“Jeremy.”
It was the first time she’d brought him up. He’d wondered when she would, hoping she wasn’t hanging to anything she shouldn’t.
“He hurt them. He told me he had a woman who looked like me. We have to save her.”
“Shhh,” Lachlan soothed as she tried to pull away. “Nothing you can do for her right now.”
“Nothing I can ever do. It’s all my fault.”
Lachlan carefully turned her until she was looking at him. “It’s his fault, not yours. Jeremy hated that he couldn’t own you, that he didn’t have power over you. That you wouldn’t follow him without question. He let that hatred build into a sick obsession and controlled the lot of you through The Repair Shop.”
He nuzzled the top of her head. “And you still always did what was right. It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good. Marcus Porter created The Repair Shop to advance his own power against Capitoline. Jeremy used it to his own ends to control you. But you brought good out of it. You used it to protect Elena and Tina. To keep Capitoline from building a stronghold. To save Roger Bennett’s political career, which led to Houston Robotics and Loki’s downfalls. And you did everything you could for those people on Little Edward Cay.”
“No.”
Lach felt his heart grow heavy. He wanted to share the news, but there was no arguing with her now. She wasn’t seeing things clearly. She was unwell, exhausted, pushed beyond her limits. Was he the only one to ever see that she had limits? The only one who cared whether or not she broke?
He led her back to bed and tucked her in, then climbed in beside her.
“There’s one other thing you’re not considering,” he said as she snuggled into him.
“What’s that?”
“Creating Watchdog with you saved me. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I have a hunch it saved every single person who helped build it. Hell, I’m pretty sure Elissa would agree. And Malcolm, and Walker.”
He tilted her chin up and kissed her softly.
“It’s not up to you to single handedly save the world, Gina. It never was. But you saved all of us at Watchdog just by creating it. Isn’t that enough?”
She finally nodded. “It is.”
* * *
When Gina woke the next morning, she seemed a little better. From there, she kept improving. It wasn’t steady progress and she had her setbacks, but by the end of the week, she was worlds better—enough that her doctors were ready to discharge her. She’d go to Sana’s with Lachlan and maybe she’d be good enough to fly home in another week or two.
Getting out of the hospital worked more magic. Lachlan was convinced part of it was having Fleur back at her side. Gina’s golden eyes were sharper, her color better. Even her appetite was back and she did more than pick at her breakfast.
When Lachlan asked if she felt better, she confirmed it.
“It’s a good day,” she said as she dropped a piece of bacon into Fleur’s mouth. “I feel like I have my brain back. In the hospital, I still felt fuzzy, like my head was full of neurological snot.”
Lachlan smirked. “Lovely turn of phrase, lass. At least you’re clearer in the head now.”
“Yeah, my grain is punctioning ferfectly.”
Lachlan growled at her. “Tell me you’re joking right now.”
She actually giggled. “I am. I’m fine. Sorry for the gallows humor.”
“If it were anyone but you, I’d be laughing.” He stroked her cheek. “I don’t like the thought of losing you, Gina.”
“You’re not going to. Not this time. So.” She stared pointedly at him. “Since I’m having a good day today, maybe you won’t coddle me. Maybe you’ll tell me everything that I’ve missed. And maybe I’ll still remember it after the fog rolls back in.”
“Let’s not tempt fate.”
“I’m just being realistic. I know you’ve told me things that I’ve forgotten.”
“I have. But you’re remembering more and more.”
