Her Mistletoe Protector (16 page)

Officer McCarthy hesitated but then nodded. “All right. We’ll head over to the hospital. If Detective Butler is awake, I’ll get his statement, as well.”

Her shoulders slumped with relief. She didn’t bother telling the officer that the likelihood of Nick answering any questions was slim to none. She wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that Nick was already in surgery, having the injury to his arm repaired. If he survived long enough to get to surgery.

No, she refused to believe the worst. God was surely watching over Nick. He’d been a good Christian his entire life.

She didn’t even want to consider the alternative. That God would take Nick home to be with his wife and daughter.

The ride to the hospital didn’t take too long, although Joey was half asleep by the time they arrived. With Officer McCarthy as their escort, they made their way to the waiting area and were given a quick update about Nick’s condition.

“Detective Butler is still in surgery,” the woman behind the desk informed them. “But he should be out soon. Now tell me what relation are you to the patient?”

Rachel swallowed hard. “I— We’re good friends. He, uh, has sisters, but I don’t know how to get in touch with them.” She knew he had parents, although she wasn’t sure how to contact them, either. How was it that she was more familiar with the names of his dead wife and daughter than his living family members?

Maybe calling herself a friend was stretching the truth. She was just a woman who’d needed Nick’s protection and his expertise. Nothing more, nothing less.

The kiss they’d shared didn’t mean anything. And she’d be stupid to think it had.

She and Joey went to sit down, and soon Joey was snuggled against her, falling asleep. She tucked Officer McCarthy’s business card in her pocket and let her head drop back against the wall.

As soon as they found Karl Errol, this nightmare would really be over. She and Joey could go back home to their normal lives. Granted there would still be some red tape before the money was returned her, but she was convinced it would all work out.

She wondered how long Nick would have to stay off duty as a result of his gunshot wound and hoped it wouldn’t be too long. Grimly, she realized there was no way she’d ever be able to repay him for everything he’d done for her and for Joey.

He’d put his life and his career on the line for them. More than once. Without Nick’s help she wouldn’t have managed to get Joey back.

Not only had he kept them both safe, but he’d also taught them to believe in God.

Yet all she could offer in return was to pray for him to recover with the full use of his arm.

* * *

“Ms. Simon?” A hand shook her awake and she blinked, momentarily confused as to where she was. Then she recognized the unmistakable antiseptic smell of a hospital.

“What?” She winced when her neck muscles tightened painfully as she turned toward the hospital employee. “Nick? Is he out of surgery?”

“Yes. The doctor is on his way down to talk to you.”

Joey was still asleep beside her and she tried not to wake him as she eased away. She rubbed her hands over her gritty eyes and was surprised to find that the sky outside was beginning to lighten.

A harried surgeon wearing green scrubs came into the room. “Ms. Simon? I’m Dr. Wagner. Detective Butler’s surgery went well. We were able to save his arm, although it was touch and go for a while as his brachial artery was injured. He’s just about finished in the recovery area and then will be sent to the ICU where they can watch him more closely.” He smiled compassionately. “You’ll be able to visit him in about forty-five minutes or so.”

Her mind was spinning with all the information he’d told her. Although she was certainly relieved that Nick had made it through the surgery, she still couldn’t help worrying. “Is there any way he could still lose his arm?” she asked.

For a moment hesitation shadowed the doctor’s eyes. “We’re going to keep a close eye on his circulation. If there’s any change, we’ll take him back to surgery. We’ll know more after twenty-four hours or so.”

Rachel nodded to indicate she understood. “Thank you,” she whispered.

The doctor flashed a brief smile before he turned and left. Joey woke up, complaining that he was hungry. Unfortunately, Rachel didn’t have any money on her, not even an ID. They’d left everything they had in the cabin, which was likely burned beyond repair by now.

“Here, these are meal passes for the cafeteria,” the woman behind the desk said, offering up two small plastic cards. “They’re worth about five dollars each.”

“Thank you so much,” Rachel murmured, taking them gratefully. Getting something to eat would help pass the time until she and Joey could visit Nick in the ICU.

It was closer to an hour later before the ICU called down for them. She held tightly on to Joey’s hand as they went into the critical-care area. Nick’s room was the second door on the left, so they cautiously approached.

“He looks bad, Mom,” Joey choked out, his eyes filling with tears. “He looks like he’s going to die.”

“Joey, listen to me. The doctor said Nick is stable. He wouldn’t lie to us. It’s just that Nick is connected to lots of machines right now.” She did her best to soothe her son, although she felt just as awful seeing Nick like this.

