Donuts & Daydreams

by Maddrey, Elizabeth

  Gloria gave a slight nod and looked down at the documentation he’d provided. His face matched the photo and the names were the same. That was positive. Still. She angled her head to glance at the girls again. “Well, I’ll try to make this as quick as possible. You might want to give them a call though. You seeing Dr. Hart or Dr. Obrinsky?”

  “Uh. Hart.” The driver’s eyes searched the area just over her shoulder.

  Uh huh. There was no orthodontist appointment. Dr. Hart was great, but she was a local veterinarian. She offered another smile and took a step back toward the cruiser. “I’ll just be a minute.”

  As she walked, she gave dispatch the name, demographic information, and license number for them to begin their searching. Gloria sat and keyed the information into the laptop mounted in her car. The photo in the database matched that on the driver’s license as well. Nothing on the car popped. Those girls though. Her gut twisted. Something was sketchy.

  The dispatcher called her number.

  “Go ahead.”

  “We got a hit on a warrant in connection with trafficking of minor females. Should we confirm?”

  Those two girls. Her heart kicked into overdrive. “Affirmative. There are two minor females in the back seat of the vehicle. Requesting backup.”

  “Backup’s on the way, ETA three minutes. Warrant confirmed.”

  “Copy that. I’m going to reapproach and attempt to keep him from becoming suspicious.” Gloria stared at the computer screen for another moment, working on keeping her features neutral. She didn’t want to tip him off. She grabbed her ticket book.

  “Everything okay?” The driver made brief eye contact before looking away.

  “Yes, sir. I am going to issue a citation for excessive speed. We’re in a posted school zone, you were doing nearly eighty.” Gloria flipped open her ticket book and lined up the license so she could begin to write.

  “I really wish you wouldn’t do that.”

  She flicked her gaze up and froze. The barrel of a Beretta extended through the car window. She dropped the ticket book and reached for her own weapon as everything started moving in slow motion. “Sir—”

  Pain ripped through her shoulder, knocking her backward as she screamed. The tires on the car spun, leaving dark stripes of rubber on the pavement as it rocketed away.

  Gloria touched her left shoulder and pulled away her hand. Bright red blood dripped from her fingers. Too much. Her vision went gray around the edges as she tried to stumble toward the cruiser, reaching for her radio with her good hand. Officer down. Suspect fleeing. Officer...

  * * *

  Gloria dragged her eyes open. Where was she? A face materialized in front of her, lips moving without sound.

  Her arm was on fire.

  A siren pierced through the bubble of silence that surrounded her, and her eyes drifted shut.

  * * *

  Pressure and pain, like something hard and heavy rammed into her chest jolted her eyes open, and Gloria fought for breath.

  “Sinus rhythm. And we’re here. Let’s go.”

  Bright light made her squeeze her eyes shut. She tried to focus on the words being flung around and over her, but the screaming pain in her shoulder was louder than even her own thoughts.

  “...stopped the bleeding...”

  “...two jolts...”

  “Get her to surgery...”

  The jostling motion of whatever she was on combined with all the noise made her head swim. She closed her eyes and let the blackness take her.

  19

  “Jonah. You’re here.”

  He looked up from the onion he was dicing as he and the two sous chefs prepped for dinner at L’Aubergine. “Morgan? Of course I’m here. Why are you?”

  She clasped her hands in front her, her knuckles white. “I was on my way out to the car when an ambulance came tearing in.”

  “Let me get you a chair. You don’t look good. I’m not sure you should be here. Did you drive yourself?”

  “No, my dad brought me. He’s out front. Look, you don’t understand.”

  Jonah scooped the onion into a container and dropped it in the prep area. He wiped his hands on a towel. “I’m going to get you a chair, and then you can explain.”

  He went out into the restaurant proper and snagged the first chair he saw, lifting a hand in greeting to Morgan’s dad who chatted at the hostess stand with the manager.

  “Here. Sit. You need a drink? Some water or something?”

  Morgan lowered herself to the chair and swallowed. “No. Jonah, the ambulance.”

