Jason
I’ve never been so scared in my life. Derek had called Kristen to tell her the cat was out of the bag, and instead, got to hear the woman he loves, along with the one I love, wreck out, and there’s not a damn thing we can do about it hundreds of miles away.
Tonight was the last night of our tour, and I’ve never been so ready to get home, back to Mallory.
Brett had disappeared after coming to blows with Derek over his relationship with Kristen. To say Brett didn’t take it well would be an understatement—the understatement of the century, more accurate.
Now Derek, Isaac, and I are hauling ass back to Dallas from Tulsa. Derek has been on the phone with his cop buddy, Denny, and he’s been keeping us informed on what he can. He’s given the rundown about everything on Kristen, but damn it, I want to know about Mallory.
“How’s Mallory? Ask him, Derek,” I plead.
“And Camryn?” Isaac inquires anxiously.
“Denny, how’s Mallory?” A muffled voice comes across the line. At Derek’s frown, my heart drops to my feet. Derek pushes the button and Denny’s voice rings out.
“Mallory has a slight concussion and a broken wrist. Camryn has a broken ankle and a laceration to her face. They’re both gonna be fine. I’m trying to keep the questioning to a minimum until Kris gets out of surgery. I’ll call you with any updates.”
Relief washes over me. I’ve never been a religious man, but tonight, I throw up a quick prayer that Kristen pulls through.
After what seems like an eternity, we pull into the parking lot of the hospital. Derek’s out the door before the car completely stops and I bail out right behind him. The front desk is empty, and Derek whips out his phone before barking out what floor we need.
We pile into the elevator, Derek pushes the second floor for surgery, and I push the fifth. I need to see my girl. Put eyes on her. That’s the only way I will truly believe she’s okay.
The elevator creeps to the fifth floor before the doors finally open. An older woman is standing at the nurse's station, and I hurry over to her.
“Mallory Stephens? Which room?” The urgency in my voice causes her to drop the papers she’s holding in her hand.
“Stephens? Room five-oh-four. Down the hall to your right.” She points in the direction, and I take off.
“Thanks,” I throw over my shoulder as I walk quickly toward Mallory’s room.
The door is shut when I get there. Leaning against the jamb, I take a second to gather myself, unsure of what I’ll find on the other side. I knock lightly before opening the door. The room is darkened, a soft light glowing near the floor. The low swish of the IV pump and the rhythmic beeping from the monitor are the only sounds in the room. Walking to the side of her bed, the knot in my stomach loosens for the first time in hours. She looks beautiful lying there with her hair fanned out across the pillow. A small white bandage is lying across the left side of her head at the hairline. Her left arm is in a splint and propped up on a pillow. Her right arm has an IV in the crook of her elbow. Her eyes are closed, her chest is rising and falling rhythmically.
Hearing light footfalls behind me, I turn to see a young woman wearing navy scrubs enter the room.
“Are you family?” she asks with a shy smile.
“I’m her fiance,” I say before I can think better of it, not wanting to get tossed from the room. Don’t let me go to hell for that lie. I mean, eventually it will be true, as soon as Mallory accepts us, so a little white lie isn’t the end of the world. Hopefully, she’ll forgive me. “She doesn’t have any other family.”
“Poor thing.” There’s pity in her gaze as she checks the IV catheter in Mallory’s right arm.
“How’s she doing?” I ask, my eyes never leaving Mallory’s face.
“We’re keeping her comfortable.”
“Good.”
“She has a mild concussion and a hairline fracture in her wrist. It didn’t require surgery, and they’ll cast it before she’s discharged. She’s very lucky.”
“God, I know. It could have been so much worse. Her friend is still in surgery last I heard, and her other friend is on this floor too.”
“The redhead?” she inquires.
“Camryn, yeah.”
“She hasn’t had any visitors either.”
“Give it a few. I’m sure a big, blonde dude will be up to see her. He was checking on our friend in surgery first.” I chuckle in spite of the situation.
“I’ll be on the look out then. She’ll more than likely sleep for a while. Do you want me to bring you a pillow and blanket? Or anything else?”
“No, thanks. I’m good.”
“There are vending machines in the waiting room if you get hungry.” At my nod, she quietly leaves the room.
Moving a chair from the corner of the room to Mallory’s right side, I sit down and clasp her hand in mine, twining our fingers together.
“Jesus, Mal, if I’d have lost you, I don’t know what I would do. I’m ready to see those beautiful eyes. Come back to me, Mal.”
All I get in return is the beeping of machines.
Waking slowly, I hear voices outside Mallory’s room. I recognize Derek’s, but not the other. The door opens slowly, and I blink at the sudden influx of light. Derek, Issac, and a cop walk in, but Issac stops short, saying he’s going to check on Camryn. Derek’s eyes sweep over Mallory’s sleeping form before rounding on the cop, whom I assume is Denny.
“Okay, Denny, what the fuck is going on?” Derek whisper-yells. I glance at Mallory, but she doesn’t even twitch.
