“I won’t baby. I promise.”
Jo drifted off to sleep and Wes stood up. He turned to the others who were politely giving them space from on the other side of the hospital room. His smile told Andy everything he needed to know and he pulled Wes in for a bro hug.
“She loves me Andy.” He whispered.
“Duh, you idiot.”
They all settled back into their chairs. Wes couldn’t stop smiling. Lou knew he and her sister had had a good talk and she whispered something to Pete who gave her a sweet kiss.
“Coffee anyone?’ Andy asked.
Everyone raised their hand and Andy left the room. Wes took out his iPhone and scrolled through all the documents and pictures that Jace had sent to his phone from Jo’s. He became engrossed at all the information Jo had been able to obtain. He worried for her safety still so when Andy returned he brought him in the hallway and voiced his concerns.
“We can’t leave Jo alone until everyone has been ruled out. Can you call Josh and make sure they go through the list of investors first?”
“Sure thing.” Andy took his coffee and walked down the hallway. Wes stuck his head back in the door to make sure Jo was still asleep.
“Lou I have to make a call, don’t leave her okay?”
Lou smiled at him nodding a yes and loving how concerned he was about her twin. She did not know that Wes’ concerns were not only for Jo and her physical well being, but because he knew there were people still at large that would love to shut her up. Her investigation, once exposed, was going to create havoc in the small city of Summit.
Wes walked towards the family waiting room where Andy had just gone to call Jace. He wanted Jace to run some of the names also. As he walked down the hall a police officer passed him. Wes assumed he was going to relieve Dez. A niggle of apprehension rode down his spine causing him to look back at the officer. Wes watched as Dez and the new officer shook hands and the new officer sat down in Dez’s chair. Wes liked that they had shook hands and that they seemed to know each other.
Wes walked into the waiting room and made the call to Jace. He updated him on Jo’s condition telling him that she’d woken up and they had actually had a good talk before she fell back to sleep.
Lou and Pete walked into the waiting room and Wes stopped talking as he pulled his phone away from his cheek.
“Why did you leave the room?” Wes asked.
Andy hung up with whoever he was talking to, anxiety played across his face.
“A nurse said we had to leave because he was going to be giving her a bath.”
“He?” Wes said.
Lou giggled but when she saw Wes' face she knew something was wrong. Wes ran out of the room with Andy right behind him. He could see down the hallway that Jo’s door was closed and that a blue bundle of police clothing had been wedged into the laundry cart near her door in the hallway.
Wes burst through the door to find a man dressed in scrubs pressing a syringe into the port at the bottom of Jo's IV bag. Wes dove for him knocking him against the foot of the bed. Jo woke up startled. Andy grabbed Jo’s arm pulling off the taped IV needle. He held his hand against her arm trying to staunch the flow of blood that presented where the IV had been. He then pulled Jo to his chest and held her face against him, shielding her from the mayhem that was going on in her room.
Wes was on top of the man and had delivered two hard punches to the man’s face; Andy was yelling for him to stop, the man had been knocked unconscious from Wes' first punch. He was afraid Wes was going to kill him. Pete ran in and when he saw Wes getting ready to strike the already unconscious man again he placed his hand on his thick bicep and held on tight. Wes stopped mid punch and jumped up to go to Jo. Andy released her and Wes gathered her in his arms.
Two nurses came running in followed by a security guard. Jo was shaking but Wes quickly soothed her by holding her against his large frame.
“He was putting a needle in her bag.” Wes said his voice hard. The rotund security guard was talking into his walkie talkie.
Andy picked up the syringe that had flown under the bed and handed it to the nurse. She eyed it. “It looks full. It doesn't look like he had a chance to dispense it.”
“Can you tell what it is?” Wes asked.
“No I’ll have to send it to the lab, but I need to talk to the police first.” She said nervously.
“Jo how do you feel?” Lou asked her.
“I’m fine.” She said but her voice wobbled.
