Chapter 14

 

Nick sat in one of the waiting room chairs, his right arm in a sling. Ernie had recovered from his head wounds and was at home resting. Tony hadn’t been injured, but he and several other officers sat in the waiting room Tim circled for at least the fiftieth time. Merriweather leaned against the far wall, speaking quietly into his cell phone, his wife beside him, hugging her arms around her body as she chewed her bottom lip in worry. Manny was in recovery. The gunshot wound to his shoulder hadn’t been too severe. The glass had caused the most damage, scraping up his face and hands.

“Sal’s spilling everything,” Merriweather said as he approached Tim. “About your parents and the last company he worked for.”

“And the other board members? Did they know?”

“There is some suspicion on Catherine Tullen, but the others are clean.”

Catherine. It figured. “She brought Sal in.”

“I’m sorry, Tim. If we had any idea it went this deep…” He trailed off, at a loss for words, but it was all right. Tim would walk away from everything, wipe his hands clean, and start over.

“It’s been hours,” he whispered. “Why haven’t they come to talk to us yet?”

Merriweather frowned. “I don’t know. She’s strong, though. She’ll make it.”

Rubbing his hands over his face, Tim prayed he was right. With everything else in his life turning out to be one big, fat, fucking lie, he was not ready to lose the only true thing left: his love for Chris. He paced the small space until the doors at the end of the hall opened. A man in green scrubs hastened to them, pulling his mask down from his face.

“Are you all here for Detective Harrison?” he asked.

“Yes,” Tim announced, frantic for news. “How is she?”

“The bullet came close to her kidney, but she was lucky. The bleeding took a while to stop, but she’ll be fine. Weeks of bed rest, mind you, but she’ll pull through. We’re moving her to recovery.”

Tim’s legs gave out, but Merriweather and a few other officers were there to catch him, holding each other up in their relief to hear she would make it.

“I’ll let one visitor sit with her. Does she have family here?”

“She has her boyfriend,” Merriweather answered and nodded encouragingly to Tim. “Tell her we’re thinking of her and we’re all here waiting for her to get better.”

Tim shook his hand and followed the doctor down the hall to the recovery wing of the hospital. He directed Tim to a door and smiled.

“It’ll be a while before she wakes up, and don’t let her strain herself when she does.”

“I’ll do my best,” he whispered. The doctor moved away down the hall, and taking a deep breath, Tim pushed open the door and stepped inside. The rhythmic beeping of her heart monitor made his gut clench and seeing her lying in bed, pale and bruised from the fighting, reminded him too much of the nightmare he’d had. “Chris.”

He reached the bed and held her hand securely in his. Words failed him, so he simply watched her, kissing each knuckle, and when his eyes drooped out of sheer exhaustion, he dragged the chair to her bedside and laid his head on his arms. She would live. His fingers strayed to her wrist, the thumping beneath her skin reassuring him she was really there. He closed his eyes and fell sleep.

***

A hand held hers, warm and solid. Chris clung to it, her eyes blinking open. Soft sunlight flowed through the blinds. Morning? Or was it setting? She pushed her hand to the bed to sit up, but pain ripped across her side and she gasped.

“Chris?” A head popped up at the side of the bed, and she frowned at the ragged face staring back at her. “Can you hear me?”

“Tim?” Her voice was rough and raspy.

“Yeah, it’s me. How do you feel?”

She swallowed, her mouth parched. “Like I was hit by a truck.”

“Close enough.” He poured her a cup of water and held it to her lips so she could sip it. “You scared the shit out of me—all of us, actually.” He set the cup down and reached for her hand again. “Do you remember what happened?”

The memories were fuzzy around the edges, but one stood out in perfect detail. “Shot…by that bastard.”

He smirked. “Yes, but that bastard is dead.”

“Dead?”

“Merriweather shot him in the head. He’s not coming back.” He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, and lowered his gaze. She swore she caught a glimpse of moisture shining in his eyes when he murmured, “You saved my life. Again.”

She smiled the best she could through the pain. “You expected me not to?”

“I know, you’re the one with the gun, but please, no more jumping in front of bullets for a while.”

“No promises.” She lifted her gown and peered at her bandaged side. She’d have a nice new scar to remind her of this momentous occasion. Simone Dowell was dead, really dead. She sighed and rested back against the pillows.

“Sleep if you need to.”

“Will you stay?”

He nodded, kissing the back of her hand. “Sleep, Chris. It’s over, all of it.”

Her eyes fluttered closed and she drifted into peaceful nothingness. Simone was dead and the case on Jeff’s death could finally be closed. Words Tim had mentioned at his office niggled at her mind. Whatever she needed to know, he could tell her when she woke up again.

***

“Ahem.” The doctor cleared his throat in the doorway of Chris’ hospital room.

She blushed, and Tim shook with laughter as he removed his lips from hers. “Yes, Dr. Brian?”

“You are supposed to be resting, yet every time I come in here to check on you, your lips are attached to his,” Dr. Brian scolded as he fought back his own laughter. “Do you want to go home or not?”

“Well, I don’t plan on staying here forever,” she blurted.

