A knock brought Joaquin awake again, and Holly stepped inside, walked over, and kissed him on the cheek. “Oh, my God, look at you! You’re all tubes and wires. I hear you blew the bastard away. Good for you. Nick is still in Istanbul, but he told me to tell you to get better. I brought someone else who wanted to seeyou.”
Holly stepped outside the door and came back in pushing awheelchair.
“Mia.” Joaquin’s heart skipped a beat at the sight ofher.
One of her cheeks was bruised and swollen, her right arm bandaged and in a sling, a couple of IVs in her left arm. His mother had told him what Meyer had done to her—the fractured sternum, a gunshot wound that had broken her arm, a concussion. But apart from the bruises and the IV, she looked …gorgeous.
Was she wearinglipstick?
“She said she wanted to see you, and the nurses were busy. I figured they wouldn’t mind if I borrowed their patient—well, and awheelchair.”
“You went to herroom?”
Holly gave him a look. “You didn’t seriously think we’d let you keep her to yourself now, did you? After hearing what happened, Ihadto meether.”
Holly made introductions, going around theroom.
Mia smiled. “I feel like I know all of you already. Joaquin has told me so much about you and youradventures.”
“I’m sure it was all lies,” Mattsaid.
Mia started to laugh, then grimaced, pressing a hand to her chest. “Please don’t be funny. It hurts too much tolaugh.”
“All right. Time to go.” Hunter motioned toward the door. “Let’s give these battered love birds some time alone. They probably have a lot to talkabout.”
Joaquin’s friends filed out thedoor.
“See you later,Ramirez.”
“Nice to meet you,Mia.”
“But I just got here,” Hollywhined.
“You can talk to them later,” Huntersaid.
“Okay.” Holly kissed Joaquin on the cheek again, then moved Mia closer to his bed. “Get better, okay? Mia, it was lovely chatting with you. We’ll talk againsoon.”
And then Joaquin and Mia werealone.
“Holly came to yourroom?”
Mia reached out with her left hand, laced her fingers through his. “I knew who she was the moment she stepped inside. I told her what had happened and how you saved my life. I told her I had been waiting for a nurse to bring a wheelchair so I could visit you. She pulled a makeup kit out of her handbag, did my face and combed my hair, and then went off after awheelchair.”
“That’sHolly.”
“Your mother stayed with me for a while—Elena and Mateo,too.”
Joaquin was happy to hear it. He’d asked his mother to look in on her, angry that she was alone with no family to watch over her. “You’re one of usnow.”
“That’s what she said. Do I get a page on yourwebsite?”
Did Mia know what she was asking? “We’ll have to see aboutthat.”
“I want to kiss you, but I can’t bendover.”
“I’d love to kiss you, but I can’t sit up higher without lots ofcussing.”
Mia gave a little laugh. “We’re quite thepair.”