Breathe Again Read online

  Table of Contents

  Breathe Again

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Twelve

  About The Author

  Red Sage Publishing

  An eRedSage Publishing Publication

  This book is a work of complete fiction. Any names, places, incidents, characters are products of the author’s imagination and creativity or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is fully coincidental.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or any portion thereof in any form whatsoever in any country whatsoever is forbidden.

  Information:

  Red Sage Publishing, Inc. P.O. Box 4844 Seminole, FL 33775

  727-391-3847 eRedSage.com

  Breathe Again

  An eRed Sage Publication All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2013

  eRedSage is a registered trademark of Red Sage Publishing, Inc.

  Visit us on the World Wide Web: http://www.eRedSage.com

  ISBN: 9781603108294; 1603108297 Breathe Again eBook version

  Published by arrangement with the authors and copyright holders of the individual works as follows:

  Breathe Again © 2013 by Kamy Chetty

  Cover © 2013 by Lacey Savage

  Printed in the U.S.A.

  ebook layout and conversion by jimandzetta.com

  Breathe Again

  ***

  By Kamy Chetty

  TO MY READERS:

  I am the hopeless romantic who believes there is someone out there for everyone. No matter who you are or how old you may be, everybody needs somebody. No one deserves to be alone. Nick and Skye are two people who have experienced loss in different ways, but deserve a chance to be together.

  I fell in love with Nick, like I do with all my characters. But wouldn’t you? If you saw this Marine, who would lay his life down for his country, without hesitation, give his life for the woman he loved, without blinking, but he didn’t think he deserved to be happy or be loved. Wouldn’t you want to fix him?

  When Skye, loses her dad she spends a lifetime trying to find that security and love again, not realizing that that holding on too tight can suffocate a relationship.

  This story has passion, heat and lots of emotion. After writing it, I didn’t want to let go of these characters because they made me cry, laugh and feel so much love that I thoroughly enjoyed the journey they took.

  I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I want to thank my editor Monica Peters for making this the story it is. You have been so patient and supportive, I cannot thank you enough.

  I also want to thank my wonderful husband Nilen for his support and T’heniel and Keaton, my children for their help, I couldn’t have finished this without you all.

  I would love to hear from my readers so visit me at my website: http://www.kamychetty.com/

  READER ALERT!:

  Their passion and devotion will make you root for them, and their sexual tension will set you ablaze.

  Chapter One

  “Is it a full moon or blue moon?”

  Nick Delaney glanced at Skylar, before staring out the window in confusion. “Can't tell?”

  “It's crazy in here tonight. That is the third woman in labor I had to send up to the maternity unit. Stella up there said they might run out of beds. Let’s hope they don’t start delivering babies in the corridor?”

  Nick shrugged. “In Somalia, they sometimes had to deliver babies in the street with the sounds of gunfire all around.”

  “Killjoy.” Skylar took the kidney-shaped dish with the syringe from him and disposed of it. Her gaze met Nick’s as she let her tongue drag across her lips. “Are you ready for the next patient?”

  “What's next?” he asked.

  Skylar looked at the list. She’d been married to the man for two years and was used to the strictly business no nonsense routine, but it didn’t stop her from hoping. Everyone at Hawkes Bay Emergency Department had a pool going about when their amicable split was going to get ugly, but so far, no one was winning.

  The secret was not to let her soon-to-be-ex-husband know that she was still madly in love with him. It was insanely difficult when she worked in the same department and shared the same house. What she needed was to know his secret. How did he get over her, so quickly? Maybe he wasn’t into her in the first place. The shot of disappointment sliced through her like a scalpel. His reaction to her subtle attempt at flirting only confirming her suspicion—that he may never have loved her. With a broken sigh, she watched him.

  While her heart did somersaults every time he did that almost-smile thing his sexy mouth was so good at doing, he went about his merry way, totally unaffected by her. That almost-smile, they could bottle up and sell as a secret weapon. Spies would be surrendering all over the world for the stuff.