Rachel stepped forward and took Nick’s uninjured hand in hers. “Nick, it’s me, Rachel. Joey is here, too. The doctor said you’re going to be fine. Do you hear me? You’re going to be just fine.”

Nick’s eyelids fluttered for a moment and he looked directly at her. She smiled. “They said your arm should heal. I don’t want you to worry about anything, okay?”

“Where am I?” he asked, his eyes full of confusion.

She tried not to let her fear show. “You’re at the hospital in Madison. You just had surgery on your arm.”

“But I—can’t feel my arm,” he whispered in agony.

“Your arm is right here.” She patted the heavily bandaged limb gently. “The doctor said there’s a good chance you’ll make a full recovery.” She made sure her tone was encouraging.

“I can’t—” Nick stopped, closed his eyes, and turned his head away as if shutting her out.

Rejection seared her soul and she stepped back, keeping her expression neutral for Joey’s sake. She didn’t want to leave, but he’d made his feelings clear. Did he really think he was going to lose his arm? Where was his faith in God?

She didn’t want to think that Nick preferred to be alone through this difficult time, but really, how much did she truly know about him? Maybe he only wanted his family here. Like his parents or his sisters.

She was just a woman he’d gone out of his way to help. Obviously, there was nothing more for her to do here.

She took a deep breath, trying to ease her heartache. This was why she’d avoided becoming emotionally involved. Only this time, she wasn’t the only one who would be hurt.

Joey’s heart would be broken, as well.

SIXTEEN

N
ick fought the rising sense of despair. The doctor had told him that they’d saved his arm, but what was the point if he couldn’t use it? His entire career would be over.

He shifted and groaned, and pain slashed through his left arm, robbing him of his breath. Was it a good thing to know he could feel pain? He forced his eyes open and stared at the heavily bandaged limb. His fingers were hugely swollen and no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t move them. He concentrated on feeling them move, but no luck.

Nothing. He felt nothing.

With a disgusted sigh, he closed his eyes again, feeling guilty for the way he’d treated Rachel and Joey. They hadn’t deserved his anger. He should be thanking God for saving his life, but instead he was focusing on the fact that his arm might never work right again.

Shame burned the back of his throat. He’d taught Rachel and Joey about having faith but couldn’t manage to keep his own. Obviously, he owed them an apology.

But where had they gone? Now that he was awake, the pain in his arm throbbed in conjunction with the beat of his heart. His throat was still sore, no doubt from the smoke he’d inhaled out in the woods.

Abruptly, he wondered how Rachel and Joey were doing. After all, they’d inhaled a fair amount of smoke, too. Had they been checked out by a doctor? He shifted in the bed again, and a loud series of beeping noises brought a nurse running into his room.

“Relax, Mr. Butler, you need to calm down.”

He almost corrected her—he was a detective, not a mister—but didn’t want to waste his energy. “I need to know if Rachel and Joey Simon are both patients here, too,” he croaked.

The nurse frowned down at him, as if she were worried about him. “They were here visiting you about twenty minutes ago, don’t you remember?”

Twenty minutes? For some reason he thought it had been just a few minutes ago. “Are they still here?”

“I’ll check for you, but you have to stay calm,” the nurse said firmly. “The doctors spent a lot of time reconstructing the brachial artery in your arm. I can guarantee they won’t appreciate having you damage their hard work by trying to get out of bed.”

“Just find Rachel and Joey for me,” he managed, not bothering to explain that he couldn’t move his left arm if he tried.

The nurse left the room and it seemed like a long time before she came back carrying a small IV bag. “I have your antibiotic here,” she said as she logged into the computer. “Just give me a few minutes here, okay?”

He did his best to give her the time she needed to scan his wristband and the medication, before she hung it on the IV pump. Only when she finished did he ask. “Rachel and Joey?”

“I’m sorry, but apparently they went home,” she said, her tone full of sympathy.

Home? How? As far as he knew Rachel didn’t have any money or a vehicle. Had she hitched a ride with someone? Borrowed money? What?

He stared at the four walls surrounding him, feeling totally helpless. He was in no condition to follow Rachel, to make sure she and Joey were still safe. Had the police arrested Errol? He certainly hoped so. No doubt they’d be here soon to get his statement about the events that had transpired outside of Uncle Wally’s cabin.

Still, he couldn’t believe Rachel and Joey had left without saying goodbye.

* * *

Exhaustion weighed heavily on Rachel’s shoulders as she and her son made their way back down to the hospital waiting room. She needed to figure out a way to get home, no easy feat since Chicago was about three hours from Madison. A taxi was probably out of the question, which left a bus or a train.

