by Elise Whyles
She paid the cabbie when he parked, carried her luggage up the stone pathway, and opened the door with a tearful sigh. She closed the door and leaned back against it as fresh tears began to fall.
Curled on the floor, she sobbed, her heart shattering, the sound echoing in her ears as the shadows spread across the ground.
* * * *
Jack rubbed at his temples, frustrated as he listened to Gillian’s cell ring endlessly. Beyond his office door, he could hear Lenny and Barbara arguing, the angry note only drawing a sad shake of his head.
“Come on, Gilli, answer the phone.” His plea filled the silence of the room for a moment before fading into nothing. The pain in his chest grew as he hung up the phone. Tossing it onto his desk, he leaned back, wiping a hand down his face. Movement in the doorway drew his attention and he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Something you wanted?”
“I warned you, didn’t I?”
“Gloat somewhere else. She’s scared, but not of me.” Jack rose to his feet. “I’m busy.”
“Sure, cleaning out your office.”
Jack shrugged and opened a drawer. A week without Gillian had left him more than a little short tempered. He’d stopped by her office, but she was always one step ahead of him. She’d started working from home, coming in only when she needed to. Even at the university she was conspicuously absent.
Aware of Barbara hovering in the door, he rifled through files, pulling out the open cases he’d been working on and stacking them on the desk.
Five minutes later he eyed Barbara. “Are you still here? Don’t you have somewhere else to be? I suggest you find somewhere else to go.”
He tensed at the blaring roar of the alarm, slammed the drawer shut, and locked it before rising. Grabbing supplies as he went, coat in hand, he headed for the apparatus bay. He stormed by Barbara and raced down the hallway.
“What is it?” he called, sliding across the cement floor toward the door leading out to the trucks.
“Car accident.” Brad panted as he ran by. “Single car rollover on North Dinosaur Trail.”
Jack stumbled and his heart froze. He glanced at the clock, terror ripping into his heart. Gillian could be on her way to work by now. Where on the Dinosaur Trail had the car gone off exactly? “Where?”
“Out past the Fun Land Amusement Park.” Lenny glanced uneasily at Jack. “They’re requesting extraction, ambulance and police are en route. Passerby saw the taillights, called it in.”
Jack nodded, climbing into the cab of the fire truck and slamming the door. The EMS truck pulled out, sirens blaring, leading the way. Falling back on his training, he went through the charts and game plan as they raced to the scene. Jack rounded the bend and felt his heart drop. He recognized the familiar box shape of a red and white ambulance, lights flashing. Beside it, several cruisers were parked, blocking the road. Men and women in various uniforms hurried about.
Glancing off the road, Jack gulped in shock. A familiar car lay on its roof in the brush. Broken glass spread across the road and into the underbrush. One tire spun lazily in the morning light. The rear lights glowed red, the bumper twisted into a pretzel. He clambered down from the truck and he slapped his helmet on, heart in his throat. What the hell is she doing in her own car?
Jack muttered a prayer and began pulling open doors, grabbing the equipment needed. He grunted and jerked out the Jaws of Life, already heading for the ditch. “Single female occupant. Unresponsive, she is still breathing…” The cop’s voice faded into nothing as Jack shouldered past him.
“Hey, Jack.” Lenny grabbed his arm. “Why don’t you sit this one out?”
“No, I need…” Jack tugged himself loose. Ignoring Lenny’s irritated expression, Jack muscled his way next to the other two men. “What’s needed done?” Jack demanded as a paramedic slipped into the back seat.
Hands grabbed him, pulling him back. Jack stood still, his heart pounding in his ears as the hydraulics fired to life. Metal crunched and groaned as the Jaws of Life split the metal body apart, peeling it away like a can lid. Hands knotted into fists, he watched as Gillian’s body was pulled from the car, a neck brace keeping her steady until they had her on a backboard. Blood streaked her forehead and a gash on her nose oozed. Her face was deathly pale, her shirt covered in blood and broken glass.
