Another trait Cal had in common with his brother—generosity. Her emergency stash wouldn’t take her and Hannah very far. “Thank you. I’ll need help until I can find a job. My immediate problem is where to live. The counselor told me to keep things as normal as possible for Hannah, but I don’t know how to do that.”
Reyna blinked luscious dark eyes. “That’s what we want to discuss. Cal and I have set a wedding date for August. Until then I will continue to live in Santa Clarita. I have an extra bedroom.” She touched Sadie’s arm. “I’d like you and Hannah to live with me.”
The idea flew through Sadie’s mind connecting the dots. A safe place to live. Hannah would be in a familiar community. It was an answer to prayer. “Are you sure we won’t be an imposition?”
“Not at all. I wouldn’t have offered otherwise. Hannah and Francesca are already friends and will attend the same school. Although it will be a different school for Hannah, she’ll know some of the kids from soccer.” Reyna nudged Sadie with her elbow. “You can help me plan my wedding.”
The mention of a wedding date hadn’t registered before. “Congratulations to you both. This is exciting news.” Family. How she’d missed a family. “Thank you, Reyna. I accept your wonderful offer.”
Cal slapped his thigh. “Great. When will Hannah be discharged?”
“Tomorrow. The counselor advised us to get her belongings from Evelyn’s house. I guess I’ll ask Elia Valdez to take care of that. Maybe Erik or Smitty can bring my things from the safe house.”
“Then it’s settled. You can use my SUV. I kinda like driving the old sports car again.”
Reyna pointed to the bag. “Since we didn’t know how long you’d be here, I brought you a change of clothes and a few toiletries, along with an outfit for Hannah.”
Holding back tears, Sadie squeezed Reyna’s hand. “Thank you so much.”
“Erik says Bowen’s doing well.” Cal stood and offered his hand to Reyna. “Have you seen him yet?”
“No.”
“We can stay with Hannah if you’d like to visit him now.”
Sadie fingered the zipper pull on the bag. “I don’t want to leave Hannah while she’s asleep.”
“I understand. When you do see Bowen, tell him I said he really earned his money last night. But he doesn’t get paid extra for getting shot.” His quick grin softened his words. “We’ll be on our way. Let you get some rest.” Cal slipped his arm across Reyna’s shoulders. “Call when Hannah is ready to be discharged and we’ll come get you.”
“How can I ever thank you enough for uniting Hannah and me?”
“My reward is seeing you together and happy. We’re family.”
“Answer one question. How did you know I was in Texas?”
Cal harrumphed. “Remember Chuck and Trisha Coleman?”
“Sure.” The couple served in her wedding party.
“A year or so ago, they vacationed in Texas and saw someone who looked like you. They’d been told you passed away but mentioned it to me over dinner one evening. Trisha recalled overhearing the woman give her address to a clerk at the mall. She remembered Monterey Oaks Boulevard because her mother lives on a street with that name in Sacramento.”
Sadie nodded. “Must have been when I first moved there, before I cut and dyed my hair.”
“You know how scatterbrained Trisha is. She couldn’t remember the city. I guess that’s why it took Bowen a month to find you.”
“I will always be grateful to you. And Trisha.” She squeezed Cal’s hand and tilted her head towards Reyna. “You’ve landed a good guy.”
“I know.”
Sadie waved as they headed to the elevators.
Her mind still reeling from the perfect solution to her problems, she entered the room and tiptoed to the window. She stood there a long time.
Before returning to the bed, she glanced down at the crowded parking lot and spied a familiar woman exit a taxi. Squinting against the setting sun’s glare, Sadie studied the figure. Surely her eyes deceived her. Could it be Irene?
40
Liquids. What a meal! Bowen discarded half of it on the tray and turned on the TV. Several stories were about violence around the country. A shudder rippled through his body as he relived the rush of anger that surged in his chest when he’d aimed his weapon at Lonnie.
