by Joannie Kay
"Where do you keep your nightgowns, Kari? The other one is wet," he explained. Kari told him, and he found a long tee in the drawer. It looked comfortable, and he quickly pulled it over her before taking away the damp towel. "I'm going to take your temperature again," he said, and Kari tried hard to be a good patient. Her head was still pounding! "Much better," he grinned at her after the thermometer beeped and he read the results. "I want you to drink some water, and then I'll let you rest, sweetheart."
Kari sipped some of the water, but she really needed to sleep. Jacob helped her and tucked her in. "Jacob," she called to him as he was leaving the room. He turned around, looking at her curiously to see what she wanted, "I am sorry I slapped you. I've never done anything like that before."
Jake could see the truth in her green eyes and he came back to the bed to lean down and kiss her on the forehead. "You're forgiven, sweetheart. I don't hold grudges." The smile she gave him touched his heart and for the first time ever Jake wondered if he was actually in love! He was shaken, and quickly left the room before he made a fool of himself and proposed right then and there! Hell, he didn't even know Kari Morgan! What was with him?
Kari felt safe and protected... and it was easy for her to believe the big man loved her. Of course, she was being silly, and when she didn't have such a high temperature, she would scoff at herself, but for now, it was nice to believe... and she went back to sleep with a smile on her pretty face.
Jason came by when he was through at the hospital, just like he promised, to check on his patient. He was encouraged that Kari's temperature was lower now, but cautioned Jake to keep an eye on Kari and call him if she got any worse. When they were out in the living room again, he said, "What's wrong with you, Bro? You look like you haven't slept in days."
"Nothing."
"It's not nothing. Are you getting sick, too?" Jase wouldn't drop it.
"No, I feel fine. You know I don't get sick very often."
"Something's wrong. Is it the guy next door?" Jase whispered.
"Naw. Damn it, Jase. I'm a man. Kari is a pretty woman. It's hard to keep myself detached. She's beautiful, and she's touched me like no other female ever has," he admitted sheepishly, his face red, another unusual occurrence. Jacob Tobias wasn't easily embarrassed.
To his credit, Jason didn't laugh at his older brother's discomfort. He simply nodded and said, "You've met the right one, haven't you, Bro?"
"I think so, but I don't know the first thing about her... Other than stuff that anyone could learn. I don't know what she thinks of kids, family, religion, politics... Hell, I don't even know if she can cook! It's too damn soon to feel like this," he grumbled.
"I know what you mean. It was like that for me when I met Gretchen. I felt like I'd been sucker punched. One brief encounter and I was drowning."
"Gretchen is a great lady," Jake said solemnly. "She's perfect for you."
"I'm a lucky man, and I can't wait for the wedding so we can actually live in the same place. You'll feel the same way once you know Kari better," he predicted.
"She might not feel the same about me. She decked me earlier and I spanked her," he confessed.
"What?" Jase was shocked. "Why did she hit you?"
"Because I was going to give her a cold bath to take down her temperature. I remembered Ma doing that once when Jenna was little. It worked, too," he defended himself.
Jason chuckled. "Yes, it worked, but I can imagine Kari wasn't happy."
"I am her nurse, and I won't take advantage of her," Jake stated.
"I know that, or I would have put her in the hospital," Jason replied. "She didn't seem mad at you, and she didn't argue when I gave her another injection."
"No, she didn't get mad. She said she was sorry, and she meant it," Jake told his brother.
"So, why are you worried?" Jase grinned.
"Hell if I know."
Jason did laugh then, and left before his brother could tear him apart. He had a lovely lady of his own to go and spend time with.
After Jase left, Jake heated up the chicken dinner his brother brought earlier and enjoyed his meal. He turned on the television and watched the news, but kept the volume low so it wouldn't disturb Kari. If he figured correctly, Kari's Dad would be arriving around midnight, if he obeyed the speed limits. Kari still hadn't called him, but she wasn't talking much period. In Keith Morgan's shoes, he would be worried sick by now. Reluctantly, Jake picked up his phone and called the man for a second time, and Morgan answered on the first ring with an impatient 'Yes?'
