“So why do you think it was her?”
“A gut feeling?”
He wasn’t sure what to do with that. Suddenly she sounded crazy, but he couldn’t think that either. The woman had been in Macon.
“Your training might just have to wait until later,” he said as he scooted his chair toward the bedroom door. “Chelsea, your life is more important than any career choice you’re making. You only need to work if you need it to be more than just a mother and wife. And before you go telling me what’s involved in that job, I already know. I’ve seen my mother work her ass off for years. Until we know those people are out of your life, I think you should stay here and only be around others we trust. For your safety and Lucas’s.”
She covered her mouth with her hand. “I hate to say you're right. But I think you are.” Chelsea took a few deep breaths and then stood up. “But for today, I’m your nurse, and we’re going into town to see how you’re doing and to get our marriage license. I'll see if your mom has your wallet. And I’ll call Phillip, and he can meet us at the hospital.”
“Okay,” he said in agreement as he moved out of the bedroom with her following close behind.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Going back to the hospital had Russell’s stomach in a knot. He’d honestly hoped he’d seen the last of that place.
They quietly rode the elevator to the floor where the doctor’s office was located. He caught sight of Chelsea in the mirrored wall. He had to admit she was one damn sexy nurse in her scrubs and white tennis shoes.
It had surprised him when he’d first seen her at the hospital, but in hindsight, it shouldn’t have. She’d always had that caring, comforting side to her. Anyone in need had a friend in Chelsea.
“How did you meet Dominic?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“Seriously? You’re bringing that up right now?”
He shrugged. “I just wondered.”
She watched the numbers climb on the elevator. “I got that job as a receptionist at a doctor’s office. I wrote you about that.”
“I remember.”
“He brought his brother in because he’d broken his arm, and the doctor had been the one on call at the hospital.”
Russell let out a grunt. “Had he broken his brother’s arm?”
“Not funny.”
“Wasn’t meant to be.”
The doors opened, and Chelsea pushed him down the hall to the reception desk and checked him in. The supervising nurse met her at the desk and asked her to follow her, to go over a few items.
For the first time since his accident, Russell was left alone in public, and he felt vulnerable.
Perhaps he should have called Phillip and had him meet him there. At least it would have been someone to talk to.
Luckily, Chelsea came for him quickly and pushed him into a small exam room. He studied her carefully as she shut the door. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes rimmed red as if she’d been crying or on the verge of it.
“Everything okay?” He reached for her, but she pulled back.
“Fine,” she said just as the doctor opened the door.
Russell answered all of the doctor’s questions, and Chelsea gave him all the specifics on his home care, which he’d checked against the records.
He was impressed with Russell’s mobility. He’d certainly made the strides they’d been hoping for, and ahead of schedule.
“I think it’s time to get you situated in a boot. One you can get around in,” he said as he stood.
“Seriously? I can get out of this chair?”
The doctor laughed. “I’d keep it around. But yes. Let’s get you up on some crutches this week. I want you aided, not putting all your weight on your ankle quite yet.”
“Never thought that would make my day,” he said smiling and he looked up at his wife, but she was certainly in another world.
Russell had the long line of staples removed from his leg, x-rays, and then one of those clunky black boots fitted on him, but the big groin to ankle bandages were gone. The sling on his arm had been removed too. He was feeling more human by the moment. Of course, the moment the catheter came out, he felt like a man again.
Through every procedure, Chelsea was by his side, however, her long distant looks and silence told him something wasn’t right. But they hadn’t had even a moment to talk.
The nurse made him a follow-up appointment and told him that they would continue every few days with nurses visits and physical therapy for a few more weeks.
When he tried to explain that Chelsea would be there to do that, she hushed him and gathered up his paperwork.
Phillip was supposed to meet them in the cafeteria, and Russell was eager to try using the crutches, but Chelsea thought it was best if she pushed him.
He wasn’t about to argue. Her eyes had gone dark, and her jaw was tight. He’d been the cause of anger like that many times. He wasn’t going to poke at the beast. For once, he was on her good side.
Phillip was sitting in the corner of the cafeteria. He was in street clothes which made Russell feel bad that he was meeting them on his time off.
As they got to the table, Phillip stood and kissed Chelsea on the cheek. “Nice to see you, Mrs. Walker.”
She smiled, but it was held back, and her eyes were still sad. Phillip must have noticed. He lingered a glance on her before turning his attention to Russell.
“Still in the chair?”
“Not because I want to be,” he said looking at his wife, but she was somewhere else. “I’ve got crutches. I’ll be back to normal soon. Maybe I can get to work on Lydia’s house now.”
That brought a smile to Phillip’s face. “It’s cute. Have you seen it?”
Russell laughed. “Just in pictures. You’ve seen it?”
“I drive by.”
He was sure he did. “She hasn’t invited you over to sit on the porch and have a beer.”
