Chapter 24 A Husky Chuckle
Sherry balanced on one foot in the hallway, peering through the hospital room window.
Inside, Armando was talking to Elizabeth. The sight stirred a sharp pang of jealousy in her chest.
She knocked on the door.
Della helped Sherry into her wheelchair and pushed the door open.
"Ms. Penrose, thank you for saving Armando today," Sherry said, placing a lunch box on the bedside table. "I brought some food for you both."
Elizabeth gave her a cool glance. "Thanks. I would have stepped in no matter who it was."
So it wasn't for Armando.
Sherry didn't believe her. In her mind, Elizabeth was in love with him. The thought made her restless, especially when she heard Armando had arranged a private jet to fly Elizabeth back to Silverlight City to recover.
It left Sherry uneasy. Sometimes a woman's intuition cuts deeper than a man's oblivious heart.
She didn't want to admit it, but she knew Armando cared for Elizabeth... even if he hadn't realized it yet. And that was fine—better, even—as long as he stayed unaware.
Sherry's eyes hardened. She would never give Elizabeth the chance. Her hand moved to her stomach.
A child... once she had his child.
Elizabeth had nothing to say to Sherry, and she wasn't about to eat the food she brought. She didn't trust it.
Sherry was a bad woman—Armando's bad woman. Didn't he know her tricks? Of course he did. He wasn't a fool. He simply chose to tolerate them.
They'd been together since high school, into college, until Bronte's disapproval forced them apart for four years. Sherry was his unfinished chapter.
Armando had things to handle after today, so he couldn't stay in Elizabeth's room.
"Elizabeth, call me if you need anything. Tomorrow I'll send you back to Silverlight City. Someone will take care of you there."
"I understand. I'd like to rest now."
Her dismissal was cold. Armando didn't argue. He gave her a thoughtful look before wheeling Sherry out.
In the car, Sherry clung to his arm. "Armando, what are you thinking about?"
"Work," he said, closing his eyes. A flash of memory—Elizabeth's hand reaching to block that bowl—crossed his mind.
His voice dropped. "Tomorrow, Elizabeth flies back to Silverlight City. You'll go with her. I'm busy here and can't look after you."
Sherry's tone softened. "Alright."
She smiled faintly, a touch of bitterness in her voice. "Armando, I think Elizabeth likes you."
"I don't like her. She saved me. I'll repay her, but not with feelings."
Sherry's arms tightened around him. "I don't want us to be apart again. We've already lost four years."
"Alright."
He dropped Sherry at her hotel before leaving to deal with the day's fallout.
Timothy reviewed Elizabeth's injury report, then called Matthew to send food to her at the hospital before heading into surgery.
By evening, Timothy finally stepped out of the operating room. Time to see the woman who'd risked herself.
Elizabeth was scrolling through messy news articles on her phone, irritation on her face. When she saw Timothy's blank expression, she felt a flicker of guilt... then wondered why she should feel guilty at all.
He checked her arm—thankfully, it wasn't ruined—then took her phone, swiping through the screen. His eyes flicked to hers.
"Quite the pair... one handsome, one beautiful."
"Enviable, really."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Please, stop."
Timothy smiled. "Elizabeth, I didn't expect this."
She sighed. "If it had been you, I'd have stepped in too."
It had been pure instinct—saving someone. And if Armando had been hurt, Quinton's treatment might have been jeopardized. It wasn't about love. But no one seemed to believe that.
"The media loves to spin stories."
Her words cooled most of Timothy's anger. He'd never imagined he'd become the secret lover of a married woman... and feel jealous.
The rest of his frustration would wait.
"Armando booked a flight for tomorrow to send me back to Silverlight City."
Timothy's lips curved. He pulled out his phone and made a call. "Arrange a jet to Silverlight City tonight."
When he hung up, his gaze deepened. "I'll take you back myself."
Elizabeth said nothing. His surgeries were done, and the remaining work could be handled by other professors.
Matthew wasn't thrilled to be left behind. "Timothy, you're unbelievable! I've been your delivery boy for two days. No thanks, no credit?"
The call was on speaker. Elizabeth heard Matthew's voice and realized it sounded just like the man who'd been bringing her meals.
On the plane, Timothy draped a blanket over her legs before answering Matthew. "Do you want to interrupt me?"
Matthew hung up, muttering, already booking his own flight to Silverlight City.
"Mr. Robinson, thank you."
He gave her a sidelong look. "You can call me Timo."
Elizabeth blinked. "Alright."
Timothy laughed and suddenly said, "You should tell Armando. That you won't need his flight tomorrow."
She'd forgotten about that. Timothy rolled up his sleeve, revealing strong forearms, and offered her a ready-made excuse. "Tell him your Timo came to take you home."
She almost laughed, her eyes crinkling. Timothy raised a brow, waiting for her to make the call. As she did, his lips brushed her ear in a sudden, playful bite.
"Behave," he murmured, teeth grazing her gently.
Armando's voice came through the phone. "Elizabeth?"
Her voice was soft, her ear flushed. "Someone's bringing me back to Silverlight City tonight."
"Who?" Armando asked automatically.
Elizabeth's injured hand held the phone; the other was trapped, unable to shield her ear from Timothy. "You don't need to know. I'm hanging up."
Armando didn't care; he assumed it was one of his friends, and it wasn't his concern.
"Enough… stop biting my ear," she said, embarrassed.
Timothy's laugh was low and rough. "Alright."