"Jake Tobias here, Mr. Morgan. Kari has been too weak to call you, but she is doing better. My brother was here a few minutes ago and was pleased that her temperature is coming down." He heard the sounds of traffic in the background.
"Thank you for the update, Lieutenant. I'll be arriving in a few hours," he admitted. "I want to see for myself how my daughter is doing."
"I understand, sir. I would do the same thing," he grinned. "Don't get caught on your phone..." he warned, and added, "There is no need to speed, either. I promise to call if there is any change in Kari's condition."
"Thank you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate knowing Kari isn't all alone right now." The man was sincere.
"I won't leave her alone, Mr. Morgan. My Ma would skin me alive. She raised us all to know what was right and to do it."
"She sounds like a great mother to me," Keith chuckled.
"She's only the best one ever," Jake grinned. They said goodbye, and Jake picked up his book to read after betting with himself that Kari's Dad would arrive closer to eleven o'clock than midnight. He checked on Kari often, and was relieved when her temperature came down a bit more. She was sleeping better, too, and he made sure she had lots of liquids, and he took her to the bathroom fairly often, too. She was polite and thanked him now for helping her, and he was falling in love. Maybe seeing a person at their absolute worst and falling in love couldn't be all bad, he decided.
It was a bit after eleven when the doorbell rang, and Jake opened it to find a man with hair the color of Kari's standing there. "You must be Kari's Dad?" he asked with a smile for the worried man.
Chapter Three
Keith Morgan looked up at the young man towering over him by several inches. He wasn't used to feeling 'short', and he was considered a powerful man, but next to this police officer, he felt insignificant. "Yes, I am Keith Morgan. And you are Lieutenant Tobias?" he asked, regarding the younger man suspiciously. Tobias was very young to be a Lieutenant already.
"Jake," Jacob held out his hand and the other man gripped it firmly. "It's time for me to take Kari's temperature. Come on inside."
Keith followed Jake into his daughter's bedroom and was immediately shocked when he saw the red spots on her pale face that told him she was still running a fever. "Hi, honey," he walked around the bed and took her hand in his when she opened her eyes. "How do you feel?"
"I'm really sick, Dad," she answered, not finding it a bit unusual for him to be in her room. "My head hurts. Jacob is taking care of me. I hit him and he spanked me," she added, tears in her lovely eyes.
"What?" Keith's green eyes were full of fire as he raised them to impale the younger man. "You hit my daughter when she is this ill?"
"I was awful, Dad," she whispered. "Look at his nose!"
"What's wrong with my nose?" Jake asked, insulted.
"I broke it!" she pouted. "It's all crooked."
"Oh, my nose is permanently crooked, sweetheart. Jase did that to me with a football when we were kids." He grinned. "You didn't hurt me, and I forgave you, remember? Now let me take your temp and stop trying to get me in trouble with your Dad. He's going to think I mistreated you when all I did was give you a few gentle swats to settle you down and keep you in bed." He popped the thermometer in her mouth before she could say another word. The doorbell rang again. "What the heck...!" he said. "Don't take that out, little girl," he shook a finger in warning at her, perfectly aware that Keith Morgan was thinking
of different ways to kill him. He opened the door cautiously, his gun in his hand, just in case it was Quincy Darles on the other side, but to his dismay, it was his sweet little mother. "Ma! What are you doing here?" he asked hoarsely. He didn't need this right now!
"Jacob Samuel Tobias, why didn't you call me to come over here? You cannot possibly take care of a sick female. It isn't proper. Not one bit proper!"
"You don't say that to Jase, do you, Ma?" he asked with a grin, ever ready to tease his mother.
"That's different. He's a doctor and it is his job to care for people."
"It's my job to care for people, too," he insisted, but she was already making her way to the bedroom.
