by J. H. Croix
“I was hoping you’d know.”
“Clearly I don’t.”
“Vivi met with Chris yesterday. She blew me off last night and said she didn’t feel good. This morning, she…well, I guess she kinda dumped me.”
Sophia’s eyes widened. “What? What did she say?”
Heath took a gulp of coffee, as if it could somehow fortify him. Inside, his gut was churning and his heart ached. He just wanted a chance to talk to Vivi, but she wasn’t giving him one, so he’d try to intuit what he could from Sophia. She was Vivi’s closest friend. If anyone could guess at what was going through Vivi’s mind, it would be Sophia.
“She said she didn’t think now was the time to try a relationship and she needed to focus on Julianna. She didn’t give me a chance to talk about anything. That’s it. I was hoping you’d have some idea what happened.”
Sophia was quiet for several beats. Just when Heath was about to ask her what she thought again, Tommy called her name. She swung around and quickly grabbed the two coffee drinks Tommy passed to her. Without pause, she slipped from behind the counter and delivered the coffees to the couple at their table. When she returned to her station by the register, she looked to Heath, her eyes concerned. “I don’t know what happened since she talked to Chris, but I can guess at what’s going on. This whole thing with you, well, it took her off guard. I don’t doubt for a second that she wants you. But you have to understand what it was like for her the first couple of years after she had Julianna. She was barely getting by. Her parents helped, but Vivi wanted to be able do things on her own. My guess is talking to Chris just brought up all her doubts about whether things can work out. Because of how he’s been, well, just gone from Julianna’s life, Vivi’s really protective of her. I can’t tell you what to do right now, but maybe give her a little space. It might help if you find a way to let her know you’ll be there no matter what.”
Heath gulped his coffee. “So I’m supposed to give her space and I should tell her I’ll be there for her no matter what? How the hell am I supposed to do both things at once?”
Sophia’s shoulders dropped with her sigh. “I don’t know.” She smiled ruefully. “I guess you can’t.”
“Don’t see how I can.”
***
A few days later, Heath stared into the edge of the forest. “How far away are we?” he asked, turning to Roger who stood to one side of him with Daniel standing on the other side.
Roger shrugged. “All I’ve got is a good guess based on what Chris told us. From here, the aerial maps show the old hunting cabin to be about two miles from here. Not far really.”
Heath spun in a slow circle. They were parked in a small parking area along the outskirts of the forest. The road leading here wound through the mountains. The direction they were headed started level and angled upward steeply into the mountains.
“I’d say we get going while we have plenty of daylight,” Daniel commented.
“Agreed,” Heath added.
“Yup. Let’s do this,” Roger said.
They’d talked at length on the drive up, so there was no further need for planning. With three of them, they would mostly stick together, but if they picked up Nelson’s scent, they’d agreed Roger would separate out and loop around from another angle. Without another word, they stepped into the trees and shifted. In seconds, they were jogging in unison through the forest, slowly winding their way deeper into the mountains.
Heath stretched into his lion, letting the power course through him in surges. He’d spent three days leaving Vivi alone, though it had taken every ounce of discipline he had. He was still spinning circles in his head and heart over how to break through this impasse with her. He didn’t doubt they would eventually get past this, but it was nearly killing him to wait. Yet, he knew he had to. Of the many qualities he loved about Vivi, her strength and independence were high on the list. He knew she had to be ready on her terms. He was still pondering Sophia’s conflicting advice to also find a way to let Vivi know he’d be there no matter what.
He’d hoped a few hours in lion form would help him think more clearly. He’d conveniently forgotten how his feelings intensified when his cat was free. The mere thought of Vivi tightened his heart and sent a wild combination of longing and frustration through him. He shook himself and forced his attention to where they were. The air was just above freezing. Autumn was winding down with winter closing in behind it. Roger and Daniel ran alongside him as they made their way through the trees.
