Chapter 32
Nick awoke a few hours later and insisted on being taken to Sam’s room. They’d given him a pair of scrubs to wear since his clothes had been cut off in the ER. Because he was more comfortable standing than lying down, he hovered next to Sam’s bed, staring at her pale face, willing her to wake up. Her sisters had encouraged their father to go home when he showed signs of tiring. Nick’s own father spent a couple of hours with him until Nick sent him home, too.
“You really ought to get off your feet, Nick,” Sam’s sister Tracy said at two in the morning.
“I’m fine.” In truth, he hurt from the top of his head to the end of his toes and everywhere in between. But until Sam woke up, he couldn’t think about anything but her.
The door opened, and Freddie Cruz stuck his head in.
“Come in,” Nick said.
“How is she?”
“The same.”
Freddie approached the bed and rested his hand over Sam’s. “Why doesn’t she wake up?”
“I don’t know. They keep saying she will.”
“When?” Freddie glanced at him. “That was a stupid question. Sorry. How are you?”
“I’ve been better.”
“Why aren’t you in a hospital bed?”
“Because I need to be with her.”
Sam’s sister Tracy squeezed Nick’s uninjured arm. “Ang and I are going to find some coffee. Can I get you something?”
He shook his head.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, thanks.” Shifting his injured arm in the sling the orthopedic doctor insisted on, he gasped at the shaft of pain.
“Nick, why don’t you sit for a while?” Angela said.
He bit back the urge to snap at them. “I’m fine,” he said through gritted teeth.
“We’ll be right back,” Tracy said, shepherding her sister from the room.
“Take your time,” Nick whispered after the door closed behind them.
“Getting on your nerves, are they?” Freddie said.
“They can’t take care of her, so they’re determined to take care of me.”
“You look beat up, man.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Um, the media has taken over the hospital lobby?” Freddie said with a sheepish grin.
“Ugh. Blood-thirsty vultures.”
“It’s a big story—the lady cop and the dashing senator in a car crash.”
Not wanting to think about the morning’s headlines, Nick linked his fingers with Sam’s and brought her hand to his lips. “I wish she would just wake up!” When his outburst failed to stir her, Nick tightened his grip on her hand. “How’s your shoulder?” he asked Freddie.
“Better. I’m finally free of the sling.”
“Now it’s my turn.” Brushing the hair back from Sam’s face and trying desperately to get his mind off his worries, Nick said, “So I hear you have a girlfriend.”
Taken aback, Freddie sputtered. “Ah, um, well, I guess.”
Nick laughed softly. “Well, do you or don’t you?”
“I have no idea.”
The younger man’s exquisite discomfort provided Nick with some badly needed entertainment. “What would she say?”
“Probably that I’m a jerk.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because I haven’t seen her or talked to her since the last time we, you know…”
“Ah,” Nick said, enjoying this more with every passing moment. “And why’s that?”
“This isn’t really the time to have this conversation.”
“Give me something to think about other than why she won’t wake up.”
Freddie looked down at Sam for so long that Nick wondered if he was going to say anything.
“It’s just, you know, things got kind of intense sort of fast.”
“You’re in love with her.”
“No! I’m not. I don’t mean intense like that.”
“Then how?”
After another long pause, Freddie muttered, “This is so embarrassing.”
“Just say it.”
“I’ve discovered I like sex. I mean I really like sex.”
Despite the pain it caused him, Nick laughed so hard he wondered if he’d broken a second rib. “And that makes you different from every other guy how exactly?”
“You don’t understand,” Freddie said, taking a sudden and fervent interest in Sam’s blanket.
“What don’t I understand?”
“This thing, with Elin, it’s, um, kind of out of character for me. It’s like I’ve lost my mind and now my dick’s doing all the thinking for me.”
“You sound like a teenager who just got laid for the first time,” Nick said.
“Well…”
Nick stared at him, incredulous. “You’re not saying—”
“Look, I took a vow, okay? It was important to me, but then I met Elin and I’ve become someone I don’t even recognize. All I can think about—morning, noon and night—is sex.”
“You’re making up for lost time,” Nick said, hiding his surprise at Freddie’s confession. “That’s all it is.”
“So there’s not something wrong with me for wanting it all the time?”
“No,” Nick said, laughing. “Welcome to the club. What does she think of your, um, urges?”
“She’s always willing to accommodate them,” Freddie said, flushing with discomfort.
“Lucky you. You managed to hook up with the woman we all dream about first time out of the gate.”
“You’d better watch what you’re saying, Senator,” Sam mumbled.
Nick gasped. “Sam. Babe, open your eyes.”
“Only if you two are done talking about Cruz’s raging hormones.”
“Oh shit,” Freddie whispered, his eyes wide with horror. “How much did you hear?”
The left side of her face lifted into a small smile but her eyes remained closed. “Enough to torment you for the rest of your natural life.”