  “Right. At the hospital.” He managed to avoid rolling his eyes. Where else would an ambulance be? That’s what they did, they took people to the hospital. And okay, sure, emergencies were never fun. But if one of his brothers or their wives were injured, they would’ve called him.

  “It was a cop. I think it was Gloria, I’m fairly certain I heard them saying the name Sinclar—I might’ve made Dad roll us closer to see what the fuss was.”

  His stomach dropped into his shoes and he shook his head. “Can’t be. We just had lunch. It could’ve been anyone.”

  “How many women are on the force?”

  Two? Three? He swallowed against the bile that crawled up his throat. “No. Look, I’ll call her and you’ll see.”

  Jonah fumbled for his phone and hit dial. It rang. And rang. And rang. Her voicemail picked up. That didn’t mean anything. She could be busy writing a ticket or in the restroom somewhere. Something. Anything. His breathing was shallow. He couldn’t get the air he needed. He hit end and punched call again. “It’s not her.”

  “Jonah...”

  He held up a hand as the phone went to voicemail again. He cleared his throat. “Hey, Gloria. Gimme a call, would you? Just real fast? Please?”

  “You need to go.”

  He stared at his phone, willing it to ring. “I can’t. Dinner—”

  “The guys can handle it. I can stay and—”

  “No. You’re white as a sheet. You just had major surgery. You need to be at home, in bed. It’s not her, anyway. Can’t be.” His phone still wasn’t ringing. Why wasn’t it ringing? He swallowed again. “I know. I’ll call the hospital.”

  Morgan shook her head.

  Jonah tapped out a search in his phone’s browser and hit call for the displayed number.

  “Arcadia Valley Community Hospital.”

  “Hi. Um. I wanted to check on the status of a patient? Gloria Sinclair?”

  “Sir, we can’t give out patient information on the phone.”

  “But she’s a patient?” His pulse drummed in his ears.

  “I can’t give out that information over the phone, I’m sorry. Can I help you with anything else?”

  His heart sank. “No. No thank you.”

  “Well?”

  “They won’t say. Felipe. He’d know.” Jonah drummed his fingers on his thigh. How was he supposed to get a hold of Felipe? Serena? Would she know? He scrolled to her contact and hit send. She picked up after five rings. “Serena?”

  “Hey. Sorry, I was in the middle of a tricky part with a commissioned vase. What’s up? Shouldn’t you be prepping at the restaurant?”

  “Yeah, long story. Do you happen to have a way to get in touch with Gloria’s friend Felipe?”

  “Felipe? I might. She gave me a list of emergency contacts at one point when she was feeling morbid.”

  Some of the tension in his muscles flowed away. “Think you could find it and get me his phone number?”

  “Sure. Can it wait ‘til later?”

  “I’d rather not. Do you mind?”

  Serena gave an exasperated grunt. “The two of you tiptoe around each other for nearly three years, now you’re finally together and suddenly everything’s an emergency? Give me ten minutes. I’ll text it to you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  His phone went dead and he winced. One ticked off sister-in-law? Check. And since Gloria wasn’t in
the hospital, it was going to be for nothing. Unless...his gaze flicked over to Morgan who watched him, concern evident on her face.

  “Well?”

  “Serena’s getting me the number. Then we’ll see.” Jonah’s hands trembled slightly as he set the phone aside and reached for a bulb of garlic that needed to be peeled and minced.

  “Don’t.”

  He stopped, his hand on the hilt of his knife, and stared at Morgan.

  She gave a mirthless chuckle. “You’ll cut a finger off. Or worse. And while that’s one way to find out if she’s at the hospital, I’d just as soon you weren’t injured because of me.”

  Jonah rubbed his face, his eyes stinging as the onion juice on his fingers found its way into them. “Yeah, all right.”

  “Why don’t you just go? The guys—”

  “I’m not going down to the hospital to make a fool of myself unless you’re positive it was her.” Jonah grabbed his phone as it buzzed. Serena was fast, he’d give her that. And he’d owe her for taking time out of her work to look it up. “Here we go. Now we’ll see.”

