Sam limped down the hallway, wondering where everyone was. Usually, she could hear them before she saw them. She was about to text Nick when he stepped out of their suite and smiled when he saw her coming. His smile quickly faded when he realized she was limping.

“What happened?”

“Goddamned ice in the goddamned parking lot at work.”

“Oh no. What hurts?”

“It’d be easier to tell you what doesn’t hurt.”

“How about a hot bath?”

“That sounds like heaven, but where are the kids? I totally missed today with them.”

“They’re fine. They’re upstairs playing Chutes and Ladders with Eli and Celia. All is well.”

“Then please lead me to that hot bath.” Her hip hurt so badly, she wondered if she’d fractured it. Please God… She did not have time for that. While Nick got the bath ready, Sam sat gingerly on the bed, wincing when her battered hip touched the mattress. “Yow.” This reminded her of the time she’d been hit by a car while chasing a perp. She’d survived that, and she’d survive this, too.

But damn, it hurt.

Nick came out of the bathroom and knelt before her to remove her boots.

“I need a photo of the leader of the free world kneeling before me.”

He grinned as he looked up at her, the most devastatingly handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on. “This is just for you, babe.”

“It’d better be.”

“No worries there, as you surely know.”

“This is going to put a damper on vacation activities.”

“That’s okay.”

“It isn’t. Our whole vacation has gone sideways.”

“No, it hasn’t. We’re all together, and that’s what matters. Who cares where we are?”

“Um, you do. You were loving Camp David.”

“We can go back again sometime soon.”

“You’re taking this better than I expected.”

“I was disappointed to leave, because I was enjoying the change of scenery, but all my favorite scenery is here with me, so I’m good.”

She ran her fingers through his thick dark hair. “You’re easy to please.”

“As you well know, it doesn’t take much to make me happy.”

Sam smiled and leaned in to kiss him. One of her greatest joys in the life she shared with him was seeing him deeply loved by a family of his own, which was something he’d never had before.

“Let me go check the tub, and then I’ll help you get naked, which is my favorite activity of all.”

No matter what disaster she brought home with her, he always made her feel better. That was one of his many superpowers where she was concerned.

When he returned, he helped her up and then gently removed her clothes, wincing at the huge red marks on her hip and elbow that would soon blossom into massive bruises. “My baby took a hell of a hit.”