Adam's Promise

by Gail Gaymer Martin

  “Nothing. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  Adam shifted again, and his eyes widened. “What are you doing here?”

  “I just stopped in to see how you’re doing.”

  “Don’t you think it’s a little late?”

  “I finally had a minute.” His hands trembled as he headed toward the doorway.

  Anger rolled through him. The stupid nurse. If she hadn’t come in, it would have been Goodbye Montgomery.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Adam.”

  He hurried down the corridor, his mind jumbled with his thwarted plan.

  “Good job, Doc,” the officer said, standing outside the scorched closet door. The smoldering bucket had been removed and only soot and ash remained. “If you hadn’t noticed the smell, the fire might have done more damage. It could have been serious.”

  Holding in his frustration, he nodded to the man and sped away, wanting distance between him and the situation.

  What would he do now? He needed Montgomery dead.

  And he would be.

  Soon.

  The next morning, Kate stood at Adam’s hospital room doorway and admired him sitting in the chair near the window. Sunlight streamed through the glass and bathed his pale skin with a warm glow. Though he’d lost weight, he looked stronger.

  Although stress continued to etch his handsome face, he would soon be back to normal. Once released, he’d return to his life…and Kate to hers. Each time the reality came, it filled her with a deep aching loneliness.

  “Hi,” he said, looking away from the window. “You look gorgeous today.”

  She glanced at her beige pants and rust-colored top and would have chuckled had her earlier emotion eased. She crossed the threshold. “I hope you slept after that crazy fire scare. Weird, wasn’t it?”

  “Chemicals do odd things. Probably a floor cleaner made friends with a disinfectant. You just never know.”

  “But the fire—you can’t tell me it’s spontaneous combustion.”

  “Why not? Stranger things have happened.” He twisted his head, and his gaze captured hers. “You don’t think that—”

  “No. I’m just nervous. Too much has happened lately.”

  A rap sounded on the door, and Kate turned her head. Dan Eckerd stood inside the doorway.

  “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” He gave them a curious look.

  “No. Come in, Dan. How are you?” Kate asked.

  “Great.” He turned to Adam. “And you’re looking better, more awake than the last time I saw you.”

  “I’m getting there. Thanks. Still weak, but it’s to be expected.”

  The pediatrician rocked back on his heels. “I noticed you had a little excitement up here last night.”

  “You mean the fire?” Adam asked.

  “Lucky no one was hurt,” Dan said, crossing his arms over his chest. He gave Kate a quick look as if he were uncomfortable. “Listen, Adam, I want to apologize for my behavior back in Venezuela. I can’t get it out of my head how badly I treated you. It was foolish.”

  “No need,” Adam said. “We all make mistakes. I’ve made my share.” He sent Kate a private look. “If I could take back the way I’ve behaved too many times, I’d do it in a minute.”

  Dan lowered his arms. “I appreciate your attitude. I’ve been wanting to let you know how sorry I am. I felt like a heel. Right after that happened you were shot and I know you’ve been through so much. Gossip spreads.”

  “I’m sure I’ve had my day on the hospital grapevine.”

  Dan shot a telling look toward Kate. “Yes, I suppose you have.” He stepped forward and extended his hand. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m truly sorry.”

  Adam grasped his palm. “No grudges here, Dan. I’m too grateful to be alive.”

  “I bet. See you both later.” He gave them a nod and headed through the door.

  “That was a long time coming,” Kate said.

  “Yes, but like I told him, I’m not going to dwell on it.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I have other things on my mind.”

  “Like what?” Kate asked.

  He didn’t answer, but only grinned.

  “Why the big smile?”

  “Hmm? No IV,” he said, stretching his arm out and swaying it in front of her.

  “You had that out before today.” She stayed across the room and sank on the edge of his bed.

  He gave her a toying look and beckoned to her. “Maybe I’m happy because the doctor said I should be out of here in a day or two. I’m ready to leap from this building in a single bound.” He chuckled at his superhero joke.