“Then stop snogging every ten minutes and I’ll consider letting you go home in a few days. Your stiches can come out then, too.”

“Two weeks I’ve been stuck here,” she complained. “It’s unbearable.”

“Well, the next time you’re shot, ask the one doing the shooting to hit you in a less dangerous place—like nowhere. That would be nice.”

“I’ll make sure to do that.”

“Hmm,” Dr. Brian mused. He tucked her chart back at the foot of her bed and left them alone.

“He’s right,” Tim told her, pacing around her bed to pick up a stack of papers off the table in her room. “You’re supposed to be resting. Maybe I should leave for a while.”

“Don’t you dare,” she whined, crossing her arms in a pout. “I’ll die of boredom in here.”

He tilted his head back and forth. “Perhaps, but I’ll have to leave at some point.”

“And why is that?”

He teased her with the stack of papers. “I’m not sure I should show you. It might be too much excitement for you.”

“Tim, if you don’t show me, I’ll hop out of this bed and Dr. Brian will come in here and yell at you.”

“And then he’ll make me leave,” he pointed out.

Chris clamped her mouth shut, annoyed, and held out her hand. “Please?”

“Only because you asked so nicely.” He handed the papers over, and Chris thumbed through them, confused. “Do you hate all of them?”

She stared at the pages of real estate listings outside of the city, cute little houses with yards and large front porches. “I’m confused.”

“About?”

“These are houses.”

“I realized that when I printed these out for you,” he said slowly. “I fail to see the issue.”

“Tim,” she sighed, “you’re broke, remember? And I can’t afford one of these places on my income.” He beamed at her and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking like a kid at Christmas. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“I’m leaving the company, and since I was found innocent of all charges, the board decided to give me a parting gift to ensure I wouldn’t sue them all for what Catherine and Sal did to my company, my name, etc.” He swiped his thumb across his phone and flipped it around to show her the screen. “I think we can afford a new home.”

Chris gagged at the number on the screen. “Holy shit!”

“Pretty much what I said too. It might not be a billion, but I think we can manage for a while.”

“You think?” A quarter of a billion dollars was certainly more than enough to land them a nice house to start their lives together. They spoke of little else while she waited to be released from the hospital. She spread the papers out on the bed, and the next few hours passed with them deciding which ones they wanted to see in person and which ones she said made her question his taste in architecture.

“Are you two decent?” Merriweather called from the doorway. “Doc said to yell at you again for snogging.”

“Whatever,” Chris muttered as he stepped inside, followed by Cheryl.

“You look better,” she said, hugging Chris close. “How are you feeling?”

“Stir crazy.”

“Understandable, and I see we’re house hunting. Oh, that one’s very nice,” Cheryl said, pointing to an all-stone house, two-storied with a decent amount of land attached to it.

“It’s in the maybe pile, don’t worry. Did you come to visit or on business?”

“Both,” Merriweather said, but he looked at Tim. “We’ve settled the matter of your parents’ part in Simone Dowell’s business. You’ll be happy to know we found no proof your father was involved in running drugs. He only changed numbers, and from what we gathered, he was blackmailed into doing it.”

“How? What did they have on him?”

“Apparently, at one time, he’d let a few mistakes slip by, not thinking they would be disastrous to the company, but they’d lost money for several of their largest clients. It appears Simone was also ready to frame your father for a few other crimes.”

Tim hung his head, and Chris reached out for his hands. “At least you know now.”

“Yeah, I do,” he mumbled. “I still can’t believe it.”

“Then remember them for who they were,” she insisted. “It’s not good worrying over the past.”

His eyes widened. “I’m sorry, did those words just come out of your mouth?”

She smacked his arm playfully. “Whatever. Accept it and move on. That’s our new motto, right?”

“As soon as you decide on a house, it will be.”

“This one,” she said, holding up the stone house with the land attached. “Plenty of room for some friends for Mini.”

He held the paper and nodded in agreement. “I’ll make the call then.”

“Don’t go see the house without me,” she warned.

“Then get yourself better so you can go with me.”

Chris mocked him behind his back, knowing he was right. She spoke with Cheryl about the girls and what she would do while on leave from the force. Chris honestly had no idea. The one year she was gone was spent mourning Jeff and wallowing in misery. This time, she could be with the man she loved and see where their lives decided to take them. Another possibility hovered on the horizon, and she wondered if Tim would be game for that adventure, too. The idea of him chasing after a few kids of his own made her grin. So many possibilities. All she had to do was live her life.

No more vengeance, no more worrying. They could be together.

***

“You really don’t have to come with me,” she told Tim again.

He squeezed her hand, wanting to burst out the reason for him tagging along, but he had to wait a few minutes longer. “I wanted to make sure you were settled in all right. It’s been awhile.”

“Six months,” she groaned. “I can’t believe they told me to stay away so long.”

“It gave you a chance to relax and get us moved into our new home. You’re happy there, right? Not changing your mind on me?”

She paused on the stairs up to the bullpen. “Why would I change my mind?”

“Something Manny told me.”

“Manny. Of course it has to do with that great oaf.”

The small item in Tim’s pocket burned a hole and he itched to draw it out. Not yet. Cheryl will kill you.

