Parker opened his eyes a few hours later. Again, he was disoriented looking up at a swaying light fixture. Looked like something you'd see over a kitchen table. But it had an IV fluid bag hanging from it.

Rocking his head, he looked around. Was this the cabin where they'd pulled up earlier? It about had to be. Blinking the sleep from his eyes he lifted a hand to rub at his dry eyes, then blinked them open again.

He seemed to be in a kitchen, laying on a hard as fuck table. His legs were throbbing with pain. He lifted up on one elbow and waited for his head to stop spinning and his gut to stop twinging. It was quivering like a muscle that had been over exercised, but the pain was manageable. Using his arms, he pushed to a sitting position.

Yeah, he could do this.

Parker heard voices murmuring to his right. One sounded like Andromeda, and there was a deeper woman's voice he didn't recognize. Was that the shotgun lady?

Sliding off the edge of the table he put first one foot down, then the other. As his weight settled onto his better left leg, he winced in pain. It had been too long since he'd been vertical. Even as he thought it, he started to get a cramp in his right calf.

"Fuck."

He knew if he bent down there was a chance he'd go ass over tea kettle. The cramp would go away in a minute. It would.

Andromeda gasped when she came in and he opened his eyes. What a lame fuck she must think he was. They had basically taken care of him for the entire day. He glanced out the window. The sun was going down soon, and it had been morning when they'd picked up Mac.

"Is your witness okay?" he demanded.

She nodded, walking toward him. "Yes, he's fine. He's outside communing with nature, like he does every day. Are you okay?"

Parker forced a nod, even as he tried to stretch out his toes. The cramp tightened more painfully, and he grimaced.

"What is it, Parker? Tell me!"

"Cramp," he gasped.

She looked down and before he could say anything she'd started massaging the quivering muscle. He'd have cried out in pain, but he still had some pride and he bit it off. Her long fingers moved up and down his calf and he had to admit it felt better than just suffering through it.

It felt good enough that he began to notice the position she was in.

Could he be any more humiliated?

Grabbing the blanket he'd been laying upon, he wrapped it around his hips. "I think I'm okay, Andy. Thank you."

She looked up at him, her golden eyes full of worry. Giving her a hand, he pulled her to her feet, but she didn't step away. Instead she took a step forward, planting her feet outside of his own, and wrapped her arms around him.

Parker had dreamt about having Andromeda in his arms almost constantly since he'd gotten the call a few days ago. But his dreams didn't compare to how she actually felt. She buried her face into his neck and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, burying his nose into her hair. Thoughts of when they'd been together crowded into his brain. There had been so many good times.

Her hands stroked his back. "I was worried about you."

"Meh, I knew I was good. As long as the bullet goes through you're okay."

She pulled back to give him a frowning look. "So, the other three bullets you've taken have all gone through?"

He laughed, then clutched his side. "Okay, you caught me. No, none of the others did. That was why they knocked me out of the game for so long."

She shook her head at him, then her fingers were running over his jaw. Angling the tips of her fingers she let the nails scrape against his whiskers, something they'd both loved years ago.

Parker didn't know what to do. She felt so good in his arms, but there was no sense in encouraging anything. He had a life in Colorado, now, and she was very firmly ensconced in Columbus. She had a solid career path and he would never interfere with that.

She seemed to realize how dangerous she was being, because she stepped back. Parker let the rest of his weight settle onto his right leg, needing the pain to bring him back to reality. It did exactly that. Clenching his teeth, he snugged the blanket around his hips. "Thank you for saving me from your friend."

Andy grinned, her broad smile almost blinding to him. "You're welcome. It was a near thing. Luckily she's more inclined to save lives than take them."

"For now," an alto voice agreed. "Cross me and I'll give you another scar, and I'll make sure it doesn't go through."

Parker grinned, liking the matter-of-fact woman a lot. She was short and petite, but strong willed. She reached out and took his hand in her own.

"Why don't you sit down before you fall down? Rosalind White."

"Parker Quinn," he told her, settling into the chair she pulled out for him.

"Andromeda, why don't you get Mr. Quinn a bottle of water?"

