by Cm Hutton
“Actually, I think that would be a good idea. You sure you don’t mind?” I let out a small laugh. “We can rent a place close by.”
“No, man. We should have done this in the first place. San Diego is like a big fucking bullseye for this situation. I’ll call Keri and have her start looking for a place today.”
“Thanks, Craig. I’ll call you later.”
“Sure thing.” We hung up, and I immediately felt better. I knew Craig’s girlfriend, Keri, could work miracles for us. He’d been dating her for a little over year. She was a beautiful, young, petite brunette that snagged Craig’s heart after he’d heard her sing at a small club one night. By day, she was a very successful real estate agent. I’d met her several times and she seemed nice.
I walked back into the hospital and to Lori Ann’s room. I needed to see her, put my hands on her body and know that she was okay. As I approached the door, Joan came out and told me that she wasn’t awake yet. I nodded and slipped into the room to sit next to her bed. I stared at my beautiful best friend for a long time. I couldn’t help but to replay our night, the part where I held her in my arms and made love to her. But my eyes traveled to her stomach, and I had to force myself to push away the sickening thoughts of me coming inside her, marking her, knowing now that she was pregnant with Antonio’s child. I didn’t know how I was going to handle touching her, being with my girl knowing that fact, and it scared the hell out of me. At that moment, I was grateful she was still unconscious.
*****
I left Lori Ann’s room when the OB/GYN that was on call came in to check on her. I walked outside for some fresh air and waited. I didn’t want to venture too far from her, but needed more time to think and plan. I sat on a bench, pulled out my phone, and made several lists of things that needed to be done in order for us to move temporarily to Denver. Before I knew it, I’d been making calls and lists for three hours. I felt like a fucking moron. I rushed back inside just as Joan was gathering her things at the nurse’s station.
“Hey, is she awake? Did you have a chance to talk to her?”
“Yes. I figured you’d already been in to see her. She’s been awake for a few hours.”
“Damn. Sorry, I was making some arrangements for us—to protect her and her baby.”
“Good. Let me know if I can help, Jason.” Joan patted my arm and walked away.
I pushed the hospital door open, and as soon as Lori Ann saw me, she burst into tears, and all my hesitation and morbid thoughts vanished. She was mine, and I loved all of her.
*****
We lay perfectly still, curled up in her hospital bed. She cried for a long time, telling me how sorry she was that I had to now deal with the pregnancy. I reassured her that we would figure it out and the most important thing was to keep Antonio away from both of them.
“So when will we leave for Denver?” Lori Ann was more than happy to disappear to another city she believed Antonio wouldn’t think to look.
“In a few days—just as soon as the doctor tells us you can leave.” I kissed the top of her head as we lay there in her bed, waiting for the sun to finish rising in the sky. “I think you’ll have to stay here a bit longer to make sure all the bleeding stops.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“What’s going on in that head, Legs? I can tell your wheels are grinding.” She wouldn’t look at me, so I tilted her chin up, forcing her to look into my eyes as a lone tear streamed down her cheek. “What?”
“I’m scared. If Antonio finds out…”
“Stop! We are doing everything we can to prevent that. Let’s just take it a step at a time, okay? First, we need to get you out of this hospital.” I kissed her lips.
“Jason.”
“I know, baby.” I held her against me as we watched the sun rise. “It’s a new day. We can do this.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
*****
I left Lori Ann to shower with a nurse as I ran to the beach house and packed a small bag for both of us. The OB/GYN had informed us that she would need to stay at least a few more days and have another ultrasound before they would allow her to leave the hospital. So, I quickly packed some things and headed back to the hospital.
On my drive back to the hospital, Craig called.
“What’s up?” I answered.
“Two things. One, Keri secured a small townhouse for you guys near us on the west side of the city, not far from Broomfield. Two, you need to get your ass here. I’m hearing rumblings of a foreign guy looking for his wife from some good friends that do a lot of P.I. work. I asked them to keep an ear to the ground about The Italian and Lori Ann. From what they’ve told me, there is a high likelihood this is him or his people sniffing around.”