“We’re taking her to the Health Center,” a voice hollered in his ear. “You can—”
“I’m coming with you,” Jack ground out and hurried after the stretcher. He flinched at the slam of the back door, his eyes on Gillian’s prone form. Please, please, I can’t lose her. Not when she doesn’t know. Please, God, please, let her be all right.
Chapter 22
His helmet dangled from between his fingers as he sat hunched over on the hard plastic chair. He could hear the indistinct sound of voices over the PA system, the squeak of shoes on the floor. The air was thick and heavy with the scent of disinfectant. Shifting, he dropped his head, one hand going up to rake through his hair.
“How you holding up?”
Jack glanced up into the concerned gaze of Sally. He offered a half-hearted shrug. “They’re treating her now.”
“You didn’t answer my question.” Sally nudged him. “She’s a nice lady. The doctors are going to do everything they can, you know that. There isn’t anything different about this MVA than any other you’ve attended.”
“Yes there is. Doesn’t make it easier. I don’t know why this is happening. Why I couldn’t have some sort of peace.” Jack huffed. “I should be in with her. They wouldn’t let me stay with her. What if—”
“Now, none of that. You know as well as I do, they’re not going to let you stay with her. You’ve been to enough rescues to know that without having to be told.” Sally grabbed his hand. “No sense in borrowing trouble. Gillian’s stronger than you think. She’d have to be to put up with your sexy ass. Why don’t you go grab some coffee?”
“Don’t want it.” Jack tensed at the click of heels on the floor, his gaze sweeping up the hall. Spitting out a curse, he rose to stalk to the nurses’ station. He leaned against the wall and glared at Barbara and Lenny as they approached, his grip tightening on his helmet.
“I’m gonna go grab a cup of joe.” Sally smiled sadly at him. “Don’t get into a fight with them or they’ll toss you out.”
“I’ll be a good boy,” Jack agreed as Sally hurried away.
“I’m Barbara Krutz, Gillian’s mother. How is she?”
“In surgery at the moment. We won’t know any more until the doctor comes out.” The nurse glanced from Barbara to Jack, a slight frown on her face. “Please have a seat and we’ll inform you of any changes as soon as we can.”
Barbara sniffed into a hanky, turning under Lenny’s guiding hand. Jack watched her for a moment before turning away, his stomach twisting in disgust. Her soft sobs grated along his temper. He couldn’t bring himself to believe for a moment her grief was real. Barbara had never shown anything but disdain for Gilli.
“She’s going to be fine, hon.” Lenny’s low-pitched voice drifted to Jack.
Rolling his eyes, he turned and caught sight of the surgeon. He straightened and hurried to intercept him. “Well?”
“Mister Payle.” The surgeon pulled his mask off. “Miss Hilliard is stable, but she’s not out of the woods. I would suggest you go home and get some rest.”
“How bad are her injuries?” Barbara hurried forward, her hand wrapped around Lenny’s.
“She suffered several contusions to the face and head, a major concussion, broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, as well as a few minor cuts and bruises. We won’t know more until she wakes up. She’s in a stable but critical condition. I strongly suggest you all go home, get some rest, and come back tomorrow.”
“She was bleeding around the mouth when she was extracted. Was there any damage to the lungs?” Jack demanded.
“No, thankfully. Miss Hilliard was lucky. The bleeding was caused from the shattered na
sal cavity. She was pinned in just the right position so it drained out rather than seeping into the lungs.”
“My poor Gillian,” Barbara cried, pressing into Lenny’s chest. “I hope she’s going to be okay.”
“Come on, we’ll head home and get a couple of hours rest,” Lenny promised.
Jack raised a brow at him and turned away. Pacing the corridor, he raked a hand through his hair, fear and uncertainty tangling through his mind. He couldn’t seem to shake the dark fear he would lose her, lose everything.
The unreasonable fear didn’t seem so irrational the longer he thought. If he lost Gillian, he’d lose his heart. She wasn’t the kinda girl one played with. She’d given him something beyond a few nights of wild sex. He’d laughed with her, talked, spent time. In her he’d found the other half of himself. They’d grown into each other, into what they could have, and he wasn’t willing to give the future up just yet.
