"I missed you so much," he whispered into her hair, his voice thick with longing. "Hiss-"

"Missing me so much it makes your heart hurt?" Juniper teased with a laugh at his sudden intake of breath.

"No," Shanley said, a rueful smile touching his lips. He felt like he had just shot himself in the foot. "I hugged you too tight and bumped my wound."

Juniper rolled her eyes, exasperated. Didn't the man know how to loosen his grip?

"Let me get you some painkillers," she said, stepping back slightly.

"No need," he replied instantly, sounding incredibly resistant. "I can handle it."

"Are you sure?" Juniper leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, her watery eyes narrowing in a playful smile. "It's a secret recipe."

"Is that so?" Shanley froze for a second before wrapping his arms around her again, suddenly very enthusiastic. "Well, if it's Dr. Nocturne's exclusive remedy, I definitely need a taste."

***

To be fair, the pain relief was exceptional. But the side effects were... noticeable.

For instance, right at that moment, the doctor came in for rounds and found the terrifying Mr. Schwartz clutching his blanket, absolutely refusing to cooperate with the examination.

"Sir, we need to check your leg," the attending physician said respectfully. "Your face is flushed, and you're sweating. Are you feeling unwell?"

"I feel completely fine!" Shanley snapped. He shot a glare at Juniper, who wasn't just refusing to help-she was secretly laughing at him. She loved lighting fires and refusing to put them out, didn't she?

It was only because he was injured and immobile that she could get away with this. Once he healed, he would make her pay.

"You can go," Juniper finally said, taking pity on him. She cleared her throat softly. "I've already examined him. Your boss is doing just fine."

"Huh?" The doctors exchanged confused glances but didn't dare argue. They awkwardly shuffled out of the room.

***

Once they were alone again, Juniper lifted the blanket and snuggled into his arms.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Shanley gritted his teeth, holding down her shifting body. The veins on his forehead popped, and his cheeks were an unnatural shade of red.

"I just want to sleep in your arms," she murmured, already leaning against his chest. She let out a soft yawn the exhaustion of

steeple past few

day s finally catching up to

her

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Shanley looked down, ready to retort, but realized she had already drifted off into a deep sleep.

"Sleep," he whispered. He pulled the blanket up to cover her and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead Just wart a little fonger wont let you shoulder this all by yourself."

A while later, a doctor crept back into the room. "Sir, it's time for your medication."

"Skip the painkillers," Shanley said,

pulling the specific pills from the cup

and tossing them into the trash. His voice was low and commanding.

"From now on dort include any

analgesics in my dosage."

Painkillers slowed down the body's natural healing process. He needed his

treatment to finish as quickly as possible so he could recover.

"You know whose orders to follow when it comes to Ms. Payne," he added darkly.

"Understood," the doctor nodded respectfully.

***

That night, they successfully locked onto Sanctum Holdings' exact coordinates.

Nestled in Shanley's arms, Juniper launched a secure online meeting to coordinate the rescue operation.

"Position operatives thirty kilometers out. I want the power grid to Wraithfall Mountain cut in a matter of seconds."

"Stock up on choppers and explosives."

"We're going to need a massive storm on the day of the operation."

After delegating the tasks, she calculated the timeline and spoke smoothly. "We launch the rescue mission in exactly two weeks."

Two weeks?

Shanley glanced down at his battered body, his eyes dimming. Two weeks. Could

he recover enough in that time to be of any help to her?

...

In a flash, two weeks passed. The rescue operation was ready to begin.