“Maybe.” Brody shook his head. “But she’s also a patient who doesn’t remember who she is. And someone is clearly after her. And the little I have found out about her past doesn’t paint her in the best light.”
“Maybe, she just needs something or someone,” Nick looked at him pointedly, “to have a reason to change.”
Brody smiled up at his friend. “I’ll take that into consideration, and I’ll think about it. Right now, I better get to the store though. My refrigerator is going to sue me for lack of support.” He grabbed his bag and headed for the door.
“That’s why you need a Berta,” Nick hollered after him. “I’ll send you her number.”
Brody was still chuckling as he pushed the back door open and found Jordan Graves leaning against his car. “Detective, did you find out anything more about the flowers?”
Jordan pushed himself upright and glanced around the empty lot. “Unfortunately not. They were purchased at the gift shop here, but paid for in cash. The clerk couldn’t remember who purchased them and there’s no camera that points that direction. We do have some new intel though. It appears Rico Rearden may be involved in drug trafficking over in Chicago. He didn’t come up on our initial radar because he doesn’t deal here, but it looks like he might hold meetings here and use his publishing business as a front.”
“Do you think Tia was helping him move drugs?” Just when Brody thought maybe he could fall for this girl, another piece of information rocked his heart. He had a hard-enough time imagining her sleeping with another woman’s husband, but moving drugs?
“We don’t know what to think. It’s possible she was involved though nothing in her background suggests it. It’s more probable she was there for the meeting she had scheduled and may have stumbled across a secret meeting. Either way, we need to keep a close eye on her. She may not be as innocent as we think.”
Brody shook his head. He’d had no idea one patient would turn his life upside down so fast. “Okay, thanks Jordan, I’ll do my best.” He shook Jordan’s hand and then unlocked the car and slid into the driver’s seat. But he didn’t start the car right away. His thoughts were a tangled web and he wanted to clear them before he started driving.
Tia Sweetchild certainly was a conundrum. His first assumption of her had been a snobby rich girl, but that image had softened as he’d spent time with her. Her past showed that she had deliberately tried to ruin someone’s career, but she had acted appalled when he’d told her about it. Was she a good con or had the brain injury changed her personality? Now there was the possibility of drugs? He didn’t want it to believe it. He felt an attraction to Tia. A connection he couldn’t explain, but how could he be attracted to a woman with such a shady past?
Rachel had been nothing like that. She’d grown up in a Christian home, and he was pretty sure the champagne they had on their wedding night had been her first taste of alcohol. Curse words never crossed her lips, and she always scolded Brody when he let one slip. And she’d been a genuine, generous, faithful woman. She would never have pursued men to get ahead no matter the circumstances. So, why would he feel an attraction to someone so unlike the love of his life? Or was there more to Tia than he knew?
He had no answers, and with a sigh, he turned the key and pointed the car towards home. Maybe some time in the word and a decent night’s sleep would give him some clarity.
Chapter 9
Tia glanced with dread at the doorway every time she heard footsteps. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing Dr. Cavanaugh this morning. What she had remembered of her past was too shameful, and she was sure she wouldn’t be able to hide the shame from him. Maybe it was his day off, and she wouldn’t have to face him today.
“Good morning, Tia. Did Detective Graves stop in to see you yesterday?” And there he was.
Tia nodded. “He did though he said the flowers were a dead end. No way to trace who bought them. The security guard is supposed to intercept any from now on.”
“Probably a good idea. I’m sorry he wasn’t able to obtain more information about the flowers, but how are you feeling today?”
She forced her lips into a smile she didn’t feel and hoped he wouldn’t notice the difference. “Physically? Not too bad. The ache in my head is down to a dull roar, and the throbbing in my foot has intensified which I guess is good because it means I’m feeling it more.”
Dr. Cavanaugh nodded and made some notes in the chart. “Pain is rarely fun, but it does sometimes serve a good purpose. And as much as I don’t want you in pain, I am glad to hear you have more feeling. I’ll schedule a follow up with Dr. North.” He lowered the clipboard and regarded her. “Now, how about emotionally?”
Tia scoffed softly and bit the inside of her lip. “Okay, I guess. Edith read some more of this book you brought me, and I remembered a little more of my past.”
“That’s great,” Dr. Cavanaugh said with a smile and what sounded to Tia like a false cheeriness in his voice.
Tia wished it were. Yes, she had remembered some good things about her past, but she also knew somewhere along the way she had changed into an unlikeable person, and she still didn’t know exactly why. Nor did she want to share that detail with Dr. Cavanaugh.
He started his daily assessment of her by checking her IV and the monitor that beeped constantly next to her bed. Then his fingers were on her forehead as he checked her stitches. “This is healing nicely. I bet the scar won’t be too noticeable.”
Tia was fairly certain that a scar of any kind would have sent her over the edge at one point, but now she felt as if she deserved it. And maybe more.
“Your fever appears to be gone as well. We might be able to get you out of here sooner than I thought.”
Tia wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She certainly hadn’t planned on living in this hospital, but she still had no idea where she was staying or who was after her. What would she do when she was released? And would she ever see Dr. Cavanaugh again? Maybe he would be glad to get her out of the hospital.
