by Janie Crouch
Shane wanted to catch this person, not only because he didn’t want to do personal security for the rest of his life, but he wanted to make sure Chloe was safe.
Shane didn’t kid himself into downplaying how right it felt to have Chloe in his home. How having her there somehow made it his again, not just Grammi’s. And knowing that the two women had known each other—liked one another—somehow made it all even more perfect. He’d talked to Chloe about how he’d snuck in under her defenses, but the truth was, she’d done the exact same thing to him without even trying. Just by being her half-crazy self.
He had no idea what any of this meant, just knew he wanted to get home to her as soon as possible. Home to her. Not something he’d ever expected to be saying again.
And yet somehow it didn’t freak him out.
He was still smiling when he pulled into his driveway. He shifted the grocery bags so he could open his front door.
“Honey, I’m home!” He smiled knowing Chloe would roll her eyes as soon as she heard the words, and waited for her smartass response.
It didn’t come.
Terror shot through Shane as he saw Chloe’s legs on the floor half out of the dining room where she’d been working last. The grocery bags fell unheeded as Shane drew his weapon and ran towards her.
She was lying on her side, face pale as death. The only color was the blood dripping from her nose. Her eyes were open but staring blankly in front of her.
“Jesus. Chloe?” He re-holstered his weapon so he could take her pulse, glancing down at her body to see if she had any noticeable injuries.
Some of the terror shifted off his chest when he finally found her pulse. He kept one hand on her neck and used the other to probe up and down her body to see if she had some injury he had missed. He couldn’t find anything.
“Chloe? Talk to me, baby. What happened?” He used his shirt sleeve to wipe the blood dripping from her nose. “Did someone break in? Did they hurt you?”
He hadn’t noticed any signs of forced entry when he’d come in, but an intruder could’ve used another door.
“Mine,” Chloe whispered without moving. “Mine. Mine.”
This was something inside her head, Shane realized. Was the final piece of whatever she hadn’t been telling him. But regardless, it was still taking a toll on her body. Shane pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed 911, giving the dispatcher info about the situation and the address. He then asked to be transferred to the sheriff’s office.
“Sheriff Linenberger.”
“John, it’s Shane. I’m back at my house and something has happened to Chloe. She’s had some sort of collapse. I’ve called 911, but I wanted to fill you in.”
“Are you sure it’s not the stalker? Could he have found her at your house?”
“No, I don’t think so. I think this is something she’s been dealing with for a while but hasn’t been telling anyone. Her friend, Nadine, is scheduled to get back today. Can you send someone to get her and bring her to the hospital?”
“Sure. Keep me updated if anything changes.”
Shane disconnected the call and turned all his focus back to Chloe. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her head, so Shane slipped his hands under them, to rub her temples and maybe help ease some of her pain.
“Only you. Only you. Only you.”
Shane never would’ve heard or made out the words if he hadn’t been so close to her face. Her lips were barely moving, the sound not carrying more than a few inches from her mouth.
“It’s okay, baby,” he murmured. “We’re going to get you help. Just hang on.”
He felt the tiniest bit better when he wrapped his hand around one of hers and felt a small squeeze. It was the first response he’d had from her that suggested Chloe was still in there.
And she was, he knew it. Something was trying to take over her mind, but she would fight it.
Blood dripped from her nose again. She was fighting, but could she win?
“Hang in there, sweetheart. Keep fighting. I’m right here.”
The paramedics seemed to take forever to arrive and then didn’t want to let Shane ride in the ambulance with them. He explained in no uncertain terms that he did not care about their usual policy. He would not be leaving Chloe’s side.
They either decided it wasn’t worth the effort or weren’t going to win the argument, or maybe they were afraid he was going to pull his weapon on them—not an impossibility—but they allowed Shane to ride with her.
The sight of Chloe so pale, an oxygen mask on her face, blood pressure cuff and pulse monitor on her arm, looking so opposite from her normal fireball self, wrecked something inside Shane.
This was too similar to the men he lost. The team under his leadership who hadn’t come home. He forced the ice around himself. It was the only way he could function.
Chloe’s arm without all the medical equipment reached up to pull away the oxygen mask. “Shane?”
“I’m here.” He crouched closer to her so she could see him. “You collapsed or something. We are on our way to the hospital.”
“I’m feeling better.”
He put a hand on top of her head. “I’m glad, sweetheart. But we’re still going.”
“They can’t do anything. It’s Conversation Hearts. He’s inside my head.”
The EMT looked over at Shane who just shrugged. He had no idea what Chloe was talking about either. He moved the oxygen mask back over her face.
“Just rest. Let the doctors check you over to make sure.” Her eyes shut and Shane tried to move away from her but found he couldn’t force himself to do it. His mind might want to ice itself over but his body wasn’t letting her go.
She was looking much better when they got to the hospital and the staff took her back. Since Shane wasn’t family, he was relegated to the waiting room.
He hadn’t been there even ten minutes when a harried looking nurse came out. “You’ve got to be Shane Westman.” The lady rolled her eyes. “She said just look for the hottest guy in the room.”
