>>>>Marcus

Chapter 3

It was 5 o'clock in the morning and Jade woke up to a loud noise coming from next door. It sounded like an alarm she would hear on base. Jade covered her head with her pillow wanting more sleep, however, the alarm didn't stop buzzing.

"Jesus Christ." She banged on the wall behind her and nothing happened, someone whoever was behind her must sleep like the fucking dead.

"Some people like to sleep." She mumbled to herself and got up jumping in the shower knowing there was no way she would get back to sleep. Her leg was still throbbing, but not as bad as before. Jade cringed when the cool water hit her scared burnt back which was feeling stiff this morning.

By the time Jade got out the shower, the alarm was turned off and replaced with loud music. Deciding to ignore the music she continued her morning routine and started on breakfast when there was a knock at the door. Jade hobbled over to the door with a towel still wrapped around her wet hair she had washed and growled when she saw Marcus standing there practically naked with a smirk on his face.

"Our hot water is down, hope you don't mind." Jade stood gob smacked as Marcus entered her house in just a towel and walked into her bathroom without a word. Jade snapped out of her dazed state when she heard the water starting in her bathroom.

"Oh, he just did not." Jade stormed into HER bathroom and threw the door open not caring about the soaked and very naked Marcus who was in the shower.

"Get out you arrogant bastard," Jade yelled as she threw the shower door open and grabbed Marcus by the ear.

"Ow, let go of me." Jade had a strong grip and yanked a naked Marcus out of the shower. If she wasn't so angry she would note how very naked he was and how muscle rippled all over his body.

"You do not get to barge into my house whenever you please, after waking me up at 5 o'clock in the fucking morning," Jade yelled as she pushed Marcus's hands behind him roughly and walked him back to his place. If he had just asked nicely, she would have let him use her shower.

"Ow, stop women." Jade ignored him and banged on his front door knowing Marco was home.

"I am coming wait." He yelled from the other side and Jade took a minute to admire Marcus very strong and naked behind.

"What the hell?" Marco yelled when he saw his naked brother and a furious Jade.

"I think this belongs to you." Jade pushed Marcus forward who fell into his brother.

"Bro why they hell are you naked and wet." Marco pushed his brother off him and Jade tried to not look down when a cocky and arrogant sergeant turned around.

"Your brother thought he could take early morning shower at my place," Jade growled while Marco laughed.

"Sleepwalking again brother?" Jade knew it was a joke as both brothers laughed and Jade stood there crossed arms waiting for them to finish.

"Well, you better get that sleep walking fixed." Jade walked away with the brothers still laughing as she slammed her front door sending them a message she was pissed at them. Jade stormed her way into the kitchen and screamed at the frustrating man.

When she heard a knock at the door, she knew who it was, but ignored the persistent person. She put her music into her ears and played her music loud enough not to hear the knocking, but low enough it didn't burst her eardrums.

Once breakfast was cooked she sat down and smugly enjoyed her breakfast in peace. Once breakfast was finished and cleaned up Jade had nothing to do. Without being at work or being able to exercise she found that she had all this time on her hands and nothing to do with it.

Jade tried reading but became bored as her mind wanted her to be active. She tried cleaning her apartment but found it was already spotless.

"Fuck it." Jade thought as she went into her room and put on gym clothes. She knew she shouldn't be working out, but as long as she didn't run, and kept her brace on she would be fine. Once dressed she called a cab and walked outside to get the shock of her life.

"Where do you think you are going?" Jade jumped out of her skin and faced an angry Marcus standing in front of her door.

"I am going out, so move." She tried to shove past him, but the man was a wall of hard muscles.

"I don't enjoy being ignored." Jade rolled her eyes and tried to go past him again.

"Well, I don't like naked men barging into my apartment, but we don't always get what we want do we." Jade starred Marcus down and neither of them were moving or backing down.

"Well, I suggest going out tonight. My brother and I are having company." Jade rolled her eyes and pushed past him to the elevators.

By the time Jade got to the gym, she was ready to let off some much-needed steam. Dressed in track pants and a long sleeve shirt she wrapped up her hands and walked over to the punching bag.

"Do you need any help?" Jade looked to the gym trainer who had taken up spot behind the bag.

"Sure." Jade quickly stretched before her mind went blank and her only focus was the bag in front of her. She repeated a quick succession of hits before she felt a sharp pain in her chest and a sharp pain in her side. She gasped and took a step from the bag grabbing her side trying to breathe through the pain.

"Hey, you ok?" The trainer rushed forward, and she waved her hand.

"I am fine." She wheezed out and she could tell he wasn't buying it. Sweat was dripping down her face soaking her baggy jumper.

"Hey, why don't you sit down and change your clothes." Jade shook her head knowing she wanted no one to see her body.

"It's fine, really." Even though she was saying she was fine, she took a seat, and the trainer passed her, her bottle.

