by Laura Scott
Without him.
* * *
Leah was glad to be able to sleep in her own bed. She knew Ben was also glad to be home, although that didn’t stop him from having nightmares. After getting up twice to see to him, she’d let Ben crawl in with her. Thankfully, they’d both slept better after that.
Now that she was up, though, she desperately wanted to get back to the hospital to see how Isaac was doing.
Last evening, she’d told Isaac’s boss, Griff Vaughn, everything she knew about what had happened, even as she worried about how Isaac was doing in surgery. Thankfully, the nursing staff knew her very well and popped out to give her updates.
Griff had spoken extensively with Shane, as well. From what she’d overheard, it sounded as if they’d used fingerprints to prove that the man who’d pretended to be Cameron Walker was in fact Aaron Winslow, as Lieutenant Nash had said. And thankfully, Winslow had agreed to cooperate for the chance of a lighter sentence. He had provided details on the illegal gun deals, admitting to taking weapons from the evidence room. Shane had seemed shocked to discover that a couple of districts were involved, which meant a huge Internal Affairs investigation was under way. And of course, they put out a warrant for Wade Sharkey’s arrest.
It was hard to believe the danger was finally over. Or at least it would be once Ben stopped having nightmares and things got back into a normal routine. Leah had spoken with her own boss and explained everything. Her boss had been sympathetic and had given Leah the rest of the week off.
Since Ben was still sleeping, she decided to take a quick shower. Wearing clean clothes was a nice change, even though she debated far too long about which sweater to wear, as if Isaac would even notice. She shook her head at her own idiocy.
After she’d finished changing her clothes for the last time, Ben woke up and rubbed his eyes sleepily. “Mom, can we have pancakes for breakfast?”
“Um, sure.” She was anxious to get to the hospital, but cooking pancakes wouldn’t take that long. Truthfully, she should have gotten Ben up to go to school, but after his rough night, she’d figured it would be better to keep him home one more day. He was a bright kid and would be able to catch up quickly from the few days he’d missed.
Besides, she knew he needed to see for himself that Isaac was okay. Several times during his nightmares he’d cried out Isaac’s name. She knew what he was going through, since the same image of Isaac leaping in front of Ben played over and over in her mind, too.
Isaac had risked his life for her son and she owed him more than she could ever repay.
Ben seemed to cheer up after finishing his favorite breakfast. She hoped that once he saw Isaac was okay, he’d get over having bad dreams.
Leah hadn’t let herself think beyond making sure Isaac was doing all right, but as she drove to the hospital, too many questions began to filter through her mind.
Would he want to see her again once he was released from the hospital? Or would they both go their separate ways? Did Ben remind him too much of his young son, Jeremy? Or was he ready to move on?
Was she ready to move on?
She tried to push away the never-ending thoughts ruminating in her head, but it wasn’t easy. She felt more confused now than she had before. Being back home, thinking about the mundane aspects of her life, she couldn’t imagine what she and Isaac even had in common.
No doubt she was making a big deal out of nothing. Isaac had never so much as hinted at a future between them. She was reading far too much into a simple kiss.
Well, a not-so-simple kiss.
She parked in the employee structure and walked inside with Ben. She knew where Isaac’s room was located, as she’d stayed with him for a couple of hours after surgery. She’d wanted to remain until he’d woken up, but Ben had yawned so widely his jaw had popped, and she’d realized she needed to get home for her son’s sake.
Shane hadn’t gone home. He’d been admitted to a hospital room on the same floor as Isaac, just as a safety measure to make sure he was recovering well enough from his own gunshot wound.
Leah debated whom to visit first and told herself that Ben’s need to make sure Isaac was okay was more important than seeing her brother.
Even if she knew deep down that her need to see Isaac was more important, too.
As she approached his room, her steps slowed when she heard voices coming from the partially open doorway. At first she thought maybe the doctor was in there, but soon realized that wasn’t the case.
