The Patriot Girl

by Toni Lynn Cloutier

  “Officer Richards here.”

  “Duke, it’s Dustin. Are you at MaKayla’s house?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “Don’t know. They’re taking her to Dalton Memorial now. How’d you know about this?”

  “I’m the 911 caller.” He explained what had happened as he drove past the bank where he’d met MaKayla months ago. Sirens echoed in the distance. “Did the rescue leave?”

  “Yeah. Where are you?”

  “Going by the club now.” The flashing red lights brightened the dark, deserted road. “Here they come. I’m going to follow them.” Dustin made a u-turn and drove fast enough to keep up. “Damn it!” He pounded the steering wheel. He should have been staking out her house and keeping her safe.

  “Hey, buddy, calm down.” He’d forgotten Duke was still on the line. “We’ll get this prick. You hear me? I need to call Jodi. She’ll meet you at the hospital. If we catch this punk, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thanks.” Dustin closed his phone as anger stirred deep in his gut. Could the shooter have been the kid from Christmas morning coming back to keep MaKayla from talking? There was one man on the street that he knew of who could find out what happened.

  Dana’s friend Slaughter still owed Dustin for not pressing charges for shooting him years ago. Once the bad-ass-biker caught up with whoever was responsible for tonight’s episode, the son of a bitch would be sorry he’d ever visited MaKayla’s home.

  Minutes later, Dustin threw the car into park and made his way inside the emergency room. He paced the gray carpet long enough to give the paramedics time to bring in their patient.

  He stood at the counter and waited for the woman to finish talking on the phone. “MaKayla Adams was just brought in by rescue. Can I see her?” Every letter the heavyset blonde woman typed into the computer seemed to be in slow motion. Hurry up.

  “May I ask your relationship to the patient?”

  “What?”

  “Are you family? She’s under police protection, sir.”

  A ringing in his ear drowned the rest of the woman’s words. How could he explain MaKayla was the woman he loved and hoped to marry? He just hadn’t proposed yet because he believed she’d reject him.

  MaKayla wouldn’t appreciate him telling the nurse he was her boyfriend. Their recent discussions hadn’t included current relationship definitions, though he was sure they were beyond the “only friends” stage she’d defined to her son.

  He shouldn’t have stopped surveillance at her home. His own mistake could cost him the chance to ever hold her or make love to her again. He stumbled away from the counter and steadied himself against the wall.

  The last time he had been this helpless had been three years ago when he’d left his pregnant wife in the front seat of his car, bleeding to death while he ran into the ER for help. There hadn’t been anything he could have done differently then, and there wasn’t anything he could do now except wait and pray he wouldn’t lose his second love in the same hospital.

  A hand rested on his shoulder. He turned and gathered Jodi into his arms. Her petite body trembled against him. “I swear I’ll rip the balls off the bastard who did this to her.” She stepped back, wiped her eyes, and then looked up at him. “How is she? Have you seen her?”

  “Where’s my baby?” A dark-haired, petite, older woman sobbed as she headed toward Dustin, but went into Jodi’s arms.

  “Dustin, this is Peggy, MaKayla’s mother. Her father is parking the car. I called them right after Duke called me.”

  He nodded and then enfolded Peggy as she stepped into his arms. Guilt ran through his veins. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect your daughter.”

  The woman looked up. “Oh, dear, you can’t blame yourself for this. Do you know what happened?”

  He could tell them what didn’t happen—he wasn’t there for her. He swallowed the ball of anger lodged in his throat, then released the woman. “We were on the phone. I heard the shot and then there was silence on her end. I called 911. I haven’t seen her. The receptionist told me ‘family only’ for visitors.” Bullshit.

  Peggy patted his arm. “I’ll go talk to her.”

  Jodi and Peggy approached the hefty blonde. Soon a nurse escorted the two women behind double doors. At least now he would get some answers. Jodi would keep him posted.

  A deep voice asking for MaKayla came from the registration desk. He spun around. Who else would be asking for her? A balding, heavyset man stood with his hands in his pockets.