He had just moved the blanket from her feet when the intercom sounded. “Attention personnel. This is a code silver. I repeat we have a code silver in the ICU.”
Dr. Cavanaugh’s hands froze, and Tia felt a string of fear grip her heart. “What’s a code silver?” she asked in a frightened whisper.
“It means someone has a weapon. Stay calm. I’m going to lock the door.” He shut her door, locked it, and then began scooting a chair up against the door. When that was in place, he returned to Tia’s side.
“This isn’t going to feel good, but I need to move you.”
“What? Why? What’s happening out there?” Panic filled Tia’s voice.
“I don’t know, but Detective Graves told me yesterday that Rico Rearden is involved with drug trafficking. Now, it’s possible you were helping or you stumbled into a meeting you weren’t supposed to. Or maybe that weapon has nothing to do with you, but I don’t want to take the chance. I’ve locked the door which will hold them for a bit, and I’m certain the security guard will defend the room, but you’re a sitting duck in the bed. If I can get you into the bathroom, it buys us a little more time and hopefully it will be enough.”
“And if it’s not?” It was not a question she needed an answer to, but he gave one anyway.
“Then I hope you’re prepared to meet your maker.” He held her gaze for just a moment before snapping back to the task at hand. “If you can grab that pole, I can leave the IV in, but I’m going to have to pick you up.”
A million thoughts raced through Tia’s head. She hadn’t had her sponge bath today, he would touch her bare back, if she didn’t allow him to pick her up then they could die. “Okay.”
As he snaked his arms under her head and knees, she reached for the pole. “Not yet,” he said grunting with the effort of lifting her. “I need to get around the bed first.”
Tia wrapped a free arm around his neck in hopes it might lessen his load and grimaced against the pain as her foot fell bel
ow her heart. The throbbing intensified, but she pressed her lips together to keep from complaining. He was doing the hard work here, and she would not whine.
When they cleared the bed, he took a step toward the IV drip and she grabbed the pole. The wheels squeaked softly as they made their way across the floor, and Tia hoped the sound wasn’t carrying outside the room. An eerie silence filled the air.
When they reached the bathroom, he set her down in the tub as gingerly as he could. The pain from her foot made the world go black for a moment, but then he was propping her foot up with towels from the shelf. Once it was above her heart again, the pain lessened and the blackness receded.
“I hope you aren’t afraid of the dark,” he said as he pulled the door shut and locked it.
Tia wasn’t normally afraid of the darkness, but she’d long hated darkness if mirrors were involved. A silly childhood game had planted an absurd fear of nightmarish things coming out of mirrors in the dark, and though she’d realized as she grew older that the game was just that, her fear hadn’t diminished. Though she couldn’t see him, she was glad Dr. Cavanaugh was in the room with her.
* * *
Brody tried to calm his breath as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He punched in Jordan’s number and hoped he would get bars. The reception in the hospital was spotty enough in the break room, but he’d never tried it in a bathroom. He pressed the call button and watched as the phone searched for a connection. “Please God,” he whispered. A moment later, two bars appeared. It wasn’t much, but he hoped it would be enough. He held his breath as he waited.
“Detective Graves,” the voice on the other end said as his call went through.
“Jordan? It’s Brody Cavanaugh at Fire Beach Hospital. We are in lockdown. A code silver was reported a few moments ago in the ICU. I am locked in the bathroom in room six with Tia.” Brody was surprised at how calm his voice sounded as his heart pounded in his chest.
“I’m on my way. Do you know what the weapon is?”
“No, I haven’t seen anything. I locked the door per protocol as soon as the announcement was made.”
“Understood. I’m going to transfer you to a dispatch operator and I want you to stay on the line until I get there.”
“I’ll try, but we’re in the bathroom and I only had two bars. I don’t know if they’ll hold….. Hello?” He pulled the phone away from his ear and sighed as he saw it searching for connection again. At least the bars had been there long enough for him to place the call. The rest was in God’s hands now.
He turned toward the bathtub. “Tia, how are you holding up?”
“Okay, I think. The throbbing has subsided in my foot.”
Brody reached out a hand, hoping it would land on her arm and not some other body part. He felt the flesh of her bare skin and a moment later, her hand covered his.
“Are you scared?” she asked in a timid voice.
He interlocked his fingers with hers. “A little. You?”
“Yeah. A lot. Do you think the police will make it in time Dr. Cavanaugh?”
Brody shook his head though he knew she couldn’t see it in the darkness. “I hope so. Tia?”
“Yeah?”
“I think considering the circumstances that you can call me Brody.”
He could hear the smile in her voice even though it was laced by fear. “Okay, Brody.” She squeezed his hand, and he liked how his name sounded on her lips. “Can I ask you something?”
Brody didn’t think their voices would carry out of the bathroom, especially in the hushed whispers they were using, and talking sounded a lot better than sitting in silence and worrying if someone would bust in and end their lives. “Sure, ask away.”
Her deep breath sounded nearly deafening in the dark silence. “How did you know you wanted to be a doctor?”
