“It’s starting to feel like one!”
She huffed. “Then stop arguing and get me to the hospital.”
Declan’s nostrils flared before he nodded. “But you have a lot of explaining to do once the doctors agree River is going to be okay.In the meantime…” He leaned forward and claimed her lips with his own.
All the pent-up worry and frustration about River was immediately channeled into a kiss that was mainly fueled by the anger emanating from both of them as much as it was from passion.
Fawn finally pulled away to glare up at him. “What the hell was that for?”
Declan returned her gaze calmly. “That was me warning you that although I might have been giving you the time to get used to this dynamic between the two of us, my time of waiting is now over.”
“What were you waiting for?”
“You.”
She gave an impatient shake of her head. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about, and right now, I really don’t have the time or inclination to do so.”
“You will,” he assured her. “Believe me, when we get back, we’ll be making time.”
Fawn knew from the determination in Declan’s expression that both those statements were a promise rather than a threat.
Whatever that warning meant, it wasn’t enough to make her back down from the having another argument once they reached the underground garage. Mainly because Declan had automatically gone to the driver’s side of the SUV.
Fawn followed him, holding her hand out, palm up, in a demand for the keys. “You aren’t fit enough to drive yet.”
He arched one brow over deep-blue eyes. “Do you even have a license?”
“I do.” A license she hadn’t used for the past two years, since her parents died. There had been no reason for her to even own a car, let alone pay the exorbitant insurance and road tax, as well as finding somewhere to park it, when she no longer needed to drive to visit her parents. But she still had a valid current driver’s license.
“Have you ever driven an automatic or a vehicle this size before?” Declan persisted.
“No, but how hard can it be?” she dismissed airily.
Declan released a long, deep breath. “Let’s see how you go.” He gave her the keys without further argument before walking round to the other side of the vehicle and getting into the passenger seat.
Bravado was a wonderful thing. So was gritty determination. Unfortunately, neither of those things helped Fawn navigate through the process of driving an automatic SUV. Not only was one of the pedals she was used to missing, namely the clutch, but the vehicle itself was twice as big as the little car she had driven and owned until two years ago.
But…she was too stubborn to admit any of that. Nor did Declan make any comment for the long minutes it took Fawn to master both the new driving system and the size of the vehicle. His shoulders looked a little tense when Fawn finally gave him a glance, but he had managed to remain silent. Mainly because his lips were folded inwards and no doubt kept there by the bite of his teeth.
“Okay.” She finally broke the silence after ten minutes of less-than-stellar driving. “It’s much harder than I thought.” She narrowed her eyes at his raised brow. “I was talking about driving the SUV.”
“I never thought otherwise.” Declan smiled. “You seem to have mastered it now.”
She had. Sort of. But that didn’t prevent the overwhelming relief she felt when she finally turned the black vehicle into the visitors’ car park at St. Agnes’s. Or the wave of gratitude she felt when she was immediately able to turn into an empty spot left by another car that was just leaving.
“You did well,” Declan told her gruffly as he stepped out of the vehicle.
She really hadn’t. But having to concentrate on driving had at least meant that she hadn’t had the capacity to worry obsessively about River.
That changed the moment they entered the Accident and Emergency Department and the nurse on duty at reception, a woman probably aged in her early thirties, politely asked them to take a seat in the busy waiting area while she went to check whether the doctor would allow them into the cubicles at the back of the area where River apparently was.
“I’m his sister,” Fawn instantly bristled. “I’m also his next of kin.”
The nurse’s smile remained fixed in place. “He has a Mr. Walker currently sitting in the cubicle with him.”
“A sister overrules a friend.” Fawn had no idea how else to describe Danny Walker without raising alarm bells. Calling him River’s bodyguard would certainly do that.
The slightly older woman nodded. “And, as I said, I will go and speak to the doctor on duty.”
