The Way to Her Heart

by Amy Reece

  Caleb burst out laughing. “You should see your face! Oh my God, it’s priceless!”

  “Hilarious. Really.” Josh crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at him.

  Caleb finally stopped laughing and threw an arm around Josh’s neck. “Sorry, bro. I couldn’t resist.”

  “You said ‘It’s time.’ What did you mean?”

  Caleb’s smile disappeared. “Yeah. It’s Bernie. She’s in danger. It’s happening.”

  “What’s happening?” Josh grabbed Caleb’s upper arms.

  “I don’t know. I just know she’s in danger. She needs you.”

  “Shit! I’m in San Francisco, Caleb! She’s like a thousand miles away! What am I supposed to do?”

  But Caleb was gone.

  Josh woke up sweaty and tangled in the hotel sheets. He didn’t know what to make of the dream. It was just a dream, the product of his overactive imagination and anxiety about Bernie. Wasn’t it? Crap. It was too early to text her, only 5:00 a.m. in Albuquerque; he didn’t want to wake her on one of her only days to sleep in. He was due to fly home early the next morning. He’d call her later during one of his breaks. He was wide awake, so he decided to get in a workout in the hotel gym before classes started for the day. He pushed himself to his physical limits, trying to forget the disturbing dream. He’d never mentioned the previous dream to his therapist or anyone else, believing it to be an aberration brought about by his brother’s birthday. He’d thought it was a one-time thing. Apparently not.

  He was distracted and cranky during the cooking class. His final project, a complicated four-course meal, didn’t turn out as well as he’d hoped. He’d only been able to reach Bernie via text message and he really needed to hear her voice. She’d said she was fine, of course, and he shouldn’t worry about her. She was working all day and planning a quiet evening at home. She’d texted,

  Relax. I’ll see you tomorrow at the airport.

  The eternal day finally ended, and he ordered room service, opting for a quiet evening in his hotel room with the worst cable TV had to offer. Two episodes of Naked and Alone were enough for him; he clicked the TV off, disgusted, and read for an hour before falling into a restless sleep.

  His phone buzzing woke him several hours later. He saw it was his mother and his gut clenched with apprehension. He couldn’t imagine a scenario where she called in the middle of the night with good news. “Mom? What’s wrong?”

  “Josh, honey.” She sniffed, and he could tell she’d been crying. “It’s Bernie.”

  He leapt from the bed and began pacing. “Tell me.”

  “She’s in the hospital. She’s in surgery.”

  He felt his knees give out, and he sank to the carpet. “What happened?”

  ***

  Josh stared out at the rain lashing the windows of Bernie’s hospital room. He thought he’d left the rain behind in San Francisco, but it seemed to have followed him home to Albuquerque. He was exhausted but refused to leave until she awoke. The doctor had been in a half hour ago and tried to reassure him.

  “She’s had major surgery and is on some heavy painkillers. She lost a lot of blood, but we were able to repair the damage. Go home and get some rest. She won’t wake for hours yet.”

  He’d refused, of course. He hadn’t left her room since he arrived. The steady beep of her heart monitor was the only thing keeping him sane at the moment.

  “Josh, honey? I brought you a sandwich,” Claire whispered as she tiptoed into the room. She and Detective Garcia had gone down to the cafeteria together an hour before. They seemed pretty chummy with each other. Josh was sure it would bother him later, but right now he couldn’t spare the energy.

  “Thanks, Mom. I’ll eat it later.”

  She sighed and set it on the tray, realizing the futility of trying to get him to eat before Bernie woke up.

  “Any change?” The detective stepped to Bernie’s bedside and took her hand.

  Josh shook his head and turned back to stare out the window.

  Claire walked across the room and hugged him from behind. “Mike’s going to drive me home. I need to feed Freddie. I’ll be back in the morning.”

  Mike? Oh, great! “Yeah, okay.”