“I can’t believe you didn’t bring me into this from the very beginning,” a deep voice that sounded like Griff Vaughn’s said. “And that you risked your life while not being officially on the job.”
“I’m not going to apologize for risking my life for a child,” Isaac said sternly. “I understand you’re upset, and I’m sorry I didn’t include you earlier. But I didn’t have a speck of proof and it was my responsibility to keep Leah and Ben safe.”
“Your responsibility is to me and the rest of your team,” Griff responded harshly. “And you need to know the sheriff isn’t at all happy about this.”
Leah stepped away from Isaac’s doorway, going down the hall until she couldn’t hear them speaking. She shouldn’t have been eavesdropping in the first place, but she’d been curious as to what Dr. Lansing had to say.
Unfortunately, she’d heard too much. The idea that Isaac might lose his job over her made her feel sick to her stomach. Ironic, since at one time she’d wished for exactly that.
“Mommy, where’s Mr. Isaac?” Ben asked.
She glanced down at him. “Um, I think he’s busy right now. Maybe we’ll go visit Uncle Shane first, okay?”
Before she finished speaking, Griff Vaughn strode out of Isaac’s room, his face darker than a thundercloud. His gaze locked on hers for a long heartbeat before he gave her a brief nod and strode toward the elevator.
This probably wasn’t a good time to visit Isaac.
But Ben’s lower lip trembled and she remembered his nightmares. “But I wanna see Mr. Isaac,” he protested. “You said we could. You said he was better!”
She sighed and gave in. “Okay, but we can’t stay too long,” she cautioned, hoping that Isaac wouldn’t mind.
They approached the doorway and she gave a tentative knock.
A deep raspy voice called, “Come in.”
She pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold, holding Ben’s hand. “Hi, how are you doing?”
A tired smile bloomed on Isaac’s face. “Good. Better, now that you’re here.”
“Mr. Isaac,” Ben cried, rushing over to the bed. “You’re awake!”
Isaac’s curious gaze met Leah’s, but he addressed her son. “Yep, I’m awake. No need to worry. I’m doing great.”
“We prayed and prayed for you,” Ben said solemnly.
“Thank you, Ben,” Isaac murmured. “I prayed for you and your mom, too. I was hoping you were both doing all right.”
“I had bad dreams,” the little boy said. He clasped the side rail and tried to climb up onto the bed.
“Whoa, there, what are you doing?” Leah rushed over to lift her son away. “You’ll make Mr. Isaac’s wound worse if you climb in with him.”
“Nah, I’ll be fine,” Isaac protested.
She threw him an exasperated glance. “Don’t be silly. What did the doctor have to say?”
Isaac shrugged. “Something about a laceration in my spleen and muscle damage. I’m off work for at least six to eight weeks, and then I can have desk duty.”
She wasn’t surprised and had a hunch that desk duty wasn’t high on Isaac’s list of fun things to do. “I need to thank you for saving Ben’s life,” she said in a low tone.
But he was already shaking his head. “According to the doc, you saved my life, too, so I think we�
�re even.”
She knew that wasn’t true. He wouldn’t have died from a lack of IV tubing, although maybe putting pressure on his wounds had helped. She longed to cross over and give him a hug, but couldn’t seem to force herself to move from the spot.
“Well, we’re glad to see you’re doing fine,” she said with forced cheerfulness. “We have to head over to see Shane, too. I don’t know if you realize that they kept him here overnight.”
Isaac scowled and struggled to push himself upright. “I didn’t know. But hang on—I want to go with you.”
“Don’t you think you should wait for your nurse?”
“She told me I should get up and walk, so that’s what I’m going to do.” Isaac tugged a robe over his hospital gown and then swung his legs over the side of the bed. He swayed precariously and Leah went to steady him.
“Hang on. We need to make sure you don’t pull out that IV.” She waited a moment for him to get his bearings before leaving his side to head over to the other side of the room. After unplugging the IV pole, she wheeled it around the bed so that they could take it with them.