  “Right this way.”

  He had to be MaKayla’s father. Dustin kicked the ground, then paced. All he could do now was wait.

  “Hey, buddy. How is she?”

  He looked up just before finding himself locked into a bear hug from Duke. “Don’t know. Her parents and Jodi are with her now. Did they catch who did this?”

  “Not yet. But we will. You hang in there.”

  Dustin turned away to keep from showing his anger. His throat began to close and his eyes stung. He wanted to believe she’d be okay, but with his luck, he couldn’t be so positive. If he’d stayed away, his bad luck wouldn’t have jinxed her.

  “She’ll be fine, buddy.” Duke squeezed his shoulders from behind. “She’s a fighter and stubborn as hell.”

  “Duke.” They turned toward Jodi’s voice.

  Duke pressed his wife against his side and then turned toward the man beside her. “Dustin, this is David, MaKayla’s father. Dave, this is Dustin James.”

  “Glad to meet you.” David thrust out his hand and Dustin took it. “Thank God that creep had a lousy shot.”

  Dustin glanced at the clear bag swinging from Jodi’s hand. He recognized the shirt MaKayla had worn earlier at the club, but there had been no bloodstains on it when he’d held her in his arms. “So she’s okay, right?”

  Peggy took his hand. “The bullet grazed her head. When she fell, she hit her noggin on the corner railing near the kitchen. She blacked out for a while. She’s nauseous and dizzy. Got a few stitches. And they want to run some tests. They’ll keep her overnight for observation. She’s resting now—in the second room on the left. I told the nurse you were her fiancé, so they’d let you in.”

  Before she could say another word, Dustin headed for the double doors, and was buzzed through.

  He stepped behind the curtain and sat in the plastic chair beside MaKayla’s bed. Her head had been elevated and her face was turned away from him. He took her hand to his lips and allowed a tear to stream down his cheek.

  Standing, he leaned over the metal bar and kissed her forehead. “I love you.” He paused. Had those words escaped his lips? It was too bad that it had taken nearly losing her to make him attest to what he’d known from the moment she’d been tossed into his arms.

  He remembered then that he had a flight to catch in eight hours. How could he leave for Oklahoma now? There was no way he could board a plane tomorrow. He kissed her hand again. As much as he wanted to stay with her now, it was necessary for him to visit the one person he could always count on.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The cool air outside the hospital felt good in Dustin’s lungs. MaKayla was going to be fine but he had to make sure she stayed that way. He couldn’t risk another scare like tonight’s.

  Turning out of the parking lot, he glanced at the one o’clock hour on his dashboard, and headed downtown. Dana was the only person who could help him be by MaKayla’s side until this prick was caught. He wouldn’t bother his sister at this late hour if this weren’t an emergency.

  Fifteen minutes later, he parked in her driveway and then rang the doorbell. Being an agent, she was used to being woken up at all hours of the night. Catching her alone was the tricky part.

  Her sleepy voice came from behind the wooden door. “Who is it?”

  “Dana, it’s Dustin.” The door swung open. He made his way inside without waiting to be invited. “Get Slaughter on the phone.” Dustin had a favor coming to h
im. It was payback time and he would take Slaughter up on his vow. He discerned his sister was in her robe. A deep cough from the next room wasn’t her roommate. “I’m sorry, I’m interrupting—”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Dana stifled a yawn and escorted him into the living room. “Can’t call Slaughter, he’s back in jail. What’s going on? Who’s rattling your cage?”

  Dustin ran his fingers through his hair. “She was shot at tonight.” He couldn’t be sure the gunman from the bank robbery had been the one holding the gun, but someone had fired at her. And that someone needed to be caught.

  “Who was shot at?”

  “MaKayla.” Hell, did his sister even know MaKayla’s real name, since she’d been calling her “The Patriot Girl” since the first day she’d seen her?

  “Oh, shit! Is she okay?”

  Dustin gave his account of the events. “I should have been there, Dana, especially with that gunman from the bank still on the loose.”