“Maybe drive by the front porch and she could throw a beer bottle at me,” he said with a laugh.
Russell reached for Chelsea’s hand. “Do you want to get something to eat while you’re here? You look a little out of it.”
She snapped her attention to him. “No. I’m fine.” She forced a smile on her beautiful lips and sat down next to him. “What did you want to talk to us about?”
Phillip sat back down. “Fiona Cleary was picked up on a DUI in Athens on Christmas Eve.”
“Russell told me. She was in Macon, though?”
He nodded. “Can’t seem to pinpoint her here as a resident. But yeah, she’s been around.” He looked at Russell. “She might have been at the bar the night you got in the fight.”
Russell ran his tongue over his teeth. “She was there?”
“Surveillance is horrible. No one matches her exactly, but we all know you can change the way you look in three weeks.”
“Did you find her prints in the truck?”
Phillip shook his head.
“We located a Wesley Plum from the prints on the truck. Jake knew him to be a mechanic.”
“How did Jake get involved?”
“I talked to him when I went to look at the truck. Wesley Plum is a floater. Jake has hired him a time or two when they’ve gotten behind on jobs. He was last working at a garage about a mile and a half from Chelsea’s house.”
She leaned her arms on the table. “I never took that truck out. I never even opened the garage. I didn’t want it. That’s why I didn’t care that it was stolen.”
Phillip nodded and pulled his phone from his pocket. He scrolled through the pictures and then he held it up. “Recognize him?”
Russell looked at the picture, and he felt the heat of anger rush through his veins. “That’s him. That’s the son-of-a-bitch who was talking crap at the bar. He’s the one I got into the fight with.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“Why?”
Phillip put the phone down. “You weren’t the only fight that night. He was arrested two hours
later, at the same bar, for picking a fight with the bartender. His alibi is solid. He never left the bar. He’s in the footage the entire time you would have been hit.”
Chelsea gripped his hand. “But his prints were in the truck?”
“First, he said he’d been working on it. But we knew it had been stolen. Finally, he said he stole it from your garage. It seems he took some tools too,” he added.
Chelsea's shoulders dropped. “How did he know about the truck? Was he just looking for any open garage?”
“He said he was paid to pick it up.”
“Dominic sent him?”
Phillip crossed his arms in front of him. “Dominic says he has no idea who the guy is. He said he was hoping the truck would still be around to give it to his brother. Though he mentioned, he always figured you’d sell it.”
“So this guy was working with someone. Who was he with at the bar?”
“We have his shoving match with Russell on video. There’s a woman that stepped in between them.”
Russell nodded. “Yeah. She’d lived a hard life. I remember looking at her and thinking that.”
“She never faces the camera. Swoops in and pulls you two apart.”
“You don’t know who she is?” Russell asked.
“The bartender said she’d never seen her. She wasn’t a local.”
Russell winced. “So we’re nowhere?”
Phillip shrugged. “I know who stole the pickup in the first place, and he’s in custody. The Cleary boys are both in custody or holding where they’re supposed to be on parole. And mom is in Athens.”
“Still?”
“She made bond, but they sent her to detox.”
“What about the break in at Chelsea’s house? Did Wesley break in there too?”
“He hasn’t admitted to it.”
“So we still have a break in and a hit and run.”
Phillip nodded. “I’m not just going to let this go cold, Russ.”
“I know. But what about Chelsea? She’s going to need to finish her schooling. I can’t keep her at the house forever.”
She lifted her head and the stare bore through him. “Don’t worry about my schooling. I’ve been asked to leave the program.”
“What?” The word came from both men.
Russell reached for her. “What are you talking about?”
“That’s what they told me earlier, when I went to talk to the supervising nurse. They feel that in my position, where I needed to leave my rotations for my own security, I’m a danger to those I care for. Also, it was unorthodox to ask for special privileges. And then, to have married one of my patients was not professional.”
Russell’s breath came faster, and his pulse had ramped. He pursed his lips together and exchanged looks with Phillip, who showed equal signs of anger.
“Chels, this is crap. They can’t do that to you.”
“Yes, they can. And they did. They’ve also had someone who lodged a complaint.”
“Who would have complained?”
“I don’t know. That’s classified information,” she said, and then the tears began to roll down her cheeks.
“C’mon,” he said pulling her to him. “You have a million opportunities now. Door shut—window open.”
“Right. Something else will come along.”
“Sweetheart, you have me. For all I care you can be a full-time mother to your son.”
Her eyes lifted. “Our son.”
The very thought made him smile. “That’s right. Our son. And we’re not stopping there you know. More kids. Full house. That’s enough work for you right there, and it’s the most honorable career imaginable.”
She kissed him softly on the lips and sat back in her chair. “Sorry, Phillip.”
“No need.”
“What do we do now?” she asked, in a controlled tone.
“Did Dominic have any other friends? Anyone you know?”
