The Other Side

Chapter 10

Mark opened his eyes and took a moment to get his bearings. The last thing he remembered was sitting on the court listening to Roberto telling him that the kid who had shot Charli had been paid to do it. Then the world had spun so much he had blacked out.

This wasn’t the tennis court. This was a hospital room. Had he really been that bad? Mark hadn’t thought so although all he had been able to think about was going home to bed and sleeping for a week.

His heart felt like he had whacked himself over the head with a sledgehammer. He was still shivering even though he could feel the sweat on his forehead. Mark grimaced and tried to sit up. Almost immediately someone put their hands on his shoulders and urged him back down.

“Don’t get up, Mark. The doctors said you were to lay still.”

Charli. She was here. Mark’s vision cleared and he looked up at her, her hair falling over her shoulder and tickling his cheek. She smiled down at him, her expression taut with exhaustion.

“Charli?”

“Lie down, honey.”

Charli urged him to lay flat and used the bed’s remote to raise the head. Mark didn’t like being upright but his head stopped spinning after a moment.

“My head hurts.” He moaned.

“I’m not surprised.” Charli sat on the bed and threaded her fingers through his. “You were pretty filled up.”

“Filled up?” Mark licked his dry lips. “With what?”

“Arsenic?”

Mark wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly. He stared at her.

“Arsenic? As in rat poison?”

“Pretty much.” Charli’s jaw tightened. “Andy poisoned your water bottle when you left it unattended in the changing rooms. He confessed as much to me as he did to the cops. Said he’d been doing it for three days now.”

This was a lot to take in. Mark couldn’t believe Andy would go that far. He was a sociopath bas*ard who couldn’t cope with losing anything but he hadn’t thought the youngster would go that far because of his career or because of a woman.

Evidently he had severely underestimated Andy. Mark had thought Andy would go after Charli and had been prepared for that. He hadn’t expected Andy to go after him.

“I thought I was coming down with the flu.”

“It does present flu-like symptoms in small doses.” Charli sniffed, wiping her nose with her sleeve. “Doctors said you were lucky. The doses Andy gave you were quite high. Another dose and you would’ve been paralyzed.” Her voice caught. “Two doses and you’d be dead.”

Mark’s heart ached when he saw Charli start to cry. He reached out to her and tugged her towards him.

“Hey, love. Come here.”

Charli went to him willingly, sliding onto the bed and curling up against Mark’s side. Mark held her and pressed a kiss to her head.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m not dead yet. Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

It was going to be hell recovering from what he had read about arsenic poisoning but Mark knew he would pull through with the right treatment. Chances were he would be up and running in no time.

“I know.” Charli rubbed her cheek against his bare chest, hugging him around his waist. “But when Stephen called me and said your heart had stopped…”

Her voice drifted off. Mark knew she was trying to keep it together and held her tightly.

“That’s enough. Remember the baby? I don’t want you to stress yourself out too much.”

Charli sniffed and kissed his chest. Mark could feel her lips trembling against his skin.

“They’ve put you on Dimercaprol. Although I don’t know what that is.”

“It’s a chelating agent they use in heavy metal poisoning.” Mark shrugged when Charli gave him a quizzical look. “I got an A in chemistry.”

“Lucky you.” Charli grunted. “I got a C. Great at writing the notes, not so great at the exams.”

Mark chuckled. He stroked her cheek and kissed her forehead.

“I’ll probably be put on a potassium supplement as well so it decreases my chances of having a heart problem. But I should be up and walking around in no time.”

“I’m glad.” Charli let out a shuddering breath. “I was so scared.”

“So was I.” Mark smiled and cupped her cheek lovingly. “I’m glad I told you I loved you, though.”

Charli smiled back and leaned up to kiss him.

“I’m glad you did, too.”

The kiss was more erotic than Mark had experienced. He could feel his co*k prodding against Charli’s hip. He pulled back and forced himself to get under control. If they were at home he would have ripped Charli’s clothes off and made love to her then and there but this was a hospital room. This was not the place or the time.

“How long are you staying?”

“Until they kick me out.” Charli rested her head on his chest and hugged him. “We’ve got two hours before I have to leave.”

Mark put his arms around her, closing his eyes. He was going to make the most of it with Charli in his arms.

*****

“Charli?”

Charli looked up. Mark stood in the doorway, his hair sticking up on his head. He looked at her bleary-eyed.

“I wondered where you’d gone.”

Charli bit back a laugh. That wasn’t surprising. Mark had been snoring like a pig. It was amazing that she could hear their daughter’s cries over that noise.

“Stephanie was crying.” She looked down at the tiny baby in her arms. “She just needed settling.”

Their six-week-old daughter had been suckling at Charli’s bre*st, taking as much milk as she was able. Now with a full belly, she had released Charli’s bre*st from her mouth and was fast asleep against her chest.

“I didn’t hear anything.”

Charli grinned and stood, carrying Stephanie over to her crib.

“It’s a mom thing. Dads aren’t supposed to hear anything when they’re asleep.”

Despite his inability to hear anything as soon as his head touched the pillow, Mark was a very attentive father. As soon as he had cradled his daughter in the hospital moments after Charli had pushed her into the world, he had fallen in love with her. He doted on their baby, doing his part with changing diapers and looking after her when Charli wanted some much needed sleep. He had even taken Stephanie to training and her namesake had taken the baby and refused to give her back, saying he couldn’t part with such a beautiful child.