“I was afraid and started running, too,” she continued. “I thought I could lose him because I know the woods better, but I wasn’t paying enough attention. I planned to run close to this hill because I knew where it was located. I thought maybe he would fall down, injure himself or at least be distracted, but I was the one who fell.”
“It’s okay,” he reassured her, pressing a solid kiss to her forehead. “You’re okay. Couldn’t you get back out once you fell?”
She gestured toward her ankle. “It really hurts. I can’t put any weight on it. I didn’t know what I was going to do. At first I just sat here because I could hear him searching for me up there. Every time I thought it was okay he would circle back and I would hold my breath waiting because I knew there was nothing I could do if he found me.”
Jack could feel her fear and pulled her tight against him. “You’re okay. I won’t let anything happen to you. What happened after that?”
“I just waited him out, was as quiet as I could possibly be. Eventually he left and Susan confirmed it, but I couldn’t get out.” The tears were back and her throat was thick. “I didn’t know what to do. I tried using my phone, but I didn’t get any service. Finally I sent Susan for you. I figured it was my only shot, although I didn’t know if you would be able to hear her.”
“I heard her.” Jack rubbed his cheek against her soft skin. “I heard her and I came right away. She led me right to you.”
“That’s good.” Ivy swiped at her runny nose with her dirty finger. “Now, how are we going to get out of here? I’m starving and I want a really long bath. I also want you to spoil me all night.”
He laughed. It was such an Ivy thing to say. “I bet we can work something out. Although ... I’m not sure how I’m going to get you out of here.”
At that exact moment, he heard someone calling his name and lifted his head.
“Brian?” Ivy asked after a beat.
“It must be. I guess he followed me. I took off like a crazy person. At least I’ll have help getting you out of here, though. That’s something, right?”
“Yeah. I really am hungry.”
He grinned. “You’re really going to the medical center before we even think about dinner.”
“But ... it’s just a sprain,” Ivy protested.
“Yeah, I’m going to want a doctor to tell me that. You’re going to have to suck it up.”
Ivy wasn’t thrilled, but she didn’t see where she had a choice.
DR. MARTIN NESBITT HAD KNOWN IVY SINCE she was a small child. He hadn’t hesitated when Jack called from the road and asked him to stay. He was ready, a room fully prepped, and he immediately went to work on his patient when Jack swept into the room carrying Ivy. He barely paid any attention to the three men with Jack, although he only recognized Brian.
“And what have you been up to, young lady?”
Ivy was rueful. “I kind of fell.”
“Probably because she was poking her nose into other people’s business,” Archibald offered.
Jack shot him a death glare. “Why are you here again?”
“Hey, without me, you never would’ve gotten your girlfriend up that hill.”
“Fiancée,” Jack snapped. “She’s my fiancée. Stop calling her my girlfriend.”
Surprised, Ivy pressed her lips together and flicked her eyes to Brian. He looked as perplexed by Jack’s reaction as she felt.
“It’s okay,” Ivy said hurriedly, grabbing his hand and pulling him closer to the gurney as Nesbitt began examining her swollen ankle. “I don’t care what he says. It doesn’t matter.”
Jack held Archibald’s defiant gaze for an extended beat and then turned back to her. “Are you in pain?”
“That seems like a loaded question given where you brought me,” she replied. “I mean ... I told you it was just a sprain. It’s fine. I need a bath and food, though.”
“Honey, I’m going to make sure you get both just as soon as the doctor here gives you a clean bill of health. I want to make sure you don’t have a head injury or anything.”
“I didn’t hit my head.”
“You should go with the head injury thing,” Archibald suggested. “That might explain some of your recent behavior.”
Ivy narrowed her eyes as she gripped Jack’s hand tighter. “Seriously, why are you here?”
“We were having a conversation with Brian and Jack when he just took off out of nowhere,” Halsey explained. “It was really weird. He seemed to know that you were in trouble.”
