SHIFT EXCHANGE

CHAPTER 28

Kara sat quietly with her legs curled beneath her as she watched the man sleeping on her couch. He was adorable, sexy, and a pathetic mess all at once. Her heart swelled at the knowledge that of all the things he was, the fact that her was her man, was the most important.

The orderly had helped get Jake situated in her car by sliding the seat as far back as it would go and extending the back rest down until it was almost flat. She'd simply stood back and watched as they'd carefully moved him from the wheelchair to a position on his side in the seat.

Jake stayed in the car, floating on the affects of the morphine shot that had been Dr. Richmond's parting gift while she'd gone into the Walgreens to fill his prescriptions. Once they'd gotten home, without the benefit of the orderly or wheelchair it was another awkward affair of balancing and shuffling to get him extricated, up the stairs and to the couch.  

Exhausted, he'd sought a comfortable position on the large soft couch while Kara shuffled to and from the car a couple more times to make sure his things were secured inside. Finally, she'd found herself curled into a tired ball in an armchair as she watched his slumber.

He'd ended up on his stomach, his wool sock clad feet hanging off the edge and his arms curled up beneath his body. She mused that he'd be waking up without the use of his arms or his leg in a few hours. His dark head was snuggled into one of her throw pillows. Those brooding features that intimidated criminals and drove Kara wild were softened and peaceful.

Sadly, there wasn't enough room on the couch for her, no matter how much she wanted to hold him close after they night they'd just survived. Shuffling him up the stairs was out of the question as well. For the next few days the couch was likely to be his home base. They couldn't risk him pulling his stitches.

Luckily, she didn't have any guests scheduled and it would be easy enough to call in sick for the last day of this rotation. She never called in sick and gossip was bound to ensue. She didn't care. It was all going to be out soon enough.

With a tired sigh she hauled herself from the soft depths of the chair. She draped her favorite dark blue afghan over Jakes slumbering form before stoking the fire as quietly as she could and retreating to the kitchen to quietly call in for her shift.

A few minutes later she stood in the doorway debating whether it would be best to make herself comfortable in the armchair to be near Jake if he needed something, or if it were safe enough for her to retreat upstairs for a shower and soft pajamas.

His soft snores seemed to give her permission. On the balls of her feet, she bound up the stairs and into her bathroom. 

Kara turned on the hot water and stripped out of her clothes. She leaned naked against the porcelain pedestal sink and examined her face in the round mirror as she waited for the correct temperature to be achieved. Dark circles had taken residence under her eyes. She was surprised she hadn't sprouted deep wrinkles between her eyes from the amount of worry she'd survived between the moments when the collapse had been announced and Jake's voice had sounded on the radio.

Her heart had simply stopped as she'd waited, breath held for evidence that he was unharmed. Hearing his voice had assured her he was alive and she'd begun to breathe again. The knowledge, right on its heels, that he was injured kept the stress endorphins flowing.

As soon as her relief had walked through the door she was ready to leave. It had taken half an hour to fully brief the incoming supervisor on all that had occurred and what was still unfolding.

She'd also made a point of checking in with each member of her team before letting them head home. It was important to her they know that they were not alone in processing the events they'd shared and that she was there for them.