The Sweetest Love (Love Conquers All Book 5)
Page 23
“All right,” Kyle said as soon as Terrence got behind the wheel. “Since when are we a private ambulance service?”
“Lighten up, will you? It was a freak accident, and it happened just as her friend is trying to entertain her husband’s family and business associates. It’s not a big deal. Lenox Hill is just a few blocks from here.” He slid the siren in place on the side of the roof and took off. He noticed that Mrs. Gray stood watching, not getting behind the wheel of Francesca’s car until they had passed.
Kyle noticed, too. He gave Mrs. Gray a jaunty wave as they passed. “Since her friend has a husband, I’ve got a feeling that it’s not her you’re trying to impress, but rather the one—” he cocked his head toward the back seat “—who’s unconscious back there.”
“And I’ve got a feeling that you’ve allowed yourself to forget that we’re public servants. We don’t have to hang around. All we have to do is turn her over to the ER staff and go about our business.” He glanced at the dashboard clock. “Which, at this hour, is going back to the precinct and signing out.”
Kyle grinned across the seat. “Yeah,” he said. “We’ll go about our business. Like you’re just going to forget all about her after that. And what was that about history repeating itself?”
Terrence explained how his first encounter with Genevieve Gray involved bringing her to the hospital for treatment. “I remember being real disappointed when she said she was married.” He chuckled at the memory. “But it was good to see her again. She was a nice lady. And it’s kind of ironic that when I first met her, my partner and I took her to the hospital, and now I see her again and I’m taking her friend to the hospital.”
“And first you thought she was cute, and now you’re thinking the same thing about her friend,” Kyle said with a nod. “Well, they sure don’t look anything alike, so it must be the idea of a helpless female that attracts you.”
*****
The first thing Cesca became aware of when she opened her eyes was the painful throbbing in the back of her head, followed by an unyielding noise that became louder by the second.
The second thing, and far more disturbing for her, was that she was riding in the back of a police cruiser, with no handles on the doors and a metal mesh divider between her and the front seat.
I might as well be in jail… but why? What am I suspected of doing this time?
“Hey!” she cried out as she struggled to sit up despite the shooting pains in her head. “What’s going on here? Why am I in custody?”
“Your game,” Kyle said to Terrence under his breath.
Through the mesh divider Cesca recognized the policeman who had told her and Gen to move their car. He was driving, and she realized that they were flying past traffic and that the siren was blaring. That was the noise she heard; its source hadn’t registered until now. What the heck was going on?
“What am I doing back here?” she demanded, sounding even more agitated.
The officer — Gulliver, she thought his name was — finally provided her with an answer. “Miss Perry, you’re not in police custody. The lid of your car trunk closed on you and knocked you unconscious. Mrs. Gray will be here as soon as she can, but apparently she had house guests upstairs waiting to surprise her husband.”
“I know that,” she said crossly. “I picked up the cake, remember?”
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Terrence asked, ignoring her angry tone.
She thought for a moment. “Reaching into the trunk to pick up the cake.”
“That would have been just before it fell on you. It was a fairly heavy hatch, Miss Perry. I offered to bring you to the hospital so Mrs. Gray wouldn’t have to miss her husband’s surprise. She said she’ll be at the hospital within an hour or so.”
“Where are you taking me?”
Her tone could freeze the East River, even in July, Terrence thought. “The ER at Lenox Hill. Here we are now.”
He parked just outside of the ER entrance and cut the engine, which stopped the siren’s blast. He opened the rear door and offered his arm to help Francesca, which she met with an acid “I can do it by myself.”
He stood by politely as she unhooked her seat belt, swung her legs out and gracefully got to her feet, and when her legs promptly gave out on her, he was there to catch her, grabbing her by the indentation of her waist.
“Pardon me if I’m getting too familiar, Miss Perry, but I can’t just stand here and watch you fall.”
She blew out an annoyed breath, but said nothing.
Kyle quickly stepped forward. “I’m Officer Kyle Muldoon, Miss Perry. Can you put your arm over my shoulder?”
She did as he requested, placing her other arm around Terrence’s shoulder. The partners supported her as they went inside.
“I just have one question,” she asked, sounding more calm to Terrence’s ears. “How did I get in the back seat of that car?”
“Um… I carried you.”
She gasped.
“You were unconscious, Miss Perry,” Kyle reminded her. “There really weren’t many options.”
“I’m gonna kill Gen,” she muttered.
Inside the ER Kyle grabbed a folded wheelchair from the corner, snapped it open, and Terrence helped Francesca into it.
Terrence wheeled Francesca to the check-in desk. “I have a patient whose car trunk closed on her head and knocked her unconscious for about ten minutes,” he informed the clerk.
“I have a terrible headache,” Francesca added, “and my legs are weak.”
The clerk looked at Terrence curiously. “Is the patient in custody, Officer?”
“No!” Francesca snapped.
The clerk ignored the outburst and instead looked at Terrence for confirmation. “No, she’s not,” he said. “I had just asked her to move her car from a no-parking zone when I witnessed the incident.” He stood behind Francesca and couldn’t see her face, but was well aware of her anger at the clerk’s getting him to confirm that she wasn’t under arrest. What did she expect? Did she really believe the woman would take her word for it?
Ms. Francesca Perry was clearly not accustomed to being doubted.
*****
Something Real by Bettye Griffin, available now!
Table of Contents
Copyright
Other Titles by Victoria Wells
Author's Note
The Sweetest Love
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue
Excerpt: Something Real by Bettye Griffin
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