“It’s not a problem, ma’am. Sacred Heart is closer, anyway, and the sooner we get to the hospital, the better. Peter, Kent, can you two grab the stretcher? I’m going to get some fluids started.”
Both men departed, but not before Peter cast Catherine a look that held a boatload of longing.
Obviously, there was history between them.
Not a surprise since Catherine had grown up in the area.
But history that led to longing...
That was a different kind of history than just friendship or school chums or acquaintances.
“Sorry about Peter being here, Catherine. I’m sure it’s uncomfortable for you. If we’d known your grandmother was the patient, we would have had another team member come along.” The older paramedic prepared Eileen for the IV, swabbing her inner elbow.
“I don’t really care who’s helping her, Nick. As long as she’s being helped.” Catherine hovered a few feet away, watching anxiously.
“She’s really sick. You know that, right?” he asked as he inserted the catheter and hooked up the IV line.
“I couldn’t not know. She’s faded to nothing these past few weeks.” Catherine had been hoping it was the chemo and not the cancer that was making her grandmother thin and gaunt. A few more weeks and treatment would be over. Catherine would cook hearty meals and watch as Eileen rallied.
That’s what she’d been telling herself.
Now, she was thinking she might not have that chance.
She swallowed hard, touching Eileen’s cheek, calling her name one last time. Hoping, praying, that Eileen would answer.
Tears burned behind her eyes, but she couldn’t let them fall. If she did, she might never stop crying.
Darius put an arm around her waist, tugging her to the side as Peter and Kent pushed the stretcher into the room.
She avoided Peter’s eyes, watching as Eileen was lifted onto the stretcher, her body nothing more than flesh stretched over bones.
Dying.
The tears she’d been holding in fell hot and horrible down her cheeks.
“Shh.” Darius rubbed her back, pressed her head to his chest, and she let him. Let his shirt absorb her tears, his hand ease her tension. Let herself lean on him for just a minute, because she had no one else, and because being in his arms felt better than anything had in a very long time.
“Do you want to ride with us?” Peter asked, and she stepped away from Darius’s comforting warmth.
“Yes.”
“Let’s go, then.”
She followed the ambulance crew outside, Darius at her side, his shoulder brushing hers.
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Of course,” she said, because she had no choice. Falling apart wasn’t an option.
“Make sure you stay in the hospital until I can get there, all right?” He looked into her face, his eyes blazing with concern, and her heart did its strange little shimmy again.
“You don’t have to come to the hospital, Darius. I’m sure I can—”
“Let’s not waste time arguing, Catherine. You’ve been attacked twice, and there’s no reason to believe the perpetrator won’t attack again if he’s given the opportunity. We’re not going to give it to him.”
“I can call Logan.”
“Call him if you want, but I’m coming anyway. Eileen matters to me. I want to make sure she’s okay.” He walked away, giving her no chance to argue.
She wouldn’t have argued anyway. Not after hearing the sincerity in his voice, seeing it in his eyes.
She climbed into the back of the ambulance, stiffening as she met Peter’s eyes.
Of all the people she didn’t want to see, he was at the top of her list.
Best friend. Boyfriend. Fiancé.
He’d been all those things, but he’d never been the one thing he’d promised he would be—husband.
It was for the best.
A man who would betray her trust, refuse to believe in her innocence and throw her to the wolves wasn’t the kind of guy she wanted to be married to.
She didn’t acknowledge him as she sat next to Eileen and took her hand.
“Eileen?” She bent close to her grandmother’s ear, tears clogging her throat. “Can you hear me?”
“She’s in a coma, Catherine,” Peter said softly as the ambulance raced into the night, sirens blaring, lights flashing.
Catherine didn’t respond. She knew. She also knew what it probably meant. The end.
She wasn’t ready for that.
She didn’t think she’d ever be ready.
Please, Lord, if You’re ever going to listen, if You’re ever going to answer, let it be now, because I really don’t want to lose her yet.
The prayer whispered through her mind, settled into her soul, and she wanted so badly to believe God heard, wanted so badly to believe that He cared, that tears spilled out, dripping onto her hand and Eileen’s as the ambulance sped toward the hospital.
EIGHT
“Why’d you have them bring me here?” Eileen griped as Catherine poured water into a plastic cup and shoved a straw into it. Three hours after they’d arrived, Eileen had regained consciousness. She wasn’t happy. Catherine couldn’t blame her. Hooked to an IV, heart monitors on her chest, an oxygen tube in her nose, she’d woken confused and scared.
Now, she was just angry.
“You were unconscious and unresponsive. If we hadn’t brought you here, you’d be dead.”
“Right. A diabetic coma. Only I don’t have diabetes. Never have.”