“You’ve got to be kidding? Now?”
“Yep.”
“Fuck!”
“Just do what you can to get out of San Diego, soon.”
“Thanks. I’m working on it.”
I hung up right as I was pulling into the parking lot of Sharp Memorial. I felt like I was on high alert, looking over my shoulder and in every dark corner. I rushed to Lori Ann’s room, scared she might be gone, but found her sitting up in bed, showered, dressed in a robe and smiling, just waiting for me. Her smile fell as soon as she saw my face. “What happened?”
I walked to her side and kissed her pouty lips. “Nothing. I just don’t like leaving you, that’s all.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me again. “Yeah, I don’t like being here alone.” Letting go, she looked down at the bags. “What did you bring me?” I handed her the small suitcase and watched as she shuffled through the items. “Thank you for bringing me real clothes. The shower felt good.”
“I’ll bet. I took a quick one when I was at the house.” I paused, then took a deep breath. Honesty was the best way to handle what was coming next. “So, I talked to Craig on my way back here. Seems there might be some stirrings where Antonio is concerned.”
“What?” Her face turned white as a ghost, and her hands stopped mid dig. “Tell me what he said.” I went over the small tidbits Craig had given me and the urgency I felt to get us out of town. All things considered, Lori Ann handled it well. She cried a little, then sucked in a deep breath and said, “So, we just need the doctor to release me, right?”
“Yes, but we need to do what’s best for you and the baby.” I watched as her face fell and eyes closed on a long blink when I said “baby.” She was struggling as much as I was to accept it all. Curling my hands around her body, I whispered, “I’m having a tough time too, but we’ll be okay.”
“I just want you…you and me, that’s all.” She cried. “This isn’t fair. I just escaped his grasp, and now I have to worry about a baby? Oh God, this is too much.”
“I love you.” It was all I could say. “You know that, right?” She nodded her head as the tears kept coming. “Let’s focus on you and me then. Focus on getting out of here and in a place we can be together and not worry as much. We can take long showers, make love, and sleep naked all we want.” I heard a little laugh over her sobs. “How does that sound?”
“Really good.”
“Okay, then let’s get you dressed. I’m going to find the doctor and explain a few things, then hopefully, he’ll let us leave here with the promise to find a doc in Denver.” I stood, then leaned over and kissed her one more time. “Let me help you, then I’ll go.”
I carefully helped Lori Ann pull on a pair of panties, a bra, some black stretchy sort of pants I’d found in her things, and a hot pink Avett Brothers tee shirt. She looked beautiful. “Here are some hair things I found in the bathroom. Not sure if you need these, but I grabbed them anyway.” I didn’t really even know what they were, but whatever.
“Thank you, Jason.” Her voice was quiet. “I love you.”
“I know.” I winked, trying to lighten our mood. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
I walked to the nurse’s desk and ask
ed them to page Dr. What’s-His-Name. I hadn’t bothered to learn it. “Sure, give us just a little while. I think he might be making rounds with all his Labor and Delivery patients right now.”
“Okay, thank you.” I walked back to Lori Ann’s room and found her dressed and curled up on the bed. “Hey, what’s wrong?” I rushed to her side.
“I’m just completely out of energy, that’s all.” Her relaxed grin reassured me she was telling the truth. “Can we leave yet?”
I curled up next to her in the hospital bed. “Just waiting on the doctor to stop by. Shouldn’t be long.” I kissed the back of her head and whispered, “Mine.”
“Yes,” she sighed. “I just feel like a target is on my back sitting here in this hospital.”
“I feel that too. I want you out of here and somewhere safe.” The sound of the door opening startled me. I turned to see the doctor walk in.
“So, I hear someone is wanting to go home.” He raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer.
Lori Ann winced as she turned and sat up in bed. “Yes.”
