“It’s okay,” Jack said. “I just … I’ve never seen anything like that. She frightened me.”
“Well, we’ll figure out what it is,” Nesbitt said. “We’re going to run a battery of tests on her and see if we can pinpoint a problem. I … um … .” He looked uncomfortable when he locked gazes with Jack. “Do you think there’s any chance she’s pregnant?”
Jack was aghast, his cheeks burning as Michael widened his eyes. “No. I … no.”
“Are you sure?” Nesbitt prodded. “She’s a young woman and you two are not shy about showing affection.”
“We’re careful,” Jack muttered, steadfastly refusing to meet Michael’s gaze. “She’s not pregnant.”
“We’ll run a test to be sure,” Nesbitt said. “Until then, I’m sure you have business to attend to in the corn maze. We’ll keep you updated on Ivy’s condition if you have to head back out there.”
“I’m not leaving her.” Jack’s response was succinct and no-nonsense.
“It’s okay, Jack,” Michael said. “We’ll watch her.”
“No.” Jack vehemently shook his head. “I left her in the hospital once before and I’ll never forgive myself for doing it a second time.”
“This is different,” Max said. “What you did that day was … absentminded and foolish. You didn’t do it because you were trying to hurt her, though. Ivy understands you have a job to do.”
“No!” Jack’s voice echoed in the small room. “I’m staying with her. I don’t care what any of you say.”
Nesbitt held up his hands in a placating manner. “Okay, son,” he said. “It was just a suggestion.”
“Don’t make it again,” Jack said, sitting in the chair next to Ivy and capturing her hand. “I’m staying right here until she opens her eyes. I want to be the first thing she sees.”
“Well, that will definitely make her throw up again,” Max quipped.
“Son, if you open your mouth one more time, I’m going to sew it shut,” Michael warned. “The last thing we need is you making things ten times worse … if that’s even possible. Do you understand?”
Max mutely nodded.
“Good,” Michael intoned. “Finally something good is happening this afternoon. Max is speechless. I never thought I would see the day.”
“HEY.”
Ivy was confused when she opened her eyes, but the worry creasing Jack’s forehead was enough to cause her stomach to quiver all over again. “Hey.” Her hand shook as she lifted it to his face. He looked almost haggard. “Are you okay?”
Jack barked out a laugh as he pressed her hand to his cheek. “I think I should be asking you that, not the other way around.”
“I’m not sure what happened,” Ivy said, her eyes widening when she glanced around the room and found her mother, aunt, father, and brother watching her with trepidation. “Am I dying?”
“Don’t ever make that joke again,” Jack chided, smoothing her hair.
“I don’t remember making it a first time … I mean, other than this time.”
“You said it when Jack was carrying you out of the corn maze,” Max offered. “He didn’t take it well then either.”
“I’m sorry,” Ivy said, struggling to prop up her upper body on the pillows as she scanned the room. “I don’t really remember that.”
“It’s okay,” Jack said. “You were probably delirious.”
“I remember throwing up on Maisie’s boots,” Ivy pointed out.
“Yes, but that was a fun memory,” Max joked, earning a dark look from his mother. “What?”
“Ignore him.” Luna Morgan was the spitting image of her daughter in most respects. She looked older than Ivy remembered, though. Apparently Ivy’s brief illness took a toll on everyone she loved. “How are you, sweetie? How do you feel?”
“A little weak but otherwise okay,” Ivy answered. “Can I go home now?”
Jack chuckled darkly as he rubbed her hand. “No. You can’t go home until the doctor says it’s okay.”
“Is that going to be today?”
“I have no idea,” Jack replied.
“I’ll get him,” Michael said, moving toward the door. “They’ve been running tests for hours. That’s how long you’ve been out of it.”
“The good news is that you’re not pregnant,” Max interjected. “That was a relief to everyone … especially Jack, because I think he was worried Dad was going to murder him if the test turned pink.”
