Page 37 of Finding Lexie
“Midas? What are you—”
“Move over,” he said, interrupting her.
She did as he asked, although the tiny amount of space left on the mattress wasn’t going to be enough. So Midas switched to a position he knew would work. He lifted Lexie and rolled to his back, tucking her against him in the same position they’d been in for most of the day. It was hard to believe they’d been in that hole only hours ago.
Instead of protesting, Lexie snuggled into him and turned her face against his shoulder. Her arm went across his chest, and this time he could feel everything. Without his Kevlar vest and all his battle accoutrement, she felt even better against him.
“You’re so warm,” she said softly.
Midas shifted so he could pull the blanket she’d been using up and over her shoulders. “They always keep the infirmary cold, I don’t know why,” he told her.
“It’s fine. It’s just, after spending all that time in the hot desert, I think my body’s all out of whack.”
It was good to hear her talking somewhat normally, but Midas was still kicking himself for not being there when her adrenaline finally wore off and she broke.
“Are you all right? What did the doctor say? Why are you still in the same scrubs you’ve been wearing all day? And are you seriously still wearing Shermake’s shoes?” Midas asked, feeling the sneakers against his calves as she curled around him.
“He said I was dehydrated,” Lexie answered, irritation easy to hear in her tone. “He got annoyed with me when I wouldn’t change. He was condescending and made me feel as if somehow getting kidnapped was my fault. I got the impression he was hoping I was all banged up or shot or something, and when all he could find wrong was that I was hungry, dirty, and thirsty, he was disappointed.”
Midas’s irritation rose tenfold. But he did his best to keep his voice calm as he spoke. “I’m guessing life on an aircraft carrier isn’t always the most exciting for the ship’s doctor. I’m sorry he made you feel that way.”
She shrugged but didn’t comment. Eventually her shaking subsided, and Midas felt her sigh against him.
“Midas?”
“Yeah, Lex?”
“What are you doing here?”
“You think I was gonna leave without saying goodbye?” he asked.
She shrugged again. “I don’t know anything about how the military works. I figured you and your friends might leave right away.”
“No. We had to debrief,” he told her. “After we landed, I was talking to the guys who flew us out, and then I turned around and you were gone.”
“I was gonna say something, but you were busy…and the woman who greeted me seemed anxious to get me inside,” Lexie said.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
She shook her head. “No, it’s fine.”
“You eat?”
“Yeah. The doctor called someone and they brought me something.”
“Something?” Midas questioned.
“Yeah, don’t ask me what it was. Some kind of meat in a heavy sauce. Honestly, I was so hungry I would’ve eaten anything.”
“You get your sweet coffee?” he asked.
She snorted. “No. Two bags of IV fluids and two bottles of water.”
“To be fair, that was probably better for you.”
“I know.”
“You know there’s a shower in here,” he said gently.