The ground became rockier as they ascended into the mountains. As Roger indicated, they didn’t have far to go before a small cabin was visible. It was an old hunting cabin that had been transformed into a camping hut for hikers in the area. They didn’t expect to find Nelson here, but they hoped to catch his scent and follow it. They fanned out and circled the cabin in the trees. No sign of Nelson, however they caught his scent as they’d hoped.
They moved quietly and purposefully, honed in on the faint traces Nelson left behind. His trail eventually led through a small valley and ascended again onto a ridge. Simply by chance, Heath ended up in the lead. He picked his way carefully along a ledge that followed the curve of the mountainside. There was a sudden flash of motion. Heath saw a blur of tawny gold when Nelson leapt out from just ahead on the trail. With a vicious swipe, he knocked Heath off balance. Heath tumbled off the ledge, landing hard on the rocky ground below. Heath scrambled up with a roar. Daniel and Roger were already in the thick of a fight with Nelson by the time Heath regained his footing. When Daniel glanced down from the ledge and saw Heath was standing, he gave Nelson a strategic shove with his shoulder, sending Nelson tumbling to the ground beside Heath. Heath spun and tackled Nelson.
Daniel and Roger both leapt down from the ledge. The next few moments passed rapidly. Even though there were three of them, Nelson fought back viciously and didn’t give up. Driven by his lingering anger over the scourge Nelson brought into Painter and the risk he brought upon shifters, Heath didn’t back down and took some of Nelson’s hardest blows. Nelson fought with a tinge of angry desperation, although his anger and emotional turmoil couldn’t match Heath’s. Between his own brush with the smuggling network and the recent events with Vivi, his feelings were knotted tight. He savored the release that came from the brutal fight and was oblivious to any pain. By the time they managed to subdue him, Heath was battered and scratched and Nelson was barely conscious.
They had to carry him out of the mountains. It was slow going and darkness was falling when they reached Roger’s car. Roger bundled Nelson into the back of the car. He glanced between Heath and Daniel, his eyes swinging back to Heath. “Think we need to get you to the hospital. I’m not so sure we should wait to drive all the way back to Painter.”
Heath was still coasting on adrenaline and didn’t feel much of anything other than weary. “Nah. I’m fine. Let’s go.”
Roger looked to Daniel as if asking for back up. Daniel’s eyes quickly scanned over Heath. “Roger has a point. Let’s…”
Heath shook his head sharply. He figured if he needed immediate medical attention, he wouldn’t be able to stand. “Forget it. Unless I pass out, drive until we get to Painter.”
“I’ll ride in the back,” Daniel offered.
Since riding in the back meant being closer to Nelson, Heath shrugged. When he reached for the door handle to climb into the car, he started to become aware of his condition. Sharp pain shot from his shoulder down through his arm. He fumbled to open the door and collapsed in the car seat. The drive back to Painter was long and more painful than Heath had considered. Stubbornness kept him from saying a word. By the time Roger turned onto Main Street in Painter, Heath was beyond exhausted and gritting his teeth from the pain. He’d narrowed the worst injuries down to his shoulder and the side of his neck where Nelson must have scratched him deeply. It hurt to breathe, so he figured he also might have broken a few ribs.
Roger pulled up in front of the hospital
and glanced over his shoulder. He said something to Daniel, but everything sounded muted to Heath. He felt as if he was floating underwater in a blur of pain and exhaustion. A few minutes later, Daniel was standing beside him where he sat on an examining table. The last thing Heath remembered was how much he wanted to talk to Vivi.
Chapter 15
The mug Vivi held slipped from her hands and fell, breaking into shards with coffee splattering around it on the kitchen floor. Inside she felt about the same way. She turned and leaned her hip against the counter, fumbling to keep the phone held to her ear.
“What do you mean?” she asked Sophia.
“Heath’s in the hospital. I’m on my way right now,” Sophia replied, her voice strained.
“What happened?” Vivi asked, a sense of panic rising inside.
“Like I told you the other night, he and Daniel were planning to go with Roger to look for Nelson. They found him and brought him in, but I guess Heath took the brunt of punishment in the fight with Nelson. Daniel just called me to tell me he’s at the hospital with Heath.”
