand with his, where it lay on
her lap, restrained by her cast.  I took your laptop out to the ranch, with
your clothes and other stuff earlier. If you feel like it, you can do some
writing later. Time s going to fly. You concentrate on resting and healing,
and you ll be back in your own place before you know it.
 It s not that, Eli, she said softly, still hoarse from the wound to her
throat. It was deep but had not damaged her vocal chords and was healing
nicely. The doctor said the hoarseness might linger and would persist if she
used her voice too much.
 What is it, angel? Do you need a pain pill? He reached for the meds
her doctor had prescribed for her pain.
 No. I mean, yes, when we get to the house I ll need one, but that s not
what s bothering me. She turned carefully. The tears spilled from her eyes,
and she said,  I m going to miss you so much. Her lips trembled, and a sob
escaped. She gingerly wiped the tears away before they soaked the bandage
over her cheekbone.
Because she d been self-conscious of all the wounds and lacerations
she d suffered, he d helped her look under all the bandages. She had been
able to see for herself that they were all healing well and that she wouldn t
look like Frankenstein s creature when the healing process was through. Eli
had reminded her with tender kisses that he was just grateful that she was all
right and would recover fully.
He pulled over to the shoulder of the road and slid across the seat to her.
He gently cupped her cheeks in his hands and said,  Angel, I ll miss you,
too. Especially at night. I haven t slept worth a damn since I ve been
220 Heather Rainier
sleeping alone. But I ll be out there all the time when I m not working.
Your dad and mom will probably get sick of seeing me all the time. You ll
even get sick of me. Don t worry. You ll be back on your own in no time,
he said, smiling down at her. She sobbed painfully, and more tears spilled
over her cheeks. He looked confused and said,  Rachel, what did I say? I
didn t mean to upset you. Tell me.
 I don t care about being on my own. I need you. I ll never be able to
sleep if you re not there, she whispered hoarsely.
She felt silly and ashamed as she looked into his eyes, unable to get a
better handle on her emotions. She couldn t believe what a ninny she was
being. His face registered a mixture of surprise and sympathy and something [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]