“Is Darren…”
“He’s dead, honey. He can’t hurt you anymore. He can’t hurt anyone.”
She reached up and touched his arm. “I’m so sorry. He was your friend.”
Christ, she was lying there bleeding to death and she was worried about him. Tears burned his eyes. He could not lose her.
She sighed and closed her eyes. “Stay with me?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
EMS workers entered the house with a gurney and Mitch had to get out of the way. They evaluated her, and within minutes had her in the back of the ambulance. Mitch climbed in with her. There was no way he was going to leave her, not after he’d told her he’d stay with her. If he hadn’t left her in the first place none of this would have happened. He would never forgive himself for being so stubborn.
As he sat down beside her, Jill held out her hand. He took it and gently pressed a kiss to the back of it. She closed her eyes, wincing with every bump as the ambulance swung out onto the main road. But in typical Jill fashion, she didn’t utter a word of complaint. Mitch gripped her hand, wishing he could absorb her pain.
“Can you give her anything?” he asked the paramedic taking her blood pressure.
She shook her head. “She’s lost too much blood. Her pressure’s low.”
“How far are we from the hospital?”
“Seven minutes.”
Seven minutes that would feel like a lifetime. Seven minutes that could be a minute too long.
“I thought I would never see you again.” Tears leaked from the corners of Jill’s eyes. “Then you would never know how much I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
She was the woman he was meant to spend the rest of his life with. It didn’t matter anymore what side of the law either stood on, or what adversity they might face. They would make it work.
He didn’t want to think about the alternative.
Chapter 18
Mitch shifted uncomfortably, leaning his head against the wall. Though the chair in Jane’s hospital room was padded, it wasn’t exactly conducive to a restful night’s sleep. Looking up through half-closed eyes, he shaded his face from the sunshine pouring in the window above him. From the looks of it, the night was over. The nurses had urged him to go home and get some rest, but he wanted to be there in case Jill woke asking for him. He didn’t want her to be alone.
She’d spent the better portion of the night in surgery to repair the hole left by the bullet that had ripped through her shoulder. Just the thought of what she’d endured sent a deep shudder through him. When they’d wheeled her away, he wasn’t sure if he would ever see her alive again.
He heard a soft rustling across the room and bolted up from his seat. Jill’s eyes were open. She’d uttered a few groggy and incoherent words after her surgery but hadn’t roused all night. Now she looked alert and coherent.
“How long have you been awake?” he asked.
“Not long.” Her voice was rough from sleep, but sounded strong. She was going to be okay.
He sat next to her on the bed, cautiously taking her hand, afraid he might hurt her. “You know, we’ve really got to stop meeting this way.”
She gazed around the room, looking confused. “Where am I?”
“In Pontiac. It was the closest hospital.”
“Hospital?”
He realized she must still be groggy from the pain medication they’d given her. “You were shot, Jill. Remember last night?”
“Jill?”
“Yeah, that’s your real name, remember?”
She pulled her hand free, brow furrowing. “Do I know you?”
“That’s not funny.” When she didn’t laugh or so much as crack a smile, his heart slammed hard against his rib cage. Oh, no, not again. “You’re not kidding, are you? You really don’t remember?”
She looked up at him, eyes wide and frightened, then a slow grin spread across her face. “Gotcha.”
He shook his head, so relieved he felt like crying. “Christ, don’t scare me like that.”
Jill laughed, then winced in pain. “You should have seen the look on your face. It was priceless.”
“Don’t ever do that to me again.” He took her hand, kissing it gently. This was definitely his “Jane.” “I guess it’s safe to assume you’re feeling okay?”
“Still a little fuzzy, and every inch of me hurts. I’ve really made a mess of things this time, haven’t I?”
“This wasn’t your fault.”
She laid a hand on his arm, eyes full of sympathy. “I’m sorry, Mitch. Despite everything he’s done, he was your friend for a long time. It still has to hurt.”
