Intensive Care Crisis. Karen Kirst

      Chest heaving, she started to sit up.

      “Whoa, steady.” He moved to assist her, retracting his hand when she hissed in pain. “What’s wrong with your shoulder?”

      Easing to a sitting position, she rested her head against the wall and balanced herself with both palms on the floor. “I got in the way of a barbell.”

      Julian shifted closer and lifted her sleeve. The flesh was a mass of dark purple. Concealing a burst of anger, he said evenly, “You’ll need to get that examined.”

      She gingerly rotated her shoulder and raised her arm up and down. “Doesn’t feel broken.”

      “Still, I’m calling for an ambulance.” He took out his cell.

      “No.” Her fingers closed over his wrist. “I’m not going to the hospital.”

      The entreaty in her eyes was at odds with the militant angle of her chin.

      “After what you’ve endured, you need to be evaluated by a physician. At the very least, you’ll need X-rays of that arm and shoulder.”

      Her fingertips pressed into his pulse point. “This is personal, Julian. I want to decide who knows and who doesn’t. If I go there for treatment, every employee will be talking about it.”

      A shiver ripped through her, and he noticed how cold her fingers were. Tucking away his cell, he covered her fingers with his hand and tried to warm them.

      “I can take you to Wilmington.”

      “I’m fine.” She studied his face and sighed. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll call Lincoln. He’s a surgeon and good friend.”

      Julian refused to give voice to curiosity. Whether or not she had a boyfriend was none of his business. “Call him.”

      “I’ll ask him to come to my apartment.”

      “Make it my apartment.”

      The protest brewing on her lips died a quick death. “I can’t stay in mine, can I?”

      “Not anytime soon. You’re welcome to my guest bedroom as long as you need it.”

      Her mouth twisted. “That would mean dragging you deeper into this. Putting you in harm’s way. I’ll go to a hotel—”

      “I’m already in this with you.” The thought of Audrey facing these monsters alone was untenable. “I’ve thwarted the enemy’s plans. I’ve wounded two of their own. My name’s on the hit list along with yours.”

      “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “You did that for me.”

      “I’d do it again if it meant saving you.”