CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Darby
“Jared?”
No answer.
“Jared! You're in hospital? Answer me. Please?”
The line went dead. I tried to call back. The phone was off.
I swore. What could I do? What had happened to him?
I immediately called my brother. He would know what to do. It was a reflex born of years of being his little sister.
“Alex?”
“Hi, Darby. What's the matter?” He sounded tired. But he clearly wasn't too tired to hear the rising terror in my voice.
“Alex. I just got a call from Jared. He said he's in hospital. Then the phone just died. Alex, please. I need to know what's happening.”
I trailed off with a sob. I hadn't realized before how much he meant to me. How much knowing he was okay would change things for me.
“It's okay,” Alex said quietly. “If he called, he's alive. If he's in hospital, he's safe. We'll find out what's going on.”
“You're right.” That made me feel a bit better. “How?” I asked.
“We'll call the hospital,” he said practically. “As far as I know, there's only one in Green River. If he's really there, they'll be able to tell us more.”
I let out a long sigh. “Thanks, Alex. You're wonderful.” I felt a bit silly for not thinking of that. But then, I was really worried.
He laughed. “No, I'm not. I'm stupid. Maybe this is my fault.” He sounded sad.
“Alex! No!”
He sighed. “Darby, I would...”
“You did all anyone can do! If we're going to talk that way I could blame myself too. I mean, how could we have known about this?”
“We knew he was threatened.”
“It was them, wasn't it?” I think I'd guessed the minute he called.
“The guys who beat him up?” Alex clearly thought the same. “I guessed that.”
“Mm.”
We both sat quietly. I didn't know what to say, but I also didn't want to put the phone down. I was so worried and scared. His voice made me feel better.
“I'll call the hospital, okay?” Alex said quickly. “Immediately after I've talked to them, I'll call you. That sound okay?”
“Okay,” I said in a small voice. “Thanks, Alex.”
“Of course.”
He called the hospital, just like he said. Then, about ten minutes later, he called me.
“Darby, he's okay. Pretty beat up, but okay.”
“Whew.” I felt a sudden flood of relief. “How is he?”
“They've fixed his ribs. They'll discharge him tomorrow. Nothing serious.”
I was amazed by the sheer relief that flooded through me, tiring me.
“Whew. Hell, Alex. I can't thank you enough for letting me know.”
“No problem. Now stop worrying, okay? Maybe we can get Uncle to go through and see him or something. And I can talk to Haddon and explain the situation. It's time the police dealt with this.”
I nodded. He was right. “Yes. Thank you. Thanks, Alex.”
“Not at all. Now stop worrying.”
I smiled. In a small voice, I replied. “Yes, Alex.”
We hung up. I sat holding the phone. My mind was a whirlwind. Mostly relief, but also a big worry. I wanted to see him, to check he was okay. I thought about the fact that Uncle would probably go and check on him. That gave me an idea.
I checked my calendar. I did have another two weeks of leave scheduled for this year. I made a decision. Dialed a number.
“Uncle?”
“Hey! Darby!” he sounded pleased to hear me, which was a pleasant surprise – I did feel a bit awkward for having been so distant the last time I saw him. “What's happening?”
“Uncle,” I said. “Look, I... I know that this is weird of me, but...could I come and stay? On Tuesday?”
I waited for the barrage of questions. To my amazement, it never came.
“Sure, Darby,” he said gently. “No problem.”
“Thanks.”
I let out a long sigh of relief. I couldn't quite believe that had all worked out so well. I just had to pack, now. And find a flight. I thought about how expensive a flight for the next day was going to be, but I didn't care. I was going to do this.
I flipped open my laptop and booked a flight. Then I leaned back, letting out a long sigh of relief.
“Jared,” I whispered. “Hang in there.”
I was going to see him on Tuesday.
***
I waited in the hallway outside the hospital room. I felt my heart pounding.
“Okay, Ms. Gilmore. You can go in now.”
I waited at the door, looking down at him. He was lying there with his eyes closed. He looked at peace with the world. He was asleep, or so I thought.
I walked in and sat down by the bed. This close, I could see how bruised he was. His eye was swollen shut, his face purple in places with spectacular bruising. I was amazed his jaw hadn't been dislocated. He had probably lost a tooth or two, but I would find that out shortly.
I didn't want to wake him. He looked so restful. All the same, I reached out to where one of those knotty, muscled hands lay at his side. Flexed loose with sleep, it was at once strong and breathtakingly vulnerable.
I touched his hand. He stirred.
His eyes opened and he moaned. They closed again. Then they opened. Focused.
“What..?”
“Sh,” I whispered. “It's okay. I'm here.”
“Darby?” the incredulity in his voice touched me more than anything else could have done.
“Yes.” I was smiling now. Smiling and crying. “Yes. It's me. I'm here.”
“But you... how?”
He tried to sit up and I could see on his face that it was painful for him to do so. I leaned forward.
“Don't sit up,” I whispered. “Don't do anything. “It's fine.”
He laughed. “Darby. I... ow.” His face contorted with some pain as he laughed. I chuckled too.
