Kerry turned a very concerned look on her. “What? Did he hit you?
Where are you hurting, Dar?”
“My shoulder.” Dar winced, easing the sleeve up over her left arm and peering at it.
“Oh.” Kerry sucked in a breath, seeing the mottled red and purple area. “Jesus Christ.”
“Hmm.” Dar moved her arm a little, then realized that wasn’t a good idea. “Hell of a bruise.”
“You need to get that X-rayed,” Kerry decided. She put a hand over Dar’s mouth. “Don’t even bother. No arguments, Paladar.” Slowly, she removed her hand. “Okay?”
Dar studied her. “So does that mean I get out of the optometrist’s appointment tomorrow, then?” she asked, with a tiny, mischievous sparkle in her eye.
194 Melissa Good Kerry put her hands on her hips and gave her lover a dour look. “I should take you to the hospital tonight.” She lifted Dar’s sleeve again and looked at the injury. “Dar, that looks awful.”
“No way.” Dar shook her head and stood up, stretching her body out carefully. Oh boy. She made a face, not sure what hurt more, her shoulder or her side. “I’ll make it through dinner just fine, then we can go home. It’s not going to kill me, and spending the night at Sinai just might.”
Kerry scowled but joined her as they started to walk slowly toward the restaurant. “Okay. Which one of us is going to let Dad drive their car home? ’Cause you are not driving, let me tell you that right now.”
Dar sighed. “I will.” She gave Kerry a wry look. “Yours is newer.”
“Hmm.” Kerry squared her shoulders before she opened the door.
She didn’t like the idea of waiting, since it was obvious to her that Dar was in considerable pain, but maybe... A small smile touched Kerry’s lips. Maybe when they got home, Dar would have a different perspective.
From across the room, she saw eyes look up and find them, and noted the guilt in the base commander’s expression as he fiddled with his napkin. Chuckie was seated next to him in silence, and Ceci was carrying on most of the conversation with the commander’s wife. She felt Dar straighten next to her and saw her lover’s chin lift and her posture stiffen as they approached the table, taking her seat with easy grace and dignity.
Like nothing was wrong.
“Everything okay?” Ceci asked as Kerry took her seat.
She spared a quick glance at Dar’s face. “Just great,” Kerry assured her. “Got any beer left?”
Chapter
Twelve
“YOU KNOW,” KERRY carefully buttoned a pair of Andrew’s old pajamas around her fidgeting lover, “you could just go get this taken care of.”
“Kerry,” Dar sighed, trying not to let the pain get to her. Too much.
“Sorry. I’m tired, and very cranky, and I just want to go to bed.” Her shoulder had stiffened up, and despite a handful of painkillers, she could hardly move her arm. It was making her a little nervous, and she really wanted nothing more than to lie down and not stir for a while.
“Dar...” Kerry took a breath to continue their argument.
“Please?” Dar heard the break in her voice and winced. It had its effect, though, because Kerry paused, exhaled, then put a gentle hand against her chest. “First thing tomorrow, I promise. We’ll go right over to Dr. Steve’s and let him take a look.” She gazed hopefully at Kerry.
“Okay?”
Kerry gazed unhappily at her. “No.” Her lips tensed. “Not okay, because I hate seeing you in pain.” Her shoulders dropped. “But I guess it’ll have to do. C’mon, let me help you get into bed.” She glanced through the open bedroom door. “You want a heating pad or an ice pack?”
Chino was already in her basket, her soft brown eyes watching Dar with a worried expression. Andrew and Ceci had followed them almost home, then had driven on toward the marina, accepting Kerry’s assurance that there was no problem, Dar was just tired.
Now Kerry was beginning to doubt that reassurance. She’d tried a dozen ways to convince her stubborn lover to let her drive her over to the nearby hospital, but Dar steadfastly refused, preferring to suffer from the noticeably swelling injury rather than submit to the emergency room’s tender care.
On the other hand, she had to admit, as she helped Dar lay down in the waterbed, her lover looked completely exhausted; and with their luck, they’d end up sitting in the waiting room for at least three hours, probably more. Kerry pushed Dar’s disheveled bangs out of her eyes. So maybe she had a point. “Ice pack?”
Dar closed her eyes and luxuriated in the simple pleasure of lying down. Her body relaxed, and that helped with some of the pain. She 196 Melissa Good was very glad to be home, and still, and away from the uneasy company they’d spent the evening with. Though the atmosphere had relaxed a little as dinner progressed, the pain and the sullen looks from Chuckie were enough to want to make her stand up and just chuck something.
Like her beer glass. “Ice pack.” Dar opened one eye and considered the concept. “Yeah.” She gave Kerry an apologetic look, very much aware of just how unhappy her partner was. “Thank you.” Her uninjured hand reached out and slid up Kerry’s bare thigh. “I know you think I’m being an idiot.”
Kerry sighed. “No, I don’t, but I won’t lie and say I really understand it,” she said. “It’s what hospitals and doctors are for, Dar.
That’s why they get the big bucks, remember? I wish you’d let me take you over; they’d have given you some painkillers, at least.”
Dar stroked her leg. “I’ll be fine,” she said. “It feels better already, just being still,” she objected stubbornly.
Her lover folded her arms. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Anything you like.” The unrepentant blue eyes studied her.
“Except take me to Sinai at midnight.”
“You could have let me tell your folks.” Kerry frowned. “What was the point in keeping this from them?”
Dar chewed her lower lip. “They worry.” She shrugged her uninjured shoulder, then averted her eyes from Kerry’s intent ones.
“And, um...my dad tends to be a little overprotective.”
“Really,” Kerry murmured. “Imagine that.”
Dar gave her a quick look. “I never told him when I got into fights if I could help it. He...” She paused. “He’d sometimes go a little nuts, if you know what I mean.”
Kerry considered that. “You mean he’d have gone after the little wiener?”
Dar nodded.
“Where’s my cell phone?” Kerry started to get up. “I’ve got their number on speed dial—”
“Kerry!” Dar grabbed for her leg. “C’mon now.” She was surprised at her lover’s aggressive reaction. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“Wasn’t that bad?” Kerry sat down and gave her a severe look.
“Don’t give me that patootie, Dar. I saw that arm. That jackass deserved to have his damned bat shoved so far up his...” She left the sentiment unfinished and sighed loudly. “It pisses me off!” Her voice rose into an aggravated shout.
Chino whined. Dar caught Kerry’s hand and held it. “I know,” she replied seriously. “But I want to handle this, Kerry. Okay?”
“Mm.” Kerry looked unconvinced. “All right.” She patted Dar’s leg.
“Well, let me go get that ice pack. Don’t go away.”
Dar watched her leave, then exhaled and let her eyes close again.
What a completely jackass day. She mentally reviewed the compound disasters of the last twenty-four hours. Damn. Her shoulder was Red Sky At Morning 197
throbbing. She could feel the swollen pressure that occasionally shot prickles of pain all the way up her neck and down to her fingers, and she shifted, trying to find a more comfortable spot for herself.