Julian sat quietly and watched his sleeping patient. She looked so young, peaceful, and innocent. Definitely nothing like the beast he'd seen in action that afternoon. Julian wondered how old she was. Probably not a day over twenty-five, he was sure. Despite the woman's lean, athletic stature, complete with abs that looked so tight one could probably bounce a quarter off them, she had the face of a girl. A sweet girl if she wasn't scowling. And that tattoo... The word 'Survival' had been nicely tattooed on his patient's right breast, just above the curve of her heart.
Julian wasn't surprised at the choice. The work that Ty and his team did was apparently very risky. From the little he'd heard about what they did, their job was virtually a 'kill or be killed' kind of job. His patient obviously had that tattoo to remind herself to survive at all times. Julian smiled. At least she'd survived her most recent gunshot just as she'd survived the one in her thigh, Julian thought with a chuckle. He'd noticed the scar on the soldier's thigh when he stripped her to operate on her. Survival summed it all up perfectly.
Julian stood to check his patient's vitals and then went back to his seat. She was a strong woman, so Julian was optimistic that she was going to heal just fine. He hoped the stubborn woman would take it easy for at least a month, though. The surgery to take out the bullet and patch Brianna up had lasted for about an hour and a half because of the delicate place the bullet was and the fact that Julian had no help. The bullet had lodged itself right beside Brianna's pubic area. About forty-five minutes after the surgery, Brianna had woken up and groggily commented on how blue Julian's eyes were.
"Do you like them?" Julian had laughingly asked Brianna, knowing that she was unlikely to remember anything.
Brianna had stared up at him for a while and then said faintly, "It's stunning." Then she'd closed her eyes and added in a whisper, "Almost as if I'm flying in an endless sky." She'd trailed off and gone back to sleep, leaving Julian chuckling with amusement.
And she'd been sleeping for the past five hours. Julian had taken a shower, eaten, and spoken to Ty and Dean. He'd, however, not said anything about his patient to his brother, knowing that his house would have been filled with his siblings by then had he said anything to Dean.
The Broody family was a close-knit one. They were involved in each other's lives, were aware of small and large events in each other's lives, and were very supportive of each other in times of trouble. Like any siblings, Julian and his brothers fought and disagreed about everything, but they loved and cared about each other a lot. His brothers would have come to help him take care of Brianna if he'd said anything to any of them.
But Julian wanted to keep them out of his current situation as much as he possibly could. He definitely didn't want to risk their lives too. Julian's thoughts were interrupted by a groan from Brianna. He stood and quickly moved to her side. It was about time, he thought.
Brianna blinked at the bright light and wondered which idiot had left the light on. It took her a while to realize she was in a hospital. What the fuck had happened to her, she wondered, feeling a little disoriented. When she attempted to sit up, she felt pain in her groin and groaned. And that was when she noticed…
"Dean?" Brianna frowned.
"Julian. How're you feeling?" Julian asked as he quickly checked Brianna's vitals.
"Fuck, I got shot," Brianna groaned, remembering what had happened. "Thanks to you." She snatched her hand from Julian's and attempted to move off the bed, but Julian held her down.
"Don't make me cuff you to this bed, Bree," Julian growled.
"Jackson," Brianna automatically corrected. "And cuffs? Are you a cop now?"
"I don't need to be a cop to own cuffs," Julian drawled.
"Since when did doctors start using..."
"Sure you really wanna know why I need and use cuffs?" Julian's suggestive tone drew a snort from Brianna. "I took the bullet out and patched you up. If you don't relax, your stitches will open. And I'd have to do it all over again. Is that what you want?"
"I have work to do," Brianna groaned.
"You've done enough," Julian retorted. "Why don't you allow your team to handle the rest? Isn't that what the army is all about? Teamwork?"
"Wait till you meet the degenerates in there," Brianna rasped. "I have to..."
"Don't you trust Ty too?" Julian raised an eyebrow.
"What? Of course, I trust Ty. I'd trust him with my life."
"Then allow him to continue what you've started. Because right now, you need to heal."
"How long is that going to take?"
Julian shrugged. "A month... two... does it matter how long it takes? You just need to heal before you go back to what you do."
"How bad is it?" Brianna asked quietly.
Julian stared down at the woman whose eyes were shut at that very moment, obviously bracing herself for bad news.
"It's not bad."
"Julian..." Brianna's tone implied she didn't believe him.
"The main risk from a bullet wound... things like a severed artery or major vein, laceration of muscles, shattering of bone which could cause complications with bone fragments and so on... is absent in your case." Julian took a deep breath as all that he'd said was done without taking a breath at all. "So that's good."
"But..." Brianna croaked.
Julian turned to look at the wardrobe that held Brianna's weapons. At least the soldier couldn't get to her guns. He took a deep breath and then spoke.