"You poor dear," Jake's Ma descended on the weakened Kari, and put her hand on Kari's forehead. "You are burning up! Jacob, this young woman's temperature is 102. 4; what did Jason give you for her?" she asked.
Jake would have chuckled at the expressions on Keith and Kari's faces, but if he didn't take charge immediately, he would lose his patient, and Kari didn't deserve to have his Ma take over her nursing care. The thermometer beeped, and he took it out and looked at it, amazed once again how his Ma could tell someone's temperature so accurately by using just the palm of her hand. It was uncanny... and downright scary! "102.4; you did it again, Ma!" he shook his head.
"I don't trust those things," she waved impatiently, her short curls bobbing as her bracelets jingled. "Now, what medicine did--"
"Ma," Jake cut her off, flashing the unsuspecting Keith an apologetic smile as he did so. After all, he had Kari's best interests at heart... "This is Kari's Dad, Keith Morgan. He's spent the last eight hours straight behind the wheel to get here and check on Kari. He hasn't eaten," he said, and predictably, his sweet little Ma reacted precisely as he knew she would.
"You poor man; you come right with me and I'll fix you something this minute. Jacob isn't a good cook," she admitted, "but I'm sure I can put together something."
Keith was obviously hesitant to leave his daughter's bedside. Jake thought fast and said, "Kari's temp is obviously coming down, and Jase wants her to rest. Ma, Jase brought some food, and Kari has a bunch of stuff, too. I know she won't mind if you take care of Keith."
"Have you eaten, honey?" she reached up to pat his whisker covered cheek.
"Yes, Ma," he confessed. "Jase brought me a chicken dinner, but if I'd known you were coming over, I would have waited," he added virtuously. That much was true. No one in the entire world cooked better than his sweet little Ma. She patted his cheek again and gave him a huge smile, perfectly happy.
"Mr. Morgan, you come along now, and let Kari rest. My Jacob's heart is in the right place, and while he isn't a doctor like Jason, he is a good man and your daughter is perfectly safe with him here. My Jason has been here twice to see Kari, so she is getting the medical attention she needs," she added, guiding Keith out of Kari's bedroom.
"I'm going to kill you," Kari whispered in Jake's direction. "Just as soon as I can get out of this bed under my own power," she added, her green eyes closed with the effort of speaking. "I told you not to call my Dad!"
"I felt it necessary, sweetheart. The real problem here is my Ma. Somehow we have to get her out of the house. She is not a good nurse," he explained solemnly, but his dark eyes were twinkling. "She smothers people and won't leave them alone five minutes to sleep. And, she thinks food fixes everything." He went to the bathroom and filled a glass with water and brought it back to Kari, along with more pills. "Ma is the sweetest lady on earth, but you really do need to tell her you feel safe with me, or she won't leave and she'll drive you nuts in less than three hours, I promise. Take these, sweetheart," he insisted.
Kari forced her eyes open and realized that Jake was offering her more medication. It took all the energy she possessed to take the pills from his large hand and put them in her mouth to swallow with a bit of the water. She took another sip, but then tried to hand it off to him. He shook his head 'no'.
"You need to drink the water, sweetheart. We don't want you getting dehydrated on top of everything else."
"I'm too exhausted to drink water. Take it," she snapped.
Jake grabbed the glass before she could let it drop, but he wasn't about to give up so easily. He sat on the bed beside her, and then wrapped his arm around her shoulders to support her as he held the glass to her lips, which suddenly looked kissable. Jake wasn't prepared for the way his mind went to more sensual things when around his patient, and he did his best to remind himself he was her nurse.
Kari didn't want the water, but it was nice to have Jake's arm wrapped around her. She could almost pretend that he cared for her as she forced herself to drink more of the water. When Jake was satisfied, he was gentle as he laid her back against her pillows.
"Do you need to get up and go to the bathroom?" he asked matter-of-factly. She weakly shook her head 'no'. "Good, go back to sleep, sweetheart. I'll keep your Dad out of here so you can get some rest."