Andy moved to do as the older woman suggested. Parker was impressed. He took the water bottle she handed him, only realizing then how thirsty he was. With a few heavy swallows he drank the bottle down.

"I wouldn't drink any more than that," Roz cautioned.

Yeah, he thought that too.

"Where are we?" he asked, looking out the window, then back to Andy.

"West Virginia."

His brows shot up in surprise, but she didn't flinch.

"That's a long way from Columbus."

Andy shrugged.

"Not really. A few hours. It's no big deal."

"Are you confident we weren't followed?"

She shrugged her narrow shoulders. "As confident as Mac and I can be."

Well, that was as much as they could hope for, he supposed.

"I told Mike I would email him when we got settled."

Parker nodded. That made sense.

Rosalind moved to the fridge and peered into the freezer. She rummaged around for a moment before pulling out a blue bag. "I'll have some dinner made within the next hour."

"I can help."

Parker watched the two women together. It was obvious they were very good friends because they talked about subject after subject without pause, all the while getting a delicious smelling dinner together. Parker's stomach growled. It had been a day since he'd eaten anything, and he was really feeling the lack.

The medical equipment was cleared away and Roz took him off the IV. "As long as you keep drinking and taking in nutrients I think you'll be fine."

Andy set a tall glass of water in front of him and he gave her a smile. She turned away quickly.

A half hour later when she set the plate of food in front of him, he grabbed her hand before she could pull away. Her eyes flicked to his. "Are you doing okay?"

She nodded and pulled her fingers from his. "I'm going to go see where Mac is."

Parker didn't say anything, just watched her go through the front door and out onto the porch. As soon as she closed the door behind herself he was pushing up out of the chair.

"Hey, now," Roz started, but he waved her away.

"I'm good. Going to go take a piss."

She gave him a narrow-eyed look then nodded her chin out the window. "There's a reading area about a hundred and fifty yards to the west. That's probably where they'll be." She pointed a finger at him. "Don't make me have to carry your ass. Stay on the trail.”

Parker gave her a grin and a wink, then followed Andy.

Walking wasn't too bad. There had been pain when he'd pushed up from the table but it was manageable. He probably still had some pain killer running through his veins. When it ran out in a few hours, he might be singing a different song though.

There was a well-worn path to the right, through the side yard and into the woods. Before he followed the obvious trail he did a little reconnoitering. The cabin sat in the middle of a clearing. Trees of all kinds surrounded the property, all losing their leaves. The fading colors were beautiful, though. Vibrant and startling against the fading light in the sky.

There was a small outbuilding with a portable generator inside, as well as a huge tank to fuel it. Parker glanced at the fuel gage. Roz was a smart woman. She could be trapped up here for weeks and with this much fuel it didn't matter. She'd be fine.

Circling the house, he looked for weaknesses, but there weren't many. Roz had a sturdy little escape here. Andy had said she'd been a client before they'd been friends and he had to wonder what kind of client.

Parker paused at the vehicles to look down the rutted track of a driveway. Your average passenger car would not make it up that. Hell, he bet even the four-wheel drives struggled. Leaning back against the car for a moment, he drew in a few deep breaths. It felt good to be outside. Reaching into Andromeda's car he found the bag he'd grabbed early this morning from his truck. There was a lot of blood inside the car. When he felt better he needed to get out here and clean it up.

Setting the bag on the hood of her car he pulled out a spare pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Bending over was out so he had to finagle the jeans carefully before pulling them up his hips. The shirt was easier, but he was still out of breath by the time he was done. Removing his spare weapon, he slipped it into the back waistband of his pants. He'd have to ask Andy what she'd done with his other gun.

He started down the path Roz had directed him to. He was a hundred feet in when he met Mac on the path. The other man seemed surprised to see him on his feet. Parker gave him a smile. "I'm hard to keep down."

Mac grinned at him and held out his hand. "It's good, though. I was worried you were done for."

"Nah. You know as well as I do when you have a mission, you take a licking and keep on ticking."

Mac gave him an ironic nod. "Isn't that the truth?"

"Roz has some dinner ready if you're interested."