I interrupted, “I need to get her out of here and away from San Diego. I’m sure Joan has talked to you about our unique situation. Is it possible for Lori Ann to travel to Denver, to find a doctor to follow up with there so I can protect her?”
He sighed. “Well, it’s against my better judgment to allow her to leave considering the extent of her injuries and the fragile state of the pregnancy.” We were both holding our breaths as he paused, staring at the two of us. “However, I think I might just agree with you, Detective London. If her injuries are in fact due to the violence of her husband and the knowledge of this baby could jeopardize both of them, then yes…it’s best you take her away from here. It’s all too easy to access patient information through hacking. Unfortunately, I’ve had a few experiences with similar cases.” I could see deep remorse in his eyes and had to fight not to ask what had happened. “I’ll release her, but I want her in a wheelchair, moving as little as possible not only leaving the hospital, but for the next few days. Any strain on your body at all, even walking, could cause the bleeding to start again. And, it might be impossible to stop it.”
“I think we understand.” I stood and walked to shake the doc’s hand. “We appreciate you being so helpful.” I looked back at Lori Ann. “We feel like we’ve already got so many things against us, and sitting here just puts a target on our backs.”
“You’re welcome.” He looked to Lori Ann. “I’ll get the release papers together and call a buddy of mine in Denver, fill him in and set up a follow-up appointment for you for two days from now. If you can’t get there by then, or are still in town, you need to call me. Understand?” We both nodded our heads. “Don’t make me regret releasing you. Remember, you should be on bed rest.”
“I’ll be careful. I’m too sore to do much anyway. I just want away from here,” Lori Ann admitted.
Doc nodded. “I’ll be back. Give me about thirty minutes.” He made eye contact with me, giving me a slight signal that he wanted to talk to me.
I kissed Lori Ann on the forehead and said, “Be right back. I’m sure I’m about to get a lecture on how to take care of you.” She let out a small laugh.
“Good luck,” she said with a grin.
I walked into the hallway, shutting the door behind me. Doc was standing down the hall out of earshot of Lori Ann’s door. I walked over and stood in front of him. “Her injuries, especially the ones to her ribs and the broken arm, are far from healing. The tear in the placenta is pretty big. I can’t predict whether it will heal fully and the pregnancy will survive. Only her body can do that. She’s going to continue to bleed some, but it shouldn’t be very much, and it shouldn’t be bright red. You are going to have to force her to move as little as possible for the next several days or weeks if that baby is going to make it.” He paused and put his hand on my shoulder. “It’s understandable that she might be having second thoughts about carrying her husband’s baby, but remember…it’s not that baby’s fault that the dad is an abusive bastard. Remember that, Detective.” He smiled, gripped my shoulder where his hand rested, and walked away.
I took a deep breath and walked back into Lori Ann’s room. “So how bad was his reprimand?” she asked.
“Not too bad. He just wanted to make sure I didn’t let you overdo anything.” I smiled and started packing some of her things back into the small bag. “He’ll be back in a minute. Let’s get you ready to go.” I helped her pack and made a call to Craig, letting him know we were headed his way. Within the hour, we were in my truck and driving to the beach house to pack up a few more things.
*****
Without incident, we landed in Denver a mere six hours after Lori Ann was released from the hospital. I was tired, but I could tell she was completely exhausted and felt like shit. Craig was waiting for us as soon as we walked outside to passenger pick-up.
“Hey,” he mumbled as he hugged Lori Ann and stared straight at me. “Glad you two are here. Let me load your stuff.” Lori Ann looked at me and smirked, one eyebrow raised. She was suspicious.
“What?” I questioned.
“Is there something you two are keeping from me?”
“No. I already told you what Craig said. Someone is sniffing around.” I repeated.
“You told her?” Craig asked.
“Yes. She needed to know, Craig. She’s a smart woman and capable of handling the truth. If we are going to stay a step ahead of The Italian, she needs to be a part of it.”
Craig let out a loud grown, then said, “Fine. But listen to me, Legs. You need to be with Jason or me…or someone at all times. Understand?”