“You do now. If we hadn’t been at Darius’s place...” She couldn’t bring herself to finish. If they’d been home, if Eileen had been in her room, Catherine wouldn’t have checked on her until morning. By that time, it would have been too late.
“Well, we were, and I’m fine. Let’s go home.” Eileen tried to push the sheets off, but she was too weak, and the efforts barely moved the material.
“You’re not fine. You’re dehydrated, and your kidneys aren’t functioning properly. This is the safest place for you for now.”
“For now, or forever, Catherine Marie? Because I don’t want to die here. You need to understand that. If I’m going to die, I want you to bring me home. Let me die where I lived. Promise me that.” She reached for Catherine’s hand, and Catherine patted her knuckles, her soul aching, her heart shaking with sorrow.
“I promise. As soon as the doctors clear you, we’ll go home.” The words were easy to say, and Catherine meant every word. She just hoped she could follow through. The police hadn’t contacted her, and she wasn’t sure if they were finished at the house. Wasn’t sure how long it would be until she and Eileen were allowed back.
“That’s all I wanted to hear.” Eileen shut her eyes, her face going slack so quickly Catherine wondered if she’d slipped into a coma again. The heart monitor remained steady, her blood pressure low but normal.
“She’s fine,” Catherine whispered, as if the words had the power to make it true.
Words. Prayers.
They weren’t the same, but somehow they felt like they were, the tenuous connection she’d tried to make with God still there.
Had He answered her prayer?
Eileen was alive, stable. More than likely she’d be released in a day or two. Catherine had asked God for more time, and she’d been given it, but she wasn’t sure how much of that was God and how much of that was medicine.
&nb
sp; Maybe it didn’t matter.
Maybe she just needed to accept that there were things in life that were beyond what she saw and heard and felt. Maybe if she reached far enough, she’d grasp the hand of the Creator and find the kind of peace she’d always longed for.
Eileen moaned, and Catherine adjusted the blankets again.
Cancer.
Kidney failure.
Diabetes.
Soon, her body would completely shut down. There was no doubt about that. No miracle to be asked for. Catherine’s throat tightened, her chest heavy and aching, anxiety snaking through every nerve and muscle and cell. She needed fresh air, but she’d told Darius that she’d stay in the hospital until he arrived.
Three hours later, and he was nowhere to be seen.
Had she really expected anything different?
She wanted to say “no,” but the truth was, she had expected him to show up. The sadder truth was that she was disappointed that he hadn’t. Standing in his arms had felt so good, and she’d wanted to believe that those feelings were real.
Maybe they weren’t, though.
Maybe, they were just a product of stress and need and fear.
The sun had crested the mountains half an hour ago, and the new day promised sunshine and blue skies. A new day. A new beginning. Time to grab control of her life again.
She didn’t need Darius to escort her out of the hospital. She could go herself, take a bus to the edge of town and walk the three miles to her place, grab some things for Eileen and for herself.
Then again, a cab might be a better idea.
Just in case.
She grabbed the phone, but the thought of going back to her place alone...in a cab or not...filled her with dread, and she dropped it back into the cradle.
She paced the room, feeling caged and restless. If she let herself, she could fall into that place she’d been in the first days after she’d been released from the prison, panic attack after panic attack stealing her ability to think or function.
“I’m trying to sleep, girl, and all your pacing is keeping me awake,” Eileen grumbled.
“Sorry.” Catherine didn’t point out that Eileen had been asleep just seconds before or that she’d be asleep again before she took the next breath. Arguing would only bring her more fully awake, and Eileen needed to sleep if her body was going to have any chance of healing.
Seconds later, Eileen’s soft snore broke the silence.
Catherine looked out the window and into the parking lot. Even this early in the morning, it was full, people milling about, talking and chatting. It wasn’t very likely a killer was lurking among them. She’d just step outside, stand under the hospital’s portico, get a few deep breaths of fresh air, try to ease her tension before she had a full-out panic attack.
She walked into the hall, closing the door softly.
Just a few minutes. That’s all she needed. Then, she’d come back.
A nurse smiled as she passed, but Catherine felt too brittle to do anything but keep moving. Onto the elevator, then out of it again. Finally into the lobby, and then the fresh new day.
She breathed deeply, the cool summer air filling lungs that felt too small.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Ease the tension. Let go of the panic. Everything is fine.
Only things weren’t fine. Eileen was dying. Someone wanted Catherine dead.
“You’re supposed to be waiting for me inside.” Darius appeared at her side so suddenly Catherine jumped.
“Where did you come from?”
“I was coming out of the cafeteria and saw you walk through the lobby. Here.” He shoved a carryout cup toward her, his jaw tight, his eyes flashing with irritation.