“Oh, well ... .” Ivy had no idea what to say. How was she supposed to explain what happened? There was nothing she could say to cover her tracks.
“She texted me,” Jack volunteered, taking Ivy by surprise. “Once she fell and regained her senses, she texted me to tell me what happened.”
“See.” Brian’s smile was thin-lipped and tight. “I told you it was something like that.”
“I didn’t see you with your phone in your hand, though.”
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you.” Jack embraced the lie. “I was sick of listening to you two so I got my phone out to text Ivy. That’s when I saw that she’d texted me a few minutes earlier with her predicament. That’s why I took off the way I did. I knew I needed to find her before it grew dark.”
“But ... you seemed to know right where to find her.” Halsey refused to let it go, something that frustrated Jack to no end. “You knew to park at her nursery. You knew where to go in the woods. It seems to me that there’s enough land there that it should’ve taken you a lot longer to find her. You headed straight toward her, though.”
“How do you know?” Brian challenged. “You were with me.”
“I saw the spot where she was found. It was buried pretty deep. I just find it interesting that he was able to pinpoint her location the way he did. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I grew up in those woods,” Ivy volunteered, her fingers shaking as Jack traced soothing lines on her palm. “I know them better than anyone. Jack and I hike all the time. I’ve told him various stories about those woods, including that hill. That’s where I first hurt my ankle when I was a kid. My brother and I were screwing around and I fell. He knew right where to find me.”
“I see.” Halsey didn’t look convinced. “Well ... that’s still quite the feat. You should be a bloodhound, Jack.”
Because he was agitated and didn’t want Ivy to pick up on it, Jack flashed her a comforting smile and gave her a quick kiss. “Stay here with the doctor, huh? I’ll be right back. I promise to get whatever you want for dinner, including a big tub of ice cream, before we go home. Then I shall proceed to dote on you.”
Ivy returned the smile, but she remained unsure. “Where are you going?”
“Not far.” He moved his lips to her forehead. “I’ll be right back.” He glanced at the doctor. “Don’t let her get up and I’m going to want to hear a diagnosis from you, not her. She’s going to play it down no matter what it is.”
Nesbitt chuckled. “I know that. It shouldn’t take me very long. I’m going to get an X-ray just to be on the safe side. I’m not thrilled with how swollen her ankle is.”
“It’s nothing ice cream can’t fix,” Ivy suggested lamely.
Nesbitt patted her knee. “Just lay back and be calm. This shouldn’t take too long.”
“I’ll be right back,” Jack promised her, pressing a kiss to her palm. “Don’t worry. Everything is going to be okay.” He inclined his head toward the door and walked through it, waiting until the other three detectives joined him to unleash his full temper. “Why are you giving her grief? Do you have any idea what could’ve happened to her out there?”
Halsey was clearly taken aback. “I’m not trying to give her grief. I was simply trying to figure out how you managed to find her. I mean ... that was some superhero stuff right there. She should be the one doting on you tonight, not the other way around. If it hadn’t been for you, she could’ve died out there exposed to the elements.”
Jack had already figured that out himself. He didn’t want to dwell on it. “Well, she didn’t die. She also doesn’t need further grief from you two.” His eyes were full of warning when they snagged with Archibald’s amused orbs. “I wasn’t joking earlier. I want you to stay away from her. If you don’t, I’m going to file a complaint with the state.”
Brian made a groaning sound deep in his throat. He figured Jack was going to go that route, but he really wished his partner had thought better of it. Now Archibald was going to start posturing and they were all going to be worse for it.
“You’re going to file charges against me?” Archibald turned haughty. “Go ahead. Maybe I’ll file some charges against you. How does that sound?”
“Dan, don’t make things worse,” Halsey warned.
Archibald ignored him. “I think the state board will be thrilled to know how it is that your girlfriend got up to see Bethany Parker today. I also think they’ll want to know how you go out of your way to protect her even though she’s a suspect in an attempted murder.”
