Gabriel (Guardian Defenders Book 1)

by Kris Michaels

  Anna nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Okay, then we’ll need to restock on that, too. I’m heading down. When are we going to eat donuts? I saw the ‘eat under penalty of death’ note Kay put on the boxes. You’d think she’d trust us.”

  Anna’s eyes popped wide, and she laughed loudly. “Right, us who demolished twenty cupcakes.”

  “Uggg… don’t remind me. But it was carrot cake!”

  “Right?” Anna laughed and followed her friend out of the room. She glanced at her new patient one last time. Something broke inside her when she saw charts that indicated no family involvement. The doctors were making decisions for her, which was good, but usually, by now, the family would have been begging to come in and see their loved one.

  She held the doorjamb and then tapped it twice. “That’s okay, honey. We’ve got you. For the immediate future, we are your family.”

  The day flew into a blur of work, punctuated by a major sugar high about ten o’clock. Thank you very much, donuts. She was behind the counter at the nurse’s station illegally munching on one of the last donuts because lunch didn't happen, and dinner wasn't looking promising either. Two nurses had called in sick, and she was staying for a half shift on top of the eight she'd already logged.

  She held the donut in her teeth as she updated patient information after a discharge when she sensed someone staring at her.

  Anna glanced up and almost swallowed her tongue. The donut fell from her lips, and she spazzed, jumping to catch the chocolate-covered cake before it hit her scrubs or the desk. She quickly chucked her dinner into the trash can and hid her chocolate-covered hand behind her back. Holy hell. Tall, dark, and handsome, standing in front of her, had walked straight off the boyfriend questionnaire in her copies of Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmo and Glamour Magazines.

  She swallowed hard and wiped her mouth as discreetly as she could, hoping like hell she hadn’t smeared chocolate on her chin.

  “I’m looking for Doctor Glazier.”

  She opened her mouth to talk, but nothing came out. The man’s eyebrows popped up. She rolled her eyes, not at him, but at herself, and cleared her throat. “He’s in with a patient right now. You can have a seat and wait if you’d like.” She nodded to the stretch of plastic seats placed across the hall from her station.

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll stand. I’ve been on the road or on an airplane for the last forty-eight hours.” The man rolled his shoulders and groaned a little.

  Her brain fogged from the steam coming off the deliciousness now leaning on the counter that separated them. He smiled at her and the fog thickened, which was never a good thing.

  She scrambled for something intelligent to say. “Sure. Whatcha doing that you been traveling so much?”

  The man blinked at her. Well, she could understand why. She was such an awkward person, so she did what she always did. She laughed it off and said, “Sorry, ask anyone here, I’m a busy body. I’m Anna Harriger. And you are?” She extended her hand, and the man blinked again. She glanced down. Shit. Chocolate frosting. She pulled a couple fluffs of tissue out of the box by the telephone and scraped the offending frosting off her palm. “Sorry about that.”

  He chuckled and took her now semi-clean and only slightly sticky hand in his. “Gabriel.”

  She waited for him to give her his last name—or release her hand. He didn’t do either. Sweet mercy, a little zap of electricity passed from him to her. Static electricity, probably, but still, when standing around such an electrifying man, that little zap seemed serendipitous. Finally, he let her have her hand back. She giggled and shook her head at her fanciful thoughts.

  “Something funny?” Oh, that low, rich voice rumbled right to her lady parts.

  Funny? Try hilarious. Cue the laugh tracks from Three’s Company. In a world of hot, blond, Chrissy Snows, she was the brunette side kick. She was the funny friend who everyone liked, and no one dated. She was a real-world Janet Wood. A man like the one in front of her wouldn't want anything to do with a woman like her. He was most definitely a Chrissy chaser. She laughed again and nodded when he tipped his head and popped one of those wonderful eyebrows.

  “Oh, sure, you betcha. I make myself laugh. Girls just wanna have fun, you know.” She turned away from him and popped her eyes at the vomit of drivel that just fell from her lips. She wasn’t channeling Cindy Lauper, was she? My God, she was, and she didn’t like rock ‘n’ roll, she was country through and through. Great, now Donnie and Marie were flashing through her brain cells singing, I’m a little bit country, He’s a little bit rock ’n’ roll.