Mac smiled slightly. "That's what Andromeda said." He made a motion down the path. "She asked for some privacy."

Parker looked down the path, wondering if that request applied to him. "You don't know where my gun went, do you?"

Without a word, Mac reached behind his back and pulled out Parker's HK, handing it over. Parker looked at it in surprise, then up at Mac. The older man shrugged uncomfortably. "Seemed prudent to stay armed. I cleaned it for you, but you only have one mag. Must have reloaded in the park and dropped your empty."

Parker nodded. "I did," he said slowly. "I have more mags in my bag. Thank you."

Without a word, Mac tipped his hat and turned toward the cabin.

"Hey, Mac."

The other man turned to look at him and Parker held out his backup weapon. "If you're comfortable..."

Mac looked at the gun for a long time and Parker wondered how long ago he'd gotten out of the service. Maybe it wasn't old hat anymore and he didn't want the responsibility.

Mac took the weapon with a heavy sigh and checked it, then slipped it into a hidden spot. Touching his fingers to the brim of his hat, he turned for the cabin.

Parker stared after him thoughtfully. Andy had said that he was a former Green Beret. Guess that old training had kicked in.

The path away from the cabin was easy to follow. It was obvious it had been used well over the years. He misstepped on a stone and cranked his left ankle, his weak one. That pain radiated up into his gut and he had to pause for a moment to catch his breath. He used to run on shit worse than this barefoot, but at thirty-five, and today especially, he felt like an old man.

He looked around, but the trees seemed to stretch a long ways. The trail curved down and to the right and there was a huge truck-sized boulder at the side of the trail he couldn't see around. His energy was beginning to wane and he felt like a pussy, tiring out so easily.

Then he heard her. All of his own worries disappeared as he caught the sound of her sobbing. Rounding the boulder, his gaze roved the small stream he'd found. There, over a small bridge was a beautiful little gazebo. He had to stare for a moment because he couldn't believe it was here. But it wasn't just a gazebo. There were panels on the sides that appeared to be for blocking out the weather. They were all up and open right now, like weird petals of a flower.

Parker was used to seeing benches inside a gazebo but this one was different. There were benches on one side, but on the other were two divan, couch things. Like fainting couches. There was a desk along the backside and solar powered fairy lights hung from the rafters. This was probably a pretty cool place at night. There was an empty fire ring at the edge of the stream, directly in sight of the couches.

Andy sat curled up on one of the long benches, arms around her drawn-up knees as she wept. She didn't startle when he reached out to stroke her back, just turned into his arms. Parker hesitated for only a moment, wishing he could be a better man for her.

* * *

Andromeda knew he would come. He should have been flat on his back after being shot, but Parker Quinn didn't roll like that. He never had. He would overcome any obstacle put in front of him, sometimes at the expense of himself and others. It was one of the things she admired most about him. It was also what she hated the most.

But as his strong arms wrapped around her back and his fingers grazed her cheeks, she forgot about all their old baggage. Parker had one of the most incredible hugs, warm and solid. Exactly what a woman emotionally well beyond her breaking point needed.

He didn't ask her what was wrong or how he could fix it, he just held her. The position had to be a little awkward for him, but he didn't say a word.

Andromeda knew she needed to get a hold of herself, but she'd just been so wrung out. It had been a traumatic day for her. Between the attack first thing this morning, and the shooting and the drive to West Virginia, she was at her wits’ end. And this was the perfect place to let down her guard, where no one could see the professional, controlled Andromeda Pierce lose her shit.

Eventually, she reached the end of her tears and she pulled back to look up into Parker's face. He grinned down at her a little sleepily. "Better?"

She nodded, wiping beneath her eyes for the last time. "I'm good. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong."

She pulled away and straightened on the side of the bench. Parker straightened as well, stroking a hand down her back. "We all have a breaking point, Andy. You had a monster day today. No one will say a word. Including me. It's all good."

She cleared her throat. "Thank you, Parker."

"If they ask questions," he said, taking her hand in his own, "you can tell them we were having sex."

Andromeda burst into startled laughter even as a flush of warmth rolled through her. "What?"