  “So?” he asked.

  “Enemies would fall for sure.” She continued to stare.

  “What's next?” His gaze turned confused. She looked at him blankly, tapping the black pen against the clipboard, before realizing she was acting like a teenager having her first crush. Her body reacted accordingly. In fact, her heart did the stop-start thing, and she had weak knees too. She licked her lips and hit the clipboard one last time.

  “Er. Let's see. Lady with broken toe?”

  His mouth twitched into that almost-smile. “Exciting. Call her in.”

  “Nick, this is Mrs. Beardson. She was exercising on one of those roller things, and she happened to hurt her toe. X-ray shows it's fractured.”

  Nick looked from Skylar to the morbidly obese woman who was wearing a large orange kimono-style dress.

  “When did you do this, Mrs. Beardson?” he asked, totally unaware of the affect he had on Mrs. Beardson, who was fanning herself with her appointment slip and watching him with adoring eyes.

  Saying that Nick was drop-dead gorgeous was putting it mildly. The only worrying factor was how unaware Nick was of the effect he had on women. But that was part of his charm. Mrs. Beardson sidled up to him as she told him about her accident. Nick being the man he was, graciously smiled and moved aside.

  Skylar gnawed at her lower lip, thinking he sometimes deserved the attention he got and she should leave him to it. She stared at the uncomfortable way he moved—he obviously didn’t care for the advances the older woman was making.

  Whoever made Nick was let loose in the candy store. A greedy somebody who wanted a little of everything.

  Perfect abs, gorgeous pecs, blow-your-mind perfection when it came to physique, kiss-me-all-day lips— she sighed. It made her wet to think about how much she missed that body. She stifled a groan. This was ridiculous, and she was a professional.

  “About a week ago,” Mrs. Beardson said as she scooted closer. “Call me Margie.”

  Skylar winced. It was a lost cause if she thought Nick was ever going to learn how to deal with the opposite sex. She watched him shift uncomfortably again, before his gaze scoured the room for hers.

  Mrs. Beardson didn’t realize the discomfort she caused Nick. She took a seat but shifted even closer and placed her hand on his. “I was doing the right thing, trying to do my exercises, the doorbell rang.” She paused to take a breath. “The pizza delivery man came to deliver my dinner and as I was getting off my machine, I tripped.”

  Skylar’s breath hitched as Nick’s gaze softened, that special way it did. She moved forward, taking Mrs. Beardson hand in hers. “You
know that eating pizza would have wiped out all of the exercise you had been doing.”

  The older woman gave her an irritated look before shaking her head. “Oh, no, don't worry, Nurse, I have the vegetarian pizza. That's a lot healthier.”

  Nick’s gaze went from the patient to Skylar, who knew anything she said about healthy diets would be fighting a losing battle.

  He looked at her notes. “Mrs. Beardson, I will make an appointment with one of our nurses and the dietician, so she can go through some things you can do to help get better faster.”

  Mrs. Beardson folded her arms. “What about this toe? I need to start exercising again.”

  Nick pulled the x-ray forward. “This is a simple fracture. We’ll strap those two toes together. They should heal nicely. Take this medication I’m prescribing for pain. Come in if that doesn’t help.”

  “It's broken? Don't I need a cast? My neighbor had a cast when she broke her foot.”

  “Your neighbor would have had a different type of fracture. You don't need a cast. You are very lucky, Mrs. Beardson. Having a cast can have its own complications.”

  She didn’t look convinced. “Mary down the road broke her leg, and she got a full cast. She won't believe me if I tell her I broke my toe.”

  Nick looked down at Mrs. Beardson, who was having difficulty moving out of the chair due to her weight. “Skye, get Mrs. Beardson an appointment with the physiotherapist and get her fitted for a moonboot. That should convince Mary you have a fractured toe.”