He turned off the TV and slid off the bed. Enough. He’d call Ginger and resign. He would never carry a gun again.
But he didn’t have to call.
Ginger entered his room carrying a bouquet of balloons. “Good evening, Mr. Boudine. How are you?” Dressed in jeans and a fluffy pink sweater, she still exuded authority.
“I’m doing pretty good.” He settled in the chair, glad Erik had brought him a pair of sweat pants. “You’re just the person I need to talk to. I’m going to resign—”
“Before you do anything rash, listen to my proposal.” Ginger draped herself in the other chair, crossed her legs, and set the balloons on the table. “I know all about your situation. Erik has kept me informed. James Greene is retiring. How would you like to take over his slot as head of the San Diego office?”
Bowen’s jaw gaped, but he closed it with a snap. “San Diego?”
“Yes. I know you need rehab, et cetera. It’s a desk job, directing the agents in the area. Take time to think about my offer.” Ginger uncrossed her legs and stood in one fluid motion. “I’ll be in touch. I have one more visit to make, which may result in a nice surprise for you.”
Before Bowen could react, she placed a light kiss on his cheek and left the room.
Bowen rubbed his whiskered chin. Head of the San Diego office. That was a job he could do even if he didn’t gain the full use of his right arm. His gaze drifted to the balloons. And to the Bible he’d been reading earlier.
Ginger had rescued his career.
Now he needed to do something to rescue his soul.
****
Short of breath from the long walk, Bowen sat in the back of the quiet, peaceful chapel.
A nurse settled in a pew a few rows over and bowed her head.
Bowen shifted on the seat and focused on the stained glass panels in the front of the chapel. One depicted Jesus standing, arms outstretched to a swarm of children. Today he identified with those children.
In the somber, but reverent, atmosphere, Bowen remembered his desire to visit the community church near the safe house. Would Sadie have gone with him?
Studying another glass panel of the crucifixion, Bowen cringed at the nails through Jesus’ hands and feet. The Savior had suffered physical pain, but also the spiritual anguish of bearing the sins of the world.
Bowen blinked away unfamiliar moisture building in his eyes. He’d spent several hours that afternoon reading the Bible, absorbing its truths, and learning how to talk to God. He located the scripture Sadie mentioned in Revelation 3:20. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will go in and eat with him, and he with Me. Bowen recalled a picture in his first Bible—Jesus standing beside a door with no outside handle, knocking.
After the nurse left, Bowen took a deep breath. Here he sat in the chapel, convinced of what he needed to do. Would a mid-week commitment to the Lord count the same as one given on a Sunday? He stared into the face of Jesus on the cross and knew the answer.
Bowen balanced the Bible on his lap and opened to the bookmarked page. Aloud he read I John 3:9. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Closing the Bible, Bowen stood and took a few steps forward to the stained-glass portrait of a shepherd surrounded by sheep. He’d read Psalm 23 and recognized the shepherd as Jesus.
Since no one else had entered behind him, Bowen bowed his head. “God, I don’t know how to do this, but the Bible says I need to confess my sins. OK, I’m doing that. I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of. Some were pretty bad. Will you even forgive those actions?”
He waited, not sure what to do next until an idea struck him. “And, God, just to remind You, when I was ten I gave my life to you. Sorry I didn’t stick with the plan. But now I want to follow You. I want to serve You, so help me with the decisions I have to make. What should I do about Sadie? Please keep her safe and give her happiness. And thank You that I can move my fingers. Amen.”
An overwhelming sense of peace covered him like a warm cloak. Was it relief at his load of guilt lifting, or God’s presence—or maybe both?
Emotionally exhausted, Bowen sat, absorbing the healing atmosphere.
Minutes later, several people entered.
Bowen exited via the side aisle and made his way to the elevators. Movement down the hall caught his eye. A woman ducked past a group of nurses. Bowen did a double take. She sure looked suspicious. And she reminded him of someone. His stomach knotted.
