Hawke

by Trent, Emily Jane

  Emilia was already halfway through her drink. She wanted to be social, ask about her friend’s love life, and talk about anything other than her concerns. Only she couldn’t get her attention off the matter at hand.

  “You look worried,” Tia said. “Is it the news?”

  “Could it get any worse?” Emilia went on a rant about the injustice of it all. It didn’t change anything but did make her feel better. “Sorry for venting, but they just don’t understand.”

  “It’s the media. What do you expect?” Tia said. “Anything for controversy.”

  “But it’s at the expense of a life. It defies all decency.”

  “I agree the pictures of children were out of line,” Tia said. She drained her glass, then motioned for the waitress to come by.

  “I have to do something,” Emilia said.

  The waitress took the order for refills, then Tia said, “What can you do?”

  “I can’t just sit and wait…for Asha to die.” Emilia fought back tears. “I’m going to the FDA in person, if I have to.”

  “You realize that it’s a huge complex in Maryland, like a college campus,” Tia said. “It’s not one guy you just get an appointment with.”

  “It can be narrowed down. Different sections serve different functions. I can pin it down to a couple of departments.”

  “You’ve really researched this.”

  The waitress dropped off the drinks, and Emilia sipped hers. She had given this a lot of thought but had no clear options. “Your company has to get approvals also. Do you have any connections, anyone I could go to?” It was worth a shot, considering how personable Tia was. Maybe she’d made friends in the right places.

  “I wish I did,” Tia said. “I don’t know a soul at the agency.”

  Emilia sighed. “I need a real person to talk to, not a vague government entity.”

  “How is Asha?”

  “She’s in decline,” Emilia said. “Because her bone marrow can’t produce certain blood cells, she’s prone to a variety of symptoms.”

  “Yes, I’m familiar with the disorder.”

  “She has an infection, at present,” Emilia said. “I visited her in the children’s hospital, and I felt so helpless. She’s worn out from the years of disease, and an infection might be more than she can fight.”

  “Is she still in the hospital?”

  “No, the doctor sent her home, because there is no treatment to offer,” Emilia said. “The doctor will give her antibiotics to deal with the infection, yet she has to be careful with that. Asha is young, so has lower tolerance than an adult.”

  “Plus, we both know that there may not be an antibiotic for her infection,” Tia said. “It might be that her inability to make blood cells is allowing the infection to take over.”

  “I fear that’s the case, and if no cure is provided soon…it may not matter.”

  “Has Hawke uncovered anything new?” Tia said. “If you knew who was behind the attacks, you could fight back. It might make the FDA less hesitant to provide the approval.”

  “Yes, he is working on it, but I don’t have anything concrete to go on yet,” Emilia said. “That employee who went crazy is out of the picture. The trail on him went nowhere. And the background on Roston… Remember I told you how he acted at the event?”

  “Yes, I was shocked. I know the guy, and that behavior is out of character. I wonder what’s up with him?”

  “He could just be an annoyed competitor, perfectly happy to have me out of the picture. But how does that help? If he isn’t the instigator in all of this, then who is?”

  “I have no idea. It boggles the mind,” Tia said. “I’m just glad you have Hawke on your side. I’d hate to think of you tackling this on your own. How’s that going, by the way?”

  “My heart is on the line,” Emilia said. “I’ve fallen for him. I don’t know what I’ll do when that ends.”

  Tia frowned.

  “But I don’t have time for romance right now,” Emilia said. “I have one priority, and that’s to save Asha.”

  “If you go to the FDA, I’m going with you.” Tia clinked glasses. “There’s no way I’m letting you go alone.”

  “But—”

  “I’m going, and that’s final.”

  Over dinner, Tia managed to lighten the mood. She talked about her makeup line, yet another cute guy she had her eye on, and told a hysterical story about something that happened at work. Emilia laughed and felt for a moment like maybe things would be okay.

  When Emilia got to her car, her problems were already on her mind. She headed toward Hawke’s place, looking forward to seeing him. It didn’t make sense to text; she didn’t want to seem needy. It wasn’t that far.