"You heard me."

She blinked into his grinning face and for a fleeting moment, thought about taking him up on his suggestion. Then she snatched her hand away. "You are so bad! Just like you used to be."

"Well, we had a lot of good sex back then. It ruled my life for a while."

Yeah, it had ruled hers too.

"Still, we can't do that. You were shot just hours ago."

Parker gave her a look. "Believe me, if you told me I could have you on this bench right this second, I would be man enough for the job."

Laughing, Andromeda shook her head, feeling tickled and a little flushed. "You are incorrigible."

That had been one of the things that had drawn her to Parker years ago, that playful irreverence. It was exactly opposite of her practical nature. But she was smart enough to know that that playfulness had been what had drawn her to him. Her life was planned down to the minute and the goal and the milestone. He made her forget all that. For two weeks they'd spent every spare minute together. It was the best time she'd ever had.

That had been a long time ago, though. Years. And her life hadn't changed so much. She was still goal driven and determined to live a certain way.

The lines on Parker's face and the way he moved told her that Parker had seen hard times, so she was glad he could still play around.

"Maybe we should head back to the cabin."

He sighed, looking out at the stream. "Mind if we sit here a bit? It's peaceful."

Oh, yeah. He had just been shot.

"That's fine."

They sat for several long minutes not saying anything and it was actually nice.

"How long have you known Roz? She seems like a firecracker."

Andromeda laughed. "Oh, she is, believe me. But she's my best friend."

"When did you meet her? I don't remember you talking about a Roz."

"Mm. I just met her a few years ago. I prosecuted her case. She'd been horribly attacked while on duty at a hospital. She filed against the hospital because they were criminally liable for not having a place to house patients deemed mentally unstable in the ER. They actually had plans for a space, had promised it to the ER several times, but they'd pushed it off for a couple of years because the administrators thought they needed pay raises more. She walked into my office with all of the paperwork in hand and they came back with a settlement a week after I filed charges against them. They knew they were in the wrong and had been caught with their pants down."

"Damn. She sounds like a powerhouse."

Andromeda grinned. "She is. We clicked immediately because even though she portrays herself one way, she has the heart of a gummy bear. It took her a long time to recover after the attack. She stayed with me for a while because of the security at my condo. We drank a lot of wine together and commiserated on things we could and couldn't change. Part of her settlement was that the hospital had to get that protective space done within three months. And they did. It was down to the minute, but they got it done."

"But she doesn't work there now?"

Andromeda shook her head, her heart aching for her friend. "She couldn't go back to work there. She tried, but there were too many bad memories. The guy, well, he hurt her bad and even as strong as she is, her PTSD made it so she just couldn't handle it. After the settlement she resigned to take care of her son, but last year he headed off to college. I think she's been picking up a few hours here and there at some of the local clinics to keep her certifications up to date, but she doesn't need the job."

"Sounds like she needs a purpose."

"Yes," she sighed. "I try to come down as much as I can. But I have a lot on my plate right now. I'm in line for a promotion. If I can tie this al Fareq case up, it would go a long way to cementing my career path."

She turned to him on the bench, the light fading through the trees around them. "And what about you? I never heard anything out of you after you left." She tried to keep her words light, but they may have come out sounding a little accusatory.

"I went back to my SEAL team. We shot up a lot of shit and saved a bunch of people."

She frowned when he stopped because she knew there was more, but he was being difficult about this. In essence he was reminding her exactly what she hadn't missed about him. "Well, okay then. Guess we should be getting back to the cabin."

Andromeda moved to push up off the bench, but Parker stopped her with a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry, Andy. I'm not..."

She waved a hand. "No worries. I'm good. I appreciate the reminder."

He frowned. "What reminder?"

"That you won't be around very long."

Andromeda stepped down out of the gazebo, her gaze running up the bubbling stream. Her heart had been wrong when she'd heard that he was no longer a SEAL. For one tiny moment in time she'd thought maybe there was a chance for something between them.

Which was crazy. He'd been back in her life exactly twelve hours.

Parker Quinn would just have to continue being the one that got away.