Part of him wanted to feel bad for Darren. The Darren who had been his best friend. But their friendship had been a lie, and Mitch wasn’t sure if he could ever forgive that. All he could do now was see that Darren’s kids were taken care of. “It’s probably better this way. Cops don’t do well in prison.”
“David, my husband, did he—”
“He’s in custody, but Greene said they’ll probably be releasing him today. He claims he only came here so he could clear his name. The police have no proof otherwise.”
“What if he comes here, to the hospital?”
The mere idea sent Mitch’s hackles up. “He’ll have to get through me first. He comes within ten miles of you, I’ll break every bone in his body.”
Smiling, she reached up and cupped his cheek. “I appreciate the gesture, but if anyone is going to be kicking his ass around here, it’ll be me.”
He leaned into her hand, loved that he was feeling her touch again. That, if he had his way, he would be feeling it for the rest of his life. “I won’t let him hurt you again.”
“I’m not afraid anymore. Without fear, David has no power over me.”
“He called your parents. All this time they thought you were dead. They’re on their way here. Their flight is due in this afternoon.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready to see them. It’s been so long.”
“I told the hospital staff, no visitors until you’re ready.” Mitch brushed her hair from her face, searching her eyes. “If I’d only driven you home myself last night. If I hadn’t been so stubborn—”
“If I had just approached you that first night outside the station, none of this would have happened. We could drive ourselves crazy with what-ifs. Let’s just be grateful we’re okay. Relatively speaking.”
“You said before that if we had met under different circumstances, our standing on different sides of the law would have prevented us from taking a chance on each other.”
“We’re still standing on opposite sides.”
“And it doesn’t matter any more to me now than it would have then. I would have known the instant I looked at you, that you were the one for me. It may have taken me a while to admit it to myself, but I would have. And I don’t care what it takes. We’ll make this work.” Mitch caressed her cheek. He couldn’t get enough of just touching her, being close. “If it means switching to a new line of work, then that’s what I’ll do. I could start a security agency, or become a P.I. I could even go to law school.”
“You love being a cop, Mitch.”
“But I love you more.”
Tears welled in Jill’s eyes. That was probably the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder, she pulled him close, hugging herself to his chest. “I don’t think that’s going to be necessary. I’ve been seriously considering going legit.”
He pulled back, looked her in the eye. “You don’t have to do that for me.”
“I’m doing it for me. I thought maybe I would go back to school. I could get into therapy or social work. That way I could still help people.”
A smile softened his face. “Whatever you want to do, I’m behind you one hundred percent.”
She feathered her fingers through his hair, rubbed her palm against his beard-roughened cheek. She ached something fierce from the en
ds of her hair all the way to her toenails, yet she’d never felt so deeply content. For the first time in her life she felt like someone really understood her, and she was right where she was supposed to be.
“I want to spend hours just talking to you. There’s still so much we need to learn about each other. I want you to tell me everything.” He gave her one of his heart-stopping grins. “And when you’re ready, I want to marry you, and have babies with you. I want it all.”
Tears spilled out of her eyes and dribbled down her cheeks. “You’re sure you know what you’re getting yourself into? You know that honest thing I do. If I think you’re acting like an idiot I’m going to tell you so. And if we have a problem I’m going to make you talk it out.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Not only that, but I tried the housewife thing once before. I’d go stir-crazy in a week. I want a career and a family.”
He nodded. “Absolutely.”
“And I need a husband who’s willing to help out. He’ll have to change diapers and maybe cook dinner a few nights a week if I have to work late.”
“We’ll split everything fifty-fifty.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Even if that means buying feminine hygiene products while you’re doing the grocery shopping?”
He gave a hearty laugh. “Even that.”
“In that case, Detective—” she pressed a firm kiss to his lips, sealing the deal “—you just got yourself a wife.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7376-8
RUNNING ON EMPTY
Copyright © 2005 by Michelle Celmer
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