Weak with relief, Nick bent down to kiss her. “Oh, Samantha, I’m so glad to hear your voice.”
“That’d better be Nick kissing me.”
“Don’t worry. It’s me. How do you feel?”
“Like my head is going to explode.” She finally opened her eyes and looked up at him.
Nick had never been so happy to see her light blue eyes, even if they were heavy with pain.
“I, ah, I’d better go,” Freddie said, backing out of the room. “I’ll let you get some rest, Lieutenant.”
“Call Skip’s house,” Nick said. “Let them know she’s awake.”
“Will do,” Freddie said.
The moment the door closed, Sam laughed and then grimaced at the pain even that small movement caused her. “Clearly, he lost his mind along with his virginity.”
“Try to stay still.” Nick lowered himself gingerly to the edge of her bed.
“You’re hurt,” she whispered. “What happened?”
“You don’t remember?”
“We were in the car.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Someone shot at us. I can’t remember anything after that. Wait! We were going to see Diandra.”
“Don’t worry. Gonzo and Jeannie are on it.”
“Oh, good. So what happened? Did we crash?”
“We chased them, but they shot out one of our tires and the car went airborne and flipped a couple of times. We landed upside down.” Reliving it, his throat closed when he thought about what could’ve happened, what had almost happened. Overcome, he rested his hand on her chest, taking comfort in the steady beat of her heart. “You were bleeding like crazy, and you wouldn’t wake up.”
She reached up to caress his hair.
“Scared the shit out of me.”
“What did you hurt?”
“Broke my collarbone and a rib. No biggie.”
“Nick,” she said on a long sigh. “I’m so sorry. I never should’ve chased them when you were in the car with me.”
“Why not? Would you rather they’d gotten away after shooting at us?”
“I’d rather you hadn’t gotten hurt because of me.”
“While your driving clearly leaves something to be desired, they weren’t just after you.” Smirking, he filled her in on what he’d heard about the gang initiation. “I was worth triple extra points. You were just regular points.”
“And you’re quite proud of that, aren’t you?”
“You know it.”
“I hope you’re not so freaked out that you’re going to run away again.”
The genuine worry on her face made his heart ache, and he reached for her hand. “I can’t. I made a promise. Remember?”
“Yeah. I remember.” Her fingers tightened around his. “You can’t run. Ever again.”
“Your scar is going to be more gnarly than mine,” he said, referring to the scar over his eyebrow from the bombing incident involving her ex-husband.
Her lips lifted into a smile. “Lay down with me.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“I’m so tired, but I can’t sleep without you.”
After hearing that, nothing could keep him from trying. “I’ll give it a whirl.” Moving very carefully, he eased himself down on his right side and attempted to find a comfortable position for his left arm. By the time he got settled, he’d broken into a cold sweat.
“You’re hurt bad, Nick.” She wiped the sweat from his brow.
“I’m much better now that you’re awake.”
“Your chest sounds all wheezy.”
“My lung collapsed in the ambulance. That kinda hurt.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, Samantha.” He brought their joined hands up to rest over his heart and finally allowed himself to give into the exhaustion. “I thought I knew exactly how much I love you, but I found out tonight that it’s way, way more.”
“So does that mean you want me morning, noon and night?” she asked, mocking Freddie.
Nick cracked up. “Don’t make me laugh,” he moaned, his ribs burning from the movement. “I’m begging you.”
“Is that a yes?”
“You bet it is.”
Freddie leaned against the wall outside Sam’s room, his heart racing. I can’t believe I just had that conversation with a United States senator. And Sam was listening! I’m never going to hear the end of this. He wanted to curl up and die of embarrassment. They must think I’m a freaking idiot!
“Everything all right, Detective?”
Startled out of his thoughts, Freddie straightened at the sound of Captain Malone’s voice. “Yes, sir. Lieutenant Holland is awake.”
“That’s great news.”
“I’m going stir crazy sitting around. There’s got to be something I can do to help in the Sinclair case.”
“The doctor cleared you?”
“Not technically, but I feel fine.”
“You can come back when the doc says you can.”
“I’m not due to see him until next week, but I’m ready to come back.”
Malone studied him for a long moment. “All right. Desk duty only. Check in with Gonzo in the morning. See what he needs on Sinclair.”
“Great,” Freddie said, releasing a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
“You’re sure you’re all right? You look kind of funny.”
The conversation with Nick came back to him in a rush of humiliation. “I’m fine.”
“Go home and get some sleep.”
“Yes, sir.” Freddie decided to get the heck out of there before the captain changed his mind about letting him go back to work. In the lobby, reporters came swarming at him.
“Detective, what can you tell us about the condition of the lieutenant and the senator?”
“No comment.” He pushed through them, amazed to realize they had doubled in number since he arrived two hours earlier.
“Are they alive?”
