She tilted her head. “Okay, you must be on some heavy medication to say that.”
“Faye, let’s be serious for a moment, aye? How it is right now, with us teasing one another and being honest, is what I want. Add in your strength and devotion to clan, and there’s no one else I’d rather raise a little hellion with.”
“What are you talking about? I was the sweetest child. I expect any of mine to be the same.” Grant opened his mouth to call out her bullshit—he had grown up with the lass after all—but Faye beat him to it. “Now, I answered your question, so tell me how you’re feeling.”
Grant wanted to push Faye further on their future, but he didn’t want to promise her anything until he knew his own. “My entire body bloody well hurts, which is why I’m staying still.”
Faye opened her mouth and promptly closed it. She was hiding something from him.
However, before he could press her, Dr. MacFie waltzed into the room with a smile on her face. “You’re awake much sooner than I expected, Grant. Although Aunt Lorna tells me it was her voice that did it. Maybe I should use her for all of my unconscious patients.” She winked. “You can thank her later. Let’s check you over.”
Faye moved away from his bedside, and he wanted to reach out and take her hand. She would give him strength for whatever the doctor would say about his condition.
But since doing so would require moving, he resisted. Grant couldn’t risk injuring himself further. If he did, he could never be the strong male that Faye needed.
Dr. MacFie threw back his blanket and squeezed his toe. “Can you feel this?”
“Aye.”
She continued poking and squeezing to check for feeling. Grant felt everything.
Once she reached his middle, she slid her hand under his back and gently massaged him. While there was a dull pain, it wasn’t anything Grant couldn’t handle.
The doctor continued checking and asking questions. However, when she tried to move his head, Grant sucked in a breath.
Dr. MacFie stopped and placed her hands inside the pockets of her lab coat. “When you were thrown by the bomb, you must’ve hit your back and probably landed at a weird angle with your neck. You having feeling is a good sign, but you need to take it easy for at least a week or two. I don’t want any strenuous activity until I say so.” She looked between him and Faye. “Understood?”
Grant wanted to tell the doctor he wasn’t a randy teenager and could control himself, but he knew she was just doing her job. “Aye.”
Faye murmured her assent and the doctor continued, “Right, with the examination out of the way, you can have a few visitors and try to eat something. I’ll have a nurse put a neck brace on you and help you sit up. Logan can help feed you, too, or you can enlist someone else’s assistance.”
Faye jumped in. “I’ll do it.”
“Good. I’ll go fetch a nurse while Finn and Cooper interrogate you.”
The doctor left and Faye said, “A neck brace, aye? Will you let me decorate it? I promise not to draw hearts or flowers on it.”
“No drawing on the neck brace, or decorating of any kind.”
“Not even a smiling dragon?” He grunted and she gave a fake pout. “Aw, you’re no fun.” He sighed and she winked. “I was just kidding. Now you know there’s something worse I can do than help you to eat.”
“Why would I put up a fuss about you helping me eat? If I’m lucky, you’ll have to lean forward quite a bit and I’ll have a nice view.” Faye blinked and he chuckled. “Don’t look so shocked, Faye. If you can’t take my teasing, then you can’t do any to me.”
Faye rolled her eyes. “I’m wondering if the blast did something to your brain.” She moved next to his bed again, but didn’t touch his cheek. He was about to dare moving an arm to take her hand when she said, “What happened by the way?”
The door opened and Finn’s voice filled the room. “Aye, I want to know that, too. What the bloody hell happened?”
~~~
Faye loved her cousin and would usually do anything to protect his life.
However, in the present, she wanted nothing more than to kick Finn’s arse out of the room and possibly bar him from entering for a week.
Her dragon spoke up. This way will save time. Once Grant gives his report, we can tell Finn to leave.
I suppose. But I’m afraid grumpy Grant will return. It’s taken him a long time to open up to us. I want more of it.
We can be selfish sometimes, but not now. Whoever placed the bomb could do much worse in the near future.