“Call her doctor now.” Wes said with authority sending one nurse scurrying.
Andy had his phone out and Wes assumed he was calling the police. “Check his pockets.” Wes said when Andy got off the phone.
“Don’t we have to tie him up or something?’ Lou asked looking nervously at the man lying on the floor.
“He ain’t going anywhere.” Andy chuckled.
A hospital administrator came to Jo’s room, two detectives, two police officers, and finally Jo’s doctor. Everyone gave their account of what had happened. The two officers handcuffed the man who was just starting to regain consciousness then roughly pulled him to his feet. Andy had been on the receiving end of Wes’ punches when they trained. Wes had never hit him with all his strength, but he knew the man being led out of the room would be feeling those punches for days.
The doctor tried to shoo every one from the room but Wes refused to leave Jo alone so while everyone else left, Wes remained, standing back, watching the doctor and nurse do their jobs. Jo kept her eyes on Wes. She knew his adrenaline was still pumping and that he was upset hoping that whatever was in the needle had not made it into her system.
After twenty minutes of drawing blood, checking her heart rate, blood pressure, eye focus and reflexes the doctor wrote on her clipboard and motioned Wes towards the bed so he could hear what he was going to say to Jo.
“I don’t think whatever was in the syringe got into you, but we are going to run a tox screen just to make sure. Other than that you look remarkably well. How are you feeling?”
“Hungry.” She said. Wes smiled a small lump formed in his throat remembering one other time she had said she was hungry. Jo must have been thinking the same thing because she gave Wes a sexy wink.
“Well I’ll change your dietary requirement and I don’t think you need anymore fluids. You were dehydrated when you came in but I believe you can start eating and drinking like normal. Just nothing crazy at first, keep it bland.”
Jo wrinkled her nose and Wes chuckled. A man and a woman ran into the room. “Mom. Dad.” Jo said as tears built in her eyes. Wes stepped back and let her parents group hug her. Lou walked in and joined in on the hug. Pete just gave Wes a funny grin.
Andy came back in the room and watched the warm family bonding moment. Jo’s parents pulled chairs up so they were now on either side of her bed and Lou sat down on the bed by Jo's feet. Her parents were talking a mile a minute and her mother had finally stopped crying. Wes was half listening until he heard what her mother was saying.
“We will bring you home and you can recuperate with us.”
“Then we’ll help you settle in Chicago.”
“Mom, Dad. Mom… stop. Listen to me.” Jo managed to gain their attention. She sighed and Wes felt bad that she was going to have to confess to them that she had lied.
“I’m not moving to Chicago.”
Auggie chose that moment to walk into the room. He had heard what Jo had said and he grimaced.
“Oh-oh.” He muttered moving to the back of the room.
Her parents were understandably confused. “What?”
“Why?”
“I turned the job down.” Jo looked over to Wes who remained quiet.
“Jo you can call them…” Her dad said before Jo interrupted him.
“No I’m going to stay in Summit.” She looked back to Wes who gave her an encouraging smile.
“Well we will bring you home and then discuss this Honey. You’ll need someone to take care of you.”
“No Mom I’ll be staying in Summit to recuperate too.”
“Now Jo…” Her mother was getting upset. Wes stepped to the bedside.
“Mr. and Mrs. Ross my name's Wes Tobin. Jo will be staying in Summit with me. I love her and I’ll be taking care of her while she recuperates.”
Mr. Ross stood up. He wasn’t even close to Wes' height or girth but Wes gave him kudos for standing up to him.
“And afterwards?”
“Dad!”
“After she’s recuperated?” Wes asked.
“Yes, after?”
“After she’s fully recuperated, I’m going to marry her, provided she says yes of course, and then I’m going to take care of her for the rest of our lives.”
Andy chuckled. When Wes jumped, he did it with two feet. He wished Jace was there; he would love this romantic stuff.