“What? Who did? Chloe?”
The nurse nodded. “She categorically refused to cooperate until I came out here and told you not to contact her sisters. That they would just worry, and it’s nothing.”
It sure as hell hadn’t looked like nothing when he found her in a comatose state on the floor less than an hour ago.
But he would use this to his advantage. “Tell her fine, but I’ll be making multiple phone calls if she doesn’t tell me what’s going on.”
The nurse rolled her eyes again. “Are you sure you don’t want me to pass a note back to her? I like you. Do you like me? Check yes or no.”
Shane supposed it was all sorts of juvenile, but couldn’t find it in him to care. “Please just tell her. And make sure she’s all right. Something was very wrong.”
The nurse softened. “We’ll take care of your girl. But Lordy, does she have a mouth on her.”
The tension inside Shane eased slightly. If Chloe was filling up the swear jar fund then she was feeling better. He’d take a cursing Chloe over a traumatized one any day.
A couple hours later Shane was allowed back to Chloe’s room. She was asleep.
“I’m Dr. Marsh.” The doctor shook Shane’s hand. “You’re Shane Westman?”
Shane nodded.
The doctor chuckled. “Miss Jeffries said she would probably regret it, but that you were allowed in her room and I was given permission to provide her medical updates to you.”
“How is she?”
“I’ll be honest, we did complete bloodwork and a CT scan and the answer is both good and bad. Basically, we found nothing. No blood clots, no aneurysms, no cancer.”
“So, good in that it’s not something life-threatening, but bad because you have no idea what’s going on.”
The doctor nodded. “Exactly. Miss Jeffries doesn’t strike me as a hypochondriac.”
That Shane was sure of. “She’s not.”
“Yeah, our
hypochondriacs generally don’t start asking to be released fifteen minutes after they’re admitted. Miss Jeffries was obviously in a lot of pain. Her blood pressure was very low, she was sluggish, and her response times were slow in the beginning. The bloodwork didn’t show any signs of anemia and she isn’t pregnant, so our two biggest usual culprits are out.”
“Did you give her something to make her sleep?”
The doctor chuckled. “I offered. Let’s just say her negative response was probably a little overkill. She definitely did not want any drugs in her system. Honestly, there’s not even any reason for us to keep her overnight. I would like to, but again that suggestion was met with quite a few inappropriate foul words on her part.”
“Maybe we should donate her curse jar fund to you. She has to put in a dollar every time she curses.”
The doctor’s laugh was genuine. “Oh no, please, use the millions of dollars you’re going to have to support a needy country.” Dr. Marsh got serious. “I know who Miss Jeffries is, of course. I would imagine she’s under a lot of stress. Collapsing and nosebleeds might be a sign that she needs a break, an extended one.”
Shane smirked. “Why don’t you try telling her that, and I’ll cover you with my weapon from behind the chair?”
The doctor laughed again. “Obviously I’m not that stupid or I would’ve never made it through medical school. But the truth is, our bodies can only take what they can take. Chloe seems otherwise healthy, but something is obviously going on.”
Shane knew there was, but also that it wasn’t something that would show up in a blood test or CT scan.
“Believe me, I will be keeping a much closer eye on her.”
Dr. Marsh slapped Shane on the shoulder. “Good luck with that. You’re going to have your hands full. See if you can talk her in to staying overnight. Either way, if this happens again do exactly what you did: call 911 and get her here.”
“I will.” But by then he would have a lot more answers.
“Because I value my own life, I’ve already signed her discharge papers. It’s up to her when she wants to leave.”
The doctor hadn’t been gone very long before Nadine came rushing in, Travis on her tail.
“Shane, what happened? A deputy picked us up at the airport. He said Chloe was here, that she collapsed. That she’d been shot at and choked. Why wasn’t she in Los Angeles?”
Nadine’s voice was getting faster, higher pitched, and louder as her questions continued. Shane motioned with his head for them to step out in the hallway so they didn’t wake Chloe.
Shane filled them in on what had happened while they had been gone. The shooter and how Chloe had stopped him. He left out the parts about how she’d spent the rest of the break at his house, most of it in his bed. Chloe could tell that part to her friends if she wanted to.
“Why wasn’t she at her Malibu house?” Nadine asked.
“Honestly, I don’t know why she decided not to go. But I do know I would’ve been dead if she had.”
Nadine glared at him. “Why didn’t anyone call me immediately?”
Shane shook his head. “I’m sure Chloe just wanted you to enjoy your break. Both of you. She’s been…busy.”
“The stalker is getting out of control, Westman,” Travis said. “Something needs to be done.”
Travis’ angry tone was an exact reflection of Shane’s own feelings. “Believe me, no one agrees with you more than I do. We know it’s one of the cast or crew, and we know it’s someone who wasn’t away on the break. We are running down that info right now.”
“Is this collapse from what happened with the shooter?” Nadine asked. “Was Chloe hurt and didn’t tell anyone?”
Shane looked at Chloe’s friend with hard eyes. “No. I’m pretty sure this is whatever’s been eating at her for the last few weeks or months. The thing neither of you will talk about but both of you know what I’m referring to.”
