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Donovan sent her a grateful look What Maren had said scored points with Eve Recognition had settled in Eve’s eyes as Maren had bluntly given her opinion Recognition that Maren--and Donovan--were right
Eve’s shoulders sagged and she briefly closed her eyes When they reopened, they ith a sheen of tears Donovan’s chest tightened He hated to see any woman in distress, but Eve wasn’t any woman Not to him He couldn’t fully explain his reaction to her, but it went a hell of a lot further than her being a woh his years running KGI and he’d never allowed himself this kind ofattraction Emotional and physical It wasn’t even that he hadn’t allowed it It simply hadn’t been there None of the other women had made him feel what he felt for Eve
He already considered Eve--and her siblings--his Hisfamily
He could already picture what it would be like to have this precious group of people as his own He felt a fierce protectiveness for Cammie and Travis that went above his usual reaction to children in trouble Everyelse entirely and he refused to let his family walk away into the unknown Where they could be hurt or killed or God only knehat else It wasn’t an option
He’d tie Eve to his bed and sit on her before allowing her to walk away
And if that wasn’t a hell of a note he didn’t knoas
He’d ragged on his brothers and his team leaders for their overprotectiveness and fierceness when it came to their wo exactly as they had felt when it came to the women they loved
Loved?
Hell, he wasn’t in love with Eve It was as she said Donovan knew nothing about her But he knew enough to realize that she was going to cos already did But in order for that to happen, she had to remain here Under his protection so he could see exactly where things would take the away Not tomorrow or next year Now he just had to convince theoing to be no easy task But he wouldn’t be deterred by her resistance He was every bit as stubborn as his brothers when it cah
"I need to get you hoently "All of you Travis needs rest Cammie needs rest and medication And so do you"
He turned to Maren, not waiting for Eve’s agree to be done his way froe asshole, to press this woe of breaking But he’d use that to his advantage and not suffer one iota of re certain they were safe and taken care of No matter what it took He’d spare no available resource in his quest to ensure their well-being And that they stayed right where they belonged With him
"Write her a prescription for pain medication She probably needs an injection but I’d rather wait until I get her settled at the house I’ll haveTravis and Cammie to bed as it is"
Maren nodded and pulled out her prescription pad and scribbled several lines on it Then she handed it to Donovan
"I wrote them out to you so there’s no record of their names at the pharmacy," she said "There are o start her IV now and get the bags of saline and antibiotics for you to take home If you have any problem at all, don’t hesitate to call me I’ll check in on them every afternoon if that’s okay with you, but I’ll call before I co"Thanks, sweetheart I really appreciate all you do for us Don’t knoe say it often enough, but I don’t knoe’d do without you"
Maren smiled as she pulled away "You’ve done far more for me than I can ever repay I owe et that You know I’ll be happy to help any way I can All you have to do is call, okay?"
Donovan gave her another affectionate squeeze and then went back to Eve while Maren stepped into the hall to call for Swanny to return with Caht by Cammie’s side when Maren inserted the IV, he positioned her at the head of the exam table and then stood next to her, his arht waist
He could feel her thinness She felt precious and breakable in his arhtened his hold on her, h he wanted her to have no doubts of the support network that was closing ranks around her
Swanny carried Cahtened when she saw Donovan and Eve Relief shadowed the little girl’s haunted eyes and she reached eagerly for Donovan Donovan loosened his hold on Eve long enough to take Cammie from Swanny and lay her on the table so she’d be close to him and Eve
Eve brushed her palm across Cammie’s fevered brow and then leaned down to kiss her forehead
"It’s going to be all right, darling," Eve said in a soothing tone "Maren is going to insert an IV in your arm Just a little prick I’ll be here the entire time"
"And Donovan?" Cammie mumbled around her thumb
Donovan sly "Me too, sweetheart Eve and I aren’t going anywhere And after, you’re going back to rilled cheese sandwiches you can eat"
Caht and hiccupped Donovan withdrew fro a united front for Ca her alone
Maren prepared the catheter and the bag of saline and the piggyback of the IV antibiotic After swabbing Ca a rubber elastic above the area she planned to stick, she spoke to Ca tones
"Just a little stick, but I need you to be brave and hold very still, okay, Cammie?"
Caainst her flesh Her eyes widened in fear and panic flooded her face
"It will be over in just a irl Maren will be easy"
Maren deftly inserted the needle, probing for the vein Cammie let out a surprised cry, but to her credit she didn’t jerk away Thankfully she got the vein in one stick, and Cammie’s expression eased
Swanny stood on the other side of Ca over Cammie’s forehead as he stroked her hair
"You’re doing great," Swanny said