“That’s so sweet.” Lou said gushing. Jo’s parents were silent. Jo was opened mouth staring at Wes and then a huge smile spread across her face.
“I am, of course, hoping you’ll give us your blessing sir.” Wes added with a smile, extending his hand.
Jo’s mom beamed up at him then hugged Jo. Mr. Ross shook Wes' hand and then smiled at Jo.
“I like his manners.” He said causing Jo to giggle.
Jo’s parents removed themselves from her bedside and let Wes in.
“Did you just propose to me while I’m in a hospital bed, smelling funky, in front of everyone that I love?”
“I did.” Wes said planting a small kiss on her lips.
Jo smiled up at him tenderly.
“Jo.” Wes said quietly.
“You’re leaving me hanging baby?” Jo looked confused then gave him a brilliant smile.
“Oh… yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“Good answer.” He said leaning down for another kiss.
Epilogue
Wes was able to bring Jo home to his house after she stayed one more day in the hospital. Her tox screen showed she had not received the drug that had been in the syringe, which had been a lethal dose of pure cocaine. He and Andy followed behind the private ambulance that Andy had procured for her. Her mom had wanted to ride with her so Wes, wanting to stay on her parents' good side, gave in, having to be satisfied with driving his Porsche behind the large white van.
Wes had told Jo about his deal with the FBI and with her only having one more day to get her story out; she dictated her story to Wes. She alluded to her kidnapping at the end of the powerful expose. Her thought was that she could pull an entirely new article from her ordeal. So she decided to make it a ‘to be continued’ news piece. She did tell the FBI agents absolutely everything they needed to know.
Jo sold her article to a National newspaper and as Wes predicted Summit’s government officials scrambled to clear their names and distance themselves from those that had been fingered. A secondary effect was that any building that had been constructed using monies from any of the individuals that had been exposed or those on the list of shell companies were inspected for possible faulty construction or inferior materials.
A Nursing home had to be evacuated when the inspector found large cracks in the foundation due to inferior cement, and when a network news station picked up her story she was interviewed on television.
Henry had skipped town and no one knew where he was and the owner of the paper asked Jo to return to her old job, but Jo told him that she was going to wait before taking anything at this time.
As weeks passed Jo's body continued to heal, but she still would awaken with terrifying nightmares. She began to visit a therapist that Wes had used when he was lost, who was helping her sort through her memories. The one memory she was pretty sure was not a hallucination was that Nick had been ordered to kill her, and because she was still alive, she surmised that he couldn't go through with it. He had not surfaced yet, and Jo had mixed feeling about wanting him to be caught. In a strange, weird way he had spared her life.
Jo received a large check for her article and even more money from the exclusive television interview. A reputable publishing house called her and said they’d like her to write a book about everything including the kidnapping. They advanced her a very generous check and all Jo’s monetary concerns were left in the past.
One of the first things Jo did when she received some money was set up Annie, Trip, and their baby in a small one bedroom apartment. Then Wes ended up buying the building, as an investment he told Jo, and he offered the job of building manager to Trip so that they moved into a two bedroom apartment that was completely paid for as part of the work agreement. None of the other Cardboard Corner occupants wanted to leave their little lot, but Jo continued to stop by with food, blankets, and a few other comforts that would not hurt their sense of pride.
Jo and Wes were married two months to the day that Jo had been kidnapped. It was a very small ceremony and when the festivities ended Wes carried his bride over the threshold of his condo.
“So my little bride. What adventure do you see us partaking in next?’ Wes was smiling. He already knew the answer.
Jo pulled him down for a kiss. “Parenthood.” She said softly.
Thank you for reading One Tough Love, I hope you enjoyed it. I would appreciate it if you could take the time to write a review on Amazon. Leaving a review helps other readers decide whether or not to purchase books. Self-published authors like myself, rely on your reviews and word of mouth to help with marketing our books.
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One Tough Love Page 27