When she asked the woman at the front desk about a train, she shook her head. “Sorry, there’s bus service to Chicago, but no train.”

Of course there wasn’t a train. Why would anything be easy? She was about to ask about borrowing a phone, when the police officer who’d brought her and Joey to the hospital arrived. “Ms. Simon? Could we talk for a few minutes?”

Did she really have a choice? She forced a smile, knowing that her bad mood wasn’t Officer McCarthy’s fault. “Sure.”

“Let’s talk in the chapel across the hall,” the policeman suggested. “There’s more privacy.”

She nodded and drew Joey along with her as they crossed over to the chapel. She sank into a wooden pew and gazed at the simple yet beautifully crafted stained glass cross over the mantel. She imagined this room was used by many family members praying for their loved ones to get better.

Unfortunately, Nick didn’t want her anywhere near him while he was recovering. He’d rather face his unknown future on his own.

She forced herself to push away her painful thoughts. “What can I do for you?”

“I just want to go through the events one more time,” Officer McCarthy explained. “We found the dead body of Gerald Ashton, as you mentioned before. But we still haven’t found the man you referred to as Dr. Karl Errol. And I have to tell you, the vehicle that was parked there is gone, too.”

She shivered, hoping Karl had taken the car to parts unknown. Although certainly they could trace the car’s license plates? Officer McCarthy assured her they were looking for the vehicle. So she took a deep breath and began describing the events of the night before. Midway through, Sean McCarthy interrupted, asking her to start at the beginning.

With a sigh, she went back to the night Joey was kidnapped, explaining what they’d done. The officer’s expression was grim by the time she finished. “I’m not sure if that cop of yours deserves a medal or a demotion,” he said. “You’re lucky things didn’t turn out worse.”

She thought Nick definitely deserved a medal, but she didn’t say anything. “Look, Officer McCarthy, Joey and I need to figure out a way to get back to Chicago.”

“I can give you a ride to the bus station, if that helps,” he offered.

She smiled wanly and nodded. As much as it went against the grain to ask for handouts, they’d need money for bus tickets. “Would you loan me the money for tickets? I promise I’ll pay you back.”

There was the slightest hesitation before he nodded. “Sure, no problem.”

Relief at having one problem solved was overwhelming. “Thank you so much,” she whispered.

Officer McCarthy looked uncomfortable but gave a brief nod. “Okay, let’s go then. I’ll come back later to get Butler’s statement. He’s not going anywhere soon, and I’ll probably get a more coherent story once he’s feeling a little better.”

Thinking of Nick made her sad all over again, but she tried to hide her feelings from Joey. They followed Officer McCarthy to where he’d left his car, parked right in front of the hospital in a clear no-parking zone. The traffic around Madison was crazy busy and the ride to the bus station seemed interminable. Staring out the window to calm her frayed nerves, the Christmas decorations reminded her that the holiday was only two days away.

Inside the bus station, Officer McCarthy used his credit card to pay for their tickets, and then he handed them some cash. “Get something for you and the boy to eat,” he said roughly. “And I hope you have a merry Christmas.”

Tears pricked her eyes at his kindness and she’d already made a note of how much money she owed him. “Thanks again, for everything,” she said softly. “And I hope you have a merry Christmas with your family, as well.”

He gave both of them a nod before making his way back outside. She sank into one of the hard plastic chairs inside the bus station since the next bus didn’t leave until twelve-thirty in the afternoon. Thankfully, just a few hours more and they’d be on their way home.

Waiting was the worst, but finally they boarded the bus and settled into their seats. The bus was busy with what looked like college kids heading home to their families. The ride to Chicago took much longer than she’d anticipated, partially because of the frequent stops and then because of the heavy traffic the closer they came to the city.

While they were stuck in a snarling traffic jam, Rachel realized that she didn’t have her house keys. She hadn’t been home since the night of Joey’s kidnapping. She’d left her mangled car with the keys in it at the scene of the crash as every ounce of energy had been focused on finding her son.

With a groan, she rested her forehead on the cold glass window and realized she’d have to take a taxi to her office to pick up her spare set of keys. Yet another delay before she and Joey would finally get home.

She could hardly wait.

* * *

Nick stared at Officer McCarthy in horror. “What do you mean you didn’t find Errol? And now my car is missing? Are you telling me he’s still out there on the loose?” The monitor above his head sounded an alarm and he took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.

“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m telling you. The only body we found was Gerald Ashton’s. He died of a gunshot wound to his chest.”