  “Did you find them yet?” Josh addressed the detective. Natalia and Sofia were missing, on the run apparently. Garcia had filled Josh in on how Diego had interrupted the girls, most likely saving Bernie’s life. He said he’d followed them from the party because he hadn’t liked the whispering he’d seen the two girls engaged in before ushering Bernie away. He’d never trusted them, even when he and Gabby had dated. Something had told him Bernie was in danger. Josh owed him…everything.

  “Not yet. But we’ll get them. Don’t worry. In the meantime, I have a uniform posted outside this room 24/7. She’s safe.”

  She was safe now, but Josh would never forgive himself for not immediately hopping on an airplane and coming home to keep her safe yesterday morning. Caleb had warned him! Why hadn’t he listened? He ran his hands through his hair and nodded at Garcia.

  He was dozing in the chair beside her bed when the nurse came in to check Bernie’s vitals. He took the opportunity to use the bathroom and grab a cup of coffee from the nurses’ station. They had told him to help himself when they’d realized he wouldn’t leave Bernie’s side long enough to go to the cafeteria.

  “She’s doing fine,” the night nurse assured him when he returned to the room.

  “Why doesn’t she wake up?”

  The nurse smiled. “She’s healing, Josh. Her body knows what it needs. She’ll wake up when she’s ready. You need to have faith, young man.” She patted his shoulder and left.

  As dawn was seeping between the aluminum blinds, chasing the shadows from the sterile hospital room, Bernie finally woke. Josh was asleep in the chair next to her bed, his neck bent at an awkward angle that would most likely pain him all day. He felt her hand, held loosely in his, flinch and squeeze lightly. She coughed and groaned restlessly.

  “Hey, it’s okay. I’m here. You’re okay, Bernie.” He leaned over her, brushing the hair off her forehead.

  “Josh?” Her whisper was barely distinguishable.

  “Yeah. I’m here.”

  Her eyelids fluttered and she smiled ever so slightly before she fell back asleep.

  ***

  He was finally convinced to go home and get some sleep. He had stubbornly refused until Bernie had woken up fully, assured him she would be fine, and ordered him to leave.

  “No offense, but you look like crap.” She’d tried to sound stern but ended with a hiss of pain as she tried to shift her position.

  He’d reached across her to press the button for the nurse. “I’ll leave as soon as you get some pain meds. Deal?”

  She’d grimaced but agreed. He waited until her eyes were drooping, then drove his mother’s Lexus home. She’d left it when Mike had driven her home earlier. She was planning to take his place at the hospital while he got some sleep. It was the only way he’d agreed to leave Bernie.

  He thought he would collapse into his bed, but he found himself too tightly wound to sleep yet. He stood under the shower spray, as hot as he could stand, and thought about what Detective Garcia had told him this morning when he’d stopped by. He’d been unable to find Bernie’s mother at their trailer; it was obvious no one had been living there recently. He had no idea where she was and had no way of informing her about her daughter. Josh dried himself, then shaved the two days of blond scruff on his face and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. He knew he wouldn’t sleep, so he spent twenty minutes throwing a ball for Freddie in the backyard, then watched a few game shows before finally falling asleep on the couch.

  He woke four hours later, ravenous and cramped from not sleeping in his bed. He downed a power bar and a few gulps of milk straight from the carton before heading out for a quick run. He was anxious to get back to the hospital but knew he needed to work out a few kinks and clear his head before he resumed his watch over Bernie. He wo
uld most likely be sleeping in the chair beside her bed tonight since he had no intention of leaving her by herself. He showered again before backing his truck out of the garage and driving to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where Bernie had been taken because of its level one trauma facilities. He shuddered as he thought of the horror she’d gone through. Thank God Diego had followed her. She’d lost a lot of blood and had internal damage the surgeons assured him they had repaired, but they’d had to remove her spleen. They wouldn’t know how much damage had been done to her shoulder until she was able to stay awake for more than a few minutes. They planned to keep her several more days to make sure she was well on the road to recovery, and then Josh and Claire could take her home.

  Maurice and Drew were there when Josh arrived. They had brought a giant arrangement of flowers in various shades of pink and purple and a dish of crème brûlée she might be allowed to eat after dinner.

