Aiding Abby (Gold Coast Retrievers Book 10)

by Kim Koby

  With one hand behind her back, the other came to rest on her collarbone.

  In a split-second reaction, Abby panicked and jerked her knee up and connected to his lower torso.

  Ben yelled out and doubled over. “What was that for?”

  Realizing what she’d done, Abby’s eyes flew open wide. “I’m so sorry.”

  He shook his head, backing up. “You’re crazy. Certifiably insane. You know that?”

  Her jaw dropped, and her shoulders slumped. All color drained from her face.

  Ben was cautiously trying to stand back up fully but was in pain. “I didn’t mean—”

  “You should go. I’m sorry I hurt you,” she said.

  “Abby, wait. What happened? What I said…”

  She shook. The memory of being pressed to the wall triggered her, and before she could control it, she reacted, trying to stop the assault. She’d flashed back, his hand on her collarbone, being slammed against a brick wall, unable to move, afraid… “I can’t do this, Ben.”

  She turned away and went inside. Ben tried to talk to her, but she closed the door. Once inside, she collapsed against the door and slid to the floor. Shadow buried his head against her, helping her through the moment. Ben was right. She was crazy. That was never going to change. Hearing him say the words, though, felt like a dagger through her heart. He’d never see her as whole.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Ben was dumbfounded. He knocked on the door, but she wouldn’t answer. After trying multiple times, he gave up and went to his truck. What had gone from an otherwise healthy and happy date, well, all that was left of it were the ashes scattered on the ground.

  He’d been foolish to say those things. He knew it hurt her. He didn’t mean for them to slip out…they were simply expressions to most people. Obviously to her, the words were more painful, like somebody slicing off a piece of her heart.

  On the other hand, she’d reacted strongly by kneeing him. So strongly, that he’d been doubled over in pain. How was that okay? Her physical response was too much. Was it something he’d said or done? They’d kissed each other earlier in the night without a problem. Then at the house, they kissed again. It wasn’t until he’d pressed her to the… His shoulders dropped.

  He’d pressed her to the door. She felt trapped. Just like the night he’d walked away. She’d been assaulted in an alley, pressed to the building, unable to escape. Why didn’t he put it together earlier? Ben shook his head. He had to make things right. There was no driving away until this was resolved. He’d try again…he had to try again. She needed to know he wouldn’t cause her harm. She was safe with him, safe in his arms. He’d forgive her for the momentary response, as much as it smarted.

  He’d need to be more careful, to understand her triggers. Would it be worth it? Or would he always be on edge, worried that that he’d set her off? Maybe it was too much for him to handle?

  He gripped the steering wheel and grunted with frustration. There was no easy answer, but then again, he wasn’t looking for easy. He was looking for happily ever after and was convinced Abby was the one he wanted. If he left, it would be harder to undo the damage.

  Ben got out of his truck and went back to Abby’s front door. He rang the doorbell and knocked. “Abby, it’s me. Can we talk?”

  It took a few minutes, but she finally opened the door. Her face was tear-stained. “Abby?”

  “What do you want?”

  “Can I come inside?”

  “Just say what you need to say.” Shadow sat by her side.

  “This,” he said, pointing between the two of them, “this can work. I messed up. I didn’t think. It didn’t hit me until I was sitting in my truck thinking about what happened.”

  “I didn’t mean to knee you like that.” She avoided eye contact. “I’m going to be honest. It’s not going to work.”

  “Do you want it to?” he asked, now not so sure.

  She looked up at him. The sadness in her eyes haunted him.

  “I shouldn’t have said—”

  “It’s the truth,” she answered.

  “No.” He cautiously lifted his hand to her face. “You’re beautiful, and I don’t mean only on the outside.”

  “I’m broken. PTSD doesn’t fade away and stop existing. I’m flawed.”

  “You’re perfect. And Shadow is a great friend to you.”

