Tabitha had never seen this side of a hospital.

Oh, she’d seen people who sat in the emergency waiting room, their faces pale, their eyes bleak as they waited—half hopeful, half fearful—for news about the loved one on the other side of the swinging doors. But she’d never had a loved one to be fearful for until now.

She’d never had anything—anyone—to lose until now.

The possibility of losing Jake now, when she’d barely begun to love him, was tearing her apart. She wanted to barge through those swinging doors, into the operating room where Mission Creek’s best surgeon was removing the bullet, and—

And what? What could she do?

She’d already seen that Jake had the best care Mission Creek Memorial Hospital had to offer. She’d flown with him in the helicopter, issuing orders right and left about his care, never letting go of his hand, thinking somehow she could impart some of her strength to him, the strength to live.

Now all she could do was wait. And worry. And wonder.

What would she do if he died? How would she be able to get out of bed each morning knowing she’d never again see or touch or hold the only man she’d ever loved? The only man who’d ever loved her.

Though Jake hadn’t said the words, Tabitha knew he loved her.

He’d checked on her before securing his prisoner. At that moment he’d proved he was a man before he was a cop. A man who cared more about her than his job.

That moment had held absolute truth, absolute proof that he loved her. That same moment might have cost Jake his life.

Tabitha fought the stinging tears, feeling helpless and more alone than she’d ever felt in all her years on her own.

Now everything was up to Jake. Did he love her enough to live?

Finally, at 3:35 a.m., Mission Creek Memorial Hospital’s chief surgeon pushed open the swinging door.

Tabitha stood, her stiffness testament to the fact that she’d barely moved for the past six hours.

Dr. Stephen Carmichael smiled. “He’s going to be okay.”

“Oh, thank God.” Relief spread through her like a shot of morphine. She nearly passed out.

Dr. Carmichael caught her arm and led her to the nearest seat. Only when they were seated did he continue. “He’s going to need a lot of care, even physical therapy, in the next few months. The bullet tore into the left cavity of his lung and there was a lot of bleeding. We gave him six units. But he’s young and strong, so barring infection or any other unseen complications, I don’t see why he shouldn’t have a full recovery.”

Tears streamed down Tabitha’s cheeks. “I have to see him.”

Dr. Carmichael held her in her seat. “He’s still in recovery.”

“I don’t care.” She met his eyes dead-on. “I’m going to see him.”

“You can’t—”

“Dr. Carmichael, I am the administrator of this hospital. I can go anywhere in this hospital I want to go.”

He acknowledged that with a crooked smile. “He probably won’t be conscious for several more hours.”

“I don’t care if he’s not conscious for several more days. I will scrub anything you want me to scrub, but I’m going in there.”

Dr. Carmichael nodded toward the glass doors to the emergency room to the media held back by Mission Creek police officers. “What about a statement for them?”

Tabitha frowned. As chief administrative officer, it was her job to update the press. But at the moment she didn’t care. Her job wasn’t nearly as important to her as it had been a few days ago. The most important thing in her life was lying in intensive care.

“You’re chief surgeon, and you performed the surgery. Why don’t you give them a statement?”

He shrugged, having done it before. “They’ll ask about you, too. What should I tell them?”

“Me?” She considered the question for a moment, then smiled proudly. “Tell them I’m waiting at the side of the man I love.”

Jake always came awake quickly, fully alert. So wandering in and out of consciousness as he shook off the drugs was disconcerting.

He smiled at the ten-dollar word. Tabitha was rubbing off on him. Although she’d say it wasn’t a ten-dollar word, more like six, but for him—

“Jake?”

The sound of her voice brought him fully into consciousness.

“Are you awake?” Her voice was raspy, uncertain, exhausted.

His eyelids weighed a ton, but he willed them open. Bright lights stabbed into his brain, making him aware of pain for the first time. His whole body hurt, but his left side felt as if it had been ripped off. “Tabitha?”

Her beautiful face appeared in his line of vision, making him realize he hadn’t turned his head. Her smile was bright, though tears made her bluebonnet eyes liquid.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” She touched his face. “Would you like a little water?”

She was brilliant, his kitten. She knew exactly what he needed. “Please.”

She twisted, then turned back. “Here. I’ll drip it from the straw.”

He took several strawfuls, but that much effort exhausted him. Afterward he couldn’t keep his eyes open. But he wanted to know. “What happened?”

“Shh.” Her cool hand stroked his cheek. “Everything’s fine. You don’t need to rescue anyone. Go to sleep. I’ll take care of you.”

Jake relaxed. “I love you.”

“I know,” she whispered with a soft kiss on his cheek. “I love you, too.”

Jake felt a little stronger the next time he woke, and even stronger the time after that. Tabitha was with him every time he drifted into consciousness, making him feel cared for, safe.

Finally he woke feeling tired, but with no pain anywhere except his left side. He remembered being shot, but the only thing clear after that was Tabitha telling him she loved him.