  “Here he is!” Maurice announced unnecessarily. “She’s been anxious for you to get back.”

  “Sorry I took so long.” He bent to kiss her forehead and look carefully in her face for signs of pain or distress.

  “Mmm. You smell so good, Josh,” she murmured groggily.

  He raised an eyebrow at the two men.

  Drew snickered as Maurice explained, “The nurse came in with her pain meds a few minutes ago. It appears they’ve started working. We’ll get out of your hair so she can get some rest. Claire’s downstairs getting some lunch.”

  “Thanks for coming by, guys. It means a lot.”

  “Of course, Josh.” Drew gave him a quick hug. “We’ll stop by tomorrow.”

  “You get better, little missy, you hear?” Maurice bent to kiss Bernie’s head. She managed to pry her eyes open long enough to mumble something unintelligible.

  “You came back,” she whispered as he sat in the chair beside her bed. He’d thought she was already asleep.

  “Of course I did.”

  She smiled as her eyes drifted closed again. “Thirsty.”

  He poured some water into the paper cup on her tray and held the straw to her mouth. She managed to sip a small amount and sighed. “Go to sleep, sweetheart. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  She slept two hours. Claire left shortly after Maurice and Drew but promised to stop by later, after she’d checked in at both restaurants. Josh had brought a book and was reading when Bernie woke.

  “1984? Sitting here isn’t boring enough?”

  He set the book aside and stood, leaning over her bed. “Yeah, well, I was supposed to have it read by today. How are you feeling?”

  “Like I got stabbed by a couple of crazy, psychotic bitches.” She grimaced in pain as she tried to shift positions. “Why aren’t you at school?”

  “Here, let me help.” He raised the bed, helping her sit up. “Stop squirming. You’re going to bust something open. I’m not at school because I’m here with you.”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “You need to go to school, Josh.”

  “Well, then I guess you better recover fast. I’m not leaving you here by yourself.”

  She gave him a wobbly smile. “Thanks. Can you get the nurse?”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I just need to go to the bathroom. They took my catheter out earlier. Wow that makes the top ten list of things I never wanted to say to you.”

  He laughed and exited the room but returned within moments. “They’re slammed right now, so it’ll be a little while.”

  She bit her lip, looking worried. “I really need to go.”

  “I’ll help.”

  “Also on my top ten list,” she muttered. She eased her legs over the edge of the hospital bed and let them dangle for a moment before gripping Josh’s arm to stand.

  “Okay, take it slow. We don’t need you passing out.”

  “I’m not going to pass out. Can you get this IV thingy? And don’t stand behind me! I don’t have anything on under this stupid gown!”

  He helped her into the bathroom and made sure she was directly in front of the toilet before stepping outside, leaving the door cracked. He waited until he heard the toilet flush. “Can I come in?”

  “Yeah.”

  He helped her back to the bed and got her settled. She was trembling and white about the lips. “You need some more pain medication.”

  She shook her head. “Later. It puts me to sleep.” She wiped away a tear that had leaked out. “Can you talk to me for a while? Please?”

  He looked at her for a long moment, considering. Sometimes she was harder on herself than necessary. He felt powerless as he watched her suffer and wanted to make her pain go away. But he couldn’t fix this, couldn’t make it better. “Of course. Anything specific you want to talk about?”

  She smiled, her eyes still closed. “Tell me about 1984. I was supposed to read it too. Why can’t teachers ever pick anything interesting to read?”

  He laughed. “Oh, it’s not too bad. How about I read some of it out loud?”

  She agreed, so he read to her until they brought her dinner. He helped her open the juice and milk since her right arm was immobilized because of her shoulder wound.

  “Okay, we need to get you out of here before you starve to death. What is this?” He stirred the bowl of reddish liquid on her tray.

  “It’s tomato soup, I think.” She was only able to eat half of it. She was nibbling on a saltine when Claire came in, followed by Detective Garcia.

  “We found them, Bernie.”

