Andrew had always been like that. A big man, made bigger by weight training and SEAL’s fitness regimen, with lightning reflexes and lethal combat skills. Cool in action, levelheaded, steady, reliable—but with a blind spot a mile wide all centered around his family and that damn stubborn pigheaded bitch of a daughter of his.
Dar was dangerous because she was so goddamned smart. Andrew was dangerous just because he was dangerous, and anything that touched or threatened his kid sent him past reason.
“We need to chat,” Andrew told him. “So sit yer ass down.”
Ainsbright sat down slowly and folded his hands. “Andrew, this ain’t a threat, but I can call the guards and have you taken out of here.
You’re not in the Navy anymore.”
“That’s all right,” Andrew told him. “When I’m done with you, you ain’t gonna be either.” He sat down on Ainsbright’s desk. “So if you have half a brain left, you will sit in that chair and start talking about what you all are doing here.”
Ainsbright looked steadily at him. “Andrew, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I think you need to leave.”
Andrew leaned closer. “Listen, you jackass. How’n the hell you think you got that crack on the side of your haid?”
Unconsciously, Ainsbright lifted a hand and touched it.
288 Melissa Good
“Ah took that damn gun you had out of your hands and smacked you ’cross the face with it,” Andrew continued, standing up and circling the desk, his temper rising. “So you will, sir, you will tell me what is goin’ on here that makes a career jack like you point a damn gun at mah kid!” The ex-SEAL’s voice rose to a low roar. “NOW!”
Ainsbright froze, staring at the dark form looming over him, seeing the fire in those pale blue eyes surging toward the edges, ready to consume him. Andrew’s hands were tensed and his body coiled, his center of balance up on the balls of his feet, full of a stillness that bore its own warning.
“Andy, take it easy.” Ainsbright kept his voice low. “I’ll talk.”
“Yes,” a low, fierce growl agreed. “You surely will.”
“DR. STEVE.” DAR inhaled, visibly holding her patience. “They’ve taken enough pictures to star me in the next Sears catalog. I’m fine. Let me the hell out of here.”
Dr. Steve patted her arm as he reviewed a chart. “Just hold on to your britches, rugrat. You’ve still got a ton of swelling up in that rock head of yours.” He made a mark on the chart. “We’re not taking any chances with you.”
Dar peered over the doctor’s arm to where Kerry was curled up on the daybed, watching. Her brow creased as she scowled. “I’m not spending another night in this place,” she decided. “I can sleep just as well at home.”
Dr. Steve didn’t even look up. “Ain’t got nurses there. Though you gave the ones here a story to spread around over the water cooler.”
Dar glared at him. “I don’t give a damn,” she growled. “They can kiss my ass.”
Dr. Steve looked up to see a pair of truculent blue eyes looking at him. “Lord, you must be feeling better,” he teased her, reaching over and chucking her on the chin. “That’s the Dar I know.”
Kerry watched in amusement, resting her chin on her forearm. She could see Dar getting more and more annoyed, and wondered briefly if her sometimes mercurial lover wasn’t better off going home. “Hey, Dr.
Steve?” she called out.
The doctor turned and put the chart down, walking over to her and looking down. “How’d you get that bump, Squeaky?” His fingers touched the side of her head cautiously. “That hurt?”
“A little,” Kerry admitted. “I had a close encounter with a door.
Nothing major.” She took advantage of his proximity. “Dr. Steve?”
“Hmm?” The doctor crouched down and continued to examine her bump. “You feeling all right, Kerrison? You look a little pasty.” Behind him, Dar sat up and peered over, her brow creasing.
“I’m fine, really,” Kerry assured him. “Just a little headache, and I haven’t had my lunch yet.”
Red Sky At Morning 289
“Mm-hmm.” Dr. Steve turned her face a little toward the light from the window. “Feel a little shaky?”
Kerry sighed. “A little.”
“Uh-huh. When was the last time you had your blood-sugar levels checked?”
That caught her by surprise. “Um...” She took a breath. “I usually don’t have a problem.”
“That’s not true,” Dar spoke up.
Kerry peered around the doctor’s arm, annoyed. “Dar.”
“It’s not.” The dark-haired woman gave a little shrug of her uninjured shoulder. “You get dizzy when you don’t eat, and you know it.”
“That true?” Dr. Steve asked.
Kerry sighed again. “Sometimes,” she said. “I try to make sure it doesn’t.” She met his gaze. “I ran out of granola bars today.”
Dr. Steve fished in his pocket and came out with a package of cheese and peanut butter crackers. He handed it over to her. “Here.”
She accepted them, then changed the subject. “Does she really need to stay here?” Kerry asked quietly. “I think she’d rest better at home.”
The doctor rested his hand on her knee and gave her a direct look.
“Would you go home if I said no?”
Kerry shook her head, opening her crackers and removing one. She put it between her teeth and bit down, chewing the salty snack slowly.
“Where she goes, I go.”
Dr. Steve let out a chuckle, then pushed himself to his feet and returned to Dar’s bedside. “Found you a good match, Paladar.” He shook his head. “Two of a kind, I can see that.”
Dar tore her eyes from Kerry’s face and looked at him. “What?”
The doctor picked up her chart and made a notation on it. Then he looked up as footsteps sounded outside, and a young man carrying an envelope entered. “Ah, that the last of them?”
“Yes, sir,” the man confirmed, handing over the envelope. He gave Dar a professional smile, then turned and left. Dr. Steve removed some papers from the envelope and read them, scanning over the first page and concentrating on the second. Finally, he grunted and folded them over.
“All right, rugrat.” He turned and put his hands on the bedrails.
“I’ll let you go, on one condition.”
Dar’s eyebrows hiked up in pleased surprise. “What?” She glanced over at the watching Kerry. “Name it.” The doctor’s attention to her lover had caused a twinge of unease, even though she knew Kerry was conscious of her body chemistry and usually had little problem with it.
She had seemed a little wrung out when they’d gotten back, but Dar had put that down to her stair-climbing.
“You,” Dr. Steve took hold of her chin and forced her to look at him, “will get your ass in bed and stay there for at least three days.”
290 Melissa Good Dar took a breath to answer.
“Promise me,” Dr. Steve stated flatly. “I mean it, Dar. This is no joke. You want to go home? Well, I’ve known you since you were born, and I know you’ll get more rest there than here with all them nurses poking at you. But you must—I’m saying must, Dar—stay in bed and let your body heal.” His manner was unusually no-nonsense. “Yes or no?”
The blue eyes flickered, then narrowed slightly. “Just stay in bed?”
she countered. “Not asleep?”
Dr. Steve warily eyed her. “Flat on your back,” he qualified. “No gymnastics or anything like that.”
Well. Dar sighed inwardly. That meant three days of using her laptop, but there was probably enough data and crap she had to sort through to keep her busy for at least that long. “All right.” She nodded.