"Here drink slowly. You have been going for just under an hour." Jade wasn't shocked. When she cleared her mind and focused on one task, she would lose track of time, something that became essential in the army.

"I am Kurt. You pack a mean punch for someone with one working leg." Jade watched as he rolled his shoulders and she fanned herself trying to get air into her drenched body.

"You should take that off. You will overheat." Jade said nothing as she played with the ends of her jumper.

"I don't want people to stare." She said meekly knowing if she did people would stare and whisper behind their backs about the scars and burns that litter her upper body.

"Well just ignore them," Kurt said with a shrug knowing it couldn't be too bad. Sighing Jade took off her jumper and rolled her shoulder as she felt people already looking at her and whispering.

"So what else do you want to do." Because of the restrictions on what she could do, she walked over to the medicine balls and Kurt helped her with sit up.

"You in the army?" Kurt asked halfway through her sit-ups.

"What gave it away?" She asked huffing and ignoring the pain she knew she shouldn't, but no one got anywhere without pushing themselves.

"Just the way you move and are aware of everything around you. We have a few army guys in here so we trainers pick up a thing or two. Like when someone is very injured and shouldn't be exercising." Kurt gave her a look she dismissed, however, she didn't last long before she was in pain.

"I think you should stop." Jade wanted to tell him to butt out, but she knew he was right. Christ, it hurt. Kurt helped her to sit down, and she worked through her pain.

"Do you need help to get home?" Jade shook her head and Kurt gave her an uneasy look.

"Look here comes Marco he will help. Marco." Jade wanted to tell him not too, but it was too late when Marco came bounding over wiping the sweat off his face from his workout. She didn't even realise he was in the gym.

"Kurt my man what's up?" They did this weird handshake thing before Marco took notice of Jade sitting on the bench with her face scrunched up in pain.

"Holy shit, Jade what are you doing here?" Marco went to assess the damage, but she battered his hands away.

"I am fine." She heaved out as Marco shook his head.

"I might not know what happened or the extent to your injuries, but I can tell that you are most defiantly not fine. I am taking you to the hospital." Jade was going to protest when the sharp pain returned to her chest causing her to fall off the bench and her eyes to roll to the back for her head.

"Shit," Marco said catching her as she groaned.

"Hospital we go." Jade didn't protest as Marco gathered her in his arms and took her out to his car.

"Jade I need you to tell me what is hurting." Jade shook her head being stubborn as Marco felt around her chest.

"Take your hands off me." She said weakly and Marco ignored her frowning when he felt nothing wrong knowing that the issue was internal.

"Jade, I need you to stay with me ok." Jade tried to nod, but god she wanted to sleep.

"Jade," Marco shouted making her snap her eyes wide open.

"Jade, I need you to tell me in your last tour were you ever exposed to an IED?" Jade became stiff as a board as smoke filled her vision and the sound of men shouting to get down as gunfire started and bombs went off.

"Jade stay with me." Marco put his hand on Jade leg giving it a hard squeeze causing her to yell out in pain.

"Good Jade." They pulled up to the hospital and Marco rushed Jade in.

"I need help. She is a soldier who was injured in combat a few months ago. Has extreme chest pain possibly from an IED " Doctors and nurses came to their attention the moment the words left Marco's lips grabbing Jade and getting her vital setup.

"Sir, I suggest you step out of the room." Marco shook his head knowing he could pick up anything the doctors missed.

"I'm a field medic for the special forces. I can help." He watched as the doctors quickly got to work to hook her up to a heart monitor and cut open her shirt to examine the damage. When Jade's top was removed Marco knew what could possibly be wrong when he noticed the damage to Jade chest.

"You need to get a chest x-ray straight away and have an operation room ASAP. The damage to her chest is from an IED these marks indicate she was at close range meaning some shrapnel may have been missed and her exercising has caused it to move to a dangerous place." The doctors got into immediate action and did a portable scan of her chest and gave Marco a copy so he could look at it.

"There." He pointed to the small metal piece that was inside Jade's chest. The doctor looked at his copy and nodded his head.

"Take her to operation room 4 and call it in. Thank you." The doctor said as he passed Marco on the way out as they quickly pushed Jade into surgery.

"Christ," Marco said running his fingers through his hair. He knew she had been injured, but Christ he has never seen so many scars, burns and bullet wounds scattered across one body. What the hell happened to her on tour and what kind of job was Jade doing?

It was hours later when Marco and Marcus were allowed into Jade's room. Marco had rung his brother hours ago, and he had never seen his brother ever rush to anything the same way he rushed into that hospital.

"Jade Jennings?" Both the brothers got up and walked over to the doctor.

"How is she?" Marcus asked, and the doctor smiled.

"She is doing fine. We were able to extract the shrapnel that seemed to be hidden. It seemed her physical exercise moved it around causing Miss Jennings the pain she was in. You're smart thinking and critical eye saved us hours that Jade didn't have." The brothers nodded their heads and walked into Jade's room surprised to see her up, awake and yelling at the poor nurse. Despite coming out of surgery just 6 hours ago.

