A Stallion's Touch Read online

  Tarah had taken a deep breath, her expression shifting into business mode. Her tone had been controlled and even. “Let me give you my doctor spiel,” she said.

  His mouth had turned into a deep frown as he listened.

  “You suffered an injury to your spinal cord. Your upper body is unaffected. You should have good trunk and abdominal muscle control. It helps that you were in great physical condition.”

  “I heard one of the doctors say it’s paraplegia? That means I’m going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life, right?”

  “Technically, what you have is a lumbar and sacral injury to your lower spinal nerves called cauda equina syndrome. That means you’ll have decreased control of your hip flexors and legs. You may never walk or feel anything below your belly button again. That’s correct.”

  “So is there a chance that I may feel something?”

  “I can’t say with any certainty. I’m just hoping you’ll prove us all wrong. But that’s going to require a lot of effort on your part. Most of your recovery will occur in the next six months. And as soon as we feel you’re stable enough, we’ll start rehabilitation.”

  “What good is that going to do?”

  “The goal of rehab is to help prepare you for life after you leave the facility so that you can be as independent as possible.”

  He had pondered her comment for a moment, and then he’d turned his head away, sinking deep into a depression like he’d never known before. Angry at the world, Nicholas had taken his frustration out on Tarah. He’d been curt and distant, his sullen behavior bad at best. He’d found her bubbly personality off-putting because he couldn’t see anything to be happy about. He brooded while she cheered. He was gloomy and she was the polar opposite. And although she hadn’t been happy with him either, not once did she ever let it show.

  Tarah had not concerned herself with his bad mood and even worse behavior. Pushing him to take control of his recovery became her mission as she interjected herself into his life on a daily basis, determined to support him. And then her antics had started.

  Once they’d gotten him up and seated in a wheelchair, he had refused to cooperate, opting instead to stare out the window, wishing the hours away. Tarah had turned up every day right after lunch, cheerful and enthusiastic as she’d hijacked him and his wheelchair, taking him around the hospital campus and outside to get some fresh air. Her attentions had been steadfast and deliberate. Each and every time she’d drone on and on about her studies, her patients and what she loved about Arizona, starting with the heat. But despite everyone’s efforts, Nicholas had been like ice, hard and cold.

  Nathaniel had been there day in and day out, talking to him, motivating him, cheering him on and feeling immense guilt as if the accident had been his fault. Years earlier he’d prophesized something like this happening. It had been right around the time their brother Noah had reconnected with his high school honey. Catherine had fallen head over heels for the oldest Stallion’s magic and was now his wife. Back then Nathaniel had advised him to retire and move on to something else before he wasn’t able to move on to anything. Nicholas hadn’t listened. At the time, too many unfulfilled dreams lingered in his head and heart.

  Suddenly thinking about all his family made Nicholas smile, the first bend to his lips that had come since before his accident. The expression actually felt good, the muscles in his face feeling right again. Thinking back to his big brother, Nicholas had never fathomed any woman being able to get under his skin the way Catherine had gotten under Noah’s.

  He also hadn’t believed that anything could have knocked him out of the game, changing the direction of his life. But he’d been wrong. Because he would probably never walk again. It had been a good run, and despite the hand now dealt to him, there wasn’t much he could complain about.

  He tried to sit upright. The effort required to drag his legs and pull his torso forward was exhausting. Tarah’s warm voice suddenly sounded from the other side of the room.

  “Why don’t you use the buttons on the side of the bed to your left? You know you can incline your back and sit up that way, right?” she said as she moved to his side, leaning on the rail to stare down at him. “Would you like some help?”

  Nicholas shook his head. “Hey there,” he said, his voice low and slightly pained.

  She smiled. “Hey, yourself. You really should take your time trying to talk. Your throat will be sore for a while from when we removed your ventilator.”

  He nodded, mindful of the emergency procedure that had been necessary to help him breathe. “Are you going to give me a hand so I can sit up or what?”