  “You won’t be doing much leaping for a while,” Kate said. “But I’m glad for you. I know you’re anxious to be home.” Mixed emotions skittered through her. The time she’d been afraid to face had finally arrived. Adam’s freedom.

  “At least I’ll be home.” His expression let her know he understood his limits. “They tell me I’m not allowed to work for a while. Fletcher and Reese both want to make sure I have no lasting memory problems. I suppose they’re hoping I’ll remember what happened and ease their minds.”

  “It’ll ease yours, too,” she said.

  “It will.” He motioned to her again. “What’s on your mind? I see that look on your face.”

  “That look?” She covered her face, then pulled her hand away trying to be lighthearted, which was far from what she felt. “I’m facing my own reality. You’ll be released soon, which means I need to find a place to stay. I’m in your town house, remember?”

  “I remember. Sounds good to me.” He grinned while his hand erased the air as if wiping away his comment. “Just teasing, Kate. That’s not the kind of people we are.”

  His comment rattled through Kate’s mind. What kind of people were they? Different. Opposite. Nothing in common.

  “I have an easy solution,” Adam said. “The doctors don’t want me to be alone for a while until I’m stronger. I’ll stay with my folks, and you can use the town house until you’ve found something else. How’s that?”

  “I can’t do that. It’s your home. I’ll get a motel until I find an apartment…or maybe I can bunk with Emily.”

  Adam rose. “I won’t hear of it. I’m not going back there until I’m stronger so you might as well stay at the town house.” He moved to the bed and sat beside her.

  Unable to handle the closeness, she shifted away.

  “Why are you so standoffish?”

  “I’m not standoffish,” she said.

  “You just moved away from me.”

  “I was making more room, that’s all.”

  He slid his arm around her and drew her closer. “I don’t want more room, Kate. I want to be with you.” He leaned over to look into her face. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  Kate couldn’t respond without crying. She swallowed her tears while her heart tumbled through her chest.

  “Please tell me what’s wrong.” He grasped her shoulders and turned her to face him. “I want to make something of our relationship. I’ve never been romantic, Kate, but I can try. I told you a few days ago that I was blind all these years. I never knew how special you are.”

  “Your eyes were wide open, Adam. You saw everything right. I’m not the woman for you.”

  He flinched with her words, but her comment didn’t stop him. “Listen to me. I’d never seen what a beautiful person you are. I respected your work, but I missed the obvious.”

  He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Let me be honest. I avoided the obvious. When I was drawn to you, I did everything in my power to keep myself at a distance. Do you remember how I insisted on calling you Katherine? I did that for me, Kate.”

  She felt a tremor ripple through his body. The muscles in his arms twitched. “Your name was too sweet for me. Too intimate for the emotions I was feeling. I had my image—my protection—that aloof, arrogant side that covered my inability to show my feelings.” He shook his head. “Don’t ask me why
. I couldn’t tell you in a million years.”

  His plea rent her soul. Adam was all the man she’d ever wanted, and he was offering her the fantasy she could only dare to dream. He’d said he wasn’t romantic. Her mind soared to the wonderful ways he’d made her feel like a special woman—the caresses, the kisses, the sighs.

  But it could never be. If she told him the truth, if he learned about her lowly beginnings, he would run as fast as his weakened legs could carry him to one of the rich society women who fit his lifestyle.

  He said he admired her. Where would his admiration be if he knew she’d come from homeless shelters and wore hand-me-downs from strangers? She had to say goodbye. She opened her mouth, but she couldn’t say the words.

  “Is it me, Kate? Can’t you forgive me for my egotism? I can only promise you that I’ve changed. For the first time in my life, I realize that God is the only power in my life. He’s my only hope and strength in this world. No one can do it all alone, and no one can take credit for success because the Lord gave us the abilities, the gifts. It’s as simple as that…and somehow I missed learning that in my spiritual journey.”

  His eyes pleaded, and his face revealed his hurt, but Kate could not find the courage to tell him the truth.