“Yes. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Have you recovered from being shot by Reese?”
“I’m fine.” After only two minutes in the scrum, Freddie couldn’t imagine how Sam and Nick stood the constant intrusion. Outside, the cold air was a welcome relief. Keeping his head down, he headed for his car. One of the reporters chased after him. Freddie saw it was Darren Tabor. Knowing Sam couldn’t stand him, Freddie kept walking.
“Detective. I just need a minute.”
“You’re not getting anything out of me.”
“Wait, Freddie. Seriously, I need to talk to you.”
Tabor’s use of his first name and his urgent tone got Freddie’s attention. “You have one minute.”
“There’s a rumor floating around about Lieutenant Holland.”
“I don’t want to hear—”
“They’re saying she had an abortion years ago.”
Freddie stared at him. Shaking his head, he started to walk again. “That’s ridiculous. Everyone knows how badly she wants kids.”
“This was when she was in college. The source is solid.”
“So what’re you going to do with it?”
“It’s not me you need to worry about. It’s one of the tabloids.”
“Why are you having a sudden burst of conscience? After the way you savaged her during the Johnson case, I expect less from you.”
“I deal in news, not gossip.” Tabor grabbed his forearm. “Freddie. This is going to blow up big time in the next day or two. Someone needs to warn them.”
The idea of someone intentionally hurting Sam—and Nick—killed him. “Why now? I don’t get it.”
“A former receptionist from the clinic sold the story to the Reporter. Apparently, she made a killing thanks to their popularity.”
Freddie felt sick. “How do you even know about it?”
“A buddy of mine is a photographer for the Reporter. He told me on the Q.T.”
“So why do you care so much about giving them a head’s up?”
“I don’t always agree with her, but she’s a straight shooter. She doesn’t deserve this. No one does.”
“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll take care of it.”
“If, you know, the next time you guys need to use the media to advance your agenda, maybe you’ll consider giving me a call?”
Nothing was ever free. “We’ll keep that in mind.”
Darren turned to walk away.
“Tabor.”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for the head’s up.”
“No problem.”
Freddie opened the door to his rattletrap Mustang and got in. He sat there for a long time processing what he’d been told. Tension gripped him as he thought about Sam, who’d been so much more than a partner and mentor. She was like a ball-busting older sister who he’d come to love over the last year of working closely with her. And Nick. Lately, he’d begun to feel like a friend, too. Even though he had a lofty job now, there was nothing lofty about him. Tabor was right when he said Sam didn’t deserve this. Neither of them did.
Under normal circumstances, he’d go directly to Sam, tell her what he’d heard, and offer his help. But since she was in a hospital bed recovering from a serious head injury, that wasn’t an option. What to do? He thought about going to Skip Holland, but due to the nature of the situation, he dismissed that idea.
Nick. He had to tell Nick, but remembering the crowd in the lobby, he didn’t want to go back in there.
Freddie dug his cell phone out of his coat pocket and called Gonzo.
“Yeah. Gonzales.”
“Gonzo. Wake up.”
“I just got home,” Gonzo mumbled. “Got to be back in two hours. This’d better be good.”
“Is Christina with you?”
“What’s it to you?”
“Can I talk to her?”
“What the fuck, Cruz?”
“It’s important.”
After a long pause, Gonzo said, “Hang on.”
Freddie could hear Gonzo waking her up.
“This is Christina.”
“I’m sorry to disturb you.” He swallowed hard. “This is Detective Cruz. I’m Lieutenant Holland’s partner.”
“Yes, I know.”
“I was wondering if you could give me the senator’s cell phone number. It’s urgent that I reach him.”
“He’s in the hospital. You know that. I saw you there earlier.”
“I just left him with Sam, but the hospital is overrun with media, and it’s very important that I speak to him tonight. In fact, after I talk to him, he’s probably going to want to talk to you.”
“What’s going on, Detective?”
“May I please have the number?”
“Fine,” she said, rattling it off.
“Thank you.” Freddie ended the call before she could grill him some more. His stomach grinding with nerves, he dialed Nick’s number and pressed send. It rang four times before going to voicemail. Since he knew Nick was injured and moving slowly, he called back.
He answered on the third ring. “Hmmm, Nick Cappuano.”
“Senator. It’s Freddie Cruz. Are you awake?”
“No.”
“Senator. Wake up. I really need to talk to you.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you, Freddie. I told you that.”
“Senator! Listen to me. Come down to the parking lot outside the Emergency Room, but don’t go through the lobby. It’s full of media.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Nick said. “I can barely move.”
Freddie hated to ask him to come outside, but he couldn’t take a chance on Sam overhearing what he had to tell Nick before they could figure out how to handle it. “It’s about Sam. You have to come, Nick.”
Freddie could tell that Nick was now fully awake. “I’ll be right there.”
“I’ll wait for you in my car.”