Ivy was already confused, but Max’s rapid conversational offering was enough to completely muddle her head. “I’m not sure I understand,” she said. “I … why would you think I’m pregnant?”
“Stop saying that word,” Jack whispered, making a slashing motion across his throat when Michael cast him a dubious look as he yanked open the door. “Max isn’t lying about your dad wanting to kill me.”
Despite the surreal situation, Ivy couldn’t help but giggle. “I guess I missed a lot, huh?”
“Don’t do it again, huh?” Jack shot back, his voice cracking. “You scared the life out of me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Please don’t do it again,” Jack said, squeezing her fingers tighter and moving his eyes to the door when Nesbitt breezed into the room. “She’s awake.”
“I noticed,” Nesbitt said, smiling kindly at Ivy. “How are you feeling?”
“Perfect,” Ivy lied. “Can I go home?”
Nesbitt acted as if he’d been expecting the question. “Not quite yet. We’re still waiting on tests.”
“When those come back, can I go home?” Ivy had no intention of giving up the argument.
“We’ll see,” Nesbitt said. “The good news is that your fever is way down and your temperature is back to normal. You haven’t vomited since arriving either.”
“And you’re not pregnant,” Max added.
“Don’t make me smack you,” Luna warned, wagging a finger in Max’s face. “This is about your sister, not your need for attention.”
“It must be Crap On Max Day,” Max lamented. “I can see no other reason for this abuse.”
Michael opened his mouth, a warning about a different kind of abuse on the tip of his tongue, but he snapped it shut when Brian Nixon poked his head through the doorway. His smile was friendly as he looked around the room, his weary gaze finally falling on his partner.
“I was planning on going to the maze as soon as Ivy woke up,” Jack offered. “She just woke up, though. I swear.”
“It’s okay,” Brian said. “I’ve been in contact with the doctor to check on her progress. We’re in the process of handling the scene. The state boys have a tech team over there right now looking for evidence.”
“Do you know who the guy on the cross was?” Ivy asked, her memory rushing back. “That was a real body, right?”
“It was,” Brian confirmed. “It was Jeff Johnson.”
Everyone exhaled heavily, the news taking the room by surprise.
“Who is that?” Jack asked.
“He’s a fireman,” Brian replied. “He grew up in Shadow Lake. He’s well liked and a good worker.”
“What happened to him?” Michael asked. “I just saw his parents at that new restaurant on the lake about two weeks ago. They were in good spirits and happy. They said Jeff was doing well, too.”
“He was stabbed in the chest,” Brian answered. “As for the weapon or motive, well, we’re obviously still working that out. The coroner says he’s been dead for about a day and it looks like he bled out from the wound. I haven’t gotten any further on the investigation than that, though. I wanted to check on Ivy before collecting my partner.”
Jack balked. “I can’t leave her. She’s sick.”
“I’m not sick,” Ivy countered. “I … passed out. It must’ve been the excitement of the day.”
“Yes, that was clearly it,” Jack deadpanned. “Or … not. It doesn’t matter. I’m not going.”
“I understand if you don’t want to leave Ivy,” Brian sai
d. “I would like you with me when I start questioning people, though. Um … do you think you’ll be back to work tomorrow?”
“I don’t know.” Jack was hesitant. He was a stickler when it came to following police procedure, and he was determined to do a good job, but he was haunted by abandoning Ivy in the hospital once before and he couldn’t make himself leave her side. “I need to hear what the doctor says.”
“We’re still waiting on tests,” Nesbitt said. “For now, she’s stable and not going anywhere. You’re fine to go to work for a few hours.”
“No.” Jack shook his head and forced a smile as he locked gazes with Ivy. “I’ll stay here.”
Ivy blew out a long-suffering sigh, one only a dramatic woman could muster, and tapped Jack’s cheek to make sure she had his attention. “I know what’s upsetting you and it’s okay,” she said. “My family is here. I know you need to go with Brian. I understand.”
“I … .”