  It was dark out, and as she watched the street ahead, she thought about things. Asha had faith in her, believed she’d come through. Emilia cared, and she couldn’t fail. It was beyond the realm of reality. She couldn’t fail twice.

  An image of her sister Arabella came to mind. She hadn’t been that much older than Asha when the illness had taken her life, but the circumstances hadn’t been much different.

  Emilia hadn’t been able to save her sister, but she was committed to saving another who was just as deserving. Rare diseases took innocent lives, and she’d dedicated her career to fighting against it. Having come this close, she couldn’t let a young life slip through her hands.

  If she had to bluster into the FDA, she would. She’d hammer down the door, plead her case, make them see what was at stake. If only they understood. But they didn’t have a name or a face. She needed someone who would listen.

  The city lights were gorgeous under the night sky. They glittered in gold and orange. She headed for the bridge, near where she’d walked on the river trail with Hawke. That had only been days ago, yet it seemed like an eternity.

  It was late, so there wasn’t much traffic. Emilia was anxious to get home, to unwind from another long day, and to talk with Hawke. She rounded a corner, then cruised the street at about twenty-five miles per hour, keeping under the speed limit. She didn’t feel any effect from the drink she’d had but erred on the side of caution anyway.

  Then her car shot forward unexpectedly.

  She lifted her foot off the gas, but it didn’t affect her speed. Maybe the gas pedal was stuck, but Emilia didn’t know how to unstick it. She hit the brakes, but there was no response. Panic gripped her, but she had the good sense to reach for the emergency brake. The lever pulled back with no resistance; it was non-functional.

  Emilia had no brakes. Yet before she could react, the steering wheel yanked to the right. She didn’t think she’d done that, but it all happened so fast—and she wasn’t fully in control. In a flash, a powerful impact hit her car, accompanied by a loud noise of crunching metal. She had a fleeting thought that it must be the guard wall, the heavy force making the air bag deploy. Then her world went black…

  Chapter 15

  It had been a couple of very long days. Hawke was heading for his townhome, but it was later than usual. Emilia had gone out for dinner but should be home by now. He liked having her stay at his place, so looked forward to going home to her.

  Hawke parked the Jeep then looked around. It was a habit to check out the situation. He saw no signs of danger, and his buddies lived in the same complex, anyway. It had put his mind at ease that Emilia had agreed to stay there, surrounded by his team through the night. He couldn’t stand the idea of her sleeping at her condo alone.

  He didn’t see Emilia’s car, which made him wonder if she’d made it home or if Tia had dropped her off. She could have had car trouble, but then she should have called him. He walked briskly along the sidewalk, noticing the lights weren’t on inside his place.

  Maybe Emilia had been exhausted and gone to bed. Yet the darkness put him on alert. Often explanations for inconsistencies didn’t pan out. It was one thing that got people into trouble, disregarding signs that something was amiss.

  While standing on the po
rch, he unlocked the door and pushed it open. There were no lights on and no motion. He went inside, closed the door behind him, then went directly to the bedroom. The bed was empty, untouched since he’d made it that morning.

  Alarm bells went off in his head. He checked the other room. “Emilia?” She wasn’t there. He grabbed his phone and called, but there was no answer. A text got the same result. He left a message to contact him immediately—even knowing that if she was going to be out late, she would have called.

  Hawke paced the hallway, punching the button to call Tia. “Hey, it’s Hawke. I got home and Emilia’s not here. Wasn’t she with you tonight?”

  “Hawke…yes, we had dinner.”

  “Is she with you now?”

  “No,” Tia said. “She left at least two hours ago. I’ve been home for a while.”

  “I’ll get back to you.” Hawke disconnected then called Jake’s cousin. He would ask him to check the police scanners. “Lonnie, this is Hawke. I have a bit of an emergency. Emilia is missing. Can you check for any accidents reported in the area this evening?”

  “Hey, Hawke, sure. Give me a minute.”

  Lonnie’s minute seemed like an hour, but he came back with a report. “I don’t have names or vehicle IDs for you at this point. But there was a solo car accident in your general area not long ago. Victim has been transported.”

