Rescue Me (Hayes Brothers Book 4)

by Karen Kelley

  I hesitated at the ER doors. What if this wasn’t my father? What if I was just hoping this was him?

  Layne put his arm around my shoulders and gave me a quick squeeze. “I’m right here with you. I told you I would be. Whatever happens, we’ll face it together. You’re not alone.”

  I nodded, then we went into the room. I didn’t think I’d ever been more scared than I was right now.

  Chapter 23

  Layne

  I wanted to pull Fiera into my arms and tell her everything would be okay, but I couldn’t swear it would be. Did I think John was her father? I think she wanted him to be her father. After hearing the worst possible news, I think she was grasping at straws. Not that I could blame her.

  “Daddy,” Fiera softly spoke.

  John didn’t respond. It was as if he’d run away from everything and crawled back into his shell. Sometimes the mind triggers a mechanism of self-protection. Maybe that’s what was happening now.

  “Maybe we should let him rest,” I told her.

  “I’m afraid to leave him. I don’t want to lose him again.”

  When she looked at me, I saw the tears swimming in her eyes. I pulled her into my arms. “The nurse said he was stable right now.”

  Wes and Danny showed up a few minutes later and I handed over the keys to them. One of them had brought up my pickup as I’d asked. A few minutes later the doctor came into the room.

  “They’re about to take him upstairs, but I wanted to come in and speak with you. I was told of the situation. As far as I know, John’s never really communicated with anyone until now. If you are his daughter, the shock of seeing you might be too much for his mind to comprehend. I would suggest letting him rest tonight and we’ll reevaluate him tomorrow. Everything is stable at the moment. He only needs to rest. I suggest you do the same, come back in the morning, and we’ll see where we are.”

  “The doctor’s right. We can return first thing in the morning.”

  Fiera finally nodded her head. I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “You’ll call if there are any changes, right?” Fiera asked.

  “I’ll tell the nurses upstairs if there’s any change to let me know personally and I’ll call you or Layne. You know, this has been really traumatic on you, as well. Get some rest, then come back in the morning.”

  All the way to the apartment, Fiera was quiet, lost in her own thoughts. I took her to my apartment and had her sit on the sofa. Right now, she seemed so fragile that she scared me. I sat beside her and pulled her into my arms. She rested her head against my chest.

  “All this time, he’s been right here. He didn’t return because he couldn’t. When he didn’t come home, instead of filing a missing person’s report, my mother lied.” She gave a bitter laugh. “I don’t know why that should surprise me, but it does. She hadn’t filed a report because he’d always been the weight around her neck, pulling her down, or so she thought. As soon as he was out of her life, she could live it the way she wanted.”

  She paused and I wondered if she was going to continue. I knew she needed to get it out. She needed to talk about everything. So I listened, and I held her.

  “Sometimes, she would have parties at the house. The people that came scared me, so I would hide in the closet and pull a blanket over my head. Later I realized they were doing drugs and drinking a lot. Once she tried to get me to drink some whiskey, but I couldn’t stand the smell of it, so I ran to my room. I can still hear the sound of her laughter.

  “I think she resented my father. My father and I had a really good relationship. She was still young when she told me he died, only twenty-eight. I think she felt as if he stifled her lifestyle by getting her pregnant. She never wanted kids. She only wanted to have fun.” She suddenly pushed away and came to her feet. “I’m scared. What if John Doe isn’t my father? What if the man Jeremy found is really Nolan Murphy?"

  “Jeremy is working on finding out the truth. He’ll pull enough strings, so it won’t take that long.”

  “Of course he is.” She began to pace back and forth across the living room. “It’s almost midnight. We should probably get some sleep. I want to go to the hospital first thing. Yes, that’s it. We need to go to bed.” She started toward the door. I followed. She stopped, turned, and looked at me.

  “I’m not going to let you stay by yourself tonight. You’ve had a shock as well.” I took her hand and we went into my bedroom. I got one of my t-shirts out of the drawer. “You can wear this to sleep in.” She looked at the t-shirt as if she didn’t really know what to do with it. I laid it on top of the dresser, then went to her and began to unbutton her shirt.

  I undressed her as quickly as possible, then pulled the shirt over her head and helped her into bed. There was no sense of purpose to her movements. I knew everything was starting to hit her all at once. I quickly undressed down to my briefs, then crawled into bed with her, pulling her close. She nestled against me. It felt right having her next to me. I brushed my lips against her forehead.

  “Try to sleep,” I said. It was a long time before her breathing changed to a steady pattern. Only then did I let myself go to sleep.

  It was in the early morning hours when I came awake. Fiera was still asleep. I slipped out of bed, grabbed my phone, and went to the living room. I wasn’t sure what had awakened me.

  I called the hospital and asked for the floor where they’d taken John. The nurse on duty told me that John had a quiet night. He still hadn’t opened his eyes or said anything. All his vitals were good. I thanked the nurse, then hung up.

  It was almost six. I knew Jeremy usually got up early, so I took a chance and called him. He answered on the second ring. “Have you found out anything more?”

  “Just that Nolan Murphy is bad news. At least, the guy who’s calling himself Nolan Murphy is bad news.”

