She pulled Gage into the bedroom and gave Allison a hug. “I told you he’d come around.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Gage squeezed her hand.
“I’m fine, Gage. I’m great. Go home and get some rest. And thank you. Both of you.”
Tina hugged Logan and whispered in his ear. “No hanky panky tonight. She needs to rest.”
He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”
Gage approached and shook his hand. “Take good care of her. She’s a special girl.”
“I know. I won’t hurt her again.”
With Tina and Gage out of the apartment, Logan locked the front door and returned to the bedroom. He stripped down to his boxer-briefs, folded his clothes, and stacked them on the dresser. Sliding under the covers, he wrapped his arms around Allison and pulled her to his chest.
His heart raced as he lay there with the woman he loved wrapped in his arms. He was in love with her. And nothing in the world would change that. Love was more powerful than fear. He knew that now, and they would work through conquering his vision together.
* * *
As Allison snuggled into Logan’s arms, she wrapped herself in his warmth. He loved her, and at that moment, nothing else mattered. He had stolen her heart, and she didn’t want it back. It belonged to him now, and it always would.
The feel of his bare chest against her skin had her body aching for his touch. She kissed his neck and felt his shuddered breath as his arms pulled her tighter.
“You should sleep, sweetheart. There will be plenty of time for this now. I’m never letting you go.”
“Good. Because I don’t want to go anywhere. I love you, Logan.”
“I love you too.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Logan woke at nine o’clock and lay in bed watching Allison sleep. She looked so peaceful; the pink flush had returned to her cheeks, and her breathing was slow and rhythmic. He could have stayed in bed with her all day, but his mind drifted back to the nagging mess of CDs he left on his living room floor the night before. Shit, he couldn’t leave it like that. He’d have to go home and clean it up.
Besides, he didn’t have a change of clothes here, and God knew he couldn’t wear his dirty ones all day. He could handle putting them back on to get home now, as long as he could take a hot shower as soon as he walked in his front door. He propped his head on his hand and chewed his bottom lip. What should he do?
He could run home and come right back. Spend the day with Allison. But he didn’t want to leave while she was asleep. He’d have to wait until she woke up, so he could tell her his plans. She didn’t need to feel abandoned again. But how long would she sleep? She was so drained from that damn ghost last night. This was his fault, and he was going to take care of her.
He slipped out of bed, careful not to wake her, and shrugged into his clothes. His skin crawled at the dirty feeling of the soiled cotton, but he put it out of his mind and slipped into the living room to call Trent.
“I’m not coming in today. Can you hold down the fort for me?” he whispered into his phone.
“Sure. No problem. Everything okay?”
“It is now.” He told Trent about last night, the ghost, and Allison. He even told him about the vision and how it played a part in it all.
“Shit, Logan. I don’t know what to say. You got it all worked out now, though?”
“I hope so. I’m going to sell the house. She says she can get rid of the ghost, but I don’t want to put her through that again.”
“I hear you. Do what you have to do. I’m glad she’s okay.”
“Me too.”
He hung up the phone and gave Lucia a call. Allison usually went to work at eight, so Lucia would be wondering where she was. He told her what happened and about his plans to keep Allison home and take care of her.
“I think that’s a marvelous idea,” she said. “She has a couple of appointments today, but I will call them and reschedule for her.”
“Lucia, you’re the best.”
“Thank you for taking such good care of her. She needs someone like you.”
He shook his head. He was the reason she was in this situation.
With work taken care of, he padded back to the bedroom and found Allison sitting up in bed.
“Are you leaving?” She looked at him with worry in her eyes as she fidgeted with the sheets. He sat on the bed next to her and took her in his arms.
“I am, but I’m coming right back. I just need to go home and change and take care of a few things. Then I’m going to spend the day with you. I already called Lucia and she’s rescheduling your appointments for you. I took the day off too.”
Allison took a deep breath and gazed into his eyes. “Thank you. Last night seemed so surreal, I wasn’t sure it actually happened. And I wondered if you really meant…”
“I love you. Is that what you were wondering?”
“Yes. It was.”
“Well, I do. I love you with all my heart. I just need to run home, because I have this thing about wearing dirty clothes, and I can’t…”
“It’s okay.” She smiled and stroked his cheek. “Next time, maybe you should pack a bag.”
“I will. Are you going to be okay if I leave? Are you feeling better?”
“Much better. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be back in an hour. Call me if you need me.”
“I will.”
He slipped out the door and headed to his house, scratching at his chest the entire drive. He was going to break out in a rash if he didn’t get these dirty clothes off fast. Pulling the car into the garage, he cut the engine. It was irrational. He knew that. But he couldn’t stop his mind from making his body itch like he was covered in ant bites.
He swung open the front door and stopped in the foyer, his mind reeling with indecision. Which was a more pressing issue: the shower or cleaning up the mess on the living room floor? It could take him hours to organize that mess, and he told Allison he’d be right back. If he went for straight alphabetical, he could probably get it done in thirty minutes. Especially since he wasn’t having an episode. He’d go for the shower first. If he was clean and didn’t have any distractions, he could be in and out of his house in forty-five minutes.