Vivi heard a beep on the line and then another. “Do you know if he’s okay?” Vivi asked, fear spiraling wildly inside and her heart lodged in her throat.
The connection crackled in her ear, so Sophia’s reply was broken up.
“Say that again. I can’t hear…”
Sophia cut in. “Look, I have to go. My mom’s calling on the other line. Meet me at the hospital.”
The line went dead in Vivi’s ear and panic nearly choked her. She struggled to take a full breath and slowly set the phone down. A strange mix of numbness combined with a wild desperation rendered her motionless as she tried to get her body under control. Her heart pounded and she couldn’t seem to get enough air in her lungs. She’d spent the last few days clinging to the idea that she needed time to think clearly and to proceed carefully with Heath. Every time she thought about how damn stupid she’d been with Chris and what it meant for Julianna, the internal recriminations just wouldn’t quit. Even though she knew Heath was nothing like Chris, it didn’t mean she could trust herself to know she wasn’t jumping too fast and too deep into something.
Now, Heath was injured badly enough to be in the hospital. All she could think about was how fast she could get to him and if she’d already blown it with him. She broke out of the frozen feeling inside and went into action. She started to run out of the kitchen only to slip on the coffee-wet floor and fall. She caught most of her weight on her palm and cried out when one of the broken pieces of the mug dug into her skin. She curled her knees under her and lifted her hand. She carefully knocked away the offending pottery shard and glanced around at the mess surrounding her. She’d sustained a deep puncture just below her thumb. She barely even noticed the pain with her entire focus on getting to Heath as quickly as she could. She climbed to her feet and walked to the bathroom. After quickly cleaning and bandaging her hand, she swept up the broken mug and wiped up the coffee before she left. On her way out, she called her mother and asked if Julianna could stay for the night. Julianna had already spent the afternoon there because a friend from school who lived nearby had invited her over for a homework club.
“Thanks Mom. I’ll call you as soon as I have an update, okay?”
“Of course. It’s never a problem to have Julianna here. Please let Heath know I’m thinking of him, okay?”
Vivi’s pulse was racing along at a rapid, unsettled pace. Her mother’s words sent it into overdrive. “Right. I just hope…oh hell, I just hope he’s okay.”
“Vivi?” her mother asked after Vivi was silent for longer than usual.
“Huh?”
“Try to breathe, and listen to what your heart’s telling you.”
Her mother’s comment snapped her out of her fuzzy thoughts. “What?”
“Just what I said. Call me when you have some news.”
At that, her mother hung up. Vivi stared ahead as she kept driving. Her house wasn’t too far from the hospital, but it felt like forever right now. The streetlights glittered in the darkness. The tiniest bit of tension eased when she saw the bright lights from the hospital parking lot. She parked rapidly and jogged to the entrance. Every step of the way, all she could think about was making sure Heath was okay. She ran through the doors and to the main desk in the emergency room area.
She skidded to a stop by the desk. “I need to see Heath Ashworth,” she said abruptly.
The nurse glanced up. “Are you family?”
“Well, no, but I might as well be.”
The nurse shook her head. “I’m sorry, but we can’t give any information out unless you’re family.”
The woman looked back at her computer and kept on typing. Anger rose swiftly inside Vivi. “What the hell is wrong with you? People don’t just show up at hospitals to see someone unless they give a damn. Please tell me…” Her voice raised an octave with every word, but she was conveniently interrupted when she felt a hand curl around her elbow.
She turned to find Sophia at her side. “Come on. We’re all waiting down the hall.” Sophia’s eyes were warm and worried.
Vivi threw a final glare at the nurse behind the desk, although she’d turned around and didn’t even see it. She hurried along at Sophia’s side. “What’s going on? Do we know if he’s okay?”