“You okay? Looks like you swallowed a lemon,” she remarked.

“I’m worried about you coming back, I guess. Wondering if it’s too soon.”

“Do you want me hanging around the house twenty-four-seven for another six months?”

He cringed. “No, I like the furniture where it is, and if you paint the house one more time, we’ll start losing square footage.”

“I only painted twice,” she mumbled.

“And our bedroom four times and the kitchen five—oh, and you painted the inside of the garage.”

“Exactly. I’m driving you crazy at home, which is why I need to get back to work.”

She stepped out on the landing and turned the corner to walk into the bullpen. The place was swarming with cops and detectives, more than normal. Chris frowned but didn’t say anything about it as she strode to her desk, smiling and nodding at everyone they passed. She dropped her leather jacket on her desk and planted her hands on her hips.

“Right, what are you up to?” she demanded.

“Me? Why would I be up to anything?”

“Because the entire police force is here,” she said, waving her arms wide.

“If I can have everyone’s attention please!” Merriweather bellowed, and the room fell silent as he strode through the crowd towards Chris. “We are here tonight for two reasons. One, to welcome Detective Chris Harrison back to the homicide division.”

Applause and cheers erupted, Manny’s booming yell echoing over their heads.

“And secondly,” Merriweather yelled, waving his hands for silence, “well, secondly…that comes down to you, Tim.”

He reached into his pocket, and as Chris turned back around to face him, he sank to one knee in front of her.

“Oh, God,” she whispered.

“Chris, we sort of fell into each other’s lives, and after you saved my ass three times, I realized it would be stupid of me to try and live without you,” he said as a few of the cops laughed. “I loved you from the second you stomped into my office, and every day, that love continues to grow. Marry me? See where life takes us next?”

He held up to her the solitary diamond on the white gold band. She gulped, but the smile that broke across her face was priceless.

“Yes, definitely yes!”

He let out the anxious breath he held as he slipped the ring onto her finger. More cheers exploded around them. She leapt into his arms and he kissed her, smiling wide. This wasn’t even the best part of the surprise.

“Where is the bride?” Cheryl announced, carrying a garment bag over her shoulder.

Chris broke free of the kiss and frowned. “What is that?”

“This, my dear, is your wedding dress.”

“My what?”

“You didn’t think we would let you two wait to get married? Nope, we all missed out on that chance before. No one’s taking that risk again.” Cheryl took her arm and with a wink to Tim, dragged her away. “Come on, let’s get you dolled up.”

Her protests died on her lips, and the happiness in the look she shot Tim told him this was the right idea. He’d spent the last six months planning this out perfectly with Merriweather and Cheryl. Chris loved him, he had no doubt about that, but when her time to return to the force drew closer, he saw the worry in her eyes he would be in danger again because of her. There wasn’t a chance he would let her push him away.

“You ready to get married?” Merriweather asked Tim as they stepped into his office to change into their tuxedos.

“More than ready,” he breathed.

“Good. I’m happy to consider you family, Tim.” He held out his hand for Tim’s, shaking it heartily. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to find my notes so I can marry the two of you properly.”

Tim dressed, unable to stop grinning. Less than a year ago today, he feared he would wind up a lonely old man with his cat and his cheesy romance movies. Then he nearly lost his life and the life of the one he loved and everything changed. He couldn’t imagine life without Chris. He stepped back out to the bullpen to see the desks dragged to the side to make an aisle. Merriweather stood at the far end and Tim joined him, staring expectantly down the aisle. Cheryl appeared first, her daughters at her sides, tossing petals down on the floor in their wake. The three scooted off to the right and everyone turned to wait for the bride.

When she stepped into view, Tim’s eyes burned with unshed tears as his heart swelled with love. She wiped hastily at her eyes, smiling as she walked towards him wearing an elegant, short, white dress that fit her body perfectly. The simple bouquet of white roses was clasped in her shaking hands. Manny hugged her when she passed him, as did several of the other officers. She stopped beside Tim, reaching for his hand.

“Ready?” he asked.

“I am.” She leaned in to whisper in his ear, “I guess now is a good time to tell you this is not the only surprise today.”

He stared at her smiling face, and she lowered her bouquet, letting it rest on her belly. “You’re… pregnant?” he gasped.

Merriweather started in surprise, and Cheryl clapped her hands. “Surprise,” Chris told him happily.

He hugged her, kissing her cheeks and lips. “We’re going to be parents. We’re having a baby!”

“Can we marry you first?” Merriweather asked through his chuckling.

“Right, sorry,” he said, but he hardly focused on the ceremony. Within minutes, he and Chris repeated their vows to one another, and she slipped a ring he provided onto his finger as he placed the simple wedding band on hers. When it was over, Merriweather held up his arms.

“May I introduce you all to Mr. and Mrs.—and soon to be baby—Tim Jones!”

Chris lunged into his arms and he caught her, kissing her with everything he had as the entire station cheered for them. He didn’t need to hear the words from her lips, just as he knew she didn’t need to hear them from him. Their love was felt by everyone in the room that day, and as they walked back down the aisle, she took his hand and rested it over her belly.

Their love was all they needed. It always would be.