  Thankfully, Doctor Glazier strolled out of the new patient’s room and rescued her. “Ah, Doc G, this gentleman was looking for you.”

  She picked up a clipboard and held it against her chest, trying to hide the wild beating of her heart. If she were a cartoon character, you'd see that little sucker bouncing out of her chest. Yeah, she needed to exit stage right, quickly… or the earth could open up and swallow her. That would work, too.

  Doc G handed her the chart he was holding and turned his attention to tall, dark and disarming. “What can I do for you?”

  The man reached in his suit and pulled out a flat wallet. He flipped it open and gave the doctor a face full of badge. “I need to ask you a few questions about Ms. Brenner. I understand she’s never regained consciousness. Is that correct?”

  “So far. She suffered significant trauma, but there is no medical reason she shouldn’t wake.”

  The man nodded. “Did she sustain head injuries?”

  “Nothing significant. Why?”

  “Sir, she may have been a victim of a person who has done this before. If, or rather when, she wakes, if she can remember anything about the man who did this, it might help us get him off the streets.”

  Doc G glanced at her. “Put a note in her records to contact Denver PD when she wakes.”

  “If I may, will you also please call this number? My switchboard will alert my team or me, and although I’d be happy to share any information with DPD, they do not have jurisdiction in this federal case. I can have Congressman Jenkin’s office contact your Chief Medical Officer if you’d like validation as to my authority.”

  Anna reached out and took the card the man offered her. She glanced down at the small piece of heavy stock.

  It listed an office line and a mobile number. Who had a phone in his car? Was he Daddy Warbucks or something? And what was it about the one name thing? Gabriel. Like Cher or Madonna. Did men go by one name? Well, there was Sonny and the Boss, but both of them had actual last names.

  “Put the note in her file, please Anna,” Doc G directed.

  “You got it.” Anna stapled the card to the bottom of a fresh sheet for Jacqueline Brenner's file, made a huge asterisk, and drew an arrow pointing to the card. WHEN AWAKE, PLEASE CALL. That should suffice.

  She picked up the paper that held the card and slipped away from the men. Making an exit before she could shove her foot in her mouth again was probably the wisest choice. She'd already chewed one to the knee so saving her other appendage was smart. She slipped into Jacqueline’s room, not ten feet away, and kicked the doorstop up, letting the door glide shut behind her.

  “Girl, it is time to wake up. You have no idea of the male perfection outside that door.” Anna flipped the steel clipboard’s lid back and slid the paper with notification instructions into the area for doctor's notes.

  She glanced up at Jacqueline and noticed the poor thing’s brow was furrowed. She moved to the head of the bed. “Hey, now. Do you have bad dreams, or are you in pain?” She smoothed the woman’s long blonde hair away from her face. They’d tried to wash all the crap out of her hair. It had been difficult, but they’d managed to clean most of the blood and dirt from her scalp.

  She checked her patient's pulse, temperature, and blood pressure, before she tucked the blanket back in around her feet. The doctor must have done a reflex test on her. “I’ll tell Doc G that you get cold and ask him
to make sure he tucks in your blankets after he finishes his tests, okay?”

  Anna looked up and patted the woman’s leg. “Did I tell you Peg down in labor and delivery got engaged?” She laughed and shook her head as she finished tucking in the blankets. “It’s true! We are so happy. Stanley isn’t the sharpest tack in the box, but we could tell he loves her. Did I tell you they’d been dating for seven years? No? Well, yep, seven years and girl, who in their right mind would wait around for seven years? Love must do something to your intelligence, know what I mean?”

  “You're very good with her.”

  She shrieked and spun, almost losing her balance. Graceful she wasn’t, especially when someone scared the ever-loving snot out of her. She clutched her chest. “How long have you been there?”

  Gabriel shrugged casually. “Since you decided Doc G needed to tuck in her blankets.”

