The paramedic gave the guys a look of sympathy and then retreated with his jump bag. “She’s all yours,” he said.
She glanced over at Hutch and saw that he hadn’t been tended to at all.
“Goddamn paramedics,” she grumbled. “I told them to make sure Hutch was taken care of.”
Cam’s hand stole up her neck, and he massaged gently at the nape. She groaned in sheer bliss and leaned into his touch.
“Not to worry, love. Sawyer and I will take care of our baby brother as soon as we get the both of you home.”
She looked gratefully up at Cam. He must have heard by now that it had been Hutch’s brother behind the attacks. With his statement, he reemphasized that Hutch had two brothers who cared about him.
“Baby my ass,” Hutch growled. “What are you, six months older than me?”
“Seven,” Sawyer said with a grin. “I’msix months older. Cam is seven.”
“And you wouldn’t keep count, I suppose,” Hutch said darkly.
“Can we go already?” she asked as she slid off the stretcher. Her feet hit the ground, and she went down like a rock, her knees buckling and the rest of her sliding to the ground like jelly.
Sawyer and Cam both made a grab for her and hauled her to her feet between them.
“Feet aren’t working right,” she mumbled.
Sawyer laughed. “Yeah, we can see that.”
Cam frowned. “Are you sure we shouldn’t take her to the hospital?” He wasn’t even talking to her now. He was talking over her head to Sawyer. As if she wasn’t even there.
She growled under her breath but was ignored by both men.
“If you could just give me a little help to the truck, I’ll be fine.”
Instead of help, she found herself lifted into the air, and she fell against Cam’s chest with a plop. She turned to look behind her, to see Sawyer wrap his arm around Hutch’s waist and help him along. She nodded her satisfaction that Hutch was taken care of and then wilted against Cam.
“You know I’m going to kick your ass over this stunt later,” Cam said.
She nodded and closed her eyes. “Yeah, well, give me a few days first. Then I’ll let youtryand kick it.” As long as he’d be there, she’d bend over and present her ass for him to kick all he wanted.
He chuckled and relaxed against her. He crawled into the backseat, still holding her, while Sawyer stuffed Hutch into the front and then walked around to the driver’s side.
It hit her like a ton of bricks. More forcefully than any of the blows from Daniel. This was what she wanted. More than anything. The three of them. Cam, Sawyer and Hutch. With her always.
She hadn’t trusted them. Hadn’t trusted that they could deal with the relationship. But she couldn’t be responsible for the way they handled it. All she could do was manage her own contribution.
Elation surged through her veins until she was nearly dizzy with it. It was on them. She had to trust them to do what they’d promised. That was all she had to do and all shecoulddo.
If it worked, it worked, but she couldn’t continue to try and manage every aspect, make herself crazy trying to be all things to everyone. She could only be herself and that’s all they said they wanted. Her.
She wanted them. Loved them with every piece of her soul. And they loved her. Wasn’t that all that was important?
She turned her face into Cam’s stomach and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her knees dug into the back of the seat as she pressed herself tighter against him, but she couldn’t let go.
She loved them all so damn much, and she was tired of running. Tired of being miserable without them.
She knew there’d be statements to give, reports to file. The chief would want the full story. But for now, all she wanted was to go home and sleep for about twenty-four hours. It was too important that she be at her best when she next talked to the guys. She couldn’t afford to fuck it up.
When Jeremy stuck his head in the door, she mumbled appropriate responses to his questions and promised a full report later. She wasn’t entirely sure what the hell he’d said, but he left, so she must have nodded in the right spots.
“What did I just promise to do?” she muttered when Jeremy had gone.