  “Finally tired of lying around pretending to be out of it?”

  “Who said I was pretending?”

  Tarah tossed him a look. “It’s your lie. Tell it any way you want to tell it.” She engaged the bed’s remote and slowly lifted the back of it until his head was inclined upward. “And for the record, I’m really pissed off that you wouldn’t talk to me before now. Playing sleep every time I came into the room was not cool. I’m just going to put that out here. I deserved better than that from you, Nicholas Stallion. You’ve been rude and nasty and haven’t made any effort to excuse yourself for your behavior. But now I’m saying something. You really are not a nice guy!”

  He took a deep breath as he reached out and grabbed the side rails with both hands. “Yeah, about that. I had a lot going on.” He met the cool stare she was giving him, and his expression tinged with embarrassment. He couldn’t admit that being in his head had gotten the best of him. It was a level of depression he had never experienced before, and he hadn’t wanted Tarah to see him like that. He also hadn’t trusted what might have slipped out of his mouth. So he hadn’t really spoken to anyone, not even his twin, despite everyone’s efforts to engage him. And now he was ready to move on, to be done with the pity party he’d gotten lost in. He knew his attitude would have a major impact on what his future held for him.

  “You’re really lucky I like you!” Tarah said while rolling her eyes. “But I’m not giving you any more passes.”

  “And I don’t expect you to. You’ve already done too much for me. I owe you!”

  “Darn right you do! And I plan to collect. Trust that!” She winked at him.

  Nicholas’s eyes widened slightly. “I know this sounds stupid, but damn!” he exclaimed. “I really can’t feel my legs!”

  Tarah reached out and squeezed his hand. Her touch was warm and gentle, and Nicholas felt his breath catch deep in his chest. The look on her face was soothing. “It’s going to take some time for you to adjust. You have a long road of rehabilitation ahead of you. But I’ll be right here with you.”

  “You’ve got me, right? Isn’t that what you said?”

  “So you did hear me!”

  He nodded. “I’ve heard everything everyone said. Everything you said, I trusted.”

  From the moment he was lifted off that plane, Tarah had been right there with him. Every free moment she had was spent by his side, watching him sleep, watching him struggle, even catching him cry a time or two. She hadn’t pushed or intruded on any of those moments when he’d needed to be left alone. His brothers had pushed. His sisters had intruded. Tarah had just allowed him to be, her presence comforting and easy like an expensive cigar and an aged scotch.

  He knew that she had her studies and her patients and her spare time was minimal, but she’d given him each and every second of that spare time, not once hesitating or doubting her decisions. Even when he’d been at his worst, spewing venom, everything about his presence ugly, Tarah had overlooked his bad behavior and evil temper. She had been a rock when he’d been at his weakest, and he trusted that whatever trials lay ahead for him, Tarah would have him. She would catch him if he happened to fall.

  The two exchanged a look, and in that moment a spark of underst
anding seemed to flicker between them. It was significant, and both settled easily into the comfort of it. They were friends, and the bond of that alliance was like steel embedded in concrete.

  “I’m sorry,” Nicholas said. “I was horrible to you, and I couldn’t blame you if you wanted nothing to do with me.”

  “I don’t turn on people I care about,” she said, finally shifting her gaze from his. “I understand you were going through some things. You just remember this moment, though, if the tables are ever turned and I start acting like a witch. You’ll owe me a pass. Maybe even two.”

  Nathaniel stepped into the room, interrupting the moment. Dr. Harper followed on his heels, the two men in deep discussion. Both came to an abrupt stop at the sight of Nicholas actually sitting up slightly.

  “What’s going on?” Dr. Harper questioned, looking from one to the other. He moved swiftly to Nicholas’s side, his stethoscope raised to check his patient’s pulse and heart rate.

  Nicholas chuckled, amusement dancing over his face. “Dr. Boudreaux was giving me an update on my condition. It’s the first time the drugs haven’t had me woozy, and I had some questions.”