  Anna turned back toward Jacqueline. She blinked rapidly trying to remember what else she'd said. “Well, he needs to. Her feet are always cold. She doesn’t like that.”

  The tall stranger moved to the other side of the bed. “You always fill her in on the gossip happening around the hospital?”

  She ran her hand along the blanket. “She doesn’t have anyone here, you know? Other patients have family who talk to them and let them know they aren’t alone. I talk to all my patients, but Jacqueline, she needs us a little bit more than the others.”

  She glanced up at the incredibly handsome man. His eyes were gray and ringed with a darker outer edge. The fringe of his incredibly long eyelashes was noticeable when he glanced down at Jacqueline. On anyone else, those long lashes would look ridiculous. On him, oh, heavens, he was utterly beautiful.

  “I think it takes a special person to do what you do, and she’s very fortunate.” He gave her the briefest of smiles, turned on his heel, and walked away, pulling the door open.

  She spun and waited for the sound of the door closing to reach her before she addressed Jacqueline. “Do you see what I mean? Girl, you absolutely need to wake up and see this man! He’s got that Harrison Ford/Hans Solo thing going on, but sexier and taller! Oh, I need a fan. Not one of those pretty oriental ones, but one of those big box fans, you know what I mean? Seriously, you need to wake up and see this dark-haired Fabio, not as in the hair, but as in the body!”

  “One more thing, Ms. Harriger?”

  She froze, her back to the door. Good Lord in heaven, he remembered her name. Mortification, thy name is Anna. Her shoulders landed somewhere around her ears as she cringed. “Yes?” She’d squeaked that word, hadn’t she? Yep, yep, she had. Oh, Lord above, please just open the earth and take me now? Please?

  “She goes by Jackie. It’s one of the things I learned about her when I talked to the people at her office.”

  “Oh, okay, then. Thanks.”

  She closed her eyes and listened for the almost silent hush of the door. When it didn’t come, she glanced over her shoulder. Gabriel smiled at her and winked before he ducked out the door.

  She slid her eyes back to Jacqueline, no… Jackie, and burst out laughing, her face flaming hot with embarrassment, but what could you do? “What did I tell you! Gorgeous, isn’t he!”

  Chapter 3

  Walking down the hall to Jacqueline Brenner’s hospital room, Gabriel looked for the perky, gregarious woman who’d made him laugh the last time he was here. He’d received a call this morning advising him Ms. Brenner was awake and willing to talk to him. He found himself hoping the nurse would be there. He should be concentrating on the case, not a tall, slender woman with a wonderful sense of humor. She had huge, doe eyes, brown with lush, thick lashes, and her smile… He chuckled. That smile was authentic. In his line of work, authenticity was rare. Honesty was even rarer. The woman genuinely cared for Jacqueline; he could tell by the way she talked to her patient when she thought she was alone.

  He made a point of glancing at the women behind the counter at the nurses' station, but Anna wasn’t there. Perhaps she was in the room with Ms. Brenner. That would be nice. He stopped in the hall and shoved any thoughts but those concerning the case out of his mind. Focused, he continued to the open door of the victim’s room.

  The battered woman was propped up in bed and awake. Her head rolled his way, and her eyes widened. He smiled, trying to reassure her. “Ms. Brenner, my name is Gabriel. I’m investigating what happened to you the night you were attacked. May I come in?”

  She nodded.

  He walked in and pulled the small plastic chair from the end of her bed to the side and promptly sat so she was higher than he was, giving her a sense of power. “First, I want you to know I’m doing everything I can to find the man responsible for the events that night.”

  She cleared her throat. “He had a knife. He told me if I screamed or ran, he’d kill Elise. He killed her anyway.” A tear fell down the woman’s face unabated.

  “He did, and I want to bring him to justice.”

  “Has he done this before?”

  He nodded. “He has, but no one has ever survived to assist in our investigation.”

  She shuddered and rubbed her arms. “What can I do to help you?”

  “I’m going to ask you to tell me what happened from the time you left the bar. Walk me through the entire event. Then I’m going to ask you specific questions. Do you think you’d be able to describe him to a forensic artist?” He took out his notebook and glanced up at the woman.