“Fuck, are you trying to scare the shit out of her? She will be with me. So stop.” I made eye contact with Craig and let his eyes follow mine to Lori Ann’s stomach. He immediately understood.
“No. I want to help,” he said. “We all want to help.” He tossed his head toward a beautiful petite, brunette woman that I knew to be Keri.
“I know. Let’s get out of here.”
After introducing Lori Ann to Keri, we carefully loaded her and our bags into Craig’s black Tahoe and headed for the small townhouse that would be home for us. I pulled her close and she snuggled against me, her head laying on my shoulder. I kissed my girl’s forehead and whispered, “I love you, baby. It’s going to be okay. I’m here.”
“Jace…I love you, too.”
We rode the rest of the way in silence until we stopped in front of a nice-looking town home. “We’re here.” I helped Lori Ann climbed out of the Tahoe, and Keri handed me the keys to our new temporary home.
“You two get settled. Keri and I will be by tomorrow to check on you.” Keri smiled and gave Lori Ann and me a gentle hug.
I secured the door and watched as Lori Ann looked around the nicely furnished house. The small place was immaculately decorated in all shades of neutral colors except for a few reds thrown in here and there. The garage was on the first floor with a small bedroom and bathroom. Stairs led to the main floor that, from the description Keri had sent me, had two bedrooms, both with their own bathrooms. I think she was unsure about where I would sleep, so she made sure to throw that fact in. The kitchen looked to be remodeled with all the latest appliances in stainless steel and had a large island with four barstools on one side, the sink and dishwasher on the other, and granite countertops. All this was open to the living room. There were frosted, opaque french doors that led to a large furnished balcony outside. It was a nice place for sure.
Lori Ann didn’t say anything as she carefully touched a few things with one finger as she passed by. She was beautiful…cast, bruises, and all. I couldn’t help but to slide up behind her as she was standing near the kitchen island. I circled my arms around her waist and breathed in her scent. “What are you thinking about?”
Her head fell slightly backwards onto my shoulder. “Not much. I’m worried about you.”
“Why are you worried about me?”
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br /> “I’m consuming your life, Jace. I know you have a job to do. You have a social life outside of taking care of me. I hate that my fucked up life is completely taking over your life.” The sadness, the grief in her voice was indescribable.
I spun her around to face me, wrapping my hands behind her neck and in her hair. “Look at me. You are my life, Legs. You always have been. I’ve been consumed with you for years, baby. That’s nothing new. I just couldn’t do anything about it until now. So stop worrying about me.” I pressed my lips against her and held her face to mine as my tongue gently licked her bottom lip.
“God, how is it that I’ve missed this all this time without even realizing it, Jason.”
“I know, but we have plenty of time to catch up. First, I want to order us some dinner and put you to bed. Keri made sure everything was completely set up for us. I think the fridge is even full.”
“That woman is amazing, huh?”
“Yeah. I’m pretty sure the moment Craig told her about you…about us, she kicked that tiny body of hers into high gear and made sure we were all set.” I chuckled. “She’s insanely organized, which is funny considering she’s also some ‘free spirited’ musician.”
“Really? I never would have guessed musician. Hmm. Well, she’s seems very nice.”
“Come on, baby. Let’s get settled.” I led the way to one of the bedrooms and helped Lori Ann undress, slip on the plastic sleeve to cover her cast, and climb into the shower. I tried not to stare at the small amount of blood I saw in her panties. She noticed it too, but didn’t say anything.
I quickly tore off my clothes and climbed in with her. “Let me help you.” I carefully lathered up her body and forced myself not to linger too long on her taut nipples or pretty pink pussy. God, I wanted her so bad, but knew I couldn’t take her. My breath was ragged as I squatted down to wash her long legs. I felt her fingers curl into my short hair and pull me toward her body. “Baby, I can’t. As much as I want to taste you, I can’t.”
Her body stiffened, and she released the grip she had on me. “I know.”