  Dr. Harper shot her a look. “You should have had me paged,” he said matter-of-factly.

  Tarah took a deep breath. “I’ve been here only for a moment, sir. And since I’m not officially on duty, I took that moment to have a private conversation with my boyfriend.”

  Dr. Harper bristled. His gaze swept from her to Nicholas and back. “Mr. Stallion is the boyfriend you spoke of. The one you said was coming to town?”

  Tarah nodded as she gestured from one to the other. “Yes. Dr. Thaddeus Harper, Nicholas Stallion. Nicholas, this is Dr. Harper.”

  Nicholas laughed. “Neither of us anticipated me coming in with so much fanfare,” he said. “I’m sure these weren’t the circumstances any of us imagined meeting under.”

  Dr. Harper nodded, pretending to be occupied by his stethoscope. “Take a deep breath for me, please,” he commanded.

  Nathaniel’s eyes shifted from his brother to Tarah. The hilarity of the moment had him fighting not to laugh out loud. He crossed his arms tightly over his broad chest. He and Tarah exchanged a look as Dr. Harper went into his own dissertation about Nicholas’s condition, reiterating everything Tarah had said to him.

  “Do you have any questions?” Dr. Harper asked.

  Nicholas hesitated for a quick minute. “Yeah.” he said finally. “How soon can I start rehab?”

  * * *

  “How long have you and Tarah been an item?” Nathaniel questioned, amusement dancing in his eyes. He dropped down onto the chair that Tarah had vacated just minutes earlier.

  Nicholas shrugged. “We’re not an item. We’re just...well...” He shrugged again.

  “She said you were her boyfriend.”

  “Dr. Harper’s been sweatin’ her for a while now. I’m a good cover. That’s all it is.”

  “Cover, my ass! I see how you two look at each other!”

  Nicholas shook his head. There was a moment of pause as he stared at Nathaniel. “It really doesn’t matter anymore,” he said, his voice low. “I would never want to put this on her.”

  “Put what on her?”

  “All of this,” he said as he gestured with his hand, his fingers fanning the length of his legs. “What kind of man can I be in a wheelchair? She deserves better. Tarah deserves a whole man, not one who comes with pieces that barely work if they even work at all.”

  Nathaniel narrowed his gaze. “What she deserves is a man who is going to love and respect her. Clearly, if she were concerned about your pieces working, she would let you know. I’ve gotten the impression that Tarah has never been shy about speaking her mind.”

  Nicholas cut an eye at his brother. “I don’t know...” His voice trailed off as his mind shifted into thought.

  “What do you mean, you don’t know?” Nathaniel questioned, eyeing him intently.

  The brothers exchanged a look. Nicholas took a deep breath and held it for a moment before blowing it slowly past his lips. “Before my accident, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. I really like Tarah, and I wanted to see where we could take our relationship. But now...well... I feel like that window of opportunity has come and gone. It is what it is.”

  “What it is, is you feeling sorry for yourself. Tarah cares about you. She liked you before you hurt yourself, and she still likes you now. Don’t count her out until she tells you she wants to be counted out. You need to talk to her.”

  Nicholas shook his head. “I appreciate the advice, but...”

  “But nothing. Take the advice. Please. Do us both a favor and just have a conversation with her. Ask her how she feels and then decide.”

  For the next few minutes Nicholas and his brother eyed each other. Their conversation was telepathic, something to do with their twindom as they both argued their individual opinions with their eyes. Then Nicholas closed his, the gesture a sign of his acquiescing.

  As Nathaniel stood up to leave, Nicholas called after his brother.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m scared,” Nicholas said, hot tears misting behind his eyelids. “I’m really scared, bro.”

  Nathaniel stood staring at him. “I know. I am, too.”

  Nicholas nodded his head, and then he closed his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep.

  * * *

  Dana Harding grabbed Tarah’s hand and pulled her toward the women’s restroom.

  “What’s the matter...?” Tarah started as she followed behind her new friend.

