“Again? You’ve got to stop again?”

“I can’t help it…it’s just me.”

Nick sighed as he flipped on the blinker, turning into another reststop along the highway. So far, Bayley had needed to stop at each one. “Are you all right? Are you car-sick?”

Laughing, Bayley playfully slapped his arm. “No…I just have to go frequently and it’s worse when I’m traveling. Blaise and my dad called me Peanut Bladder, cause I always had to go pee. I promise, I’ll be back out in a minute. Unless, of course, there’s a line, because women can really fill up a ladies’ room. I think it’s because we have so much more to take care of instead of just unzipping our pants and pulling it out.”

Having no response to her declaration, he parked in the space at the rest stop and she hopped out, running inside the building. Swinging his gaze around, he viewed the other families doing the same and, glancing at his watch, realized they were making good time. Her frequent need to stop was not making them late. And true to her word, she emerged a moment later. Her ponytail swung behind her as she hurried back toward him, a bright smile on her face. His heart skipped a beat as it hit him that while she smiled at others around, she beamed at him.

“All better,” she announced, climbing back in and buckling up. Turning to him, she asked, “Um, don’t you need to go?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“But you haven’t been at all and we’ve been on the road for five hours.”

Turning toward her, he peered at her quizzical face. “We’re seriously sitting here talking about my bladder when you obviously have no control over yours? You keep drinking water…no wonder you can’t hold it.”

Chuckling, she agreed. “Fine, fine. But you know water is so good for your body. It helps keep your complexion clear, helps you to keep from overeating, hydrates your brain so you can think better, and flushes out toxins—”

“Yeah, you got the flushing-out part real good,” he quipped.

“Oh, my God! Nick Stone made a joke!” she giggled, settling back into her seat. Looking at the sign for entering Tennessee, she asked, “Where will we stay tonight?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, he admitted, “I haven’t even thought of where to stay. He lives outside Pigeon Forge, which is a real tourist town, so there are plenty of motels. I know this time of year there are lots of families and tourists, so we may have to—”

Pulling out her phone, she said, “Leave it to me. I’ll find a place. I’ve always wanted to visit Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.” Silence filled the vehicle as she clicked away on her phone.

As she searched, she made little ‘hmmm’ sounds, each one more adorable than the last and Nick’s attention was drawn to her mouth just as the blood ran to his dick. Shifting, he tried to ease the discomfort and now wished for a reststop just so he could rearrange himself.

“Got it!” she called out. “I found the perfect place. It’ll be fabulous!”

Nick doubted any hotel in a tourist trap location would be fabulous, but he kept his doubts to himself. As long as it’s got a shower and a bed, it’ll be fine. At the thought of a bed, his cock strained even move against his zipper and he cursed under his breath.

Glancing over, Bayley shook her head. Assuming his grumpiness was due to his great-uncle’s uncertain health, she stayed quiet, turning her attention back to the rolling hills of east Tennessee. She wanted to ask about his relationship with Bernie…but the emptiness of his childhood photo album played on her mind. Unneeded curiosity had her biting her tongue, thinking it would be best to see what happened when he saw his uncle. Sighing, she heard his phone vibrate and he ignored it. Realizing he had done that for the past three hours, she said, “You know, it’s fine for you to talk on the phone.”

“Not interested in what the person has to say right now.” He had seen Richard’s number and made up his mind before they hit the road that he was not going to take a call until they got to Tennessee. Hopefully Harlan could keep Richard off his back.

“Oh,” she said, sucking in her lips. “If you need privacy, we can stop again.” Rushing, she added, “I don’t need to pee again, but I can always get out and let you talk.”

Glancing to the side, he viewed her eager-to-help face. He never knew what she was going to think or say next, and he found it unbalancing, and yet endearing. Smiling at her offer, he shook his head. “Thanks. Really…thanks, but don’t worry about. I’ll deal with them once we get to the hospital and I know what’s facing me.”

Following Nick’s long stride, Bayley hurried to keep up. Making it to the nurses’ desk, he stopped suddenly, causing her to slam into his back. Whirling to steady her, his brows lowered in question.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, embarrassed at her clumsiness.

“S’okay,” he replied, giving her arms a slight squeeze before turning back to the nurse, who smiled up at him.

Moving around to his side, Bayley made sure she was in the nurse’s sight while at the same time wondering why it mattered. He’s not mine to claim. Casting a smug smile toward the nurse, who was still talking to Nick but sweeping Bayley with her gaze, Bayley stayed tucked closely to Nick.

“Mr. Stone is stable at this time. I know Dr. Marsden was expecting you. I’ll page him right now. You may go in to see your uncle—only one visitor at a time.”

Offering Nick an encouraging smile, Bayley said, “You go, don’t worry about me. I’ll run to the ladies’ room and then to the cafeteria to grab some coffee. I’ll come back up in a little bit and meet you in the waiting room here.”

Nick’s chest was tight with worry, but Bayley’s words slid over him, as they often did, soothing the ache. Giving her arm a squeeze as he leaned over to kiss her forehead, he agreed. Walking away, he wondered about the kiss. What the hell am I doing? But with the realization that her presence calmed his fears, he tossed out his doubts. I’ll face them later.

No change at this time. Wait and see. The next twenty-four hours will be crucial. We’ll let you know.

Nick walked out of his great-uncle’s cubicle, opened to the ICU nurses’ station. The big man, always in control, had laid unmoving, with tubes and wires connecting him to continuously beeping machines. The functional, utilitarian beige walls were covered in plug-ins for equipment, mounted boxes of gloves, and carts containing more equipment. There was precious little room to sit and Nick continually had to jump up from the plastic chair when a nurse came in to check on Bernie.