  “You don’t know if it was him. And you can’t be everywhere, Dustin.” She pulled him to her side. “You need to be there when she wakes up.”

  He stood. “I know. That’s why I’m here. I need your help.”

  ****

  Dustin slept for a few hours before he headed back to the hospital. If lying about his relationship status with MaKayla allowed him to hold her, then he’d lie through his teeth every day for the rest of his life.

  He had to remember to thank MaKayla’s mother for coming up with the fiancé idea. Peggy had no clue what it had meant to him. Knowing the woman he loved was safe, would be okay, and he’d be able to hold her in his arms today had helped him to sleep more soundly.

  He walked up to the visitors’ desk and smiled at the short brown-haired woman behind it. “MaKayla Adams’ room, please?”

  The woman typed something into the computer. “Are you a relative?”

  “I’m her fiancé.” He enjoyed the sound of those words coming out of his mouth. He followed the woman through the double doors. If he were sure MaKayla would accept an engagement ring, he would no longer have to lie about this relationship. For right now, he’d enjoy the make-believe.

  The woman glanced over her shoulder. “So how long have you two been engaged?”

  “Excuse me?”

  She stopped and raised a brow.

  “Oh, right. It’s very recent.” Good answer. That’ll teach you to lie again. “I’m still getting used to hearing it.”

  “Congratulations.” She pushed open the door to Room 124. “Go on in.”

  “Thank you.” He made his way through the opening in the curtain and found MaKayla sitting upright. Her face was turned away from him, her hands folded on her stomach.

  Her head turned his way as she opened her eyes. The smile she gave him lit up his soul. His body melted, and he couldn’t grab her hand fast enough. “Hey, how are you feeling this morning?”

  Her thumb caressed his hand. “Better now. I’m surprised they let you in here. Duke has strict orders on who can and can’t visit.”

  “Well, your mother told the nurse I was your fiancé. I hope you don’t mind that I played along?”

  “Of course not. What day is it?”

  “Thursday. You’ve been here for about eight hours.”

  Her smile disappeared as she squeezed his hand. “Why are you here? You’re supposed to be in Oklahoma.”

  “I couldn’t leave you.” He brought her hand to his lips. He didn’t have to ask Dana twice to take the flight to Oklahoma. In fact, she had insisted he be there when MaKayla woke up. Luckily for him, his sister was a romantic. “Dana was able to take some time off.”

  “Remind me to thank her.” Her eyes steered away from him. “Have they caught the shooter?”

  He caressed her cheek. “Not yet, but don’t worry. I’m going to stay with you until they do.”

  “I can’t keep you away from your obligations.”

  “Let me worry about that. You just get better.”

  She bit her bottom lip then met his gaze. “I have a question for you. How attached are you to your condominium?”

  That was the last thing he expected to hear. “It’s home. Why?” He rubbed the back of her hand against his cheek. Medicinal odors had replaced her apple scent.

  “I’ve just been laying here thinking. I never want to sell my house. Paul built it for me and I don’t think I could ever move away.”

  “Okay.” How hard had she hit her head?

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “Where is this coming from?”

  “I’ve been thinking about us.” She pushed a button that raised her head and chest up further. “We can’t go on living the way we have been, Dustin.”

  His heart skipped a beat. Was she breaking things off with him because she was afraid of losing her house? He sat on the bed, as close as he could be to her without the metal bar getting in his way. “What are you saying?”

  “Let me explain.” She reached for a tissue from the box beside her and dabbed her eyes.

  He kissed her hands. “I don’t want you getting upset. Can’t this wait until you’re out of here?”

  She shook her head. “When Alex was getting ready to leave for school, I was fearful of being alone. Then I met you, and you made me feel safe.” Her eyes filled with tears and her voice pitched. “I know I pushed you away. I now believe part of my reasoning was thinking my feelings for you had something to do with me having an empty nest and not having anyone to nurture. But I was wrong. I’ve missed you so much. I want more nights of making love and more mornings of waking up in your arms.”

  “I’ve missed you too.”

