Free Seasoned Veteran by Roz Lee

Her face below the mask she wore lost all its color then she’d begun to sway like a twig in the wind.
    Sean had caught her, held her upright, but damn her brother for not noticing something was really, really wrong. The Siobhan he knew and loved was made of sterner stuff than this.
    He whisked her into the first elevator to arrive. She made no argument, just fell against him so he had no choice but to hold her. Placing one hand at the small of her back to support her, he noticed the light sheen of sweat on her skin. Panic gripped him around the throat.
    “Babe,” he croaked through dry lips. “Hang on. Just a few more minutes.” No answer as he held her cheek against his lapel. Shit. Maybe I should’ve called an ambulance. What do I know about anything medical?
    The elevator doors opened on his floor. He scooped her up, making his way down the hall as quick as he could without jostling her too much. At the door to the room he’d booked for the night, he fished the keycard out of his jacket pocket, slid it into the slot to release the lock.
    She was out cold when he laid her on the bed. Holy shit. What’s wrong with her?
    “Siobhan, babe.” Sitting beside her, he removed her mask. He cradled her face between his palms, stroking his thumbs over ashen cheeks. “Wake up, babe. Ah, Christ, sweetheart, you’re scaring me.”
    What to do? He fumbled in his pocket for his cell phone, found Sean’s number. “Get up here, now. Room 3425. It’s Siobhan, she’s sick.”
    His eyes blurred, but he managed to call the front desk. “I need a doctor up here. Fast. I don’t care where you find one. Call 9-1-1 if you have to.” He gave them the few details he knew, age, sex, that was it. Christ, he was useless. Why didn’t he know more about her?
    Because you’re an ass, Tully.
    Reaching for her hand, he held onto her, silently praying for her to open those gorgeous eyes of hers. Her skin was cold. God, he’d never seen a living person so pale. He pulled the comforter off the other side of the bed to cover her, tucking it in around her like a cocoon.
    In the other room, a knock sounded on the door. He bolted to answer it. Sean Flannery pushed past him, followed by Kelly.
    “Where is she?” he asked. Worry etched deep lines between his eyes and around his mouth. “What did you do to her, you bastard?”
    “Nothing. She was sick down in the ballroom. What kind of brother are you? You didn’t even notice!” He looked at his daughter. “I called for a doctor. Stay here, let him in.” Signaling Sean to follow him to the bedroom, he called over his shoulder, “She’s in here, asshole.”
    Fear gripped him. She was so pale—not at all the vibrant woman he remembered. Minutes later, Kelly escorted another woman into the room.
    “I’m Dr. Simon.” She took his place beside Siobhan.
    She was quick and efficient, asking questions as she examined her patient. Between himself and Sean, they answered most of her questions, but it was her final inquiry that rocked him to the core.
    “Is she pregnant?”
    “No.” He scraped the fingers of one hand through his hair as the possibility hit home. Fear was a fireball in his gut. What if she is? It’s mine. He couldn’t imagine she’d taken another lover after he left. She wasn’t like that. They’d used protection, but nothing but abstinence was one hundred percent certain. They’d fucked like bunnies for weeks. “Maybe. Fuck, I don’t know.”
    The doctor waved something under Siobhan’s nose. Her moans were music to his ears as she came to.
    “What happened?” she asked.
    “You fainted.” Dr. Simon, introduced herself. “Do you mind if I examine you?”
    Confusion knitted Siobhan’s brow as she scanned the room, landing on her audience before returning to the woman at her side. “No. But I’m fine…I think.”
    “Come on.” Kelly waved both men into the other room. “Let’s give them some privacy.”
    He wandered to the middle of the outer room where he