Someone went over to her, a woman, and asked if she was okay. Harley grumbled a response before passing out.
***
Jax rubbed the tiredness from his eyes with both hands. Someone sat beside him, even without seeing who it was, he knew it was Cade. He removed his hands from his face and admired how calm the woman was next to him. She'd kept it together. If she hadn't come, they wouldn't even know where to start searching for Harley.
"How are you?" Cade asked, lolling her head to one side before glancing around them, and taking his hand in hers.
"As good as I can be, given the situation." Jax, without a care to check who was watching them, leaned over to press a quick kiss on Cade's lips. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come, Cade."
She patted his hand reassuringly. "She's safe now, Jax. People I trust are looking after her until we get there."
"She eluded all of us. I think Zee was about to rip Penny's head off when she told us that Harley had gone missing. I've never seen him lose his cool."
"Zee? Lose his cool? Unlikely," she joked, and Jax couldn't help but chuckle.
What were the chances that Cade's contacts were checking the smaller airports when Harley fainted? And better still, Cade's neighbour was a nurse in the hospital where Harley was taken. Everything was fitting well, because of Cadence.
"Why don't you rest up? I'll wake you up when we land," Cade suggested.
"Rest while you're around me? Do you know how impossible that is?" Jax enjoyed seeing the blush colour Cade's cheeks. He reached up and ghosted the back of his hand over her smooth skin. Cade leaned her head to his touch. In that moment, Jax knew what he needed to do to keep Cade. Never again would she leave his sight, or his side. All he had to do was convince her it was the right step to take.
***
Noises began trickling into her waking senses. There were murmurs and beeping sounds around her. The room she was in when she came to was dark, illuminated by a single lamp on the bedside. Harley's hand went immediately to her forehead. She winced when she felt the goose egg just beneath her hairline. When she moved to sit up, there was a pinch on her arm. She was hooked up onto a heart monitor and an IV drip.
Harley grunted, pushing herself higher up on the bed.
"Har, try not to move, baby." The voice in the dark startled her.
"Dad?" Her voice came out hoarse. She blinked to clear her vision. Sure enough, her father sat on an armless chair beside the hospital bed. As she settled back down, he moved over to her side, squeezing her hand.
"Hey, you." He smiled at her. Harley tried to ignore the weariness around his eyes. "You gave us quite a scare, Har."
Harley nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. I missed Cade and I thought if I visited her, I'd get her to come back."
"I should have thought of that too. It wasn't until she came to help us that I realized how special she is to you and me."
"She helped?"
"Yes, if it wasn't for her, things could have been a lot worse. Next time, kiddo, if you have an idea, come to me first. I would have gone with you, you know."
Harley bit the inside of her lip. She felt the guilt eating at her. How could she not have trusted her father?
"Where is she now?"
Jax raised his head and nodded at the door. "She's just getting coffee. She'll be thrilled to see you up. I have to let your doctor know that you're awake." With another squeeze of her hand and a gentle kiss on her forehead, Jax straightened and walked out of the room.
Harley might not have been proud of the actions she had taken. She considered herself one lucky duck. Everything could have gone completely wrong. Minus her fainting at the terminal, she'd been able to get Cade back into her life. Yet, now she wondered if she would choose to stay.
She looked wistfully at the door where her father and a doctor were talking. Cade appeared by Jax's side, and as surprised as Harley was, she couldn't stop the smile spreading on her face when Cade intertwined her fingers with Jax's. Yes, Harley was indeed one lucky duck. Now off to phase two of her plan.
Chapter Twenty
Cade lifted a corner of the sheet, folded it, and expertly tucked it under the mattress. Try as she might, she couldn't quite ignore the rugged sex appeal emanating from Jax, who'd chosen to watch her every move. How many people could say that they'd had a rock star at their home? In their bedroom? In her bedroom … where there was a bed … a rock star in her bed … Cade shook the thoughts out of her head.