"Good luck with that," she whispered under his breath, but was hurting too much to say anything more. She was going to get even with the big man, too.
Jake found his Ma and Keith Morgan in the kitchen, laughing together. That didn't surprise him much. His Ma could make anyone laugh.
"This hash is good, Molly. Best I've ever had," Keith complimented her cooking.
"Thank you, Keith," Molly Tobias was pleased. She loved to see people eat.
"Seriously, you should open a restaurant," he insisted, and Molly giggled and then glanced at Jacob in the shared joke when he chuckled from the doorway.
"A lot of people here in town are very grateful that Ma decided to open her family style restaurant after we lost Dad," he explained, letting the other man in on the joke.
Keith had the grace to laugh at himself. "I'm sure you're busy as can be, Molly, if all of your food is as good as this."
"Actually, most of it is better," she stated. "I'm used to my own kitchen, and having all the different spices and herbs I use right at my fingertips." She looked at her eldest child and said, "I made some for you, too, if you're hungry?"
"Thanks, Ma," Jake was always hungry for his Ma's food. He sat at the table while she fixed him a plate and served it. "What's in the pan on the stove?"
"I'm making that for Kari, Jacob. She's going to need something better than the canned broth your brother bought. He should have come to see me at the restaurant..." she scolded.
"I'm sure yours will taste better, and I know Kari will appreciate it," Jake nodded. He wanted his Ma to 'help' in this manner, and stay out of Kari's room. "Right now it's all I can do to get her to drink some water or juice," he admitted.
"She's very ill, honey," Molly said quietly, looking at him closely.
"She's doing better now than she was earlier this afternoon," Jake said quietly. "Her temperature is finally coming down a good bit. I was really worried about her."
"How did you come across my daughter," Keith wanted to know.
Jacob decided that lying to this man was futile, so he told the truth. "I'm undercover and investigating her neighbor. I was searching his apartment for evidence when he came home unexpectedly. I decided to hide in the attic above the closet so I didn't blow my cover. When I realized the attic runs the length of the building, I let myself down in this apartment, believing the occupant to be at work as usual for that time of day. Only she wasn't, and I didn't want her screaming and alerting her neighbors. When I tried to calm her, I could feel her burning up... and I wouldn't leave anyone alone in that condition. I called Jase to get over here pronto, and he swore me in as duly appointed nurse." He smiled, "Kari is very special to me."
"Oh my!" Molly said, and then she sat down on a stool. "Oh my!"
"What's wrong, Molly?" Keith looked around him a clue as to what she was upset over.
"We're going to be in-laws, Keith!" Molly gave him a happy smile. "I think my Jacob has finally met the right girl!"
"Ma!" Jacob couldn't believe how eas
ily his mother could make him blush! He was a thirty year old cop, and she could make him act like a fifteen year old kid!
"Am I wrong, honey?" she asked knowingly, her voice full of laughter.
"I thought you just met my daughter?" Keith glared at him.
"Ma, you can be damn thankful I'm your son!" he growled. "I swear, you need a spanking!" His words only made her giggle, and Jake shook his head in despair. "Don't you need to go and butt into Jase's life? Or make sure that Jenna isn't falling in love with her new boss...?"
"No, darling, it's your turn right now," Molly didn't bat an eye. "Does Kari know how you feel?" she asked, not giving the first damn that Kari's father was sitting right there, plotting to murder her first born.
"No, Ma; Kari is sick, in case you haven't noticed. I haven't even had a normal conversation with her yet, and you are not helping here," he jerked a thumb in Keith's direction.
"Don't you worry, Keith. My son is a fine young man. I raised him with values and to respect others. It's very common for the members of my family to recognize their loved one on sight. I can still recall the first time I set eyes on my William. He was so handsome, and I didn't think he noticed me at all, but the very next day he spotted me in the library and came over and said 'hello'. We had a wonderful marriage until he was taken from me. Your Kari will consider herself lucky to have Jacob."
"Ma!" Jake wanted to bang his head on the table. "You aren't helping..."