  Her blue eyes blazed at him. “I will never forget what he looked like.” Another tear fell unchecked. “He has an unusual voice. The accent isn't one I've heard before.” She twisted the sheet in her hands. “I hear him and see him whenever I close my eyes.”

  “In your own words, what happened?” He had a basic idea, but getting specifics was crucial.

  “We decided to go to Rowdy Ron’s, that’s the sports bar near where we work. Elise is an uncontrollable flirt. Was.” Ms. Brenner reached over her body with the arm that did not have an IV in it. The tissues made a soft pfft as she pulled them from the box. He waited until she was ready to continue. Pushing her at this point would be useless and destructive.

  “It was a big night, you know, the start of the NFL season. The place was packed, and everyone was cheering for Denver as they played Kansas City. We were having a great time at the bar and left just after the game ended. We didn’t drink a lot, but some of the guys from the office bought us a couple rounds of beers. We weren’t drunk. Two beers in four hours, we were fine to walk back to the office.” She stared at him.

  He acknowledged her comments, “I know. The blood alcohol contents for both you and Elise were minimal. What happened at the bar? Anything unusual?”

  “God, no. Elise flirted with anyone and everyone, but she always does. Did. It was so easy for her to talk to anyone. She was so happy all the time. So full of… life.”

  He sat quietly as she choked back tears.

  “I can’t do that. I’ve always lacked self-confidence. Elise dragged me out with her all the time. She was a wonderful person. Whenever we went out, she could have left with any number of guys before the night was over, but she never left me. Never. She said if we came together, we’d leave together.”

  “Smart.” He acknowledged.

  “Yeah, you’d think, right? But if she’d left with one of those men, she wouldn’t be dead now.” The woman covered her eyes and shed silent tears.

  He shifted the paradigm and started the interview, directing the questions now rather than establishing a line of communication. “Where were you when he approached you?”

  “He didn’t approach us. We were walking past the alley and then Elise wasn’t there. I turned. He had a knife to her neck and… she was bleeding. She told me to run, but he threatened to kill her. I couldn’t… I did what he said. I believed he would kill her.” Ms. Brenner’s hand lifted to her own neck, and her fingers shook as she placed them where the cuts were found on Ms. Townsend’s body.

  “So you followed him
to the back of the alley.”

  She nodded, staring at the blanket covering her lap. “He had something… long, like a bat, maybe? A piece of wood. I saw him swing, and my head exploded. I lost consciousness for a while. When I woke up, I heard him hurting her. He must have had his hand over her mouth. Her screams were muffled, but she was screaming.” Ms. Brenner cried as she spoke. Hiccups and sobs punctuated her words. “She… he was hurting her. I tried to get up.”

  She held up her hands, staring at the palms. “I got to my hands and knees. I couldn’t see well. Something was in my eyes.”

  He nodded. According to the physician’s reports, it was probably blood from the initial head wound she’d sustained.

  “But I saw him. He looked at me as he grabbed her hair. He lifted her up and… he slammed her head into the concrete. Over and over. Oh, God… he was smiling.”

  Gabriel stood and walked to the other side of the bed, handing her the tissue box. She pulled several out. He stood still and held the box as she gathered herself.

  “I’m sorry.”

  He put the now mostly empty box of tissue on the small metal table. “Please, Ms. Brenner, never apologize for your reaction to what has happened to you. If anyone tells you it is inappropriate to mourn or to grieve, to be angry, or to feel insecure, then they are insensitive fools, and you need to remove those people from your life. You survived a horrific event. You are entitled to feel exactly how you are feeling.”

  “Even if I feel guilty for being alive?”

  “Even then. Believe it or not, that is a normal response, but you need to talk to someone and work through those feelings.” He resumed his position in the orange plastic chair.

  “After that… it was like I was floating outside my body. I knew what he was doing to me. He’d hit me, and then he’d kiss me. He liked to get my blood on him. He licked it off, and he was smiling. Always smiling. He… he … took me.”