  Felipe’s phone rang and went to voice mail. Jonah hung up and dialed again. This time, Felipe picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”

  “Hi. This is Jonah Baxter. I’m not sure how to explain this without it being weird, but—”

  “Jonah. Thank God. How did you hear?” Felipe’s voice was strained and Jonah clearly heard the hospital PA system in the background.

  This couldn’t be real. Everything around him seemed to echo. “My friend, Morgan, was leaving the hospital when the ambulance arrived. I don’t understand. What happened?”

  “Gloria was shot.”

  Jonah stumbled back a step, bumping against the counter. That didn’t happen in Arcadia Valley. It just didn’t. He gripped it until the edge bit into his palm. “Is she? What—How?”

  “We do not have many answers. She’s in surgery right now. They said it could be a couple of hours.”

  “Can I come?” Jonah looked around the kitchen without seeing. He needed to be here. He’d promised Morgan. But Gloria...what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t lose her just when he’d finally found her, could he? Please God, no.

  “Yeah. There are four of us in the waiting room on the surgical floor. Could you bring food? It will be dinner soon and no one wants to leave, not even to head down to the cafeteria.”

  He managed a slight smile. He’d raid the bakery. He wanted to stop and tell Micah and Mal anyway. They could tell their wives. Ruth. Then they’d all be praying. “Of course. I’ll be there in maybe thirty minutes. Thanks.”

  “I’m sorry.” Morgan started to stand, but Jonah waved her back into her seat.

  “I have to go. I don’t know what to do about dinner service.”

  “Like I said before, the guys can manage it. We’ll tell people when they arrive, and if they want to cancel and reschedule, we’ll give them a discount for later. Go.”

  “You should be at home, resting.” Dueling obligations tore at his heart.

  “I’ll leave soon. Promise. You go to Gloria. Call me when you know something though, okay? I’ll be praying.”

  “You’re sure?”

  Morgan growled. “Go. Before I fire you to solve the problem.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” Jonah grabbed his phone and jogged out the back door, his mind racing. If she was in surgery, he should really stay, at least help with the prep. It wasn’t like he’d be able to do anything productive at the hospital. And yet, everything in him was screaming to get there. It was almost physically painful to consider any other action.

  The short trip to the bakery was a blur. He parked in front and dashed in. “Can you pack up like four loaves of bread and whatever we’re nearly out of? I’ll be right back.”

  Jonah caught a glimpse of Micah’s confused expression as he dashed back out and down two doors to Benita’s market. He zipped through, grabbing some of the cured meats she stocked, as well as some cheese, condiments, and a sharp knife. They’d make sandwiches. It’d give everyone something to do while they waited.

  “What’s going on?” Micah was loading cookies into a box when Jonah darted through the door a second time.

  “Gloria’s been shot.” His voice broke as a sob caught in his chest. He took a deep breath and pushed it back down. “That’s all I know.”

  Micah froze. “What? She’s what?”

  “Shot. I know. Can you tell Mal and everyone? Just pray. When I know more I’ll text you.” He reached for the bag.

  Micah shook his head and went back to filling the box. “Let me get you some donuts, too. Who’s at the hospital? How’d you find out?”

  “Cop friends? I don’t know. Morgan was on her way out when she saw the ambulance. She overheard and saw enough she thought it was Gloria and came to tell me. I called Serena to get Felipe’s number. She’s a little annoyed with me. Can you let her know I wasn’t just wasting her time?”

  “Of course.” Micah handed him a second box. “Don’t worry about it. I suspect she’ll want to come by as soon as she can. Gloria is her best friend here.”

  Jonah swallowed. “Yeah. Um. Surgical waiting room. If that changes, I’ll let you know. You know what? Let me fill up some to-go cups with coffee, too. Hospital coffee is gross.”

  Micah snickered. “As we discovered when Ruth was there. Tell you what, you go. I’ll make sure Serena brings coffee when she comes.”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  “Keep me posted.”