  When Shadow first barked, they thought maybe it was due to hearing his name, but in the next minute he bolted through the open door and went after a squirrel.

  “Shadow, wait!”

  Ben turned to run after him, but he was moving fast and heading straight for the road. Ben saw the car coming out of the corner of his eye. He pushed himself and sprinted as hard as he could. He got to Shadow in the nick of time, pushing him to safety. The screeching tires left a trail on the pavement, but there wasn’t enough time to brake completely.

  The sickening thud sent the fireman flying up over the hood of the car. When the car finally came to a complete stop, Ben’s limp body rolled from the hood.

  Everything moved in slow motion. Abby screamed. At first, she thought Shadow was about to be hit, then it was Ben. The impact, the entire thing played out second by second in excruciatingly slow detail. The sound of the collision…

  Shadow ran to Ben’s side and sat beside him. He was dazed and confused. Abby’s phone was in her hand. She was talking to a dispatcher and giving them details. As soon as she got to his side, she knelt next to him.

  “Ben, talk to me,” she pleaded.

  His voice was low, but he was coming around. “I’m here. I’m okay.”

  “There’s an ambulance on the way.”

  The man was panic-stricken. “I didn’t see him until it was too late. The dog, then the guy, then the…”

  Abby nodded, but her only concern was Ben. When the sirens cut through the air, relief washed over her, knowing they’d be there momentarily.

  She scolded Shadow and sent him to go wait by their door. The dog slunk back to the house with his tail between his legs.

  “Ben, you have to be okay,” Abby whispered. “I’m here. I’m not leaving your side. It’s going to be okay.”

  He half smiled, though she could tell he was in pain. “See, I’ll do just about anything to keep you by my side.”

  Abby stroked his cheek. “Oh, here they are.”

  Paramedics rolled up and came over to access the situation. One of the EMTs ran to get a backboard. After they finished, the medics loaded him onto a gurney and headed for the local hospital. Abby had told Ben she’d meet him at the Gold Coast General Hospital. She’d get there just as soon as she could.

  Abby was relieved Shadow was okay, but angry that he’d taken off like that. Ben ended up getting hurt, and Shadow usually listened better. “You’re going to need to stay home. I need to go out without you this time. It would do you good to think about what you’ve done.”

  Shadow seemed apologetic, but it didn’t change the fact that Ben was now headed to the hospital in an ambulance. She grabbed her purse and keys. She put her hand on the doorknob and turned to her dog. “You be good. I’ll be back later.”

  She rarely went out without him. It felt weird, almost lonely this way, but Shadow had caused the accident. What was it with squirrels? He didn’t chase after cats, birds, or other small critters. Even chipmunks didn’t get his attention the same way. Maybe it was the way they flicked their tails or were more daring and got closer. Either way, she’d need to correct that habit out of him before something bad happened again.

  When she arrived at the hospital, she ran into the emergency room area. “Ben Foster was just brought in.”

  “Let me check,” the woman said looking at the new admission. “Let me see if he can have visitors.”

  She dialed back to the triage area, asked, then nodded. “Okay. I’ll let her know.”

  Abby waited as patiently as she could.

  “You’ll be able to go back in about fifteen minutes. They j
ust took him to x-ray to make sure nothing is broken.”

  “Okay, thank you.” She twisted her hands together and went to find a seat in the waiting area. She glanced up at the television. Headline news sprawled across the screen, though the sound was muted. Fifteen minutes. She could wait that long. Fifteen minutes felt like forever. She already missed him.

  With a final okay, she was escorted back to patient area of the emergency room. A nurse pointed to a curtained off section where Ben had been returned to.

  She peeked around the curtain. “Ben?”

  “Abby,” he said with a small smile.

  “Is it okay that I’m here?”

  “Very okay.”

  “How are you doing?” she asked hesitantly.

  He flinched. “I’m sore, but I didn’t break any bones. I feel like I’ve been tackled by an entire football team. There’s some bone bruising and stuff, but rest should fix me up. Where’s Shadow?”