Travis turned to Nadine. “What is he talking about? Is something wrong with Chloe?”
“There are things you don’t know,” the woman said softly. “Things I’m not at liberty to talk about.”
“Like what?” Travis asked.
Shane ignored the man and put his hand on Nadine’s shoulder. “I know some of it. She told me.”
“Told you what? What is going on?” Travis continued.
Nadine glanced between the two of them. “I’m sorry, but I’m not at liberty to talk about it with either of you. This is something deeply personal for Chloe and my rule has been to never discuss it.”
Shane glanced at Travis and saw fury cover the man’s features before he masked it. Shane himself was frustrated but understood Nadine’s loyalty.
The door opened to the hospital room. Chloe stood there in her gown glaring at them.
“Quit picking on Nadine. I’m the only one who’s going to give you the answers you want.”
Chapter Seventeen
Chloe banished Shane and Travis to the hallway as she talked alone with Nadine inside. A couple minutes later when Nadine’s happy squeal came through the door, Shane couldn’t help but smile.
Looked like his and Chloe’s relationship was out in the open now.
“Did you guys have a good time?” Shane asked Travis from where they stood in the hallway staring at the door. “You went to Wilmington, right?”
“Yes. It was nice to get away from the routine.” Travis gestured stiffly with his hand towards the door. “What do you think they’re talking about in there?”
Shane definitely wasn’t jumping on that slippery slope, and especially not with Travis who wasn’t looking too thrilled at this whole situation. “Who knows? Girl stuff.”
“Are you guys a couple now?” Travis’ fists were clenching. “Do you think they’re talking about us?”
Shane slapped him on the shoulder. “A couple?” Yes. Definitely. For as long as he could talk Chloe into it. But again, not something he was comfortable getting into with Travis. “I don’t know that I would call us a couple. And I’m sure they’re not talking about us. They’re probably talking about Chloe’s health issue.”
Nadine squealed again and giggled. Travis rolled his eyes. “Yeah, health issues.”
A few minutes later the women allowed them back in. Chloe was dressed in the clothes she’d arrived in. Nadine and Travis left and Chloe took care of the paperwork to get herself released. She had every intention of being back on set tomorrow when everyone returned.
Which was fine, Shane wouldn’t try to stop her. He knew how important it was for her to be there, for both her sake and for the stability of the set. But he’d be damned if he was going back into the situation blind.
He never wanted to find her on the floor in that state ever again. He couldn’t protect her if she didn’t give him the tools he needed to do so.
They got home, and even though it was the middle of the night, he fixed them a meal and then made the coffee he knew she would want.
“Everything,” he said, sitting on the coffee table directly in front of her as she sat on the couch. “It’s time for you to tell me every damn thing.”
Those endless brown eyes looked back at him over her coffee mug. “Even if I don’t understand it myself? Even if it’s weird?”
“I think we’ve already established that I’m pretty good with weird.”
She took a deep breath then spewed it all out. “It’s a voice in my head. A particular one. It comes through louder than the rest. Much, much louder. Doesn’t give me the option of ignoring it.”
Shane nodded and leaned his forearms on his knees. “Violent? Angry?”
“He’s not violent, at least not in my head. The best word for it is obsessed. I call him Conversation Hearts.”
Shane raised an eyebrow. “Like the Valentine candy?”
“Yeah. Because all I ever hear are these crazy individual extreme thoughts that he has for some woman. You are mine. We’ll be together. You complete me. Mine. Only you. Like a really bad lov
e card.”
When Shane had found her on the floor she’d been saying that over and over. Only you. Mine. She’d been echoing the thoughts in her mind.
“Is he thinking these things about you?” Shane straightened. “Could the stalker and your Conversation Hearts guy be the same person?”
“I don’t think he’s thinking about me, nor that the stalker would’ve tried to kill me if he had these sort of intense feelings for me. Conversation Hearts is obsessed with his woman. It literally overwhelms his brain, this need to be with her. I don’t think he wants to kill her.”
That made sense but Shane still wouldn’t rule out the possibility they were dealing with the same person.
“How long has it been happening?”
“It started six months ago. But it’s been escalating more recently. Like he’s getting more desperate. His need for this woman to give him… whatever it is he’s hoping for. Honestly, I wish I could get a picture of the woman’s face and try to warn her. Because this level of emotional absorption cannot be good.”
“If you do get a picture or name, we’ll do what we can to find and warn her. I promise.” He could see that the thought of some unnamed woman being harmed because Chloe couldn’t figure out who she was weighed on her.
“It’s like he goes on mental rampages. He’ll be out of my head for days or longer and then will slam back in.” She took a sip of her coffee in fortification. “The pain, Shane. Have you ever had a brain freeze? It’s like that, but with fire. It’s impossible for me to function when he’s in there screaming about his obsession and need for this woman.”
“That’s what was wrong with you the night the hot tub exploded. I thought you were drunk or something the way you were stumbling around when I first saw you. But it was him, wasn’t it?”