  Lord, give me strength, she thought. Help me to do Your will. She listened for God’s voice, but the clanging in her head wouldn’t allow her to hear any sound but her own shame and panic.

  “Thank you for the compliments, Adam. You’re doing so well, and you’ll soon be back working and enjoying yourself just as before.” She felt his hands go limp and drop from where they’d gripped her shoulders.

  His mouth opened to speak, but she cut him off.

  “I’ll take your offer to use the town house until I can find something. I hope it won’t be more than a few days.” She slid from the bed and out of his grasp. “I admire you so much, and I know your life will return to all that it’s meant to be. So will mine. I’m thinking about leaving Vance Memorial. I heard some of the other hospitals have better benefits.”

  His mouth gaped, and his eyes sparked with disbelief. “You’re changing jobs. You’re thanking me for the use of my town house. You’re ignoring my feelings for you. I thought you felt the same, Kate. I truly believed you cared as much about me as I do you.”

  “Wasn’t it a game? Wasn’t it something to fill your time until you were well? That’s all I thought it was. I was going along with the gag.” She slipped her bag over her shoulder. “I have to run.”

  “Kate, please…”

  She was gone.

  Adam stared at the empty doorway, his mind whirling with the past few minutes.

  What had happened?

  Game? He didn’t know what she was talking about. He’d never been a game player. He hated games. He’d opened his heart and thought she felt the same. He’d seen her reticence at times. He’d sensed she was holding back. He’d wondered why, but…

  Pain rushed through him worse than the wounds he’d suffered earlier. She’d turned him down. He lay back on the bed as the ache coursed through him.

  Ignored.

  Rejected.

  Chapter Sixteen

  He covered his smile as he walked away from Montgomery’s doorway. Great timing. He’d moved away before Kate exited, but he’d heard their plaintive love story. The argument. The goodbye. Montgomery had been rejected. He’d enjoyed nothing better in years.

  With Montgomery healing and soon leaving the hospital, he needed to act. No more ineffective plans with injections. He needed something more powerful. He needed to get Montgomery out in the open, away from the hospital…and now he knew what the man would fight for. His smile broke free, and he let loose a laugh.

  A passerby gave him a peculiar stare, and he only grinned back.

  He only needed to give it a day’s thought. He’d kept notes. He’d been watching and listening.

  Yes. Now he knew what Montgomery would fight for—what he would give his life for.

  And he would.

  Adam had not slept. During the night, he paced his room, his mind whirring with tangled emotions. Anger, frustration, disappointment, love and fear boiled together, leaving him drained and bewildered. He sat on the corner of the bed, his head bowed, asking the Lord to soften Kate’s heart and to let her know the truth. He loved her. He loved her more than life itself.

  He watched the sunrise, then dialed his town house telephone number, praying for Kate to answer. He needed to explain the depth of his feelings. His answering machine picked up, and he spoke his message into the silence until it cut off.

  Adam tried again and again all morning until he wanted to scream at God and ask Him what he should do. Why didn’t the Lord intervene? He sank into the chair and gazed out the window, the bright sun smarting his grainy eyes. Why, Lord? He asked over and over.

  How can I prove my love? How? What can I do to let her know I’m not a rich Romeo who’d been playing games with her? I’m so far from it.

  He dropped his head into his hands, tears forming on his sleepless eyes.

  “Adam?”

  He lifted his head and saw Sam standing in the doorway, his face grim. “Something wrong?”

  “I was going to ask you the same question.”

  Adam looked away, then had a change of heart. Why avoid the truth at this point? Sam knew already. “Yesterday I told Kate how I felt about her. I let her know I’d like to pursue a relationship with her. She walked out on me.”

  Sam’s head flew back as if Adam had punched him. “She what? If I’ve ever seen a woman in love, it’s Kate.”

  “That’s what I thought. Something’s not right.”

  Sam strode into the room and leaned his shoulder against the wall. “I’m sorry, Adam, and I’m afraid something else isn’t right, either.”