“From what I can tell, somehow the power got knocked out at Kristen’s apartment. Someone broke the back slider onto her patio, and the girls went out the front. One of them called nine-one-one, and Kristen called me. I was out on patrol, but I was close. They decided to head to Mallory’s apartment when they were struck by a truck, which was found at the scene. From initial reports, the truck collided with their car, causing it to go off the embankment. It flipped several times. Mallory was driving, Kris was in the passenger seat, and Camryn was in the back. Now, until we talk to the girls, we don’t know what happened after that. When the responding officer arrived, Camryn was on one side of the car, and Mallory was on the other with a body lying on the ground. Kristen was lying halfway out of the car. There was a gun on the ground, and the man from the truck, identified as Josh Anderson, was DOA. One bullet through the head.”
“Jesus fucking Christ. What were they talking about, a previous wound Kristen had?”
“Fuck,” Denny says, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “She was gonna tell you when you got back. She got knifed in the parking lot the night before and had to get stitches. They kept her overnight for observation. She went home yesterday.” He glances at his watch.
“I shot him in the head because that was the only shot I could get. The rest of him was hidden behind the car. I just knew I couldn’t let him take Kris,” a scratchy voice whispers from behind me. All of us turn to look at Mallory, and I move to her side, picking up her hand. She looks at me, then at the others before her tired eyes lock with mine. “Is she okay? What about Camryn?”
“Camryn’s fine. I checked on her a few minutes ago, and she was sleeping. Isaac is in there with her now,” I assure her.
“I’m going back down to the floor Kristen will be on,” Derek says before he leans over and gives Mallory a kiss on the forehead. Denny doesn’t move as Derek exits the room, and I know he has questions.
“You feel like answering some questions, Mallory?”
“I’ll answer what I can. Where do you want me to start?”
“At the beginning.”
“Well, I was born…”
“Okay, not that beginning,” he chuckles. “How about after Kristen was discharged from the hospital.”
“Can I have a drink first? My throat feels like I gargled with razor blades.”
I cast my gaze around the room, spot a plastic mug on the side table, and bring it to her. Pushing the button on the bed, it slowly rises until she’s sitting up. Holding the straw to her lips, she takes a long sip before nodding.
“Camryn and I took Kristen back to her apartment. We ordered pizza and watched a couple movies. Kristen fell asleep on the couch. We had just started the second movie when the lights went out. Cam noticed the other complexes still had electricity when we didn’t, which we thought was weird. We decided to head to my apartment. I woke Kristen up, and she went to get some stuff out of her bedroom. That was when I heard the glass breaking in the back of the apartment. We hauled ass outta the apartment and headed to my place.”
“In your vehicle?” Denny asks as he writes on a small pad of paper.
“Yes.”
“Please continue.”
“We were almost to my place on the long stretch between the main road and the complex,” she looks to me when she says it, and I know exactly where she’s talking about, “when out of nowhere, a truck slammed into us.”
“Can you described the truck?”
“Big, dark colored.The headlights weren’t on. I only caught a glimpse when the clouds parted and the moonlight hit it. He struck the back of the car and made the car spin. I tried to correct, but the next thing I knew, we where upside side at the bottom of the embankment.”
I squeeze her hand when she has to pause, caught up in the memories of the crash.
“It’s okay, Mallory. Take your time.”
“I was just hanging there upside down.” Her voice wobbles as tears pool in her eyes. “I heard Camryn moving in the backseat, but Kristen wasn’t.”
“Kristen was in the passenger seat?”
“Yes, and Camryn was sitting behind her in the back.”
“Okay.” Denny continues taking notes as she details the story, the scratch of the pen on the paper ridiculously loud in the quiet room.
“I was trying to check on Kristen when I heard Camryn say someone was coming toward the car. I didn’t know if it was the person who crashed into us or someone who witnessed the crash.”
“And then?” Denny pushes.
“Well, since if I didn’t know whether it was the lunatic or not, I got my gun out of the console. Just to be on the safe side.”
“Do you always keep a gun in the car?”
“Yes, or on me.”
“Do you have a permit to carry?”
“Yes.” She slowly nods like he’s a dumbass and I duck my head to hide a smile.
“Do you have it with you?”
“At this second, no, seeing as I’m wearing a hospital gown. It’s in my wallet, which is in my purse. And probably still in my car.”
“Point taken. What happened after you got the gun out?”
“I could hear footsteps coming closer but couldn’t see anything. Then Camryn started yelling from the backseat to quit hurting her.”
“Hurting who?”
“Kristen. I looked over, and her body was being jerked from the car.”
“How do you know it wasn’t a concerned citizen trying to help her from the car?”
“If you could have seen the way she was being pulled, you would have seen it was not with concern. He never said a word. Never asked if we were okay. He just started yanking her out of the car.”
Mallory shoots daggers toward him, getting pissed off by the questions. I squeeze her hand to reassure her and subtly reminder not to tick off the cop.
“I’m just asking what I have to, Mallory. It’s not personal. Please continue,” Denny states, matter of fact.
