The hurt reminded me that I was still alive.
I was pulled out of my racing head when I heard a knock at the bathroom door, though.
“Miss Elizabeth,” Doc asked through the door. “Can I come in?”
The air rushed from my lungs. “Sure, yeah.”
I heard the door creak open and the steam in the shower undulated a little bit toward the shower door. I stepped backunder the water, moving away from the cool air that whooshed its way into the bathroom.
A click of the door told me that he closed it.
I tilted my head toward the showerhead, relishing the way the hot water sluiced down my body. I heard a pile of clothes dropping to the floor. The small plots and little ‘flooshes’ of sound had me tilting my head toward the door.
Doc’s frosted outline appeared at the shower door.
“Just tell me ‘no’, Miss Elizabeth,” Doc said.
I didn’t care, though.
“Yeah, you’re fine,” I said breathlessly as I turned my back to the shower door.
I couldn’t bring myself to care that we were naked, alone, again. I heard the shower door pop open, the frosted glass giving way, before his feet touched down onto the wet shower floor. They plopped a bit with every step until I felt the heat of his presence at my back.
Hotter than any shower could have been.
“You’re crying,” he said as his arms slid around my waist.
I jumped for a moment, but only for a moment. “Yeah. And?”
His lips dropped to my shoulder, pressing the softest kiss to my collarbone. “Wanna talk about it?”
I shook my head, but my lower lip quivered, and my jaw was much too weak. “They’re going to arrest me, Doc.”
I felt a pressure at the top of my head before his puckered lips graced my hair. “Who is, Miss Elizabeth?”
I groaned as I shoved him away. Well, as much of a shove as I could give with my body still feeling the way it did.
“I swear to god, you fuckers don’t care about shit other than what’s staring you in front of your fucking face,” I hissed, the anger pouring out of me in waves as I tossed my hands into the air. “AWOL, Doc! The thing I’ve been chirping about in everyone’s ear!? They’re going to arrest me for being gone thislong. I’ve probably been labeled a deserter! They probably have a warrant out for my arrest right fucking now!”
My legs buckled as the tears fell, and if I hit the shower and busted my knee, then so fucking what. I should have known that Doc wouldn’t let me fall, though, because his arms scooped me up. And before I knew it, my cheek was pressed to the chiseled plane of his chest.
His hands rushed softly through my hair.
I sobbed. I openly sobbed. I wasn’t sure I’d done that with anyone but Marla. However, Marla had been a bit…occupied lately. Not that I hated Ranger or what was happening or anything. It was just… weird. It was always me and Marla against the world.
Now it just felt like me.
“You’re gonna be okay,” Doc whispered as he pressed another soft kiss to the top of my head. “I won’t let anything like that happen to you. Ever.”
My words blubbered out. “It won’t matter if they come for me.”
He didn’t shush me. He just held on tighter.
“I worked so hard.” It came out ugly. Angry, almost. Not the soft kind of crying I’d seen other women do. Mine felt like something ripping. “My whole career. Every single day.”
He pressed his lips to the top of my head and stayed there.
“I don’t do this,” I gritted out, swiping at my face with the back of my hand. “I don’t — I’m not —”