  Sam’s tone jarred him. “What do you mean?”

  “Things are falling together, and they don’t look good. We need to keep a close eye on you.”

  “On me? Why now?”

  “You know something, Adam.”

  Adam looked at him in disbelief. “I do? And what is it?”

  “That’s what we need to find out. You must have recognized someone, or you’ve seen something you shouldn’t during the robbery attempt. Someone is afraid you’ll remember. You were shot there. Given a narcotic overdose here. Who knows how long before another attempt is made?”

  Adam’s frustration mounted. “So what can I do?” He slammed his fist against the mattress. “I don’t remember a thing. I told you that.”

  Sam lifted his hand. “You can’t do anything except be careful. We’ve beefed up security. I just sent people over to keep an eye on the town house.”

  He hesitated so long it caught Adam’s attention.

  “And I’m worried about Kate, too,” Sam said finally.

  “Kate?” Adam’s heart squeezed in a vise. “Why would you say that?”

  “I’ve been calling her all day,” Sam said.

  “So have I,” Adam admitted. “She should be here any time.” He glanced at his watch. “In fact, she’s—”

  “Late. I just asked at the desk. She didn’t show up today.”

  “I know it’s—”

  A buzz sounded, and Sam held up his hand to stop his sentence. Sam grabbed his pager and eyed the readout. “This might be important.” He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and then dropped it back in. “Can’t use the cell here. I’ll catch a pay phone.”

  Adam watched Sam hurry through the door while unexpected terror slithered through his limbs like tentacles.

  In moments, Sam returned and crossed to Adam’s side. “Kate’s been driving your car, right?”

  Adam’s mind twisted and knotted. “Yes. I told her to use my slot at the hospital.”

  “The car’s here, but she’s not, Adam.”

  “Kate. No.” Panic turned to terror. Reasonable possibilities tore through his mind. She’d gone out with one of the nurses after work last night and
left the vehicle behind. She was so angry she didn’t use his car. “Maybe there’s an explanation. Maybe she—”

  “We’ll do everything we can.” He gripped Adam’s shoulder. “I have to go, Adam, but before I leave, I have one more question.”

  One more question? What about Kate? Adam felt brain dead. Tears knotted in his throat and pushed behind his eyes. “What is it, Sam?”

  The telephone’s ring caused them both to jump. Adam stared at his phone, praying it was Kate. He reached across the space, his fingers trembling, and grasped the receiver. “Hello.” His voice sounded hollow.

  He strained to listen to the muffled sound. “I can’t hear you.” He pushed the receiver to his ear. Horror filled him, but he hid it from Sam. “Yes. I understand.” The distorted voice gave him instructions. His mind froze. He couldn’t think. Nothing made sense. “Yes. All right.” Someone had kidnapped Kate. Adam clung to the phone, trying to calm himself before hanging up. He had to face Sam…and Sam couldn’t learn the truth. He swallowed, then placed the telephone on the cradle.

  “What’s your question?” he asked, not making reference to the call.

  Sam gave him a puzzled look. His eyes shifted from the telephone to Adam’s face.

  Adam needed time to think. He needed a plan. “The question, Sam.” He rose and waited.

  Sam’s eyes shifted from the telephone. “In Venezuela, when you left the compound and came to the clinic, which door did you enter?”

  Adam gazed at him dumbfounded. What did that have to do with anything? He searched Sam’s serious face. “The front door.”

  “Why?” Sam asked.

  “It was the closest.”

  “So if you were in a hurry, you’d come through the front door.”

  “I just told you that.”

  Sam nodded. “Thank you.” He backed toward the door. “We’ll find Kate. God willing, we’ll locate her.” He vanished into the corridor.

  There was the crux. Was God willing?

  Adam had no intention of leaving the job to Sam or the police department. A madman had Kate, and he’d been ordered not to tell anyone. He had no time to lose. Adam needed a plan…some way to get out of the room without alerting the officer outside his door.