“Camryn and I both climbed out of the car on the driver’s side. I still had the gun in my hand. When I stood up, I yelled at him to get his attention. Once I had a clear shot, I fired. I couldn’t let him hurt her.”
“At any time did you fear for your life or the life of your friends?”
“You’re damn right I was scared for our lives. Who the hell knew what this maniac would do?”
Flipping the pad closed, Denny places it back in his pocket. “That’s all I need for now. I’m sure someone from the department will be contacting you. We will also have to question Camryn and Kristen about the events to corroborate your story.”
“Jesus, Denny, you’re making her sound like a damn criminal.”
“For right now, all we know is there is a man who was shot dead at the scene of an accident. We have to determine what happened, and she has admitted to shooting the man.”
“Does she need a lawyer?” I ask, starting to stand, but Mallory’s hand keeps me from advancing toward the prick.
“I’d get her one ASAP. I believe this was self-defense, but it’s not up to me. I wish to God it were.”
“Thanks, Denny. But I think if you’re going to be here in an official capacity, you need to leave. She’s not saying anymore without a lawyer.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong!” Mallory cries from the bed.
Leaning over, I look her in the eyes. The panic and fear there makes my heart hurt.
“We both know that, baby, but I don’t want them to have anything they can twist around. Denny may be a nice guy, but he’s still a cop. He has to uphold the law.”
“I’m going to leave you two alone. I hope you heal quickly, Mallory.”
I don’t even acknowledge him as he walks out the door. I keep my eyes focused firmly on hers.
“Do you think I’m going to get in trouble?” she asks, biting her bottom lip.
“Not if I have anything to say about it. I’m going to call Brian and see about getting you a lawyer. Don’t even speak to another cop without one.”
“But—”
“I mean it, Mallory. They will twist anything you say around to make you look guilty.”
“Okay. This is such a cluster fuck,” she exasperates.
“Try to get some rest. I’ll go check on Camryn and Kristen and be back with an update.” With a quick kiss on her lips, she lowers her head back to the pillow and closes those beautiful gray eyes.
Quietly, I move to the door to the next room down. Peeking in, Issac is sitting next to Camryn’s bed, head bowed, holding her small hand between both of his. Her eyes are closed, and I’m sure she’s not even aware he’s there. Catching his attention, he places a kiss on her hand before gently laying it back down.
“How’s Camryn?”
“She seems to be okay. Her ankle is fractured, but not too badly from what the nurse is saying.”
“Has she woken up at all?”
“No, they’re keeping her doped up pretty good. She hasn’t moved a muscle.”
“Has her family be contacted?”
“She was lucid enough that she requested they not be called.”
“What the hell is that about?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “No idea.”
“I’m going to check on Kristen and report back to Mal.”
“I’ll come too, that way I can let Red know when she wakes up.”
Together, we move down the hallway toward the surgery wing, both hoping to bring good news back to the woman who mean the world to us.
Movement in the bed has me looking at Mallory. When she blinks her sleepy eyes at me and gives me that small smile, my souls sings. What did I do to deserve her?
“Hey, sleepyhead. You’re getting to break outta this joint today from what the nurse said.”
“That’s good news. Any word on Kristen?”
“No change. She’s holding her own.” Kristen has been placed in a medically induced coma due to her head trauma.
“Are they planning on bringing her out of the coma yet?”
“I’m not sure, but Derek didn't say anything.”
“Did they ever locate her parents?”
“Yeah, they were somewhere in the Mediterranean. They’re supposed to be here in the next day or two.”
“And Camryn?”
“She’s getting to blow this joint too.”
“Is she coming with us? I don’t feel right about her being alone.”
“I don’t think it's going to be an issue.”
“Oh, did her parents come?”
“No. Isaac is taking her home.”
“Isaac? Really? That’s…um, going to be interesting.” She chuckles.
“I just wonder why Adam hasn’t been here. Aren’t they living together?”
“There have been some issues with them. They’re not together anymore.”
That makes things interesting indeed.
Hearing the door open, I see the nurse come in, paperwork in hand. She smiles at Mallory when she see her awake.
“It’s good to see you awake. How are you feeling, Mallory?” the nurse inquires.
“Like I was in a wreck,” she replies, tongue in cheek.
“I bet you do. How’s your pain?”
“Mainly just some stiffness. My head does ache. No double vision or nausea, though.”
“Good. That means you’re free to go. I have a prescription for you for pain medication and a prophylactic antibiotic for the laceration on your head. You ran a low grade fever last night, but none this morning.” She hands Mallory the clipboard and a stack of papers. “Any uncontrolled pain, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness, it’s back to the ER for you, missy.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I have a wheelchair waiting outside. Let’s get that IV out of there and you’re free to go. I’m assuming you’re driving her home?” she asks, glancing my way. At my nod, she starts to remove the IV from Mallory’s elbow.
When the nurse finishes and leaves the room, I look down at Mallory.
“Let’s get the hell outta here and get home. What do you say?”
“I say I’d go anywhere with you, Jason. Just lead the way.”