“Oh, um.” No one had asked him that question in a long time. He thought back over the years and smiled as he recalled his childhood. “My mother said I always enjoyed pretending to heal animals and people when I was young, but I think the first time I knew I wanted to become a doctor was in high school. There was a student with epilepsy and one day she had a grand mal seizure in class. I remember everyone being so scared, even the teacher, and I wished I knew what to do to help her. After that, I began researching what it would take to become a doctor and never turned back. What about you? Do you remember why you became a writer?”
Her voice was barely above a whisper as it came back to him. “I do. I remembered yesterday that my father left us. He never wanted me. He said he wanted a boy, but I’m not sure he really wanted a kid at all. Before I could write, I used to make up stories to escape his anger, but after he left, I began writing stories of the family I wished I had. I wanted it to be a career, so I could support my mother and repay her for all she did.”
Brody’s heart broke with her words. Fathers were so important, and in this age where families broke apart and men encouraged their wives and girlfriends to have abortions, good father figures were harder and harder to find. He’d been lucky. Not only were his parents still together, but his father had always been there for him.
“I’m so sorry, Tia. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been.” Though he didn’t condone some of her past behavior, this admission could explain why she had done some of the things she had. If she had become so focused on making enough money to help her mother, greed might have taken control of the once sweet girl and changed her into the woman who would throw another person under the bus to further her career.
“Me too.” Another long sigh. “Can I ask you something else?”
“Go ahead.” Talking broke the heavy silence, and he didn’t think she could ask him anything he might not want to answer.
“Do you think you’ll ever marry again, Brody?”
Except that! He bit the inside of his lip as he thought of how to answer.
Chapter 10
Brody. The name felt like candy on her tongue. How she would have enjoyed this moment of holding his hand and saying his name if it weren’t clouded with the darkness and fear around them.
Darkness and fear…. Suddenly, the events of a few nights ago came back to her. She saw herself entering Rico’s house and following him to his bedroom. While sleeping with him hadn’t been her plan, she had been prepared to use flirtation and her good looks on him to try and get her book promoted. At least until she saw the picture of his wife on the nightstand. “Oh my gosh, Brody, I remember.” She squeezed his hand tighter as excitement joined the fear coursing through her.
“What?” he asked.
“I went to Rico’s to try and convince him to promote my latest book, but I didn’t know about his wife. When I realized he was married, I told him I wouldn’t cross that line. I’ve been pretty awful the last few years, but that was too much for even me. But as we were talking, his phone rang. His demeanor shifted immediately, and he ushered me out of the room. I was almost to my car when I remembered my purse. I ran back up to his room, but he freaked out when he saw me and shoved me in a closet.” She shivered as she remembered sitting in the unfamiliar dark closet.
“I thought he was hiding me from his wife, but then I heard other masculine voices join his. They were angry and yelling about something, but the words were muffled inside the closet. Anyway, I heard the balcony glass door open, and I took the chance they had stepped outside. I bolted, forgetting my purse in the process. I just wanted to get out of there.”
“Do you think they were in the black truck that hit you?” Brody asked.
“It’s possible. I never saw the driver, but I remember one car blinding me from behind and then the truck hitting me. If it was them, I don’t think they’ll stop until I’m dead.”
Her words hung in the air, a fatal prophecy. Neither of them had a word to say in response. Suddenly, there was a pounding on the door of her hospital room. Tia squeezed Brody’s hand tighter. “Brody? If we don’t make it out of here alive, I want you to know that I’m glad
you were my doctor. You’re a good man, and you’ve made me want to be a better woman.”
“Shh, don’t talk like that,” Brody said, but the fear was evident in his voice.
Suddenly, there was pounding on the bathroom door. Tia squeezed Brody’s hand tighter with one hand and clapped the other over her mouth to keep from screaming.
“Dr. Cavanaugh? Open up. It’s Detective Graves.”
Relief flooded Tia and her breath escaped in one giant sigh. Even when Brody let go of her hand to stand and open the door, she had never felt so blissful. The bright light blinded her for a moment, and she blinked rapidly to readjust her eyes.
“Is it safe to come out then?” Brody asked.
“It is,” Detective Graves said, “Evidently, it was a patient who suffered a psychiatric break and grabbed a scalpel off a tray.”
Tia might have laughed at the situation if her heartbeat wasn’t still thundering in her chest.
“I’m sorry,” Brody said, “after our conversation-”
“You were right to do what you did,” Detective Graves assured him. “We still haven’t found the driver of the black truck or who sent her those flowers, and what you did made perfect sense. However, unless you need further assistance, we’ll get back to work on finding the suspects.”
“Wait, Detective Graves?” Though Tia didn’t want to recount her story again, she didn’t want another reprimand from Detective Graves either. He turned back to her and waited for her to continue. “I remembered more. I was there to see Rico about a publishing opportunity, but I turned it down when I found out he was married and looking for an affair. He kicked me out, but I had forgotten my purse. When I returned, he shoved me in a closet. I heard men’s voices arguing, and I thought perhaps they were reporters out for a story on me which is why I ran when I did.”
Lost Memories And New Beginnings (The Men 0f Fire Beach Book 2) Page 7