He darted up the stairs and went through his cleansing rituals in record speed with no sign from Lily. Hopefully she was still drained of energy from her little show the night before, and he wouldn’t have to mess with the spirit this morning. He got dressed and headed back down stairs to clean up his mess.
The central heat kicked on as he entered the living room, filling the house with that musty, first-time-of-the-season heater smell. He stacked the CD’s on the shelves and lost himself to the routine. It was so familiar and comforting that his mind instantly cleared and the rest of the world slipped away. Even at his quick pace, he was focused. And the methodology of cleaning and organizing soothed his mind into an almost hypnotic state. A quiet beeping sounded from somewhere far away, but he ignored it as he hurried through the routine.
At the halfway point, he lost his focus. His body felt heavy, his movements becoming lethargic as the plastic CD cases grew heavier. It pained him to lift them, and it felt like he was moving in slow motion. He was tired…so tired…he couldn’t sit up anymore.
He knew he needed to move. To get out of the house. If he could just make it to the front door; it was already open. Hadn’t he closed it? He tried to stand, pushing off the carpet, but his arms gave out underneath him. He folded to the floor, his weakened muscles useless, his breathing labored.
He reached for his cell phone, pulling it from his pocket, but it slipped out of his grasp as darkness enveloped him. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t see. All he wanted to do was sleep.
* * *
Adrenaline raced through Allison’s veins as she showered and got ready for Logan’s return. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d ever been happier. Her body felt rejuvenated; no effect
s from her energy draining experience last night lingered, and she knew Logan was the reason. She danced around her bedroom, getting dressed. Her phone rang just as she finished her hair and makeup.
“Is he still there?” Tina’s hushed voice held a tinge of excitement.
“No, but he’s coming back. And guess what? He loves me!”
“I know!”
They squealed in unison.
“He’s taking the day off. He thinks he needs to take care of me today.”
“Well, you better let him.”
“Oh, I am.”
After a few more words of sisterly advice from her friend, Allison hung up the phone and changed the sheets on her bed. Mascara streaks stained her pillowcase from all the crying she did last night, and she didn’t want Logan to see it. She busied herself cleaning up for another half hour, waiting for him to arrive. He said he’d only be gone an hour, but it had been an hour and a half.
She’d give him another fifteen minutes before she called him. Whatever he had to do probably took a little longer than he expected. Flipping on the television, she settled on the sofa and watched the local news. Fires, murder, robberies. It was enough to turn a sane person into a recluse.
She turned it off and looked at the clock. Where could he be? Almost two hours had passed, and an empty feeling formed in her gut. Something was wrong. She tried to dismiss it as paranoia, but the feeling got more and more intense as time passed. She called his cell phone but only got his voicemail. She left a message and drummed her fingernails on the coffee table.
What should she do?
She was never one to ignore her gut feelings, so why start now? She picked up her purse and her keys and headed out the door. Maybe he lost track of time. Maybe she’d find him working in his office or cleaning up. She got in her Toyota and took a few deep breaths to clear her mind. Something was definitely wrong. The hollow feeling bore deeper into her core, and she threw the car into drive, heading straight for Logan’s house.
Everything looked normal when she pulled into his driveway. The garage was still open, his car parked inside. She pulled up behind it and walked around to the front door. Her heart dropped when she found it ajar, and she hurried up the steps. The squealing sound of an alarm grew louder as she approached, but she froze in the doorway, unable to step inside. She didn’t want to see what awaited her on the other side of the threshold. Horrific visions of all the possible scenarios flashed before her eyes.
But he wasn’t her father. She was not going to find him in a pool of blood, dead by his own hand. Not Logan.
She forced herself inside.
She gasped when she found Logan lying on the floor in a pile of CD cases. She ran to him and knelt by his side. “Logan!” She put her hand on his chest, focusing on the shallow rise and fall of his ribs. He was breathing, but barely. The alarm continued to squeal from the kitchen, and she ran to see what it was.
“Carbon monoxide. Oh, my God. Logan!”
She raced back to the living room. “Logan, we have to get you outside.” She tried to get him to move, but he was unconscious. “Oh, Logan. Come on. You have to get up.” He was two hundred pounds of solid muscle; there was no way she could carry him out. “Logan!” She shook him. She patted his face. Nothing. “Oh, my God.”
She slid her arms beneath his and clasped them on his chest, pulling with all her might. Somehow, she was able to move him. It would only be a matter of minutes before the invisible gas got to her, and they’d both be as good as dead. But she found the strength to drag him out the door. Safely outside, she collapsed on his chest and kicked the front door shut with her foot.
She pressed her fingers to his neck and hovered her ear above his mouth. Weak pulse. Shallow breathing. But he was still alive. He still had a chance. She called 911 and did her best to help him while she waited for an ambulance to arrive.
Even in her frantic state, she was able to center herself enough to send some healing light into him. He needed oxygen, but all she could give him was energy. She focused on Logan, acting as a conduit to fill him up with loving, healing light energy. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as she gave him everything she had.