  Jonah nodded and hurried his bags out to the car. The hospital was close. His drive there was filled with the only prayer he could muster. Please, God. Please.

  * * *

  The food was mostly gone. A few lonely slices of bread were strewn haphazardly on the torn paper bag he’d carried everything in. By and large, only crumbs were left. How they’d managed to eat escaped Jonah. He’d tried to choke down a bite or two, but his throat was tight and his stomach was roiling. It was probably for the best that he hadn’t succeeded.

  The crowd of cops had thinned as well. Felipe sat next to Jonah, head in his hands, but everyone else had left, some with promises to return, others with demands to be kept informed.

  Gloria had a lot of people who loved her.

  Jonah checked the time on his phone. “It’s been close to three hours.”

  Felipe nodded.

  “Didn’t they say two?”

  He nodded again, adding a shrug. “They know what they are doing. She lost a lot of blood.”

  Jonah glanced over, his stomach knotting. “You’ve been skimpy with the details. Can you tell me anything more?”

  Felipe sighed and looked around. “Routine traffic stop gone bad. Guy had a warrant out, she was trying to stall to give backup time to get there. He shot her and took off.”

  “I thought she wore a vest.” Wasn’t it standard at this point for cops to have body armor? Why would she be so careless?

  “She does. We all do. He missed it—deliberately is my guess. Got her in the shoulder, hit the brachial artery.”

  “Artery?” Jonah pressed his lips together and fought the nausea that washed over him.

  Felipe nodded. “It was a near thing. They said her heart stopped on the ride here from blood loss.”

  Jonah blinked as his eyes filled. He opened his mouth to ask another question when a tired, rumpled looking man came through the doors that led to the patient area.

  “Which of you is Gloria Sinclair’s next of kin?” The man’s gaze flickered between Jonah and Felipe.

  “I am on her emergency contact list.” Felipe stood and gestured to Jonah. “This is her boyfriend.”

  The surgeon nodded. “She made it through surgery. The bullet shattered her shoulder. I think we’ve got it put back together well enough that she won’t need a replacement, but it was intricate work. Barring complications, she should be fine. Lot of recovery yet to go, though.”

  “Can we see her?” Jonah clasped his hands together in his la
p.

  “Once she’s out of recovery and in a room. I’ll send someone out to let you know. Might be another hour before that happens.”

  “Thank you.” Jonah buried his face in his hands and took several deep breaths. She was going to be okay.

  “I am going to go call Constance and some of the others, let them know. Are you okay?” Felipe rested his hand on Jonah’s shoulder.

  “Yeah. I am now.”

  Felipe smiled. “Make sure you tell your sister-in-law. I’m surprised she left.”

  Jonah laughed. Serena had stayed for ninety minutes before leaving to help Ursula with an emergency at the B&B. He’d promised to keep everyone posted. So he would. “Will do. Thanks, Felipe.”

  “We love her too.”

  Jonah watched Felipe leave then let his head fall back to the wall. He closed his eyes and breathed a prayer of thanks. Life was uncertain. Maybe it was time to grab on to the woman he loved with both hands and never let go.

  20

  Gloria pried her eyes open and turned her head. She furrowed her brow. “Jonah?”

  “Hey.” Jonah leaned forward and gently took her hand. “How are you feeling?”

  “Everything hurts.” She grimaced. “Why are you here?”

  “Where else would I be? Let me call the nurse.” He reached for the button and pressed it. “They weren’t going to let me stay last night, but I called Emerson and he asked Pam to pull some strings. I figured your reputation was safe enough, seeing as there’s no privacy in a hospital room. Please don’t be mad...I couldn’t leave you.”

  She smiled at him, her heart warming.

  A nurse bustled into the room, a harried smile on her face. “You’re awake. How do you feel?”

  “Like I was shot?” Why did people keep asking her that? “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel.”

  The nurse grinned. “Scale of one to ten, how’s the pain?”

  Ten. That’s the word that floated through her mind. Then she remembered the pain of the bullet tearing into her shoulder. “Eight?”