Jake’s lips were so dry they felt as if they were cracking. But he couldn’t help smiling. Where was she? He turned his head stiffly.

Tabitha sat in the chair next to the bed, more or less. One arm was bent under her head on the edge of his mattress, the other stretched toward him, her hand resting on his arm as if she refused to let go of him.

Love swept over him in healing waves. He didn’t care what he had to do, what promises he had to make, where he had to go or stay, he was going to make her his woman, any way she’d have him.

“I love you,” he whispered.

Her head lifted immediately. She blinked. “What?”

“I said, I love you.”

“Oh.” Her face melted into smiles. “I know.”

“You do?”

She nodded, then twisted and reached for a plastic cup from the rolling bed table. “Think you’re strong enough to sip from the straw? You’ll get more that way.”

He nodded and drank the cup dry. As she refilled it, he asked, “What happened after I was shot? Will you tell me now?”

She guided the straw to his mouth. “You were airlifted to the hospital, then you were in surgery for six—”

“Not me. Who brought down Hines?”

“Oh, that. Caitlyn had untied Dr. Walters while you had Hines at gunpoint. When Hines shot you, Dr. Walters tackled him and wrestled his gun away. The other cops arrived just a minute later.”

“They were right behind me. What about the hostages? How are they doing? How long has it been, anyway?”

“This is the second day. You slept most of yesterday.” She set the cup back on the table and leaned against the edge of his bed. “As for Cait and Dr. Walters, they’re in seclusion. I called them both and told them to take as long as they need to get over…whatever happened to them while they were captive. No one knows what that is. They haven’t said anything to anyone.”

“That’s not unusual,” Jake said. Wanting to touch her, he lifted his hand.

She laced her fingers through his. “You’ve had about a million visitors. I wouldn’t let them stay long, but—”

“You said you know I love you. How? I haven’t told you, have I?”

Her face softened. “Well, yes, but you didn’t have to. I already knew.”

“How?”

“When you bent down to check on me before you put handcuffs on Branson Hines, you proved you were more concerned about me than your job.”

“You were lying so still.”

Her smile was shy. “That’s what I mean. For the first time in your police department life, you were a man before you were a cop. I knew right then that you loved me.” Her eyes teared up. “But at the same moment I nearly lost you. Promise you’ll never do anything like that again.”

“I won’t be able to, because I’ll no longer be a cop.”

She froze. “What? Why not?”

“Because you don’t like cops, and I want you.”

“Oh, no. You’re not going to put that kind of guilt on me.”

“I realized something that day as I watched you prepare to meet Hines without me, which is something we’ll discuss in depth when I’m feeling better.”

Her lips twisted. “What did you realize?”

“That the reason I felt the need to rescue other people was because I needed rescuing myself.” He squeezed her fingers. “Somehow you knew that, and you rescued me.”

“I did? How?”

“By showing me the goodness in people. By loving me.”

“And you love me back.” There was wonder in her voice.

“Very much.”

She smiled into his eyes. “You’re not going to give up being a cop. I won’t let you.”

“But you don’t like cops.”

She bent and kissed his lips softly. “I’ve recently discovered that cops aren’t too bad. At least, a certain one.”

“Marry me.”

She straightened with a snap, her eyes wide. “What?”

“You heard me. We’re going to get married.”

A blond eyebrow lifted. “Oh, so it’s an order now, not a question.”

“Will you marry me?”

She searched his face, her own filled with wonder and confusion. “You’re nuts. We’ve only known each other for a few days.”

“I don’t care. It took me thirty-six years to find the woman I love. I’m not going to let you go.”

She stroked his cheek with a cool hand. “All right.”

His eyes narrowed. “All right? Just like that you’re agreeing to marry a cop?”

Her lovely face sobered. “When I first saw you, lying in the recovery room, so pale, so still, I knew I couldn’t live without you. Not only was I going to make you live, I was going to make you live with me. If that means marriage, even this quickly, okay. I love you, Jake, and I want to be with you. You taught me what it’s like to love and be loved. I’m not going to be satisfied without it now. And I’m not going to be afraid of it anymore.” Her smile was brilliant. “So, yes, Jake White, I’ll be your wife.”

Jake tugged on her hand.

She bent and kissed him.

He sighed with happiness. “That’s good, because I’m going to need rescuing again, you know. Especially if you’re going to make me continue being a cop. I want to know that you’ll be my backup for the rest of my life.”

She scraped her nails along the stubble on his jaw. “My love, I’ll back you up in anything you do. If you really don’t want to be a cop anymore, that’s okay. I just want you to be happy.”

He found the strength to lift his hand to her face. “You make me happy, kitten. You have from the instant I saw you. I fell in lust with your mole, then I fell in love with you.”

“My mole is yours, Jake. And so am I.” She kissed him. “Always.”