Nick held his hand, even though Bernie gave no indication he knew his nephew was there, and talked to him over the sounds of beeping, pinging, and whooshing, for the fifteen minutes they let him visit. As he walked out, he could not even remember what he had talked about. Maybe it doesn’t matter…maybe he could just hear my voice.

Stepping into the stark, empty waiting room, the chairs appearing to be just as uncomfortable as the one he left, he pondered trying to search for Bayley, but knew she would return as soon as she got the coffee. His phone vibrated once more and, seeing the ID, he sighed but, this time, he answered.

“Richard, I know what you’re going to say—”

“Agent Stone, you’ve got no fuckin’ clue what I’m going to say,” his superior clipped.

Nick grimaced, steadying himself for the onslaught he knew was coming.

“I get a call this morning from Harlan who informs me that you’ve had to take emergency leave for a family matter. Got no problem with that. But then he proceeds to tell me that you took the Hanssen woman with you. I want to know what the fuck you’re thinking.”

“Sir, I can’t protect her if I’m not near her—”

“You can’t protect her? You? Who the fuck do you think you are? A one-man-FBI show? You take her to your home. You take her on this emergency trip. Are you fucking her too?”

Fury roared through Nick as red-dots blurred his vision. “I’m not going to dignify that with an answer, Richard. You know me. You know my professionalism—”

“And I’ve never had a reason to doubt it until now, so these latest shenanigans have me wondering what the hell she’s done to you. You’re being led by your—”

“Do not go there, Richard. Do not go there,” Nick fired back. “We were working with the Saints, who have been pulled into another job with the governor. I could not leave her to—”

“The Saints? That renegade group of men the governor is so fond of? Is that who you identify with now?”

“My job is to investigate and protect, sir. And that’s what I’m doing.”

“If you don’t get that witness back here asap, you won’t have a job anymore,” Richard bit out.

Nick stood, his heart pounding as anger coursed through his blood. “Are you seriously threatening to fire me?”

“Damn right, I am. I can have your badge for this and then you’ll have nowhere to go, other than those Saints.”

“Sir, right now, becoming a Saint is looking better and better!” Nick slung back. Disconnecting, he stared out of the window for a moment before whirling, his hands clenched into fists. “Auggggh!” he growled. At a slight noise from the doorway, his gaze shot up, seeing Bayley standing there, her hands filled with a tray of sandwiches, chips, and two coffees. And her wide, blue eyes staring back at him.

Quiet. The only sound was the munching of chips and the slurping of tepid coffee, more resembling mud than a drink.

Bayley had entered the waiting room and calmly set the tray on the table in the corner. Gently, she had led Nick to a plastic seat and had gone about setting the food in front of him. Taking the seat opposite of him, she asked about his uncle.

“The doctor is supposed to come in and see me as soon as he gets back to the floor. Uncle Bernie’s sleeping, so I just sat and talked to him.”

“I’m sure that was a comfort, even if he’s not aware of it,” Bayley said, her lips curving slightly. “And I’m sure it was good for you to see him as well.”

Nodding as he chewed, he agreed. “Yeah…”

They continued to eat but Nick barely tasted anything. Richard’s words kept swirling around in his head, mixing with worry over his uncle and wondering how much Bayley overheard. She hasn’t said anything, so maybe she just walked in at the end.

Just then, a tall, silver-haired doctor walked in, his gaze landing on Nick. “Mr. Stone?”

Nick jumped up, wiping his fingers on the napkin Bayley shoved into his hand. “Yes. Dr. Marsden?”

The doctor smiled warmly and said, “Please, sit down.” Pulling up a chair, he nodded toward Bayley before turning his attention back to Nick. “I’ve just been in to see your uncle. I’m pleased with his stable condition but, of course, we will know more in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“Pine Arbor, the independent-living facility where he lives, called 9-1-1 when a neighbor saw him fall outside in the common-area yard. He was having a heart attack. He’s lucky because he got to us so quickly. If he’d been alone, he might not have survived. We have done a thrombolysis, a procedure that involves injecting a clot-dissolving agent to restore blood flow in a coronary artery. He’s responding very well, and we are hopeful he will be awake by tomorrow. Once we’re sure he’s stable, we will immediately get him up and walking around.”

“So soon?” Bayley interjected, surprise plastered on her face.

Nodding, Dr. Marsden said, “Yes, it’s essential to recuperation that patients begin moving and walking. It helps with healing, circulation…many benefits to having the patients up and mobile.” He glanced down at their half-eaten sandwiches and said, “There’s nothing more you can do tonight. I suggest you get some rest and come back in the morning. I have your cell phone number in case we need to get hold of you.”

Standing, he shook hands with both of them before walking out of the waiting room.

Bayley looked up at Nick, seeing indecision on his face. Her take-charge protector appeared lost. Her heart ached for his concern and yearned to bring a smile to his beautiful face. She realized that sometime in the past couple of days, he was no longer just Mr. TDMB to her…but a real-life man, full of power and doubts all at the same time.

“Come on,” she said, dumping the tray’s contents into the trash can. Smiling as she took his hand in her own, she gave a gentle pull. “Let’s go to the hotel and get some good food in us and rest. You’ll feel better and then we can come back tomorrow when your uncle will, hopefully, be awake.”

Nick allowed her to lead him back out to the SUV, surprised at his own acquiescence. And pleased with the feel of her hand in his as they stayed clasped together the whole time.