“Ready?” she asked.
Isaac gave a determined nod and stood. He grimaced and grasped the pole for support.
“Do you want something for pain?” she asked.
“Nope,” he replied. “Where is your brother’s room?”
“At the other end of the hall. This is the trauma-surgery floor. Most trauma postoperative patients come here.”
“Handy,” Isaac muttered as he moved awkwardly behind the IV pole.
“Isn’t it, though,” she agreed, keeping a sharp eye on him in case he stumbled and fell.
Ben skipped along beside them, clearly happy after seeing Isaac. Shane’s room was at the very end of the corridor, farthest from the nurses’ station and near the stairwell leading down to the lobby level.
“I’ll get the door,” Leah said, going around Isaac to push Shane’s door open. She held Ben back, giving Isaac plenty of room to maneuver his way inside.
But when she followed Isaac into her brother’s room, she stopped abruptly when she realized Shane wasn’t alone.
Wade Sharkey was standing there, holding a gun. And when he flashed his evil smile, she swallowed a wave of nausea and pushed Ben behind her.
It was broad daylight, in a busy hospital, but apparently the danger wasn’t over.
And somehow, she got the sense that Sharkey didn’t care about his own life as much as he cared about seeking revenge.
* * *
Isaac couldn’t believe that he’d brought Leah and Ben into the line of fire once again.
Why hadn’t he considered Sharkey brazen enough to come into the hospital to finish them off? And Isaac was standing there in a hospital gown without a weapon in sight.
“Close the door,” Sharkey said harshly.
Leah was closest to it and Isaac wished she’d make a run for it, but of course she didn’t. Instead she reached out and pushed the door shut behind her.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Hawk’s pretty sister and Ice.” Sharkey’s gun didn’t waver one inch. “This is perfect. I can take you all out at once.”
“And risk getting arrested?” Hawk drawled. “I don’t think so.”
Sharkey laughed, the evil sound sending a chill down Isaac’s spine. He knew full well what Shark was capable of. What he didn’t know was if the guy was unbalanced enough to give up his own life for his cause. “You think I’m afraid of a couple of hospital security guards? They’re not armed. I’ll be out of here and down the staircase before anyone can catch me.”
The certainty in Sharkey’s voice worried him. Had he cased out the hospital somehow, finding the perfect escape route? The guy was clearly a cold-blooded killer and would stop at nothing to make sure his tracks were covered.
Isaac tried to think past the pain. There had to be a way out of this mess. His gaze landed on the bedside table, and he remembered how Leah had used it to help bring down a meth addict.
Maybe he could do something similar. He didn’t have a gun, but he had an IV pole.
And there was no time to waste.
“There are cops downstairs right now,” Hawk said flatly. “My captain told me he’d be here by eleven o’clock and it’s two minutes to. You’d better get out while you can.”
The attempt at a diversion worked. The minute Sharkey glanced up at the clock, Isaac made his move, shoving the bedside table into him as hard as he could and then grabbing the IV pole and swinging it at Sharkey’s head.
Leah screamed from behind him and he hoped she and Ben were making a run for it. Hawk leaped out of the bed and somehow managed to grab Sharkey’s gun.
Isaac managed to get Shark on the floor and held the IV pole across his upper chest, pressing down with every ounce of strength he possessed. He felt the sutures in his side pop open and warm fluid gush down his side, but he ignored it.
“You can let him up now,” Hawk said, holding the gun steady.
“Not until help arrives,” Isaac muttered. After yesterday’s fiasco, he wasn’t going to risk tying Sharkey up with anything short of metal handcuffs.
Within five minutes the police that Hawk had said were on their way arrived. They handcuffed Sharkey and dragged him out of the room, while dozens of hospital staff looked on.
A third cop interrogated Hawk while Isaac righted his IV pole. Leah cuddled Ben close for several minutes before straightening up to look at Isaac.