"Well, if you don't give the wound the needed time to heal, an infection may set in. And that has a risk of major long-term problems. It might damage the nerves and cause problems varying from patches of numbness to partial paralysis of the leg... which I'm sure you'd rather not have." Julian stopped talking and stared down at Brianna.
The silence stretched. If Julian didn't know better, he would have assumed Brianna was sleeping. But the woman looked too tense to be sleeping. Although her eyes were closed, the defeat, vulnerability, and pain on her face couldn't be masked. Julian could imagine the turmoil she was going through. He felt her pain. He suddenly wished he could take away all of Brianna's fears and keep anything negative away from her.
"Have you heard from Ty?" Brianna asked quietly.
"I'm to call him immediately after you wake up," Julian responded simply.
Brianna swallowed hard. "Call him."
Julian adjusted his patient's IV before pulling the burner phone out of his pocket. He dialed Ty's number and gave the phone to Brianna. Then he left the room to give her some privacy.
"Talk to me, Julian," Ty said immediately as he picked up. "How's she doing?"
"I'm alive..." Brianna grunted. "But I feel dead."
"You're in the best of hands," Ty chuckled. "How are you feeling, really? Are you in pain?"
"No pain. Unless I move. Let's talk about what's more important." Brianna's tone became chilled. "I need to see that bastard and his cronies suffer for what they've done, Ty."
"And they will. Trust me..."
"I need to see to it, Ty. Stevens and Morgan lost their lives on my watch..."
"It was not your fault, Jackson," Ty said quietly. He knew how his friend felt.
"But I feel responsible," Brianna insisted. "How would you have felt if you'd lost any of us during a mission?"
"Don't ask," Ty growled, knowing he would have gone ballistic.
"I feel so much anger inside. Did those two have to die? And all because of some greedy bastards? I need to..." She trailed off, a helpless look on her face.
"Jackson, I'm asking you to trust us. Trust me. I'm not going to rest till the culprits are brought to justice." Ty sounded lethal. "You have my word."
"I trust you," Brianna said quietly. And she did. If anyone could bring those dirty people to their knees, it was Ty. "You need to come for the documents I recovered."
"I'll send someone to pick them up," Ty responded. "And Jackson?"
"Uh-huh?"
"You better make sure you do everything Julian advises to enable you to heal well. I need you by my side."
"You got it." Brianna sighed.
"Talk to you later, buddy." Ty hung up, leaving Brianna wishing she could miraculously get healed that very moment.
When Julian came back into the theater after some minutes, Brianna quietly gave him the burner phone and closed her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Julian asked, wishing there was something he could do to make everything better.
"Where's the gun holder you took off my back?"
"It's right here with the others." Julian started towards the wardrobe but stopped and turned to look at Brianna. "Am I safe?"
"I'm not going to shoot you if that's what you're asking."
"Had to know, that's all," he muttered as he retrieved the gun holder.
Brianna took the holder from Julian and opened a compartment that Julian hadn't even noticed was there.
Then she pulled out some documents which she handed over to Julian.
"Ty will send someone to pick these up." She then threw the arm that wasn't connected to the IV across her eyes and remained quiet and unmoving.
Julian placed the holder back and pushed the documents into an empty file lying on the table. "I didn't see any cell phone on you..."
"I left it at home," Brianna responded curtly.
"Okay." Julian could tell that his patient was not only upset, she was pissed too. "Listen, everything will work out just fine," he said reassuringly.
"I just wanted to spare everyone the danger of getting a target on their backs," Brianna said so quietly Julian had to strain to hear her. "I thought I could do this myself since it's a dangerous deal and I may end up losing my life. Better me than someone else seeing as I have no family or loved ones. I have nothing to lose. Now everything is fucked up," she rasped angrily.
"I don't think your team would want to lose you," Julian responded.
Brianna snorted. "You know what I mean. I just wanted to spare everyone. Now I'm only exposing them to danger. I hate that."
"You wanted to take on whoever you're talking about alone. But you should know that two heads are better than one. You have to trust your team to see this through to the desired end. Isn't that how you guys are supposed to... roll?"
"I just hope nothing bad happens to them," Brianna sighed. "Can I stand at least?"
"Hate being on your back, huh?" Julian chuckled. "Give it a day or two Bree."
"Jackson!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what to do to get me to stop calling you that."
"It's Brianna, okay?" she growled. "But don't call me that. No one does. I prefer Jackson."
"But Brianna is such a lovely name," Julian said with mock sincerity. "Why do you hide... wait... Brianna Jackson... Oh my fucking god!" Julian shouted, ignoring Brianna's groan. "B-fucking-J? That's just classic."
"Do you mind? I want to sleep." Brianna cursed herself for telling a crazy person such as Julian her first name. She should have known he would connect the dots. She'd dropped her childhood name, and started using her middle name, Brianna, when she was a teen. It hadn't occurred to her just how silly her initials were till it was too late to change them. Brianna closed her eyes and tried to tune out Julian's laughter.
