“I said I would die for you. Are you safe?”
She nodded, her lip quivering and a single tear dropped to his face. He could feel it’s warmth on his cheek and then it grew cold. He could feel nothing. The pain was fading and the light with it. His vision shrank in to a fine pinpoint and then it winked out. The only thing left was her voice calling his name.
“Stay with me Ray! Please, don’t go. No! Ray, stay with me!”
Everything went quiet.
EPILOGUE
The hospital is a confusing place. One filled with sights and smells. Things you want to forget and memories that will never leave you.
For Ray, her face smiling down on him from above will be the one thing he will never lose.
“Hello beautiful,” he had said and the tears flowed. She couldn’t hold him because of the injury, but she leaned down and kissed him gently.
“Welcome back.”
He had stayed in the hospital for a week, the gunshot puncturing a lung and leaving another hole in his body that she could trace with her finger. She stayed with him night and day.
When they sent him home, she took time off from work and nursed him back to health at her apartment, sharing her life and her bed until he could function on his own. They decided that they liked being together in the same place so much that he moved in with her a few weeks later.
The job was still his if he wanted and the sheriff promised he would hold it until he had healed. Even after the fact that he and Jaxon were charged with assaulting the police officer at the safe house. The charges had been dropped, the officer unwilling to press the issue since Laurelyn’s life had been at stake and Ray and Jaxon under stress. One month after the shooting, he was sworn in and she was officially made his trainer. She smiled so brightly at the moment, so proud that he was back to work.
The pain only bothered him now and then and as he slowly worked back to his old self in the gym, it was mostly forgotten.
Her looming final day was not. It played at the back of his mind and he struggled to keep it at bay.
As the day drew closer, they spent more and more time together. He watched her sleep and thought of the first time he had seen her lying in his bed, the low light glowing on her skin, her hair spread out all around her. So beautiful it hurt. He couldn’t get enough of her.
At work, they were professional, only showing their affection if they were in a private place. But as the days grew shorter, he found her leaning up against him more, touching him as she stared into his eyes and even holding his hand as they drove to a scene. They both knew the time was growing short and it hung over them like a rain cloud swollen to the point of bursting.
That last night, they didn’t sleep.
They made love slowly and tenderly, as if they never wanted it to end and in Ray’s mind that was closer to reality than he wanted to admit. He held her the rest of the night, stroking her hair and whispering things that made her laugh. He couldn’t let her see how much pain he was in.
The next morning he loaded her things into the car and drove her to the airport. She entwined her fingers in his and leaned against him the whole drive. They didn’t speak. The tears didn’t flow until he parked.
They sat and waited in chairs next to each other, he held her tightly, waiting for the flight to be called. When her gate was announced, he stood and pulled her up to him. A single tear traced a line down her cheek and he brushed it away with his thumb.
“I can’t go,” she whispered.
“Yes you can. You have to.”
She looked into his eyes and searched his soul. He knew she could see what he was feeling.
“I can’t leave you. My heart is breaking.”
“You can’t stay. You would hate me in the end and I can’t stand that thought.”
She pressed her face to his neck as the last call came over the speaker and then she lifted her face and touched her lips to his.
“You don’t have to say it,” she said. “I can feel it.”
“I’m not afraid.” He smiled. “Not with you.”
“Say it,” she whispered.
“I love you.”
“I’ll be back.”
“As fast as you can.”
“As fast as I can.”
She kissed him once more.
He watched her walk down the concourse, her hand wiping the tears from her face. He saw her turn to him once more and wave. He raised his hand to her.
Then, she turned the corner and walked out of his life.
* * *
The baby girl cried in Jaxon’s arms and he talked in a quiet voice as he rocked her.
The life he held in his hands was a beautiful thing and he smiled at the warmth of her skin against his own. Vick looked up from the hospital bed and reached out her arms.
“Do you want me to take her?”
He shook his head.
Ray stood to the side looking sad despite the fact Laurelyn had been gone a month already. Jaxon knew his friend struggled since she left, though he would not admit it. The job was keeping him busy and Laurelyn talked to him almost daily. It was never the same as being together.
Jaxon walked over to Ray and placed the baby in his arms. He looked shocked at first, and then held her gently. She quieted at his touch and Jaxon smiled.
“See? She likes you.”
He watched Ray talk to her in baby talk and he moved over to the bed, slipping in beside Vick. She leaned against him and smiled at their daughter.
“We did it,” she said.
“You did.”
“I’m so happy.”
Jaxon watched Ray hold his daughter and thought of his father. Not the man who was responsible for his mean streak, but the man who raised him. His real father. William Jennings had been a great man, a man whom he respected and the father figure who had shaped his life and made him who he was.
Jaxon stared at his daughter and hoped he could live up to the name. She deserved the best.
IT’S OVER, and I know you’re dying for more. Don’t worry, the next Jaxon Jennings’ Thriller will be hitting the stores before you can blink and if you want to be one of the first to know when it goes live, follow me on my FaceBook Page, or even better, be one of The Heard and sign up for my email newsletter here. Awesome stuff awaits.
COOL STUFF! If you just can’t wait for the next Jaxon novel, check out Richard’s other exciting series, NEAR DEATH. “It’s 3:30 a.m. What are you dreaming?”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
With the completion of my fifth novel and third in the Jaxon Jennings’ series, I took a step back and looked over what I had accomplished. I liked what I saw. I love this job and all that it entails. I’ve grown along with my characters and I like to think that my readers have grown along with me. I thank you for all the support and the willingness to give a new guy a shot. It means the world to me.
Thank you to Nicole Wetzel, the stunning model who brought Laurelyn Hawks to life for the cover. And Eugene Thomas of Genovision Photography for capturing her beauty and sharing your talent on the cover. You guys rock.
My editor and friend, who guides me along this incredible journey, knows more about me than most. She gets to see all the things I try to get away with and keeps me on the path. Without her, this would all just be a bunch of words. Thank you Wendy Reis.
A special thanks to my beta readers. They’ve been along on this ride from the start and it takes a special person to be able to tell me like it is, without all the sugar coating. I need you more than you guys know and I appreciate every single thing you tell me. Kin Daniels, Chuck Barrett, and Mark Brown, hang in there. The ride will only get better.
And thanks to Andrew Hawks for the use of his sir name. You breathed a little life into Laurelyn and made her come alive. Save the Chales buddy.
But most of all, my family keeps me sane. There is drama in my home, that is certain, but being the only male in a house full of women has given me a unique perspective on life and I wouldn’t trade
it for the world. You are my heart, my soul, and the reason I am here. Thanks for putting up with me.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard C Hale has worn many hats in his lifetime including Greens Keeper, Bartender, Musician, Respiratory Therapist, and veteran Air Traffic Controller. You can usually find him controlling Air Traffic over the skies of the Southeastern U.S. where he lives with his wife and children.
Drop by his website and give him a shout. He’d love to hear from you.
www.richardchaleauthor.com
Father Figure (A Jaxon Jennings' Detective Mystery Thriller Series, Book 3) Page 24