What was Hannah’s room number?
41
With Hannah tucked in for the night, Sadie settled in the recliner and covered herself with a blanket the nurse provided. Words of thanksgiving swirled through her heart. She had Hannah. A place to live while her daughter recovered. And a job.
Ginger’s visit had caught Sadie off-guard. When the woman tiptoed into the room, Sadie’s first response had been to glance down at her borrowed clothes. No match for Ginger’s designer jeans, but at least the slacks and blouse from Reyna were clean.
Adding to the surprise, Ginger offered Sadie a technical analyst position with IRO in San Diego. After the words sank in, Sadie said the move would depend on Hannah’s progress. Ginger gave her until June to decide—two and a half months—and left the room chuckling to herself.
Sadie eased out of the chair and stepped into the bathroom. The door automatically closed behind her. She stared at her reflection. No question she wanted the job, could do the job. But move away from L.A. and Bowen?
Tomorrow she’d visit him. Test the waters. See if he—
A muffled moan came from the room. Was Hannah awake?
Sadie yanked the door open and screamed.
A woman held a pillow over Hannah’s face.
42
Lightheaded from the exertion, Bowen stood outside room 267. A couple of deep breaths and his head cleared.
From inside the room, Sadie yelled something unintelligible, but the panic is her voice registered.
Bowen shoved open the door. Sadie had a nurse in a headlock. The woman in scrubs struggled to keep a pillow over Hannah’s face. The child squirmed under the covers.
He charged towards the bed. With all the strength he could muster in his left arm, he tore the suffocating pillow from the woman’s grasp. The nurse shot him a dagger glare. In that instant he recognized her. Irene, Kyle’s sister.
Forcing both Irene and Sadie backward, Bowen gritted his teeth. A bolt of fire shot through his arm. He ignored the pain, even as Irene pounded the bandaged area. He shoved her towards the bathroom, and with super-human effort, pushed her inside and slammed the door. He grabbed the handle in a tight grip.
Irene rattled the handle and then began pounding on the door.
Bowen held it with sheer will. “Call the nurses, security, 9-1-1!”
****
Sadie mashed the nurse’s call button, ran out to the hall, and screamed for security, and then took out her phone and dialed 9-1-1.
As people ran towards her, she told the dispatcher what was happening and gave the hospital name. “I have to take care of my daughter, now,” she yelled into the phone.
“Ma’am, stay on the line until an officer gets there.”
“I will, but I can’t talk.”
Hannah’s wide-eyed stare and sobs ripped a swath through Sadie’s heart.
She slapped the phone on the table and hugged her child. Sadie muttered words of comfort and rocked her daughter as if she was an infant.
A bloody stain spread over Bowen’s gown covering his right arm. Sweat beaded on his forehead and a grimace marred his handsome face.
She wanted to rush to him but couldn’t leave Hannah.
“Stay with her. I’m OK.” His words came out in a hoarse whisper.
Two nurses and a security guard entered.
Sadie explained what had happened, and handed her phone to one of the nurses.
The security guard snapped handcuffs around Irene’s wrists while the nurses pried Hannah away from Sadie to check her vitals.
Assured that Hannah had suffered no physical harm, Sadie took her daughter into her arms again. “Thank You, Lord.”
The nurses directed Bowen to the chair. One untied his hospital gown and let it fall around his torso. The other snapped on gloves.
The taller nurse said, “We’ll have to remove the bandage. See if you’ve popped your stitches. What’s your room number? “
“I’m not going anywhere.” Bowen’s gaze never left Sadie’s face.
“Thank you,” Sadie mouthed to him.
“Mr. Boudine, I’ll get a wheelchair and take you to your room.” The taller nurse flicked his hospital ID bracelet.
“No, ma’am. Whatever has to be done can be done right here.”
“Please, nurse. Let him stay. He’s…a friend and he saved my daughter’s life. I need him to stay.” A surge of warmth flowed through Sadie. Did that mean she was ready to give her heart to Bowen? Would Hannah love him as she did?