"I've never been comfortable addressing people by their last names," Julian muttered as he injected some pain meds into Brianna's IV. "Of course, if there's a prefix... What's your rank? Captain? Lieutenant? I'd be more comfortable addressing you by the name Jackson if I can add your rank."
"Call me any name you like, asshole," Brianna muttered.
"Great. Bri it is," Julian grinned. "See? We understand each other. Now, I'll leave you to sleep. See that red button to your right? Press it if you need me."
"Don't hold your breath," Brianna mumbled as she felt herself drifting towards sleep.
And even as the SEAL closed her eyes, she wondered what she would do if, because of her actions, more innocent people lost their lives. She knew she wouldn't be able to live with that on her conscience. Brianna welcomed the obliviousness that sleep promised because she knew that was the only way she could escape the terrifying thoughts that were running through her mind. She prayed for sanity even as sleep overtook consciousness.
"Son-of-a-bitch!" Brianna bellowed when Julian peeled off the dressing on her wound two days after the surgery. "What the fuck is this? Waxing?" She looked pissed.
"Hmmm... sorry, I should have shaved off your pubes before applying..."
"The fuck?" Brianna looked... scandalized.
"Well, everything has to come off or..." Julian smirked as he stared down at Brianna's neatly trimmed hair. "...you're going to feel like you're waxing anytime I change your dressing."
"Fuck the hell off," Brianna snapped.
"Suit yourself." Julian proceeded to dress Brianna's wound. "I like how it's looking," he commented. "I'll give you a quick rubdown. Then I will move you into a proper room. Okay?"
"Whatever," Brianna grumbled.
Ignoring his patient's sour attitude, Julian proceeded to thoroughly wash her clean. When he finished, he dressed Brianna in a comfortable long t-shirt that went as far as her thigh. Julian was just a fraction taller than Brianna and virtually the same size as her, so his long t-shirt worked just fine. Julian then helped Brianna into the wheelchair and wheeled her to what was going to be her room during her stay in his house. When he noticed Brianna glancing around, Julian just knew that instinctively, someone like Brianna would want to know the layout of the place she didn't have any choice but to stay.
"Want me to take you round?" Julian asked dryly.
"If you don't mind."
"I don't." Julian wheeled Brianna first to the kitchen. "It's not like I have anything else to do."
"On leave?"
"No, I'm not on leave. I just have a patient to watch at home so I can't go to work."
"Sorry," Brianna said quietly.
"Don't worry about it. The hospital is mine. I have enough professionals on my payroll to do a good job in my absence. Besides, it's the least I can do for getting you shot."
"Now he accepts he got me shot," Brianna drawled as she took in the splendor of Julian's home. "This house is dope," she muttered. "You must be loaded."
"Just have one hell of an architect as a twin, that's all," Julian chuckled. Admittedly, he was rich. But the credit for his state-of-the-art home went to his brother and not just the amount of money he had in his bank account.
"This is some shit," Brianna mumbled as she got wheeled from room to room. Julian's home did not just have style, it also screamed wealth.
Sleek lines and hardwood flooring infused the contemporary design with charm and no-fuss elegance.
Everything looked opulent from the gleaming wood floors covered in lovely throw rugs to the sheer curtains billowing like mist on the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.
The furnishings were classically modern and screamed class. Each area and room in the house melted into the beauty of the next with some delicate settees, elegant fireplaces, lovely pieces of art on the walls, and absolutely fabulous deco. Julian wheeled Brianna to every corner of the house the wheelchair could go. The huge den was actually a game room which had video games, a dartboard, a pool table, and a wet bar. There was a TV room as well which to Brianna was a mini cinema.
"For obvious reasons, we can't go upstairs," Julian said as he reached out to open a door. "This is you."
Brianna slowly shifted her eyes to glance around. The room was spacious, classy, and had a very appealing warm element. A gentle contrast between blue and white set the tone in the room, giving it a spark of personality. The white and blue drapes added a quick and easy touch of luxury, and the plush blue rug highlighted the rich hardwood beneath. A blue three-seat lounger added to the room's unique and charming appeal. Brianna thought the room's glass closet with its iron panels was absolutely lovely. What blew her mind, however, was the brick fireplace above which a forty-eight-inch LED TV hung.
"This can pass for a hotel room, dude," Brianna chuckled as Julian helped her onto the bed. "So what's upstairs?" she asked, watching as Julian drew the covers over her.
"Typical," Julian muttered under his breath. He wasn't surprised at all that his houseguest had asked that question. "It's just my bedroom, study, and another room."
"What's the other room?"
"None of your fucking business," Julian snapped as he switched on the TV.