  Skylar put her hand on the woman's shoulder. “Mrs. Beardson, come with me and we can organize that boot for you. You will be much more comfortable with it on.”

  Mrs. Beardson thought about it for a few seconds before nodding. “And it will convince Mary?”

  “Off course it will.” Skye escorted the patient out.

  A few minutes later when she returned, Nick asked, “Full moon?”

  “Yes. It's when all the crazies come out.” Skylar caught Nick’s gaze. That familiar jolt gave her a thrill. Her heart fluttered, like a baby bird taking flight in her chest.

  “Explains a lot. No scientific proof though,” he said.

  Skylar dared to hope once more. She knew he would leave any day now. He said he would. He was going to re-enlist for another tour in Afghanistan. There was nothing she could say to stop him, and he wouldn’t even let her try.

  Just then, a loud crash was heard from the resus room. Nick dived forward and pulled Skylar down, covering her with his body.

  “Quiet.” His voice was a soft whisper above her ear.

  She wriggled under his overwhelming weight. The more she fought to loosen his grip, the more he tightened his hold.

  “Nick? I need to see what’s happening.”

  It took him a moment to realize he was crushing her, another to realize he had overreacted.

  Skylar looked up at the fleeting darkness in his gaze. She touched his shoulder, and he immediately brushed it away. “Nick?”

  “Go.” His voice cracked.

  Torn between the need to be there for him and duty, she sat up.

  “I’m okay. I’ll be out in a sec,” he said.

  He wasn’t okay, and they both knew it. She knew as well as he did he couldn’t go back to confront demons in a war if he couldn’t confront them now. She swallowed her silent curse. If she hadn’t pushed so hard, he wouldn’t be leaving.

  Reluctant to leave him, she heard another bang, which forced her to the next room to see what was happening.

  The room was full of teenagers who were dressed as if they had been to a vampire/Justin Bieber-themed Halloween party.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Nick came to stand next to her. “You didn't need to hire a full cast to make your point about the moon.”

  “Oh, this is not me,” she said looking around at the chaotic scene, wondering where to start. Looks like a Twilight-themed party.” Skylar didn’t envy the cleaner who had to mop up the glitter dust that morning.

  “Does anyone know why these youngsters are here?” Nick looked around for any adults that might have accompanied them.

  A few of the boys started pushing each other. Teenage hormones coupled with an alcohol binge would result in chaos in the emergency department, leaving staff and patients in the middle of the mess. Full moon or not, that was the last thing Skye needed for the night.

  “Call security,” she whispered to the student nurse standing next to her. Then she glimpsed Nick. Not only had he fully recovered from his lapse with her, but he was now in Marine mode. He screened the area, assessing the greatest risk. As he mobilized his team, he watched the exit and kept his gaze on the patients who were scattered among the teenagers. He was totally in command.

  She tugged the corner of her lip into her mouth. Damn. The man was the eighth wonder when he needed to be.

  While Skye’s attention was on Nick, he was watching the skinny kid with his arm around the scantily dressed girl. She focused on the boy. The kid was wired and antsy. His edgy look was complete with glassy, bloodshot eyes.

  A possible threat.

  Not liking the attention Nick was giving the boy, she made her way to the skinny lad, hoping she could diffuse the situation with a little less testosterone than was needed.

  She waved away the teenagers from the area, still unsure why they were in the emergency department. None of them looked injured or ill. This could all be a prank gone wrong.

  “Is anyone hurt? Can we help one of you?” Skylar watched the teenagers for a reaction.

  The sound of the ambulance siren could be heard in the distance, signaling another patient was on the way in. She didn’t have long to sort this out before they had to deal with the emergency on the way in. It was way past midnight, so thankfully it wasn’t their busiest time.

  The skinny boy stepped forward. “She needs help. She feels sick. Stomachache. Has been like that for a while now.”