“Thank you.” Her hand shook as she sipped the lukewarm liquid.
“You realize coming out here was a mistake, right?” He took her arm and walked back into the lobby. She could have pulled away. His grip was loose and easy, and she knew he wouldn’t try to hold on if she didn’t want him to.
She didn’t pull away, though, because having him close felt a lot better than being alone.
“I needed some air.”
“You needed to wait for me. You should have waited.”
“It’s been three hours, Darius. How long did you expect me to wait?”
“Forever if that’s what it took.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“So is walking outside without protection when someone is trying to kill you.”
“You’re right. I wasn’t thinking,” she conceded, and he sighed.
“Just so we’re clear, when I say something, I follow through. Next time, keep that in mind. Come on. I was planning to get you something to eat, but I wasn’t sure if you were a fruit kind of gal or a muffin kind.” He led her into the cafeteria.
“Neither. Both.” She grabbed a muffin and a cup of fruit because she did need to eat.
“How is Eileen?”
“She’s better. Conscious. Ornery when she’s awake. That’s a good sign.”
“Good. I’ve been praying and hoping she’d recover. I would have been here sooner, but Logan heard the ambulances and came to the house. He wanted to go over the information I’d provided again.” Darius still had his hand on her arm as they walked to a small table, and Catherine knew that people were watching. Probably most of them knew who she was. Probably some of them would speculate about Darius and who they were to each other. By noon the town would be buzzing with the news of her new love interest.
For once, she didn’t care.
She was too tired, too worried about Eileen for anything else to matter.
“Why?”
“Because a police officer tagged a black Toyota parked on I-90 yesterday morning right around the time you were attacked. Logan said it was parked on the other side of your field in the breakdown lane. Could be that the guy walked through the field to get to your place.”
“Was there a license plate on the car?”
“No. The officer put in a call to have it towed, but when the truck arrived, it was gone. Logan wanted to make sure I was certain about the car I saw in your driveway. I am.”
“So, it was the same guy.”
“Logan thinks so. I think he’s right. When will Eileen be released from the hospital?” He took a grape from Catherine’s fruit cup and popped it into his mouth.
“The doctor said a day or two. Why?”
“Because I don’t think it’s a good idea for you two to go back to the farmhouse.”
“Me, neither, but I promised Eileen. She wants to spend her last days at home.”
“Even if that means they’re going to be your last days, too?” he asked bluntly.
“Yes.”
“There are other options, you know. You could hire a caregiver to take care of Eileen, and you could go into hiding until the police catch the person who is after you.”
“Is that what you would do?” She broke the muffin in two and handed the larger portion to Darius.
“No.”
“Then, how can you expect me to? I’ve already lost so many years, Darius. I can’t get them back. If I go into hiding and leave Eileen behind, I may lose the last bit of time that we have together. I can’t stomach that.” She chewed a bite of the muffin. It tasted like cardboard and went down about as easily.
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t kno
w.”
“What do you want to do about it?” He finished off his half of the muffin and took a sip of coffee, his eyes clear green and surrounded by thick black lashes. No doubt about it, he was one of the handsomest men Catherine had ever sat across a table from, but it wasn’t his looks that warmed Catherine’s heart. It was the way he leaned toward her, touched the knuckles on her hand, looked at her as if every word she said mattered.
“If I had a choice, I’d pack the Buick and drive me and Eileen to the Oregon coast. I’d rent a little beach cottage and watch the tides flow in and out. I’d listen to the gulls and collect seashells, and try to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life.”
“Sounds nice. I’ve never been to the Oregon coast. Maybe when this is over, we’ll take Eileen. She’d probably love it. But it’s not an option right now, Catherine. You know that.”
“Then, what is an option, Darius? I’m sure you have some kind of plan.”
“I was hoping you’d ask. Twenty-four-hour protection is the only thing that can keep you safe and keep Eileen at home. I’ve already spoken to Ryder, and he’s agreed to help with that.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Don’t sound so appalled, Catherine. I’m not going to be the one providing the protection.”
“Then who is?”
“We have a team set up.”
“Well, tell your team to stand down, because I’d rather have you hanging around than a bunch of total strangers.” The words slipped out, and he smiled. It transformed the hard angles of his face and gave him a boyish look that made Catherine want to lean across the table and brush aside the thick lock of hair that had fallen across his forehead.
“Good to know, but one person can’t do the job alone. Even if you’re not worried for yourself, you should be for Eileen. She’s too frail to put up a fight if someone breaks into your place.”
“I know.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying to think of a better solution.
She couldn’t.
“Fine. Tell Ryder I appreciate the help. Now, I really have to get back to Eileen’s room. You can have the rest of this if you want.” She shoved the half-empty fruit cup across the table and stood.
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