Sophia nodded, her mouth pinched and her face tense. “He’s in surgery. He insisted he was okay when they left, but he should’ve gone straight to the closest hospital. Instead, Roger and Daniel didn’t push it and he lost a lot of blood on the way here. I guess he has a nasty tear on one side of his neck and shoulder. The doctor is operating right now to close it up. Apparently, Nelson came within centimeters of his carotid artery. Heath is damn lucky he’s alive.”
Vivi absorbed Sophia’s words and swallowed against the cold fear rolling through her. Her throat was tight and her heart ached. Sophia turned into a waiting area where Daniel sat, along with Heath and Sophia’s parents, Leo and Lila Ashworth. Lila stood when they entered the room and immediately came to Vivi’s side, pulling her into a warm hug. When she stepped back, she slid her hands down Vivi’s arms. “I’m glad you’re here. Heath would want you to be here,” Lila said, her dark brown eyes warm and assessing. Her almost black hair was streaked with silver and pulled back into a loose ponytail.
Lila might as well have been a second mother to Vivi. The same could be said for Vivi’s mother to Sophia. They’d spent so much of their childhoods at each other’s houses that it was impossible not to feel that way. Vivi wondered what Lila knew of her and Heath. When she met her eyes, she knew Lila was at least aware something was going on between them. Vivi saw the kind understanding and concern reflected in her gaze and almost burst into tears. She took a deep breath and tried to calm the worry and fear coiling tightly inside.
“Do we know how long it will be before we hear from the doctor again?” she asked.
Lila shook her head. “All we know is they took him into surgery. The nurse who checked in last said it would be at least another hour before he’s moved into recovery.”
An hour seemed too long and terrifying. That sense of panic clogged her throat again, making it hard to breathe.
Lila slid her hands down to squeeze Vivi’s, prompting Vivi to flinch from the cut on her palm. Lila lifted her hand and turned it over. “What happened to you? Are you okay?”
Vivi nodded quickly. “Just a little cut. No big deal.” As the words left her mouth, all she could think was it was nothing compared to what Heath was going through.
When Lila dropped her hands and moved to sit again, Vivi followed suit and turned to Daniel. “What happened?”
Daniel quickly offered a summary of events. “Honestly, Heath took a pretty big fall when Nelson knocked him off the ledge. You have to understand, it was a muddle for a few minutes. Heath just wouldn’t back down and neither would Nelson. When we tried to persuade Heath to go to the hospital up there, he refused. I
f I’d known how deep Nelson had gotten him, I’d have insisted.” Daniel clearly felt responsible and shook his head, a look of worry and frustration in his eyes.
Sophia slipped her hand into his where it rested on his thigh. “It’s okay. Heath’s going to be okay. We just have to wait to find out how he’s doing after surgery.”
Vivi leaned her head against the wall behind her and tried to corral her feelings. She’d been such an idiot. She loved Heath. She’d loved him for years. She’d let her own fear get in the way. Now, she was afraid he might not make it through this, and she might not have a chance to tell him how she felt. After everything he’d been through over the last year, she couldn’t stop worrying that it was worse than they knew. The next hour crawled by. The television in the waiting room rumbled in the background. She mostly tuned it out until her ears perked up when Nelson’s name was announced. She wasn’t alone with everyone in the waiting room turning to the television. The stately local news anchor continued what he was saying.
“We received a report from the police in Painter, Colorado this evening that they believe Nelson Weaver was the original mastermind and organizer for the drug smuggling network. The network sprung up in Painter and then spread throughout Colorado and into other states over the last few years. As you’ve heard from previous reports, law enforcement in multiple states have been gradually taking the network down, but the authorities here reported slow progress except for arrests of low level dealers. Last summer, they had a big break when they identified Mr. Weaver as the leader of the drug ring, but he was believed to be in hiding for months. Law enforcement chose not to release his name to the public in order to protect their investigation. Reports indicate Mr. Weaver was arrested this afternoon on Federal lands several hours north of Painter. This won’t mean the end of drugs or of smuggling, but the authorities do believe Mr. Weaver’s arrest was crucial and will eliminate a significant source of drugs coming into the area.”