“Jack, as long as you come back, it’s okay to go,” Ivy said. “I promise I’m going to be all right.”
Jack wasn’t convinced, but with everyone staring at him he felt as if he didn’t have a choice but to do her bidding. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and lingered there for a moment, as if inhaling her scent. “You do everything the doctor tells you to do. I won’t be far away.”
“Go.”
“Take care of her,” Jack said, swallowing hard as he glanced at Michael. “I’m awfully fond of her.”
“That makes all of us,” Michael said, clapping Jack’s shoulder. “We’ll keep an eye on her. You have a job to do. The residents in this town need you to do it.”
They were reasonable words, but Jack couldn’t stop the guilt from plaguing him when he locked gazes with Ivy. “I’ll be a phone call away,” he said. “If you need me, call. I’ll come running.”
Five
“Are you okay?”
Brian slid a sidelong look toward his partner as Jack trudged up Jeff Johnson’s driveway. The man looked morose. He’d assumed that was Jack’s normal expression when he first came to town, but after getting together with Ivy, Brian saw more smiles than frowns. Today was obviously a different story.
“I’m fine,” Jack replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “I know why we’re here and what we have to do. I’m on top of it.”
“That’s not what I was asking, Jack,” Brian said, making a clucking sound as he shook his head. “Are you okay about leaving Ivy?”
“No.”
“You didn’t have to come.”
“Apparently I did,” Jack countered. “I’m here now. Let’s just do this.”
Brian blew out a frustrated sigh. “You’re just as dramatic as Ivy,” he said. “She told you to come with me. You’re not … abandoning her.”
“That’s not how it feels,” Jack said. “I promised not to leave her again after … what I did before.”
“You mean when she was shot and you freaked out because it reminded you of when you were shot?” Brian challenged. “I admit you didn’t handle that well, but it was understandable given the circumstances. Ivy certainly forgave you. She’s not holding a grudge.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m not holding one for her,” Jack said. “Can we just do this? I don’t want to be away from Ivy for too long. I want to hear what the doctor has to say.”
“Well, at least she’s not pregnant,” Brian teased, earning a harsh look for his lame joke. “Oh, yeah, I heard about that. Max has a huge mouth.”
“Max does have a huge mouth,” Jack agreed. “I’m glad he’s with Ivy, though. He’ll … take care of her.”
“Ivy has been taking care of herself for a very long time,” Brian pointed out. “It’s great that you two are gooey and in love, but … she’s going to be okay. She might’ve just gotten lightheaded or something. It happens.”
“No, not like this it doesn’t,” Jack said. “She went rigid just as it happened – as if she was seeing something – and then she fell. Being lightheaded doesn’t explain her throwing up the way she did either.”
“Maybe her stomach flipped when she fell,” Brian said. “You don’t know something is wrong until the doctor tells you something is wrong. Try looking on the bright side of things.”
“I’ve been looking on the bright side of things since I found her,” Jack said. “That’s exactly why I don’t want to lose her.”
“You’re not going to lose her,” Brian scoffed. “It’s a small medical ailment. It will probably end up being something you guys laugh about years from now. You’ll tell Ivy she fainted because your mere presence overwhelmed her. She’ll pick a fight and say it was your smell or something.”
“That would actually be nice,” Jack said.
“Everything will be fine,” Brian said. “You’ll see.”
Jack wanted to believe him, but he couldn’t until he heard it from an actual doctor.
KAREN JOHNSON looked confused when she opened the door, her hand instinctively going to her protruding belly as she rubbed it. Brian knew she was pregnant, but he forgot in all of the excitement over discovering her husband’s body. This was going to make things worse.
“Is something going on?” Karen knit her eyebrows together. “I … has something happened?”
“Hey, Karen,” Brian said, his tone kind as he tried to remain strong. This was his least favorite part of the job. “Can we come inside?”
As if sensing her world was about to change, Karen gripped the open door and shook her head. “No, just tell me what’s going on. I … tell me.”