  She glanced away. “I left him at home.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’ll be fine. I was angry with him. If he hadn’t—”

  “He’s a dog. Let him off the hook.”

  “Look at you,” she moved closer, then sat down beside him. “You’re all banged up. This is our fault, not yours.”

  “Nonsense. I’m alive and Shadow is okay. Let’s call it a lucky win.”

  A few minutes later, Ben’s mother appeared. “Ben? Oh, thank goodness you’re okay. The hospital called me as your emergency contact. Dad is on his way.”

  “That’s not necessary, Mom. Don’t panic. I’m fine.”

  “You don’t look fine.” Ben’s mother glanced over at Abby. “And you are?”

  Abby wished she had Shadow beside her. Her social anxiety was creeping up her spine. “I’m Abby, a friend of Ben’s.”

  “Mom, this is the woman I was telling you about.”

  “The one with the dog?” she asked.

  “Yeah. I’d love to introduce her as my girlfriend, but I haven’t asked her yet.”

  Abby’s face turned fifteen shades of crimson red.

  “Is that so?” Ben’s mother turned to size up Abby. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m guessing I’ll get the chance to know you better soon.”

  “I hope so,” she whispered, not sure what else to say. She wanted to crawl out of there and wait in her car. Being there with Ben was one thing but being on the spot with his mother left her feeling uncomfortable. Her stomach twisted. Was it suddenly hot in there?

  “Dad doesn’t have to rush over. There’s no reason. I’ll be released soon enough.”

  “He’ll want to see you’re okay for himself. What happened? I just heard there was an accident.”

  Ben glanced over at Abby. “I wasn’t paying attention. I stepped into the road, and a car was coming.”

  Abby cocked her head to the side. Why was he doing that? That’s not what happened. “Ben?”

  “Anyway, do you want to go check on Shadow? I’ll give you a call a little bit later?” he said. “And about that earlier comment, I’m hoping you’ll consider it.”

  Abby froze. She wasn’t sure what to say. He obviously wasn’t going to mention Shadow running into the road. She reached over and squeezed his hand. “Call me when you get home safely?”

  “I will. I need to let my mom coddle me a bit,” he teased.

  Ben’s mother shrugged. “I don’t get to coddle you much these days, though I wish it wasn’t under these circumstances.”

  “Mrs. Foster, it was nice to meet you, even though the circumstances weren’t ideal.”

  “And you. I hope you’ll come around sometime so we can get to know you better.”

  She nodded but didn’t directly answer. “I should go.”

  She wanted to stay, to sit by his side, to keep checking that he was okay. She finally turned to leave. She mouthed the words, “Call me.”

  Ben nodded. With that, Abby slipped out from behind the curtain and made her way down the sterile and bleached hallways that smelled of disinfectant. The hospital always had such a distinct scent.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Time moved quickly. Ben was back to himself, and back to work. The days they had together before he had to return were spent investing in as much detail as they could about one another.

  “There was this one time,” he started, “when I was new to the fire station. Man, my adrenaline shot up when we went on my first call, but then there was this inferno of a blaze. I’d summoned up as much of my courage as I could, but suddenly I was face-to-face with my mortality. It was mind-boggling. I wanted to push forward and needed to prove something, but my mind and body were in two different modes.”

  “I can’t imagine running into a fire. I’d be running out.” Abby was curled up against him on the sofa. Shadow was on the floor in front of the sofa.

  “I need to get going. Tomorrow, dinner with my folks?” he asked, double-checking.

  She nodded. “They’re okay with me bringing Shadow?”

  “Yep, no need to worry.”

  “Honestly, I’m a little nervous. Your family is nice, but I still always worry I’ll stand out like a sore thumb.”

  “I adore you, that’s all that matters. In fact, one might call it love.”

  Abby’s eyes shot open. “Ben?”

  “What? I said it…” he said with a grin.

