Page 18 of Searching for Bristol
“What’s wrong?” he asked, misunderstanding her silence. “Are you in pain? Doc’s still here, I’ll go get him. He might want to put an IV in before we head out and—”
“No!” Bristol exclaimed, interrupting him. “I’m fine.”
“You aren’t fine,” Rocky insisted. “Something’s wrong.”
Hating that he was so observant, but not surprised—hehadbeen a SEAL after all, and from everything she knew about the elite unit, they were extremely aware of their surroundings at all times—she gave him a sheepish look. “I just…seeing you all fresh and clean made me realize hownotfresh and clean I am.”
Rocky’s face gentled and he pulled the chair Raid had been sitting in closer to the bed. Reaching out a hand, he palmed the side of her face. His large hand was warm and she loved the feel of it against her skin. “I’m sorry.”
“About what?” She whispered the words, for some reason.
“I should’ve thought about how taking a shower would make you feel. I’ve been in your shoes plenty of times, and it sucks. We’d come in from a mission and stink to high heaven, then have to meet with a few muckety-mucks. They’d be in their pressed and starched uniforms, doing all they could not to wrinkle their noses at the smell of body odor filling the room.” He smiled at her, then sobered. “It doesn’t bother me,” he told her.
Bristol rolled her eyes. “Right, because it’s so pleasant.”
“You’re alive. You smell likelife,” Rocky said bluntly.
She could only stare at him. He was right. The dried sweat on her skin and the dirt caked into her clothes was a direct result of her fighting for her own survival.
“You two should get going,” a deep voice said from the doorway.
Bristol jerked in surprise, but Rocky didn’t seem fazed by the doctor’s appearance. She realized he probably wasn’t. He’d most likely heard him coming. Again, that special forces training of his coming in handy.
Without removing his hand, Rocky turned to look at the doctor. “They’re expecting us?”
“Yup. They’ll be ready to take her back right away when you get there. Doctor Madden is one of the best surgeons in the area. He’ll get her fixed right up. The break isn’t awful, she was lucky, and he said after seeing the x-rays I emailed over, he thinks she’ll only need one pin.”
“Thanks,” Rocky said, standing.
The loss of his hand on her cheek made Bristol want to cry. Which was ridiculous.
“You ready to go?” he asked, once he was standing by her bedside.
Bristol nodded.
“Doc, you’ll get the door for us?” Rocky asked.
“Of course. Be careful,” the older man warned as Rocky leaned over her.
As they’d done many times that day, Bristol put an arm around his neck as he gently lifted her from the bed. Grateful she hadn’t been put into a horrible hospital gown, Bristol held on as Rocky carried her through the clinic and back out to his car.
Before she knew it, they were on their way, heading down I-480 toward the interstate that headed north to Roanoke. The drive would take two hours and, if she was being honest, Bristol was a little scared about the upcoming surgery.
“I forgot to ask Raiden if he talked to Sandra,” Bristol said after a few minutes of silence had passed.
“He did,” Rocky said. “I’d just gotten out of the shower when she called me to confirm that you were all right. Then she proceeded to tell me ‘I told you so.’”
Bristol smiled. “Well, as far as I’m concerned, she can have a crown that says ‘Queen of I Told You So.’”
Rocky chuckled. “Right, I’ll have that made up as soon as I can.”
Bristol felt her throat getting tight, and she did her best to swallow the overwhelming emotion. “Thank you.”
“Although if you give her a crown, it’ll go to her head. And she’ll probably give Silas, Otto, and Art a run for their money as far as being the kings of gossips around here,” Rocky added.
He glanced over at her when he was done speaking, and his face gentled. “Bristol,” he said softly, upon seeing how hard she was trying not to lose it.
Bristol turned away and buried her face in one of her hands as she lost her battle to stay strong.