“Mister Payle, I know the doctor said go home, but something tells me you’re not going to listen. They’ve got her settled.” The nurse laid a hand on his arm. “She’s in room two thirty-eight. You can go up.”
“Thank you, I know the doctor said—”
“You know as well as I do you’re not likely to go home. You must love her a lot.”
“Yes, yes I do,” Jack agreed, the truth settling against him like a warm blanket. With a smile at the nurse, he turned to hurry along the corridor, cursing the slow drag of the elevator as it carried him up two floors.
* * * *
The incessant beeping of the heart monitor proved a welcome annoyance as Jack settled next to Gillian’s bed. He reached up to take her hand, careful of the I.V. lying beneath her skin. Her face was a mass of bruises and stitches beneath bandages soaked with blood. He could see the staples along her hair line and wondered if she’d had her visor down. Too many times he’d seen what happened with them partially down. Dabbing at a spot of dried blood, he choked back a sob.
“Please be okay. Please.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and sat back. He barely moved when a nurse came in to take her vitals, only getting out of the way when another came in to inject meds into the drip hanging above Gillian’s bed. Clinging to her hand, he yawned, unwilling to rest just yet. Absently, his thumb traced over her knuckles, his mind pulsing with the faint echo of her heart beat.
“Please, come back to me. Please, Gilli.” His pleas seemed loud in the stillness. He rested his head on the edge of her bed and watched the thin green line peak rhythmically.
* * * *
Shoving the security door open, Constable Rick Feller moved along the corridor to his office. He dropped his jacket over the back of a chair and sat before reaching for the phone.
“Constable Harris.”
“Hey, did you make contact with the informant on the Hilliard case?”
“Made contact via phone only; didn’t show at the appointed time. It was definitely a woman on the other end. Gave me a post office box where she claimed half the funds were. She quibbled on the rate, didn’t want to pay the extra. I’m supposed to meet with her this evening to get the remainder of the payment.”
“I’m emailing you a couple of photos. Print them off as proof of the job. Miss Hilliard was in an accident this morning. She may not make it.”
“Damn. You don’t think she hired someone else?”
“We won’t know until after the results of the investigation come back. Early indications are it was a simple car accident. She swerved to avoid hitting something in the road. Do what you have to.”
“Sure.”
Rick hung up the phone and turned to stare out the window. Seeing Jack at the accident scene had been hard. He’d never seen his friend so devastated, so out of control. He’d known him long enough to know he didn’t show emotion easily, not at work. The pain in his friend’s gaze haunted him as he stared out into the gathering dusk. Damn, some days he hated his job.
* * * *
Jack jerked awake, his gaze sweeping the room. Disoriented, he glanced around, a knot in his throat as he stared at Gillian’s still form. Nothing seemed out of place, not that Gillian had moved any in the week he’d been sitting here. He scratched at his jaw and winced at the grating of stubble beneath his nails. Tugging her blanket up, he cursed the discomfort of the hard plastic chair. The slight sound from behind him drew his attention to the opening door.
“What are you doing here?” Barbara eased inside, her face twisting into a furious mask.
“I’d ask you the same thing, but I think we both know you’d just lie about it.” Jack turned back to Gillian. He clung to her hand, leaning forward to hover over her, and then he smoothed her hair back from her face, spreading the dark strands over the pillow. The beeping of the monitors filled the silence between him and Barbara, who hovered near the door.
“She’s my daughter.” Barbara stepped farther into the room, her voice evening out.
“I’m not leaving.” Jack sat back in his chair. “So if you’re waiting for me to leave, you’re going to have a long wait.”
Barbara narrowed her eyes, a thought-filled look crossing her face. Jack watched her set her purse down before she eased farther into the room. “Jack, I really think we got off on the wrong foot. Surely we can come to an understanding. After all, Gillian’s hardly your type. She’s still hung up on her ex-boyfriend. Even if you manage to get past all that, why would you want to have someone so emotionless?”
