She opened her eyes and glanced over at Cam, who stood against the window, his hands shoved into his jeans pockets. She always thought his hair was his one rebellion. While Sawyer kept his head shaved, and Hutch wore his in a short spiky do, Cam let his go. For a guy who was as organized and uptight as Cam could be, the long, messed-up hair just didn’t fit. But she had to admit she found the combination of his serious, glasses-wearing look and the unkempt, tousled hair extremely sexy.
“Birdie said you had a project due today. How are you supposed to get it done if you’re here?”
She was proud of how steady she sounded. After that brief moment of meltdown, she was back in control. The strange thing was, they seemed to be as relieved as she was that she wasn’t tearing up anymore.
One corner of Cam’s mouth quirked into a half smile. “You let me worry about my job, Reggie darling. You’ve got enough to keep you busy for quite a while.”
She frowned. “That’s not an answer, damn it.” She looked up at Hutch then back at Sawyer who had sunk into a chair by her bed. “Are you two going to let him run your business into the ground?”
Hutch chuckled. “Nice try. We’re on his side in this. You come first.”
She sighed then snuck another glance at Sawyer, guilt giving her a big dose of unhappiness.
His expression softened. “Will you quit looking at me like that, baby doll? I’m a big boy. You don’t have to worry about hurting my little feelers. I shouldn’t have barged in like I did, but damn if you don’t have the most kissable lips I’ve ever tasted.”
Her cheeks tightened. Damn if he hadn’t turned that apology right back on her.
When the door opened again, she was grateful for the interruption. When she saw Jeremy and the chief, she tried to straighten, and then she glared at Hutch, who refused to move his carcass from the bed.
“How are you doing, Regina?” the chief asked as he and Jeremy walked over to the bed.
“Good, sir. I’ll be going home in a couple of hours.”
The chief nodded. “Good. That’s good to hear. I want you to take it easy and not try to come back too soon.”
She glanced between Jeremy and the chief. “Anything on our killer?”
“We’re working on it. We’ll need to take your statement as soon as you’re up to it. Wondered if you’d be up for some questions now.”
Regina looked nervously at Hutch and then at Sawyer and Cam. She didn’t want to go over the details of the attack in front of them. They’d just freak out on her some more.
“I could come by the station on my way home,” she offered.
Hutch tensed beside her, and Sawyer’s lips compressed into a thin line. She ignored their displeasure.
The chief frowned, and Jeremy looked at her in question.
“You sure you’re up to that?” Jeremy asked.
“No,” Cam interjected.
“Yes,” Regina said just as quickly. “I can’t think here. I hate hospitals. They make me feel more of an invalid than I am. I’ll be better able to answer questions at the station. Whether I’m sitting there or lying here, I fail to see the difference.”
She stared hard at Cam, daring him to disagree again.
“I’ll ask Birdie to drive me over when I’m discharged,” she said to Jeremy and the chief.
“There’s no need,” Sawyer said smoothly. “We’ll be happy to drive you where you need to go. And afterwards, you’re going home with us.”
The chief nodded his approval. “That’s a good idea. I don’t think Regina should stay alone right now. Not until we’ve got this nutjob behind bars. Who the hell knows what he was thinking? I don’t want to take chances with the safety of my police officers.”
Regina’s mouth gaped open, but she held the protest dying to fly off her tongue. The last thing she needed was to make an ass of herself in front of the chief.
“We’ll go now,” the chief said. “We’ll see you in a little while, Regina.” As he turned to go, he cracked a smile. “It was nice to see you boys again. It’s been a while. Glad you’re giving an old man a break these days.”
Sawyer grinned while Cam nodded at the chief. “It was nice to see you too, sir,” Cam said. “We’ll bring Reggie over later.”
Jeremy paused for a moment and laid his hand over Regina’s leg. “You sure you’re doing okay?”