  “What hospital?”

  “The driver was taken to Mercy.”

  “Okay, I’m on my way.” Hawke raced back to the Jeep and headed for the hospital, fearing the worst. He didn’t bother calling. If Emilia had been taken in, gaining information would take too long. It was better to go and find out.

  On the way to the hospital, Hawke prayed that the accident hadn’t involved Emilia—but his gut told him that it had. His training kicked in, and he stilled his mind and emotions. During his career as a SEAL, he’d cultivated the ability to separate himself from internal and external trauma.

  But this was Emilia. The thought that she might be badly injured punctured a hole in his emotional armor. He didn’t know what he’d do if something happened to her. He made it to the hospital as fast as possible, then leapt from the Jeep and jogged to the emergency entrance.

  It took a few minutes to verify that Emilia had been admitted, but he wasn’t allowed to see her. The emergency room physician was tending to her injuries. Hawke was forced to hang out in the waiting room until the doctor was free, so he paced the floor.

  The minutes ticked by, ramping up Hawke’s frustration. He called Ryker to let him know that Emilia was in the hospital. He didn’t have much else to tell him, except that the car was in impound. No other vehicles were involved, as far as he knew. And he didn’t know yet how the crash had happened.

  The waiting room was packed. Hawke hardly noticed anyone else. His thoughts were about Emilia. He loved her, goddammit. How could he not have told her? What if he didn’t have the chance?

  Emilia was everything to him. He’d been blind and insensitive. An hour passed, and Hawke was going crazy. He didn’t know how badly she was injured. He didn’t even know what the hell had happened. Emilia had driven that area hundreds of times. Smashing her car into a wall made no sense.

  Hawke was about ready to barge into the emergency room and demand explanations when the doctor emerged. He was in his late forties, graying hair. All Hawke cared about was whether he was good at his job, because he’d been attending Emilia.

  “Are you here for Emilia Draper?” Hawke nodded, then the doctor pulled him aside. “It was a heavy impact, but I expect her to recover.”

  “What’s her condition?”

  The doctor spoke in a calm voice, though describing some serious injuries. “She’s a very lucky woman. If that impact had been at a higher speed…well, she scraped by.”

  “What are her injuries?”

  “Emilia has a mild concussion,” the doctor said. “She has some abrasions on her face from the airbag deployment. But it’s fortunate she was wearing her seatbelt. She did bruise a couple of ribs, so those will be painful for a while.”

  “It must have been a strong impact.”

  “Yes, from what I can tell, it was,” the doctor said. “It was to her advantage that she’s a slender woman. The more a person weighs, the more force they have in the crash. But even at a reasonable speed, hitting a wall causes the internal organs to slam against the ribs.”

  Hawke grimaced. “Can I see her?”

  “She’s being moved to a room now. I’ll have the nurse call you in when she’s settled,” the doctor said. “I’m going to keep her for a day or so, for observation. I want to make sure there aren’t additional complications from the concussion.”

  Hawke breathed a sigh of relief that Emilia was alive. She had been hurt badly, but the odds were that she’d fully recover. That was what mattered. He’d take care of her, make sure she had whatever she needed, and do all he could to help her get better.

  It wasn’t too long before the nurse came to get him. “She’s sleepy, but that’s to be expected. I wouldn’t stay too long.”

  Hawke went to Emilia and stood by the bed. She had her eyes closed. His heart wrenched seeing the abrasions on her face. Machines beeped around her, and an IV drip needle was stuck in her vein. The sheet was down, so he saw that her ribs were wrapped underneath the flimsy hospital gown.

  He wanted to pick her up and carry her out of there. Instead, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. Emilia opened her eyes but didn’t say anything.

  “I’m here, honey,” Hawke said, then took her hand. “You’re going to be okay.”

  Emilia licked her dry lips, so Hawke reached for the cup of water. “Are you thirsty?” She blinked and lifted her hand. He gave her the water.