Gaping at her, Jack shook his head. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I know Gillian. She’s a bit, well, cold would be the only word I would have to describe her. Hardly the kind of woman to satisfy a man such as yourself. I mean, I can see you’re one who enjoys the more carnal aspects of a relationship…” Barbara trailed her fingers down his jaw, tugging at the collar of his T-shirt, a small smile on her lips.
“She’s more than enough woman. You’re married, remember.” Jack caught her hand. “And I’m not interested in any understanding with you.”
“Now don’t be too hasty. You could at least hear me out. After all, I can get your job back for you. Must be getting tight with no money coming in.”
“I have more than enough to live on until I get a new job, Barbara. And I’m still not interested.”
“Don’t be stupid.” Barbara’s charming façade fell away like broken glass. “She’s not even worth the time—”
“She’s worth ten of you.” Jack leaned forward. “Now, get out.”
Stalking toward the door, Barbara grabbed her purse. One hand on the door handle, she stared at him. “You’ll come to regret this.”
“Not in this lifetime. I told you before, I’m going to do whatever it takes to protect Gilli.” Jack stared at the door after Barbara stormed out, fury dancing around his control.
“You shouldn’t piss her off.” Weak, tired, Gilli’s voice drifted through the silence.
“Baby.” Jack whirled to see Gillian blinking in the low light. “Are you in pain? Should I get a nurse?”
“No.” Gillian winced. “What happened?”
“You were in an accident, baby.” Jack trailed a finger down her face. His stomach twisted when she turned away. “Gilli? What is it?”
“Go away.” Tired, her whisper was filled with pain.
“Gilli, please.”
“I don’t want you.” Her voice broke, tears trailing down her face. “He means it. Please, please, just go away. I don’t want to hurt you.” Crying softly, Gillian closed her eyes, turning her face away from Jack.
Jack sank into the chair and shuddered in pain. He swallowed hard. What did she mean? Surely she didn’t mean it. She couldn’t … could she? He rose and gathered his coat and helmet, pausing at her stifled sob.
“Can’t hurt him. I won’t let you, Michael, I won’t.” Gillian’s broken whisper wrapped around Jack’s wounded heart. “I want him too much.”
Jack rested his head against the door, closed his eyes, and sighed. He wasn’t
going anywhere. The pure terror in Gillian’s voice held him captive with a grasp stronger than steel chains. He tossed his things aside, settled into the cold hard plastic of a chair, and reached for Gillian’s hand. Ignoring the tremble in her fingers, he smoothed her hair away from her forehead and listened to her soft sobs.
Chapter 23
Over the days he’d sat in her room, the sound of the hospital was a far too familiar echo he’d tried to drown out repeatedly. Gillian hadn’t tried kicking him out again, but she hadn’t responded to him either. Jack stared out the window as the doctor moved around the room, taking readings and checking Gillian’s vitals. He listened with half an ear as he went over her injuries. The desperation in Gillian’s voice every night haunted him. Nightmares plagued her sleep, costing her precious hours of rest. What was so bad she’d be terrified to have him there?
“You’re very lucky, Miss Hilliard. All your vitals are normal, the broken bones will heal, and the stitches will dissolve on their own. The staples in your forehead will need to be removed in a few days and will leave a minor scar. However, you’ll be able to go home today. I’ll process your discharge within the hour. You’ll need to pick up a prescription for pain medication and see your family doctor within twenty-four hours.”
“Thank you.” Gillian offered a weak smile.
“Yes, thanks, doctor.” Jack grinned at her. If it was a little shaky she didn’t appear to care. “I’ll be with her, so you won’t have to worry. I’ll keep an eye out for further symptoms.” Ignoring Gillian’s gasp, he watched the doctor leave. As soon as the door was clicked shut, he turned to Gillian.
“I don’t want to impose upon you.”
“Gillian.” Jack heaved a breath when she refused to meet his gaze, her eyes skittering away from his nervously. “We need to talk, and we will as soon as we get you home.”
“No!” Gillian bolted upright, all color draining from her face. “Please, I can’t go back there! Please. Just take me—”