“You’re bleeding,” she said. She brought a towel and pressed it over the widening patch of blood on his gown.
“Yeah, well, it was worth it.” He gazed down at her blue eyes and knew in that moment he would do anything in his power to make her happy. “You and Ben should have run out of the room. There’s no way he would have followed you,” he chided softly.
“I couldn’t bear the thought that he might have shot you or Shane in retaliation,” Leah said in a husky tone. “I’m so glad you’re all right, Isaac.”
“I’m sorry for putting you in danger,” he murmured, brushing a dark curl from her cheek. “And I wouldn’t blame you if you turned and walked away from me. But I hope you don’t. I want a chance to tell you how much I care about you.”
“Oh, Isaac, I care about you, too. Very much.”
He thought he might be dreaming, but the shimmering emotion in her eyes gave him hope. He bent his head toward her, stealing a kiss.
“Are you kissing again?” Ben asked.
Isaac regretfully lifted his head, knowing this wasn’t the best time and place for this. “Yeah. Sorry. Are you okay, Ben?” When the boy nodded, he was relieved. “How about we head back to my room?” he suggested.
“Sure, but don’t the police have to talk to you, too?” Leah asked, glancing over her shoulder as they left.
“They can come and find me.”
Back in his room, he sat down on the edge of the bed with relief. The throbbing pain in his side had only gotten worse since he’d taken down Sharkey, but he wasn’t about to complain. He’d have risked far more to put that scum away for the rest of his life.
For a few minutes there was a bevy of activity as his nurse brought his antibiotic and then called Dr. Lansing to come and look at his wound. The surgeon wasn’t pleased with his handiwork being ripped open, and Leah took Ben outside the room while they quickly sutured him back together.
When mother and son returned, Hawk was with them. “I’ve been discharged,” he announced. “And Sharkey is going to jail for a long time.”
“Thank goodness,” Leah murmured.
“I thought I’d take Ben down for a snack at the vending machines,” Hawk continued. “How about it, buddy? You want a treat?”
“Yeah!” He jumped up and down excitedly.
Isaac sus
pected that Hawk was taking Ben out of there on purpose to give him and Leah some time alone. Hawk must have noticed their kiss, too, and maybe wasn’t upset about him dating his sister. Isaac was grateful for his support, but the minute they left he felt tongue-tied.
“I heard your boss yelling at you earlier,” Leah said, twisting the edge of her sweater with nervous fingers. “I’m sorry if I caused problems for you at work. And I hope he’s not going to do anything rash.”
Isaac shrugged. “Griff has always been a fair boss. I’m sure he’ll do the right thing. But it doesn’t matter, really, because I would do it all again if it meant keeping you and Ben safe.”
“Really?” She took a tentative step toward him.
“Really.” He smiled and held out his hand, relieved when she took it and came to sit beside him. “Leah, I know life has been crazy since we met again, but I care about you so much. I don’t want things to end between us now that the danger is truly over.”
“I don’t want that, either,” she confessed. “I’d like to spend more time with you.”
His heart soared with a mixture of joy and relief. “I love you, Leah.” The words came surprisingly easy now. “I know it might be too soon for you, but I want you to know that I’ll wait for as long as it takes for you to get over losing your husband.”
“You won’t have to wait long,” she assured him with a tremulous smile. “Because I love you, too.”
“Even though I’m a cop?” he pressed.
“Yes, because I wouldn’t change anything about you, Isaac. You’re strong, smart, protective and great with Ben. I love you exactly the way you are.”
He was almost afraid to believe her. “I promise I won’t sacrifice my relationship with you and Ben for the job,” he vowed. “I’ll put you both first.”
“Isaac, you’re not the only one responsible for the disintegration of your marriage,” she said with a sad smile. “Your wife owns a piece, too. Maybe you made mistakes, but her having an affair wasn’t the answer.”