43
The police left at midnight. Hannah slept, and Bowen had a fresh bandage on his arm now nestled in a black sling.
In the aftermath, Sadie had thanked him a dozen times and had learned why he showed up at Hannah’s room. After he described his experience in the chapel, she bowed her head and said a prayer of thanks. Bowen added his words of praise.
Reveling in the company of this new Bowen, Sadie scooted the straight-backed chair closer to his recliner. In a clean gown over his sweat pants, and wearing hospital issued gray socks, Bowen produced a lopsided grin.
“Are you smiling because the pain meds kicked in?”
“Nope. Yes, I am pain free, but I’m content to be here with you.”
His comment warmed her heart. Without his intervention, she could have lost Hannah and never known contentment again. “After they arrested Irene, you were gone for a long time.”
“Had to make a phone call.”
“So late?”
“The person I called didn’t mind.” Bowen took her hand. “Sadie, I’ve got to get this off my chest. While we were in Austin, I realized you were more than a job to me. I tried to convince you but obviously didn’t succeed. During our time in L.A., I took you at your word and didn’t pursue a relationship—although that would have been strictly against the rules. But you know what I mean.”
She lowered her head, sure the intensity of his stare would burn her corneas.
“No matter what I try, I can’t get you out of my mind. There’s no way around it. I love you, Sadie Malone.”
Those were the words she longed to hear. Was she ready to make a commitment? Her heartbeat raced as the drawbridge disintegrated into a fine dust. She raised her gaze to his and blinked at the strength she read in his eyes.
About to reply, she stopped when a soft tap at the door interrupted.
Bowen eased out of the chair. “I think it’s for me.” He blew her a kiss and closed the door behind him.
Snippets of whispered words teased Sadie.
Then Bowen peeked around the door. “Close your eyes. Don’t open them until I tell you.”
Intrigued, Sadie complied. “What’s going on?”
“Keep them closed.”
He set something on the floor.
“You can look now.”
She scanned the dim room and noticed nothing different. Except the quizzical expression on Bowen’s face as he knelt in front of her. “What are you up to?”
From behind the recliner he withdrew a soda bottle holding a long-stemmed red rose bud. “Life’s too short for a lengthy courtship. Sadie, w
ill you marry me and let me help you raise Hannah?”
Sadie had contemplated a variety of explanations for Bowen’s strange behavior, but a proposal had not been one of them. She took the vase with one hand and moved the other over his firm chest until her fingers intertwined with the curls at the nape of his neck. “I love you, Bowen. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Encircled by his good arm, she surrendered to the demands of his kiss, sweet and warm, arousing a passion familiar yet new.
Suddenly she pulled back. “I have to tell Ginger.”
“What does she have to do with this?”
Taking the rose bud from the bottle, Sadie pressed the soft petals against her lips. “She offered me a job with IRO in San Diego.”
Bowen slapped his thigh. “So that’s what she meant. When she visited me earlier today, she offered me the lead position in San Diego. She must have come to see you next.” He shook his head. “That woman is full of surprises.”
“Yes, she is.”
Bowen settled into the recliner. Sadie nestled as close as her chair would allow. Hannah’s relaxed breathing soothed her soul. Contentment dribbled over her like warm honey.
Sadie let out a deep sigh. “I am thankful to Kyle for one thing.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Without his interference you might never have suggested we pretend to date.”
“Sadie, sweetheart, I would have found a way.” He tugged her closer. “When will you marry me?”
“When Hannah has fully recovered. But I have one request.”
“Name it.”
“At the reception I want soda bottles with roses on every table.”
He nuzzled the top of her head with his chin as a nurse entered. “We have company.”
“I don’t care. I want the world to know I love you.” Sadie pulled his face towards her, parted her lips, and lost herself in his kiss.
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Weep In The Night Page 23