Nick momentarily closed his eyes, feeling bad that he’d taken a life. He’d been protecting Rachel and Joey after being wounded himself. But that didn’t really make him feel better.

“Where’s Rachel? And Joey? We need to keep them safe in case Errol decides to come after them.”

“I took them to the bus station, bought them tickets to get home and gave them a little extra cash so they could get something to eat.”

“You
what?
” Nick shouted, and this time, he didn’t care about the beeping alarms. He tried to throw off the covers and make his way to the side of the bed, but it wasn’t easy when his left arm was wrapped up tighter than a mummy. The doctors had explained the numbness was due to some sort of pain block they’d put in, which made him feel even more like an idiot for the way he’d acted toward Rachel.

But nothing was going to stop him from doing the right thing—now.

“Mr. Butler!” his nurse cried as she came running into the room. “What are you doing?”

“It’s Detective Butler,” he ground out between clenched teeth, trying to ignore the sweat that beaded on his brow. “And I’m getting out of here.”

“You can’t leave!” The nurse looked appalled and she crossed the room to push him back into bed even as she called out for help.

Frustrated to discover he didn’t have the strength of a gnat, he threw a desperate glance at McCarthy. “Help me out, here. Don’t you understand? Rachel and Joey are in danger as long as Karl Errol is still on the loose! The guy is working for Global Pharmaceuticals.”

“I’m calling your doctor,” the nurse threatened, acting as if she hadn’t heard a word he said. Or maybe she just didn’t care.

“Yeah, you do that,” Nick said with a disgusted sigh. “Because I’m pretty sure I have the right to leave against medical advice.”

“Only if you can make it out of here without passing out cold,” the nurse said tersely, holding his gaze with bold determination.

“Now, just hold on a minute,” McCarthy said, holding up his hand and trying to wedge himself between Nick and the nurse. “If you really think Ms. Simon and her son are in danger, I’ll help you. No need to act like a lunatic.”

Nick couldn’t help feeling like a lunatic. He couldn’t explain the bad feeling he had about the way Rachel and Joey had left him. Without saying goodbye. Without having Karl Errol in custody. That creep actually had his car!

“Fine,” he bit out, knowing that he didn’t have the strength to stay seated on the side of his bed for much longer. “What’s the plan?”

“How about if I send some backup out to meet Ms. Simon and her son at the Chicago bus depot,” McCarthy offered. “They can drive her home, stick around a bit to make sure everything’s all right.”

It was a start, but not good enough. “We need to get to Chicago, ASAP. I need you to help me get out of here,” he said to McCarthy. “I’ll need help since I can barely keep myself upright. We need to get to Rachel before Errol does.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” McCarthy hedged.

“I do. Trust me—I’ll take full responsibility for my decision.” Last year, Jonah had been in a similar situation, leaving the hospital against doctor’s orders. And he’d been fine.

Nick had to believe everything would work out fine this time, too.

Dear Lord, please give me the strength I need to keep Rachel and Joey safe.

* * *

Rachel held on to Joey’s hand tightly as they navigated the crowds at the bus depot. Without luggage, it was easy to push her way through the swarming mass of people to the door, and before long they found their way to the taxi stand. Now that they were back in Chicago, she couldn’t wait to get home. But first a quick trip to her office building.

Her desperation must have shown as a taxi came barreling to a stop right in front of her. She thought she heard someone call her name but then figured she was imagining things. She urged Joey in first and climbed in after him.

“Where to?” the cabbie asked in a thick Middle Eastern accent.

“Simon Incorporated,” she told him, rattling off the address. He nodded and pulled out into traffic, earning a loud protest from the guy behind him.

She almost closed her eyes, because the taxi drivers in Chicago were maniacs behind the wheel, and she always expected to get in a crash. But somehow, miraculously, they always managed to get to their destinations unscathed.

“Are we home yet?” Joey asked plaintively. She knew he was exhausted, and he’d truly taken everything in stride better than she could have expected.

“Almost. We’re going to stop by my office first, so I can pay the taxi driver and get our house keys,” she said in a hushed voice, hoping the driver didn’t understand English very well. She didn’t think he’d have agreed to take her anywhere knowing that she didn’t have anything more than ten dollars in her pocket, courtesy of Officer McCarthy’s donation. She intended to get a check in the mail to him first thing in the morning, thanking him again for helping her out.

Joey sighed heavily but didn’t whine or complain.

The traffic worked against them again, and she kept a wary eye on the time, hoping they’d get there before the office building shut down for the day. It was almost five o’clock in the evening and already pitch-black outside, except for the brightly lit buildings and the various Christmas decorations, of course.