  She smiled and nudged his arm. “The feeling is mutual.”

  “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.” He leaned in to give her a quick kiss before standing up. “I better get going. I’ll pick you up at five?”

  “Perfect. That gives me time to get writing done and panic all day that I’ll do something foolish to embarrass myself.”

  “You’re precious,” he teased. “They already think you’re sweet. No need to get yourself balled up in anxiety.”

  “At least I got to meet your mother fully clothed in the hospital. Where as you got to meet Mom and Butch, Well…”

  Ben laughed. “I like Butch. He seems like a nice guy.”

  “I sort of do, too. It’s just weird that she’s dating. I mean, I’m fine with it, it’s just different.”

  “I can picture that. Okay, I’m stalling. I need to leave, or I’ll be late,” he said before excusing himself.

  She chased him to the door. “One more small kiss?”

  He spun around. “I’ll always make time for that.”

  Ben pulled Abby into his arms. He reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Do you realize how beautiful you are?”

  She blushed at the compliment. “If you keep talking to me like that, I’m bound to get an ego.”

  He ran his thumb slowly across her lip. She was desperate for a taste of his sweetness. Abby parted her lips slightly and leaned closer.

  Ben moved in and pressed his mouth to hers. He squeezed her tightly, pulling her softness closer.

  Abby sighed against his lips. She closed her eyes and let the happiness bathe over her. Being in his arms meant everything. She never dreamed that they’d be sharing moments like this, but each one was perfect.

  Ben pulled back. “I need to head out. I can’t be late.”

  “Have a good night,” she called out behind him as he turned toward the door. He’d been put back on the schedule, but he had to do a few weeks of nights before he was allowed back on his regular dayshift. It was part of the situation and protocol. Time off, a bit of counseling, then he’d be allowed back to his usual shift. Tonight, a final visit with his counselor was the last piece of the puzzle.

  Ben was confident that his dare devil days were behind him. Abby had forgiven him, and he understood what drove him into the poor decisions he’d been making. In his guilt, he’d dangled on a wire, trying to make up for a perceived wrong. Thankfully, fate intervened and brought them together. He’d spend the rest of his life keeping her safe in his arms.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “I’m still gob-smacked about everything that happen
ed,” Abby said. She shook her head, thinking back on all that they’d learned. It started with an itch to find more answers about her father’s death and the fire. Had she known where it would all lead… Maybe she wouldn’t have had the courage to dig into the details after all.

  Of course, having Ben in her life made everything worth it. The moment she saw him at the firehouse, she couldn’t help but be attracted to him. He was easily the most handsome man she’d ever seen, and their connection felt almost automatic. Even with her anxiety, there was something about him that helped her feel safer. Their path was twisted and bumpy, but thankfully they worked through the issues.

  Ben poured another glass of sweet tea. “Do you want something while I’m up?”

  “I’m good, thanks. And all this time, right here in our own little corner of the world. It doesn’t seem real. Time has passed, but I still linger on the details and can’t understand. What exactly happened? I mean, I know, but how did it all fall into place? It’s just odd. The thought that there was a trail of illegal drugs and some farmer who’s been a part of our area was a big piece of it is mind boggling. Don’t you think? The tunnel and the fire…sometimes it feels like a movie script and not reality.”

  He put his glass down and stood behind Abby. Working out tension in her shoulders, he massaged them gently. “It’s going to take more time passing before it will all sink in. I think it took the entire community by surprise. Nobody anticipated anything like this. Thankfully, now that he’s been arrested that span of illegal activity will be squashed.”

  “Probably. The fact that Mr. Anderson confessed to killing my father at least offers me closure. I know that he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison, so my father will get some justice in the end. The part that seems like it’s out of a movie is the drug tunnel. They shipped in bags of heroin with the animals? Who does that? I guess the horse trailers went by unnoticed. Nobody suspected that. It’s the kind of weird story you read in a paper, but never think it could happen in your neighborhood.”