  Hawke’s heart was being ripped from his chest. Emilia’s skin was pale, and she looked so frail in the gigantic bed. Her golden hair waved against the stiff-looking pillow. Wires were draped over the rails, and the smell of disinfectant assaulted his senses. This was no place for her.

  He took the empty water cup, then pulled up a chair by the bed. Still holding her hand, he said, “The doctor wants to keep you for a bit, but I’ll stick around. Don’t you worry.”

  “Hawke…” Tears formed in Emilia’s eyes. “It was…so sudden. I can’t really remember what…”

  “I understand, honey. You just relax; we’ll get it all figured out,” Hawke said. “You don’t need to remember anything now. You can tell me later.” He leaned down to kiss her knuckles. “You rest for now. I’ll be here while you sleep.”

  Hawke spent the night at the hospital. Part of the time, he sat next to Emilia. The nurse had given her a pill to help her sleep, and it was good to see that she was resting. The waiting room wasn’t exactly comfortable, but he didn’t care—he wasn’t leaving.

  He caught a few hours of sleep leaned back in a padded chair, but mostly haunted the hospital hallways. The coffee from the machines was pretty terrible, but it kept him going. When the corridors began to stir to life, he ducked into the men’s room to clean up as best he could.

  He wanted to appear strong for Emilia, and he certainly wouldn’t look the part if he was utterly disheveled. The gift shop opened very early, so he purchased a razor so he could shave. He’d peeked in on Emilia, but she was still asleep.

  Looking as good as he could, under the circumstances, Hawke went to Emilia’s room and found a nurse tending to her. He stood quietly by the door. Emilia looked better than she had the night before—at least more rested. The nurse smiled at Hawke on her way out.

  Hawke went over and kissed Emilia’s cheek. “How are you this morning, honey?”

  “I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.”

  “That sounds about right.”

  “I’m so sore, even with the pain medication,” Emilia said, and put her hand over her ribs. “I wish I could explain…”

  Hawke put his palm on her cheek, feeling her soft skin, wanting to kiss away the abrasions. “It will come
back to you. A concussion makes remembering difficult. I know, I’ve witnessed plenty of them. But usually your memory returns.”

  “I can’t stay in a hospital bed,” Emilia said, then tried to sit up. She groaned in pain and fell back.

  “You’re not leaving quite yet,” Hawke said. “But I guarantee I’ll get you out of here as soon as you’re able.”

  The door opened, and Tia walked in. “Oh my God…Emilia.” She went straight to the bed and gently hugged Emilia. “I got Hawke’s text this morning and came right over.” She glared at Hawke. “You should have let me know last night. I couldn’t even sleep, I was so worried.”

  “I was a bit tied up.”

  “What in the world happened?” Tia said. “You were fine at dinner, and only had one drink. I wouldn’t have let you drive if I’d thought you’d had too much alcohol.”

  “It wasn’t that,” Emilia said.

  “The right front end of her car smashed into a wall,” Hawke said. “There’s no police report yet. I don’t know if the road was slick or what.”

  “Do you remember what happened?” Tia said.

  Emilia’s brown eyes darkened. “Not exactly. I remember dinner, then driving home. I was looking at the city lights, how pretty they are at night.”

  Tia leaned closer. “Did you black out?”

  “I don’t… No, I’m pretty sure not,” Emilia said. “The last thing I remember is a horrendous crunch of metal.” She blinked. “It was horrifying. I don’t understand it. It seemed like the wall moved in front of me or something. Then I woke up in the emergency room.”

  “What an awful thing,” Tia said. She talked to Emilia for a few minutes yet didn’t press for more details. Hawke was glad that she’d come to visit, as she seemed to cheer Emilia up.

  Emilia closed her eyes. “I have a doozy of a headache.”

  Tia grabbed the cord before Hawke could get to it. “I’ll call the nurse. She can give you something for it.”

  “It goes with the territory,” Hawke said. “As the concussion heals, the headaches will go away.”

  The nurse came right away, so Tia said goodbye. “I’ll be back to see you tomorrow. Call if you need me.” She kissed Emilia’s cheek then disappeared.