  The two women had become close, bonding over their dislike of the hospital’s head surgeon. Both were the youngest female children from large families. Both loved what they did in the medical profession. Neither liked shopping unless it was from behind a computer screen. Both had a reputation for being impulsive and spoiled, and the two were intent on proving their loved ones wrong. After taking all that into consideration, they were polar opposites. Dana loved hardcore rock and roll, and Tarah preferred country. Fast friends, they were having a great time bonding over their differences.

  Dana shot a look over her shoulder. It was only after the door was closed and locked behind them and she was certain no one else occupied any of the other stalls that she spoke. “Dr. Harper! He’s what’s wrong!”

  Tarah leaned her narrow hips against the sink. She groaned. “What now?”

  “That man has it bad for you. He just figured out Nicholas Stallion is your boyfriend?”

  “Technically, it’s what I just told him. Why? Did he say something?”

  “He hasn’t stopped talking about it! He’s said something to anyone who will take the time to listen to him. He’s taking bets on how long you two stay together now that Mr. Stallion can’t play football anymore.”

  “Please tell me he’s just joking.”

  “Does it matter?”

  “I swear that man is trying my patience. He really wants me to slug him!”

  Dana laughed. “Don’t hit him. We need great doctors like you around here. If you hit him, they’ll make you leave, and he’ll still be here making the rest of us miserable. Besides, I wouldn’t want you to risk bruising your hand!”

  Tarah took a deep breath and slowly shook her head. “He’s just making it really hard. I don’t know why he can’t just accept he’s been rejected and get over himself.”

  “Some men are like that. Dr. Harper has always gotten everything he’s ever wanted. Except you. His fragile ego is seriously bruised.”

  “Well, I’ve got ninety-nine other problems to deal with right now, and his hurt feelings aren’t among them.”

  Dana nodded. “How’s Nicholas doing?”

  Tarah shrugged. “He’s hanging in there.”

  “For the recor
d, I’m betting on the two of you making it.”

  Tarah smiled. “I appreciate the confidence, but we’re just good friends! There is nothing going on between us.”

  “Who are you trying to convince, me or you?”

  “I’m serious. He’s a great guy, but we don’t know each other like that. Not really.”

  “Not yet. But you want to. I can see it on your face every time you talk about him.”

  Tarah snickered “You know better than anyone that I don’t have the time to give to any man or relationship.”

  “Okay, if you say so!” A wide grin filled Dana’s face.

  Tarah shook her head. “I’m saying so.”

  “When are you on duty again?” Dana asked, changing the subject.

  “I’m off for the next two days, but I’ll be here early tomorrow to see the Barton twins head home. After that I’ll be with Nicholas.”

  Dana laughed, and Tarah gave her a look. Dana held up her hands. “I didn’t say anything!”

  Tarah laughed with her. “But you were thinking it!”

  Dana shrugged. “I’ll find you for lunch tomorrow. We can run and get something from that little Mexican place if you have some time.”

  Tarah grimaced. “Let’s do Chinese. And you can tell me about your date with the doctor from Cardiology.”

  Dana laughed. “Sounds like we’ll be eating in the cafeteria again, because there’s not much to tell!”

  Exiting the restroom, the two women exchanged a quick hug and headed off in opposite directions. Tarah moved to the elevators, waiting patiently for the conveyor to stop on that floor. Her thoughts drifted to Dr. Harper’s audacity to think it was okay to bet against her and Nicholas and what they shared when he didn’t begin to have a clue. The man was blatantly disrespectful, and the next time they crossed paths, she would have no problem telling him so.

  And then she thought about Nicholas. He wasn’t her boyfriend, at least not officially. They had yet to have a serious conversation about what was going on between them. But there was no denying the bond they shared. There was something special between them, something neither understood nor could explain if they had to. But it was comfortable and easy, and they were both more than okay with it. Tarah reasoned that if it blossomed into something more, then perhaps it was meant to be, God having a hand in where destiny might take them.