"Don't touch me. I am fucking fine." Jade yelled at the nurse who was trying to give her pain medication which Jade hated because it dulled her senses.

"Tsk Corporal you should listen to the beautiful nurse." Jade watched her nurse blush under Marcus gaze.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jade yelled not in the mood. Yes, she may have had surgery, but it was nothing and she wanted to leave.

"That is how you thank me for making sure you are ok? I am wounded, kitten." Marco smacked his brother on the head as he listened to Jade's heart rate increase at his idiotic brother.

"You shouldn't even be up yet," Marco said and Jade's expression softened as he came over.

"Yeah well I don't like hospitals, it is like my body knows when it is in one. I am not getting a wink of sleep in here." She had spent almost a month in hospital last time and there was no way she was staying the night.

"Look I really don't want to stay here, so could you see I can get released early?" Jade asked Marco.

"I will see." Marco left the room leaving Jade and Marcus alone.

"You ruined poker night you know," Marcus said stepping closer to her bed. Jade wished she could move away, but there was nowhere for her to go and the highly attractive man inched closer until he was sitting on her bed with his hand on either side of her head, caging her in.

"Even though you ruined poker night, I am glad you are ok." Jade frowned and became overwhelmed by the smell that was coming off Marcus, it had her salivating and ready to lick that sin worthy body of his.

Jade looked up into Marcus's dark eyes surprised to see the emotions his eye was showing. Marcus leaned in closer than out of nowhere he was gone.

"Jade I am surprised you are up." Confused Jade looked and saw Marco and the doctor coming back into the room.

"Marco said you want to go home. Unfortunately, we have to keep you in for a few days. You have had major chest surgery and I don't feel comfortable letting you go home just yet." Jade sighed and closed her eyes. She really didn't want to stay here.

"When is the earliest I can go home?" She asked the doctor, and he said she would have to wait and see.

3 days later Jade was still in hospital and bored out of her mind. She was still in a lot of pain and the pain medication helped her a little. Marco and Marcus visited her during those 3 days and she was ready to strangle Marcus for being such an annoying asshole.

"Uno," Marco said again and Jade placed a card down. He grinned at Jade before putting his final card down winning the 3rd game in a row.

"I suck at this," Jade complained as the doctor walked into the room.

"Good afternoon Jade how are you feeling?" He checked over Jade's file and she sat up despite the pain.

"Good, I want to go home though." She grumbled as Marco pat her leg as Marcus walked into the room with 2 coffee cups.

"Well, I am happy with your condition. There is no sign of infection and you are healing up nicely. So I am happy to discharge you on one condition. That someone stays with you for the next couple of days." Jade groaned and was about to say she would rather die than have a babysitter when Marcus answered for her.

"That is fine, I will stay with her," Jade growled and was ready to strangle the man.

"Very well. Nancy will be back in to give you your medication and please don't scare her this time." Jade huffed crossing her arms ignoring the sharp pain. Jade grumbled the whole time as Nancy the nurse flirted with Marcus as she gave Jade her medication and healing instructions.

"Now that you are done flirting, why don't you guys fuck already so I can go home." Marcus laughed while the nurse blushed a thousand shades of red and ran out of the room.

"Thanks, Jade she would have been a good fuck too. The quiet one always are." Jade scrunched up her face in disgust as her movements slowed down as the medication was starting to take effect again.

"Just take me home." she started to slur hating what the pain meds did to her mind and body.

After another hour at the hospital, the trio was glad to leave the place. Jade was out of it by the time they left and was muttering nonsense all the way home.

"Jade, just go to sleep." Jade shook her head slowly as they pulled up to their apartment building. Marcus carried her up to her room despite her protest and complaints the whole way up.

"I dwnt weed your welp." She slurred and Marcus just laughed at her.

"Sure, thing kitten." Marco got her dressed in her pyjamas and put her to bed.

"Marcus will stay with you ok." Jade was slipping out of consciousness, now she was in her own bed away from the horrors of hospitals.

"Wait, what you are doing?" Jade tried to move, but her body was sluggish and shutting down as Marcus ever so slowly took off his shirt allowing Jade to marvel at the toned bronze muscles that laid hidden under his shirt.

Jade was almost drooling at the clean sharp V cut that leads down to a package Jade knew was impressive. The way his muscles flexed enchanted Jade, and she blamed in on the drugs.

"I am getting ready for bed." Jade almost fainted when he dropped his pants revealing toned strong legs

"You not swleping here." She was trying to stay awake as Marcus slipped into her bed.

"Just sleep, Jade." Marcus closed his eyes as she shook her head.

"No, my bed." She tried to sit up, but her body felt too heavy.

"Jade, just sleep ok, I promise I will be on my best behaviour." Jade went to say something, but her body had other ideas and it shut down and let her sleep.