Jack was officially at his wit’s end. “She’s not a suspect. And, if you want to go that route, be prepared for a war. I’ll trot out every person Ivy has ever helped. There are people who think she’s a virtual saint, including me.”
“Do you think I’m afraid of her friends? Come on.”
“You should be. I’ll also be gifting the state board your disciplinary file at the same time.”
“Oh, geez.” Brian slapped his hand to his forehead. “This isn’t good.”
Halsey nodded in agreement but remained silent.
“How do you have my disciplinary file?” Archibald spat. “Those are sealed records.”
“Not really. They were pretty easy to get.” Jack licked his lips and glanced over his shoulder to make sure Ivy was still safely in bed. She looked to be craning her neck to get a gander at what was happening in the hallway, but otherwise she was immobile. “I’m done playing games with you,” he hissed when he turned back. “I will do whatever it takes to protect Ivy. That means you’re out of her life.”
Archibald’s eyebrows flew up his forehead. “She’s a suspect. You can’t cut me off from her. You’ll lose your badge.”
“Try me.” Jack’s voice was low and dangerous. “I will protect her because she deserves to be protected. Don’t come near her again. Don’t touch. Don’t look at her. Don’t threaten her. Just stay away.”
“And if I don’t?”
Halsey moved swiftly, sliding between his partner and Jack before the taller detective could start throwing punches. “I don’t think there will be any need to bother Ms. Morgan again,” he said quickly, his eyes pleading when they landed on Brian. He obviously needed help. “I promise to keep my partner away from Ms. Morgan. Hopefully this ankle injury will mean she’s sidelined from the investigation.”
“That will allow us to do our job and find out the real culprit,” he continued. “I apologize if anything untoward happened this afternoon. You can rest assured that it won’t be ignored. There’s no reason to take this outside of the four of us.”
“I agree,” Brian volunteered as Jack shot him a quelling look. “This can all end right here. We’ll go our separate ways and call it a day.”
“That sounds like a fabulous idea.” Halsey grappled with Archibald as he tried to remove him from the room. “Knock it off,” he hissed after a beat. “You’ve caused enough trouble for one day. The chief is going to be ticked. You need to start worrying about your own skin instead of posturing.”
Archibald continued to glare at Jack for what felt like forever and then he slowly looked at his partner. “This isn’t my fault.”
“It’s never your fault ... but it is. We need to get out of here right now. You’ve done enough.”
15
Fifteen
“The good news is that it’s not broken. The bad news is that it’s a severe sprain and you need to stay off it if you want it to heal properly.”
Ivy was expecting the news but that didn’t mean she was happy about it. “It’s just like when I was a kid.”
Jack, who had been largely quiet as he sat on the bed with her waiting for results, stirred. “What’s just like when you were a kid?”
“My ankle.” Ivy recognized she was being unnecessarily petulant — she was ridiculously lucky given the circumstances — but she couldn’t stop herself. “I injured it when I was a kid. Max knocked me down and I rolled my ankle. It hurt ... a lot.”
“I remember.” Nesbitt smiled at her. “You were crying when he brought you in. He had you on his back. He was trying not to cry because you were crying. I remembered thinking you were quite the pair.”
“I had to spend half the summer stuck in the house.” Ivy was rueful as she rubbed her forehead. “You don’t think this is going to be like that, do you?”
“I have no reason to believe that. Your initial injury was very severe. I actually considered surgery, but your parents wanted to wait it out. They turned out to be correct.”
“Yeah. It’s just ... Jack and I are getting married in a few weeks.” Ivy kept her eyes on her lap as she plucked at her jeans. “I want to be able to walk down the aisle.”
“Ah,” Nesbitt grinned and winked at Jack. “I think, as long as you take it easy over the next few days, you should be fine. You’re an adult now, Ivy, and this isn’t as severe of a sprain. I think you’ll be absolutely fine as long as you don’t aggravate the injury.”
“So ... no walking.”