"Hey, I need to know the layout of the house. Possible places people can hide," Brianna said quietly. "I would have loved to check it out myself, but..." She pointed at her injury. "So just tell me. Is it a bedroom? A library? A..."
"Let's just say it's a... recreational room," Julian responded vaguely.
"Recreational room..." Brianna repeated slowly.
"Yes. A recreational room. Now, where should I leave this thing? News? Sports?"
"Any of the news channels will do just fine. Where are my guns?"
"In there." Julian pointed at the wardrobe. "Want me to bring them for inspection?"
"No." Brianna stared at the newscaster. "Thanks," she added quietly.
"I'm going to bring you some soup for now as you've gone a long while without food." Julian turned to go.
"What would you like to eat later?" He paused at the door and turned to look at Brianna just as his cell phone began to ring in his pocket. He pulled it out and smiled at the caller ID. "I have to take this," he said as he brought the phone to his ear. "Mum?" Julian left the room.
Brianna sighed as she stared unseeingly at the newscaster. She still couldn't believe she'd gotten shot. That was the second time she'd caught a bullet. The first time had been in the thigh. In her line of work, it wasn't strange to get hit by a bullet. It was actually seen as a badge of honor. But her latest one was just stupid because it could have been avoided. Now she was just lying in a luxury room in the house of a crazy doctor who had a secret room upstairs.
"Just my luck," Brianna muttered as she checked out the room.
The design and deco of Julian's house was just amazing, Brianna couldn't help but acknowledge. Dean was obviously one hell of an architect. He'd also designed Ty's classic glass house, which had actually ended up being one of the fifty most unique houses. Brianna didn't live in a magnificent house like Julian or Ty, but she was proud of her home. She lived in a condo which was nice and cozy enough. What she loved most about her home was the special luxury security feature since she was almost always out of town due to her work. She was definitely content with what she had and how far she'd come from her terrible beginnings. Her twenty-fifth birthday was just around the corner. And Brianna didn't think she'd done badly for herself at all.
Brianna was content with the life she'd been able to build for herself. Considering her underprivileged beginnings and the fact that she'd been thrown out of her home at the age of fourteen because her father, the pastor, called her a disgraceful slut for sleeping with a family friend, she'd really come a long way. She'd had to be smart and work hard to earn some money to see herself through school. The best thing that had happened to her was her decision to join the Navy. It had given her a sense of purpose. And she loved her team, the dynamic Arrowheads. They were her strength. She hoped her actions weren't going to cost any member of her team their lives.
"Fuck," she swore just as the door opened to reveal Julian with a bowl of hot soup on a bed tray.
"Hey, you're not allowed to be upset," Julian murmured as he entered. "Doctor's orders." He carefully placed the tray on the table in the room. "Here... let me help you." He helped Brianna sit up so that her back rested against the headboard. Then he placed the bed tray across her thighs.
"Thanks," Brianna murmured as she picked up the spoon. "Did you make it yourself?"
"Hell, no," Julian chuckled. "I ordered it. But I am preparing some pasta and shredded beef sauce. Well, Wendy made the beef sauce. All I have to do is heat it up. But I'm making the pasta. I'll bring it as soon as it's done." He turned to go.
"Hey, I appreciate what you're doing for me," Brianna said quietly, but Julian shrugged.
"I did get you shot, remember? Like I said, it's the least I can do." With that, Julian left the room and gently closed the door.
Brianna stared at the closed door. She'd never felt so guilty in her life. She'd clearly disrupted Julian's life. And she hated being a burden on people. She hoped she healed quickly so that she could get out of Julian's hair. She was beginning to see Julian in a very different light, though. Hell, the first time she'd been told that Julian was a doctor, she'd burst into incredulous laughter because the man's actions were definitely not what would be expected of a medical doctor. He'd slept with the most women during Ty's bachelor party. At a point, he'd been in bed with four women. Julian loved to have fun and didn't care what lengths he had to go to have that fun. But despite the man's crazy nature, he was obviously a very helpful and thoughtful person. Or was he?
By midnight, Brianna was ready to strangle Julian for his thoughtlessness.
"Fucking hell!" Brianna covered her head with a pillow to drown out the cries of whichever woman Julian had in his bed.
They had been at it for three hours straight. The sounds seemed to be coming from a faraway place, the secret room upstairs, she realized. It was faint, but it was there.
She'd been trained to listen hard to pick up on sounds, so it wasn't strange at all that she could hear those sounds. The only thing that stopped Brianna from grabbing her gun was the fact that those sounds were obviously sexual. Couldn't people have sex without screaming, she fumed? To be able to hear those sounds all the way downstairs, that woman was obviously screaming like a banshee. Had Julian forgotten that there was someone else in the house who could hear him? What the fuck!
What decent doctor acted that way? Brianna fumed till around one a.m. when the obscene sounds eventually subsided. If only she could get her hands around Julian's neck, she thought as she finally drifted off to sleep