  “But if he’s impersonating Fiera’s father, wouldn’t they have discovered that by now?”

  “That’s the problem. No one has ever pressed charges against the guy. I had a friend check him out. He’s clean. No record. No one has ever been brave enough to file charges against him. He hasn’t actually committed any crimes, but he’s been to the Sheriff’s Office plenty of times for questioning. They just can’t pin anything on the guy. Something isn’t right about him. I’ll know more by this afternoon and when I do, I’ll call you.”

  I ended the call, then continued to sit there. I don’t know how much time passed before I realized I wasn’t the only one who was up. I raised my head and saw Fiera standing in the doorway.

  “Who was on the phone?”

  “Jeremy. He said he should know more by this afternoon. I also called the hospital. Your father hasn’t regained consciousness yet, but everything looks okay. I’ll fix us some coffee, and then we can get dressed and go to the hospital if you want.” I knew she was anxious to see for herself and I wouldn’t try to stop her. Hell, if I was in her shoes, I’d want to do the same thing, and I damn sure wouldn’t let anything stand in my way.

  “I’ll meet you back here after I shower and dress, if that’s okay.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  She went back to the bedroom and gathered her clothes, along with her keys. She slipped her uniform pants back on, then left the apartment.

  I took a quick shower, then dressed. I knew she would be okay for now, but for some reason, I didn’t want to leave her alone for too long. Or maybe it was just me. Yeah, I was a Band-Aid all right. Hell, I was a whole bandage.

  I fixed the coffee, then when it was ready, I went to her apartment. I tapped lightly on the door, and it was opened a few minutes later. Her hair was still damp from the shower, but she was wearing a pair of jeans and a yellow blouse. I handed her a cup of coffee. She took it, breathing in the aroma before taking a sip.

  “I needed this.” She stepped back so I could come inside. Rather than going to the living room, she stopped at the kitchen table and took a seat. “This is all really happening? I feel as though
I had a weird dream.”

  “I know the feeling, but it did happen.”

  “When Mr. Jenkins grabbed the gun, I felt as if my heart stopped beating. I just knew he was going to shoot Ray, but accidentally hit you.” She took another drink of her coffee.

  “I didn’t know he’d grabbed the gun until later or I would’ve been a little nervous. Sometimes we label elderly people and forget they’re pretty damned smart.”

  “I know. Since we’ve been going to the nursing home with the cats and dogs, I’ve learned more about them and the lives they used to have, and the new ones they have now.” She took another drink of her coffee. “What else did Jeremy have to say?”

  “He said he should know something this afternoon, but the man pretending to be your father is bad news. He’s a bad man, and apparently gotten away with a lot of stuff. No one has ever pressed charges because they were scared of the repercussions.”

  “Do you think he’s the one who beat my father?”

  “I’ve been thinking about it.”

  “And?” she asked.

  “I think you might be right about John Doe being your father. It makes sense.”

  She sat a little forward. “I know, it does, doesn’t it?”

  My phone suddenly rang. I picked it up and looked at the number. “It’s the hospital.”

  Chapter 24

  Fiera

  My hands were shaking. I clasped them together as Layne drove us to the hospital. I tried to think about anything else, but my mind kept playing out last night. When I’d had time to think about it, I began questioning if John Doe really was my father. Maybe he was just Irish and knew the tune. The sad fact was, I might never know. He could have slipped back to wherever his mind had been before.

  “Everything is going to be okay,” Layne said as he found a parking spot and pulled in.

  I turned toward him. “Will it?”

  He turned the key, then turned in his seat toward me. “Even if that man in the hospital bed upstairs isn’t your father, you’ll still survive. It’s who you are. That’s what you’ve been doing all your life and you will continue to do so. Except now will be different because I’ll be with you.”

  I looked out the window. But for how long? Rather than saying anything, I opened the door and got out. He was right about one thing. I would survive. It’s what I’d always done. But I couldn’t help hoping and praying that he was my father. I’d felt something from the moment I’d met John. There’d been a connection. I could see it now.

  We went inside and took the elevator up, but stopped at the nurse’s station and told them we were here to see John, before going in.

  “Here comes the doctor now. He’s just leaving John’s room.” When the doctor came over, the nurse told them we were there to see John.

  This was a new doctor. “I think he might be my father,” I told him. “They said he’d regained consciousness.”

  “He’s awake,” the doctor hesitantly told us. “I’m afraid he’s not making a lot of sense right now. He began mumbling when I was examining him and became quite agitated. It might be better if he didn’t have visitors, since you don’t know for sure this is your father.”

  “I promise I won’t stay long. But I need to see him, even if it’s only for a moment.”

  The doctor finally agreed. “But only for a moment. I’ll come in with you. I don’t want to take a chance of him getting too agitated. The graze from the bullet wasn’t too bad, but he had a goose egg on the back of his head where he apparently hit it. I think he might have suffered a concussion. I want him to stay as quiet as possible.”

  I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. “I don’t want to upset him either.”

  “Well then, follow me,” the doctor said and led the way to John’s room.