Brian couldn’t help but wonder if she irrationally believed she could change her future by not granting them entry to the house. He’d seen stranger things happen. Of course, since she was pregnant, the house might not be up to her typically lofty cleanliness standards either. Women were funny that way.
“There’s been an … incident,” Brian said, wetting his lips. “I think maybe you should sit down.”
“I don’t want to sit down,” Karen gritted out, terror flitting across her pleasing features. Only moments before she exuded that “glow” only pregnant women can boast. Now she looked pale and ghastly. “What’s happened? Was there a fire? Was Jeff hurt in a fire?”
“When was the last time you saw Jeff?” Jack asked, adopting a gentle tone.
“He’s been at the station for the past two days,” Karen replied, annoyed. “Once the baby comes he’s going to be taking some time off so he’s making it up to his coworkers now and taking extra shifts. It’s kind of annoying because I’m terrified I’m going to go into labor when he’s not around, but it will be better once the baby comes.”
“I actually think I heard that at the diner the other day,” Brian said, wanting to kick himself for the way the notification was going. “Karen, um, we have something to tell you and it’s not good news. I really think you need to sit down.”
“I don’t want to sit down!” Karen’s face was completely white and tears threatened to spill over onto her cheeks. “Where is Jeff? Is he okay? Is he in the hospital?”
Brian opted to rip the bandage off in one clean motion. He had to tell her, and he couldn’t keep pussyfooting around. Shadow Lake was small, so the man didn’t have to deliver bad news like this very often. It still had to be done on rare occasions, though, and Karen was suffering because of his slow approach.
“We found Jeff’s body in the corn maze this morning,” Brian said. “He’s dead. The coroner believes he’s been dead for at least twenty-four hours. I’m so sorry, Karen. I … .”
Brian didn’t get a chance to finish because Karen’s wail drowned out the rest of his words. It was just empty sentiment, he reminded himself. He could offer the woman nothing by way of solace.
Karen teetered against the wall, her balance slipping until Jack stepped forward and steadied her. He looked as stricken as the new widow, and Brian realized too late that the interaction would have a profound effect on his partner
as well. This was the last thing Jack wanted to see when he was freaking out about Ivy.
“Karen, we need to get you inside,” Brian said gently. “Come on. We’ll help you call people and get settled. It’s … .” Brian was going to say it would be all right. He knew that wasn’t the truth, though. “We’ll get your family over here to help you right away.”
“HEY, honey.”
Sitting through Karen’s meltdown was pure torture for Jack. Sure, it was part of the job and he knew it came with the territory, but watching a woman realize the life she planned was never going to happen taxed Jack’s already frayed nerves. Brian recognized that his partner needed to get back to Ivy and didn’t put up a fight when Jack announced he was returning to the clinic. In truth, they couldn’t do anything until the tech team started feeding them information. Questioning the other firefighters and corn maze workers could wait until the following day.
“Hi.” Ivy looked markedly better when she locked gazes with Jack. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”
“Yes, well, I think I’m addicted to your face,” Jack said, sitting in the chair next to her bed and smiling. “I couldn’t stay away for one second longer. It literally would’ve killed me.”
Misuse of the word “literally” was one of Ivy’s pet peeves. “It literally would not have killed you,” she argued.
“Well, it felt as if I was dying,” Jack said, stroking her soft cheek with his thumb. Her temperature was back to normal and the only thing out of the ordinary was the dark circles under her eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel fine, Jack,” Ivy replied. “If you’re going to hover, you can do it in the lobby with the rest of my family.”
“Yes, I saw them out there when I came in,” Jack said. “Max said you banished them. How come?”
“Because I don’t need people smothering me with good intentions and worry,” Ivy answered. “It makes me agitated.”
“I think you just like being bossy.”
“I think you’re going to have to join them if you’re not careful,” Ivy warned, her expression serious. “I mean it.”
Wicked Fog (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 6) Page 4