“It's okay,” I said. “Don't do anything. Just stay there. It's fine.”
I was holding his hand and it fastened on mine, those strong fingers warm and hard and alive. I squeezed back and we stayed like that, his hand in mine, the ward silent. He was the only patient in there, for which I was grateful. If there had been others, I wouldn't have felt comfortable leaning forward and putting my lips on his.
His eyes flew open with surprise, and I found myself looking down into those pale blue depths.
I grinned and flicked my tongue lightly across the hard, thin lips. He smiled and his tongue came out and probed my mouth. I parted my lips and let him in. His hand, strong and scarred, stroked my hair.
“My fallen hero,” I said.
He laughed. Then he coughed.
“Sure don't feel like... one...” he rasped.
“Don't try and talk,” I whispered gently.
He coughed. “It's laughing...that does it.”
I chuckled. “Well then, don't laugh.”
He grinned. “Now that you say it, all I want to do is laugh. Weird, ain’t it?”
I started laughing and he coughed again and soon we were both laughing – him wheezing and me giggling. If there was a slightly ragged edge to my laughter, it was because of relief. We were still laughing when the nurse walked past. She gave us a weird look, but carried on down the hallway.
Jared made a straight face.
“Oh, Darby. I still can't believe it.”
“I had to come!” I said. “How could you not know how worried I was?”
“Sorry,” he said contritely.
I chuckled. “No. Don't be sorry.”
He nodded. Then, with a gesture that took my breath away, he lifted my hand and kissed it. I felt the sweet, soft touch of his lips all through my body. I sighed.
“Oh, Jared.”
We sat like that, hand in hand, a long while.
“I...they said I could get out of here tomorrow,” he said after a while. “Got to...get to work.”
“No,” I said firmly. “No you don't. You're not going anywhere near a horse, or any kind of heavy yard work, until those ribs are fixed. That's an order.”
“Oh?” he smiled. “That's a change. I think I like it.”
I grinned at him, then slit my eyes. “Well, don't get used to it.”
He laughed. “Yes, sergeant.”
I laughed.
“What happened?” I asked him later.
“Well...I got beat up,” he said with a self-conscious laugh.
“Yes. I saw that bit. I mean...it was them, wasn't it?”
“The gang guys? Yeah.”
I sighed. “Jared...if it wasn't for me, this wouldn't have happened.”
“No!” he sounded horrified. “No,” he said again more gently. “That isn't true. Well...those guys, they're trouble. It's their fault. Not yours. You didn't beat me.”
I chuckled. “No.”
“Well, then?”
“Okay,” I agreed. “But...but the rest...the blackmail. You should tell the police.”
“And admit to being a former gangster myself? I can't.”
I sighed. “You don't have to tell them that bit. I understand you can't do that. But I could go to them. Tip them off about these guys. They did try and steal my purse, after all.”
“True,” he said with a wry grin.
“I'm sure they know about them anyway,” I added. “If we give them an excuse to go looking for them, they'll be glad.”
“True.”
“Besides,” I said. “If we tell your employer the truth, I don't think he'll take it badly.”
“If I do, he might,” Jared said. I could see the light dawning in his eyes. “But if you were to tell him...maybe...”
I nodded. “I can explain it. He'll listen to me, I'm sure of it.” I grinned weakly. “After all, I do have quite some practice in persuasive speaking.” I knew Alex had tried, but as a lawyer I suspected I could carry more weight in this field.
The relief that spread across his face was moving. I squeezed his hand.
“It's all going to be fine,” I said gently.
His eyes looked wistful. I wondered what he was thinking.
“Now, Ms. Gilmore...visiting hours end in ten minutes.” The nurse spoke from behind us, her voice briskly authoritative.
I rolled my eyes. Jared chuckled. The chuckle turned to a wheeze.
“Don't laugh,” I said.
He pulled a face at me. We both laughed.
“Seriously, Jared,” I said gently. “You need to take care of yourself better.”
“I promise I'll try,” he said. He pulled a face. His eyes – those stunning blue eyes – twinkled at me.
I laughed.
“I believe you,” I said.
We sat silently for a while, my hand in his. I sighed.
“I guess I should go before I get thrown out,” I commented.
He nodded. “I suppose.”
Neither of us moved. It felt surprisingly hard, thinking of walking away from him. I made myself stand.
“I'll see you soon,” I promised.
“Good.” He sounded relieved, which surprised me. I smiled down at him.
“Get well soon, huh?”
He laughed. “Okay, sergeant.”
I pulled a face at him. We both laughed.
When I went out into the hallway, I was surprised to find that I was crying, my face damp with tears. I leaned against the wall and took a deep, shuddering breath.
How could I have been so dumb? Weird, how we miss the truth, sometimes, when it is right under our noses. I hadn't noticed until now that I was in love with Jared. I think I always had been from the moment I saw him. It just took me this long to realize it.
“Darby, you can be really dumb sometimes,” I told myself.
But at least now I knew I wasn't going to be dumb anymore. I had made up my mind on this. I was in love with Jared. Besides that, nothing else really mattered, did it? We could work it all out.