  ***

  Josh watched her face closely as Garcia told them how Natalia and Sofia had finally been found in El Paso, Texas. They had been staying with one of Sofia’s cousins, and Garcia suspected they had planned to sneak across the border into Juarez, Mexico. Bernie listened with her eyes closed, and Josh wondered what she was feeling. She almost seemed asleep except for the small crease between her eyebrows, which could be pain or a sign of how the news upset her. Or both. He reached to take her hand, entwining his fingers with hers as she squeezed tightly.

  “It was a fairly anticlimactic arrest, apparently. We called the El Paso PD and asked them to go by and check the house. Sofia’s cousin answered the door and invited the police inside. The girls were at the kitchen table and didn’t resist arrest. They’ll be extradited sometime next week. I’m removing the officer from outside your door.”

  “Bernie? You okay?” Josh was concerned at her silence.

  She opened her eyes and nodded at him with a semblance of a smile, which didn’t make him feel much better. “Why? Did they say why they did it?”

  “They haven’t said much of anything yet. I’ll be questioning them as soon as they get here. Sorry, Bernie. I wish I could tell you more.”

  “Okay, enough police talk.” Claire gave the detective a hard look and motioned for him to step aside. “I brought you some real pajamas and a robe. I hope you like what I picked out.” She held up a Target shopping bag.

  “If it closes in the back, I’ll love it.”

  Josh chuckled appreciatively as he helped her out of bed and supported her to the bathroom. Claire went in with her to help negotiate the tricky process of changing with multiple bandages and a limited range of motion. She looked exhausted as he tucked the blankets around her. “How are you holding up? You ready for those pain meds yet?”

  “Yeah. You should go home and get some sleep.”

  “Nope. You’re stuck with me until you come home.” He pressed the call button for the nurse.

  “What happened to you being in such a hurry for me to move out?” She hissed in pain as she tried to shift into a more comfortable position.

  “There’s plenty of time for that when you recover.” He was impatient to move forward and see where their relationship might go, but now was definitely not the time.

  The nurse brought the pain meds and asked if Josh was staying the night again, offering to have a recliner brought so he’d be able to rest more comfortably. Josh realized Detective Garc
ia must have interceded on his behalf, otherwise he knew they’d have kicked him out as soon as visiting hours were over. They did require him to leave during shift change, so he found the cafeteria and ate some dinner while he called Tony and Kayleigh to give them an update. They were relieved to hear about the arrest and made plans to visit the next day since the guard was gone.

  Bernie was asleep by the time he returned, so he settled into the semi-comfortable recliner that had been delivered and drifted into a restless sleep. His mom returned in the morning and sent him home for a few hours to get a shower and change clothes. He stopped by the school and picked up his and Bernie’s assignments as well. Now that she was able to stay awake for more than a few minutes, she was worried about falling behind.

  When he entered her hospital room later that afternoon, he stopped short at the sight of the guy seated next to her bed. He looked like some sort of hipster with his dark hair, black-framed glasses, and scruffy beard. Claire and Bernie were laughing at something he’d said.

  “Josh.” Claire spied him hovering by the door. “This is Ben. He stopped by to visit Bernie.”

  “Great.” The guy stood to shake his hand, and Josh might have squeezed it harder than strictly necessary. “How do you know Bernie?”

  “We met at a party a few nights ago. I got her phone number but haven’t been able to reach her. Now I know why.” The guy narrowed his eyes at Josh, clearly taking his measure.

  She gave some guy her number? Ah, hell! “Yeah, now you know why.” Josh smiled faintly and stepped in front of the annoying idiot to lean over and kiss Bernie’s forehead. Take that, Ben. “How are you doing today?”

  She was prevented from answering by the arrival of Diego. Josh was irritated but knew he had no right to be. He had no official claim over Bernie, and she had every right to give her phone number out to anyone she wanted. And Diego had saved her life, so he deserved a warm welcome.

  The doctor entered as Diego was telling them how he had followed the girls from the party. She stopped short at the number of visitors crowding the room. “Well, Bernie. I hate to interrupt, but I need to do an exam. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask all these handsome young men to come back later.”