Within minutes, the paramedics arrived. They hooked him up to an oxygen tank and loaded him into the ambulance. The EMT offered Allison a hand, and she took it, climbing into the back of the vehicle with Logan.
“How long has he been in there?” the EMT asked.
“I don’t know. About two hours, maybe. The front door was open when I got here, and I found him on the living room floor.”
He arched an eyebrow. “And you dragged him out? All by yourself?”
“I don’t know how, but I did.” She didn’t take her eyes off Logan’s face as she spoke.
The EMT patted Allison’s hand. “Adrenaline’s an amazing thing. You saved his life.”
She covered her mouth as fresh tears streamed down her face. “You mean he’s going to be okay?”
“Yeah. See this meter?” The EMT pointed to a number on a screen. “That’s his blood oxygen level. I’m surprised it’s as high as it is, being exposed for as long as he was, but it’s steadily climbing. He’s going to be fine.”
“Thank you.” Allison took Logan’s hand and stroked his face. When she leaned down to kiss his cheek, his eyes fluttered open.
“Logan?”
He looked at her, then looked around at the ambulance before he closed them again. He squeezed her hand, and she sobbed. “I love you, Logan.”
The EMT gave Allison a sympathetic look. “He’s going to be fine. Are you his wife?”
“No, I’m his girlfriend.”
“Does he have any family you could call? A next of kin?”
She looked at Logan as she answered. “They all live in New York. I don’t know how to reach them. Oh, wait. I can call his friend. He’ll know how to contact them.”
Allison dialed Logan’s office and asked for Trent. Thankfully, he was there, and she told him what happened. He promised to call Lisa.
When they reached the hospital, the EMT wheeled Logan into the emergency room, and Allison waited in the lobby. She looked around at the people in varying degrees of hurt and illness and shuddered to think that she almost lost Logan. If she’d trusted her gut to begin with, she would’ve been there so much sooner. He might even still be conscious.
The hour in the waiting room felt like an eternity as she waited for news about Logan. She couldn’t watch TV; she couldn’t focus on a magazine. She couldn’t even clear her head enough to meditate the time away. Just as she was beginning to go out of her mind, a doctor appeared from behind the doors.
“Are you Ms. Gray?”
“Yes. Is Logan okay?”
The doctor’s smile was warm and reassuring. “I’m Dr. Williams.” He held out his hand, and Allison took it. “Logan is going to be just fine. He’s lucky you found him when you did.”
Tears filled her eyes, spilling down her cheeks.
“He’s awake now, so you can go in. But we’re going to keep him overnight for observation. As long as he keeps improving at the rate he is, he can go home tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, thank you.” She followed Dr. Williams down a long, twisting hallway to the place where they kept the overnight patients. Logan had a private room, and Allison tapped on the door before she went in.
He lay in bed with a plastic tube draped across his face. It had two openings at his nose, where it supplied him with a constant stream of oxygen. He had an IV in one arm, and a big bag of fluids dripped steadily through the tubing. On his other hand, a black plastic claw-like device clamped to his finger to monitor his heart rate and blood oxygen level.
He turned his head when she entered the room, and he gave her a small smile.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Like I’ve been run over by a train.”
“I’m so sorry this happened to you.” She sat on the bed and laid her head on his chest. “I thought I lost you. When I
found you on the floor, I thought you were dead.”
He put his arms around her and stroked her hair. “So did I. But how did you get in the house?”
“The front door was open.”
He tilted his head. “That’s weird. I’m sure I closed it.”
“Maybe Lily opened it.”
“Is that possible?”
“She’s certainly strong enough.”
He hugged her tighter. “I don’t want to think about that right now. Thank you for saving me.”
“Thank you for not dying.” She pulled a tissue out of a box on the table and blotted at her eyes. “I called Trent. He said he’s going to call your family.”
“I called him right before you came in. He’s going to take care of the leak too. Thank you for doing that.”
“You’re welcome. The doctor said you can probably go home tomorrow morning. If the leak isn’t fixed by then, you can stay the night with me.”
He grinned and rubbed her arm. “Can I stay the night with you even if it is fixed?”
“Of course you can.” She laughed. “You were going to spend the day taking care of me, and now I’m the one taking care of you.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. I don’t mind at all, and I plan on being here until they kick me out. Or until you get sick of me.”
“I’ll never get sick of you.”
“Good, because I don’t have anything else to do today. Somebody canceled all my appointments for me.” She smiled and patted his cheek. He took her hand in his and kissed her palm.
“You’re welcome. Come lay down with me.”
“I don’t think there’s enough room. These beds are made for one.”
“We’ll make room.” He slid over, and she climbed into the bed. She had to lie on her side, but they both fit. Barely. “There now. Isn’t this cozy?”
“Actually, it is.” She laid her head on his shoulder and draped her leg across his. “What does carbon monoxide poisoning feel like?”
“Everything hurts. Like the flu, but a hundred times worse. My head is pounding. I’m exhausted.”
“I’m so sorry. Go to sleep. You don’t need to stay awake for me. I’m not going anywhere.”
To Catch a Spirit (Spirit Chasers Book 1) Page 19