  “Being shot at made me realize how much time I’ve wasted worrying about what happened in the past. I don’t want to waste any more time figuring out if this is going to work. I already know I’m miserable without you and that I want to get to know everything there is about you. But where do we go from here?”

  “I want to go and be wherever you are.” If Dustin knew how to do a back flip, he would have done one right there. He had feared she was kicking him to the curb when, in fact, she wanted more from their relationship. A bubble of happiness erupted from him in the form of a chuckle.

  He straddled her legs, holding on to the metal bars on each side of the bed so as not to crush her, and leaned forward to suckle the tenderness of her neck.

  She giggled. “We have so much to talk about.”

  He lifted his head and kissed her on the mouth. When her tongue slipped between his lips, he took advantage of the invitation and deepened the kiss.

  Dustin was so grateful that the son of a bitch had a crappy aim and hadn’t taken her to a place where he’d never feel her lips against his, or hear her voice, or enjoy her smile ever again.

  She pulled away. “We still have obstacles to get over.”

  “We’ll cross those bridges when we get there.” He had no idea what difficulties she believed they had ahead of them, but with her by his side, they would conquer the world. “Right now I want to get you home. When are they going to let you leave?”

  ****

  MaKayla ran her fingers through his thick curls and stared into his eyes. They still had the same hypnotic effect on her as the morning she’d been tossed into his arms at the bank. Who would have known she would never leave them?

  She pressed her lips against his, softly at first, but then opened her mouth to taste him, to claim him.

  Trying and failing to make this relationship work would be better than not putting their all into the effort. She didn’t want to live with regrets the way his mother had.

  The curtain was thrown back and Dustin hopped off the bed, ready to protect her from whoever interrupted.

  “Hey, cowboy.” Jodi opened her palm against his chest. “It’s only us.”

  “I didn’t know you had company, dear.” Peggy tapped MaKayla’s blanket-covered foot. “We’ll come back.”

  “No, we won’t.” Jodi pushed Dustin aside. �
��I need to see for myself that she’s okay.” She placed a bag on the bed. “Here are some fresh clothes from your house.”

  “Thank you.” MaKayla reached as far as she could to hold her best friend, and then hugged her mother. “I’m waiting for the doctor’s release.”

  “Where’s my girl?”

  Dustin moved to the opposite side of the bed to give her father room to hold her.

  “How are you doing today, Mackey?”

  “Good. I’m hoping they’ll let me out soon.” She looked at Jodi. “Any word on who did this?”

  “Not yet. But don’t worry. You won’t be alone until they find him. Rex and I will be staying with you.”

  “Rex?”

  MaKayla took Dustin’s hand and answered. “That’s the name of Jodi’s gun.”

  “Dustin, come get a coffee with me and give the ladies some gossip time.”

  MaKayla wasn’t surprised to hear her father call Dustin out. She had wanted them to meet so she could get his opinion …but certainly not in this way.

  The men left and her mother began to sob. Jodi handed Peggy a tissue. “She’s been doing this all day.”

  “Why?”

  “Maybe because she’s worried about you?”

  MaKayla choked up. She never thought much about her mother’s caring. Of course her mother would have concern, but in her thirty-eight years, this was only the second time MaKayla had witnessed her mother expressing emotions.

  She opened her arms. “Mother, come here.”

  Peggy moved close enough for MaKayla to hold her. “I’m going to be fine, Mother. And I’m happy.” She glanced up at Jodi. “Dustin and I are together now and we’re going to make things work.”

  “Wow. We have a full house here.” Her doctor came around the other side of the bed, smiling. “How are you feeling today?”

  MaKayla released her mother as she returned the doctor’s smile. “Good.”

  “Any dizziness or nausea?” He flashed a light into her eyes.

  “No.”

  “Ready to get out of here?”

  “Yes.”

  He concluded her examination. “Okay then. Let me go sign your release papers.” He returned twenty minutes later with papers in hand. “You’re good to go. If you feel dizzy or start vomiting, I want you back here. Don’t over-exert yourself for a couple days. You need to take it easy.”