“No walking,” he agreed. “I want you to stay off your ankle for at least a week, even if it starts feeling better.”
“Wait ... that doesn’t mean bed rest, does it?”
She looked so horrified at the thought that Jack could do nothing but chuckle. “I think bed rest sounds amazing. I wish I could be there with you for the whole week, but I’ll make sure to carve out some time.”
She shot him a withering look. “Don’t talk dirty in front of the doctor. He doesn’t like it.”
“Actually, I simply pretend I don’t hear it,” Nesbitt countered. “As for bed rest, that’s not necessary. You can’t do anything strenuous, though. Tonight, for example, I want you to relax with your foot elevated. Ice packs can only help. I actually recommend some bags of frozen peas. They work best.”
“We have plenty of those at our house.” Jack cracked a smile as he moved his hand to the back of her neck. “What about crutches?”
“I can get you a pair if you feel they’ll be necessary.”
“It’s probably best. As much as I would like to carry her around like a princess, I can’t be there twenty-four hours a day. Plus there’s that whole bathroom thing that I think will make both of us uncomfortable.”
“You’ve got that right,” Ivy muttered, causing both men to crack a smile.
“If she’s very good and promises not to walk on it at all for the next two days, can she go back to work on crutches as long as she sits and doesn’t put weight on it?” Jack queried.
“Is there a reason she can’t take the entire week off?” Nesbitt asked blankly.
Jack nodded without hesitation. “She’ll go stir crazy, and take me around the bend with her. I’m trying to mitigate a disaster here. If I can offer her something to look forward to, it might make things easier to deal with tomorrow.”
“What’s going to be so hard to deal with?” Ivy challenged. “I have to rest for a week. No walking. I’ll make it work ... if only so I can walk down the aisle to you.”
He went gooey at his core thanks to her serious expression. “You’re going to be the most beautiful bride ever. I guarantee you’ll be able to walk to me by then. Have a little faith.”
She lifted her eyes and smiled ... although her curved lips slid down into a grimace almost immediately. “What about my community service?”
Jack hadn’t even considered that. “I’ll call the judge myself. It’s not for another two weeks. It’s going to be fine.”
<
br /> “No, no, no.” She vehemently shook her head. “They could give me more time, Jack. If I don’t finish before the wedding I can’t go on a honeymoon. Oh, this is the worst.”
He stared at her for a long beat and then let loose a sigh. “Okay, you’re clearly at the end of your rope. You’re not even thinking clearly.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and stood. “Let’s get your crutches and take you home. You’ll feel better when I get some food into you.”
“How can I feel better knowing that we can’t even go on a honeymoon now?” She was morose to the point of crying, which was something she rarely did.
When Jack turned to look at the doctor he found the man watching her with a mystified look on his face. “Don’t worry about her. She’s had an emotional couple of days. She needs pizza, hot chocolate, that mean cat of hers, and a good ten hours of sleep.”
“I need a bath, too,” she groused.
“And a bath,” Jack conceded. “She’s just feeling sorry for herself. I can’t really blame her given what happened. I got lucky to find her at all, although I would’ve been out there the entire night looking for her if she didn’t come home. Still, between witnessing the shooting and this ... I don’t think she can take any more. She needs to decompress.”
“Don’t forget about the community service,” Ivy added. “My life really sucks right now. You’re the only bright spot.” She paused for a second, something occurring to her. “What’s the bright spot in your life right now?”
He smiled at the question. “You’re always my bright spot, even when you’re trying to bring the room down. Now, come on. You’re freaking the doctor out and I need to get you home. It’s late and we’re both exhausted. We need some downtime together.”
The suggestion actually made Ivy smile. “Can we get vegetarian pizza with no meat so I don’t have to worry about the meat juices getting on my dinner?”
That wouldn’t be his first choice, but he nodded without hesitation. “Consider it done.”
“IVY, DON’T TRY WALKING OUT HERE on your own. I’ll be in there to get you in two seconds.”
Wicked Reunion Page 14