  Skylar put her hand out and reached for the girl, Nick automatically walked up to Skye. “Come with me.”

  “Uh-uh, she stays with me.” The boy watched them and shook his head.

  “Okay, but we can’t help her with you holding on to her,” Skylar said.

  The boy paused then took out a knife and stabbed it in the air in front of Skylar. “You,” he pointed to Skylar, “come here and check her out. No one else move.” He let go of the girl, and his gaze was now on Skylar.

  Nick took a step forward.

  The boy pointed the knife at him. “I wouldn't do that if I was you. You don’t need to be the hero today, man. You and that Marine Corps tat stay where you are, and no one gets hurt.”

  Skylar felt her heart thud at his warning. Nick was barely keeping it together, and the fact that the boy recognized him as an ex-Marine because of his tattoo made her squirm with fear. What if they came here as part of a gang initiation? It was rumored that gang violence was on the increase, as was drug use and teenage pregnancy.

  Nick’s gaze sought hers, his warning clear, but she couldn’t let it go. The room still had patients and staff. She could handle this.

  She put her hands out and walked slowly to the boy. “What's your name? We're all here to help. Tell me what you want. Put that knife away.”

  He gave Skylar a smile, smacking his lips. He lurched forward and pulled Skylar toward him with one arm, keeping the knife pointed in Nick’s direction with the other. “Where do you keep your morphine?” The boy tightened his grip on her and cocked his head, as his gaze roamed around the room.

  “We don't keep it lying around.” Skylar could feel his skinny hands around her. She’d been taught defense classes but couldn’t remember a thing right now. What if she turned around and kneed him in the groin? Would that work or was it only in the movies?

  “You think I don't know that? I know you keep it locked up.” He scratched his temple with the edge of the knife.

  Skylar didn't feel fear. She felt numb. Nick was wound up so tight, she knew he’d jump to th
e rescue the first chance he had. She couldn’t have him do something stupid.

  The boy’s breath stank of alcohol. Bile rose up her throat.

  He pulled her closer. Put his arm under her breast and squeezed. She winced in pain. Nick took another step closer, but she shook her head. Hang in there. Her gaze pleaded with him. He was at war with himself.

  His arms flexed at his sides. The rest of the people in the room were frozen. All eyes were on the skinny boy that held her hostage. The teenagers watched the boy with wide-eyed surprise. Skylar wasn’t sure they expected him to get this far.

  The boy’s girlfriend stepped forward. “Lenny, you proved your point. You ain’t like those others. Can we go now? The cops will be here any minute. You done it, you proved your point.”

  The kid held on tighter, his gaze taking in the girl who had screamed. “Shut up. I can’t think with you screamin’ like that. I said shut up. Let me think a minute.” He swung the knife around. “I’m in control, but I need to think.”

  “Lenny, what do you want?” Skylar asked.

  He laughed, weak and nervous. It was like a laugh from one of those cheap movies Skylar had seen. Those movies that had the girl go down in the basement, where she would definitely be killed. Skylar closed her eyes. This wasn’t a movie. She wasn’t the dumb blonde who went into the basement to be killed off.

  He pulled her into him. The smell of beer made her nauseous. Then he let his tongue run across her cheek. She swallowed, disgusted by the smell. She opened her eyes and met Nick’s gaze. This time, he didn't stop when her gaze clearly said to. But he did when Lenny waved the knife closer to Skylar's throat. She could feel the blade on her skin. It was prickly, sharp. The room was getting hot, and it was getting hard to take in air.

  Lenny turned to Nick “You can’t help yourself, can you? There ain’t no war here, man. This ain’t your turf.”

  Skylar watched Nick’s jaw clamp shut as he held himself together. If Lenny wasn’t holding her at knifepoint, she’d feel sorry for him. Nick was a doctor, but the Marine Corps didn’t have doctors, so he was a soldier. He’d survived two tours as a Marine, and Lenny was a kid barely out of braces.