  I hesitated at the door. The minute I stepped into the room I had a feeling I would know the truth. I don’t know if I could take another disappointment. There’d been so many in my life. Layne took my hand and squeezed it. For some reason, that gesture gave me the strength to walk the rest of the way.

  John didn’t look our way as we came in. I clamped my lips together, and walked to the other side of the bed so he would see me.

  “Nolan Murphy,” I softly said.

  No response.

  My heart began to break into a million tiny pieces. I had so wanted this man to be my father. I didn’t know if I could stand the pain.

  Dammit! It wasn’t fair! “Nolan Murphy,” I cried out louder than I intended.

  He suddenly frowned. “What? Stop yelling.” He slowly turned his head toward me. His forehead wrinkled as if he was trying to pull out a memory that had been buried way too long. Then he smiled. “Red hair.”

  I smiled, barely breathing. Had he been responding to his name, or the noise? “Yes, I have red hair.”

  “You look like my little girl, only older.”

  “What was her name?”

  “Fiera.”

  “Daddy, I’m your little girl, but you’ve been lost. Do you remember what happened?”

  He looked confused again.

  I quickly patted his hand. “Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter. You’re back and we’ll never be apart again.

  His forehead furrowed. “He was walking on the side of the road. I offered him a ride.” He closed his eyes tight, his face suddenly screwed up in pain.

  “You don’t have to remember anything.”

  “No, I have to remember everything. I know I’ve been lost in my head because it hurts so much to remember.” He looked at me. “I don’t want to be lost anymore.” He drew in a deep breath, then continued. “He had me drive him to his house. I told him I was tired, and I was going to find a hotel room. He said he had a guestroom I could stay in. When we got inside, he started to hit me. I don’t know when he stopped, I lost consciousness. When I came to, I was tied to the chair. He was laughing when he began to cut me.”

  I held his hand as tears rolled down my face. I cried for the pain that he had been through. For the years that man stole from us.

  “I didn’t know much after that. He dumped me somewhere near a bridge. Took my clothes, my car, everything. It began to rain. I crawled under the bridge to stay dry. I think he figured I would die. I guess I did. Somebody must’ve found me, but by then I discovered I could go deep inside my head and the pain would ease up. I guess I stayed there.” He squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry I left you.”

  I shook my head. “You don’t have to be sorry for anything. We’re together now.”

  “Mr. Murphy,” the doctor began. “Can you tell me the address of where you were living when all of this happened?”

  He thought for a minute, then called off the address. I looked at the doctor and nodded my head.

  “Don’t cry, baby girl. I’ll sing you an Irish lullaby.” He began to sing softly, but I could see his eyes were growing heavy. The effort of reliving what he’d been through had taken a toll on him.

  “It’s okay, Daddy. Go to sleep. The nurses will let me know when you wake up.” I wasn’t sure if he heard me or not. For a moment, I watched the regular rhythm of his breathing. My lips touched his hand before I let go and placed it back up on the bed.

  As soon as we stepped out of the room, I turned into Layne’s arms. He held me tight as I cried. Finally, there were no tears left. “I’ve soaked your shirt,” I said and looked up at him.

  He smiled. Yes, it was that killer smile again. I wanted to pull his lips down to mine, but I resisted since the nurses were already staring at us.

  “I have plenty of shirts,” he said.

  “It may be a good thing you do. I don’t think I’ve ever cried this much. I’ve always been able to hold my emotions in check.” I hesitated, then said, “I’m glad you were with me.”

  He brushed his lips across mine. “See, that wasn’t very hard.”

  “What?”

  “Letting someone else in.”

  I opened my mouth, then closed it. He was ri
ght, but I think he’d been inching his way into my life from the very beginning. When his phone began to ring, I stepped back.

  He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen before putting in next to his ear. “Jeremy, what’s up? Just a minute, I’ll put you on speakerphone.” He grabbed my hand and we went down to the waiting room, which was thankfully empty. “Okay, go ahead.”

  “I’ve been checking on the man claiming to be Nolan Murphy. All of his credentials point to him as being Fiera’s father. The exact same date of birth and even that his first wife was a woman named Susannah.”

  “That was my mother. Her name was Susannah. That isn’t my father, though.”

  Layne quickly explained the situation. “The man that stole his car, and his wallet, beat him pretty bad. When he dumped his body, he thought he was leaving him for dead. The guy you found is probably the man who did it. You better inform the police there and be careful. This guy is dangerous. If he knows someone’s looking for him, people could get hurt.”

  He talked for a few more minutes, then hung up, telling us he would let us know as soon as he was in custody.

  We checked on my father once more, but he was sleeping, so we went out for breakfast. We returned to the hospital afterward. Layne had some errands to run, but said he would come by and pick me up later. I knew he was giving me time alone with my father, and I was grateful for that. We had a lot of years to cover.

  My father was awake when I went into his room. He looked up at me and smiled. I lowered the rail on one side and pulled a chair up close to his bed.

  “I can’t believe how much you’ve grown, but I would have recognized you anywhere. You look just like my mother when she was about your age.” Tears suddenly filled his eyes. “I’ve missed so much.”

  I took his hand in mine. “But we’ll make up for it now.”

  He hesitated. “You haven’t mentioned your mother.”