She shook her head. “None that I know of. He went out a lot, but I never went with him.”
“How long were you together?” Phillip asked, and Russell leaned in to get the answer for himself as well.
She winced. “I met him in April. I got pregnant in May,” she said, and Russell could hear her choke on her answer. “We got married in July right after I found out I was pregnant. Lucas was born in February. Shortly after that he became violent and I filed for divorce in May. I fought for full custody and they granted it to me. A few weeks later he kidnapped Lucas.” Her voice trembled, and Russell squeezed her hand. “We weren’t even really together a year.”
It killed him to hear her go through that timeline of her life. It had been Christmas when she told him she’d be there for him. A few months later she emailed him and said she was getting married. It had crushed him.
But to know that he’d been discharged and returned home before Lucas was even born dug into his soul.
He’d fought with himself a million times to go to her and get some answers. God, if he’d just done that, maybe he could have saved her from so many things.
Phillip slid his phone into his pocket. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this. You might not be training to be a nurse, but you’re Russ’s nurse. Keep him in line, okay?”
She nodded and forced a smile.
“I’ll see you guys at Pearl and Tyson’s wedding reception on New Year’s Eve, right?”
Russell had forgotten about that. “Yeah. We’ll be there.”
Phillip gave them a nod and walked out of the cafeteria.
“What reception?” she asked.
“They eloped. She wanted a party for New Year’s Eve for her reception. I hadn’t thought much about it.”
“I think it’s sweet that they eloped.”
“With Byron Walker as your father, would you want to mess with it?”
She chuckled. “I never really thanked you for our wedding.” She reached her hand to his cheek. “No one else in the world would have done something like that for me. I’m sorry that you had to go through all of this, but I’m so glad it threw us back together. I had missed you, Russell. I’m glad I never have to miss you again.”
He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “I know the perfect way you can thank me,” he said with a wink, and her cheeks filled with pink.
“Let me push you to the car. We’ll get home faster that way.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Why people frowned upon marriage was a mystery to Russell. Seriously, the perks were worth every fight he knew he and Chelsea were going to have.
He’d been grateful that his mother had wanted to take Lucas to visit Susan and Eric, she’d said with a grin. Wasn’t it also convenient that his father and brothers were busy with the cattle?
The house had been theirs for hours. He’d envisioned making love to Chelsea since the last time, years ago. And especially since he’d seen her that first day in the hospital, he’d dreamed about it every night. Of course, it certainly hadn’t gone as planned.
He was still sore and bruised. Even though he was wearing a boot and not a cast, his ankle was still broken. His shoulder was stiff and didn’t want to move. And, there was that little part of having just had a catheter, so some other parts were sore too.
Chelsea laughed as she rolled onto her side, her naked body exposed to him to look at and touch.
“Don’t be disappointed, Russ. To tell you the truth, it’s been so long for me I might have forgotten what it was like anyway. Just think, when everything works out, it’ll be the best first time.”
He propped himself up on his elbow and ran his finger over her collarbone. “Damn straight. I know you remember how good I can be.”
“Oh,” she sighed. “I remember.”
He rolled back and looked up at the ceiling. “You know, we need to find my driver’s license and get that marriage finalized.” He smiled. “Maybe the sex will be better then.”
Chelsea laughed. “Where should I look if your mother didn't have it in your items
from the hospital?”
Suddenly that came back to him. He sat up and picked up his cell phone. “Jake, where’s my truck?” He nodded and listened. “I’ll be there in a few hours.”
“What’s going on?”
“We have to go to town.” He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and picked up his T-shirt. “Jake has my truck. My wallet always fell out of my pocket and got lodged in the seat. I’ll bet it’s there. But another thing,” he said as he turned to her. “No one has mentioned my gun in the glove compartment.”
“You had a gun? What were you going to do with that?”
“I’m a southern man. I keep a gun.” He slowly pulled on the T-shirt. “The gun must not be there. Phillip would have said something about it.”
“So, you think whoever ran you off the road took it?”
“Yes, after I crashed. It was there when I got into the truck because I took it out and laid it on the seat. I was worked up, and you never know what might happen.”
“You would have shot someone?” She reached for the sheet and pulled it up over her.
“No. I would have defended myself, if they had come after me face to face.”
“So why did they take off with it? Why not shoot you with your own gun?”
“Because I was unconscious. They figured I’d already been killed. And up until this very moment, everything has been focused on the outside of the truck. We haven't thought about the inside.”
She reached out to touch his arm. “Why did someone want to hurt you?”
He shook his head. “I can’t even begin to answer that. Not one bit of this makes sense. Wesley has to know something about the person who hired him. Let’s go into town and check the truck. Then we’ll go visit Phillip and see if he’s gotten anywhere with Wesley.”
An hour later they were pulling into the lot of Jake’s garage. The sun was low on the horizon, and the air was cold, making Russell’s muscles ache as they’d never ached before.
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