Whole Again (Hometown Hero's Book 1)

by Colleen S. Myers

  “Damn straight. Can you call and let the company know to let the officers in? I will send a tech to check out the area where she got hurt. What room was it?”

  “You know what? I’m not sure of the number. It’s my first day. Vicki’s grandmother owns the place. She said she talked to you before. I know she’s still in her office. I left her and found Vicki. Let me have her call you. She’ll know.”

  Bentley’s words iced over. “Mrs. Steiner?”

  “That’s her. Could you call her? She makes the decisions around there.”

  “That woman makes the decisions everywhere it seems,” Bentley muttered grumpily.

  John snorted. He wouldn’t doubt that Vicki’s grandmother was putting pressure on the police department. After all, she was one of its biggest patrons. “Ha, I knew you’d met her. See you at the hospital.”

  “Roger.”

  Seventeen

  Bentley arrived at the ER within the hour. His suit looked even more rumpled than before, if that were possible. His jowls had jowls. He sipped black coffee and took notes as Vicki repeated what had happened.

  Over and over, Bentley had her review all she knew. Yes, she was alone. No. She didn’t see the person. Yes, they wore shoes—loafers, dark brown. She noted his quick peek down at John’s shoes, and it pissed her off.

  She wasn’t an idiot. She would know if her, er, well, boyfriend, friend, whatever, wanted to hurt her. And Bentley’s tie had cows. Who had cows on their ties? And yesterday, it was cupids. She would have thought a child got it for him, but he was way too old for children, at least young ones. He looked to be her mother’s age . . . with a crusty yet cuddly exterior. She checked for a ring. None. Hmm, she could work with this. Once her head stopped ringing.

  While he wrote more notes, Vicki leaned back on the hospital bed. They’d already run a test on her head. Why wouldn’t they let her leave? So what if her eyes wiggled. She wanted to go home and sleep. This place would not be restful. A real bed. She could feel it calling. Hello.

  John’s hand brushed across her forehead. Her eyes drifted to his where he sat on the side of her bed. He jerked his chin at the detective. “You with us, babe?”

  “What did I miss?”

  “The detective asked you another question.”

  “No? Really? I’m surprised.”

  Bentley’s lips crooked. “One of the last ones, I swear. That list you gave me earlier of people who might wish to harm you was kind of skimpy. We’re going to need to expand the suspect pool. Your ex could not have done this. I called to make sure of his whereabouts before I arrived.”

  “I saw him today,” Vicki said.

  “Wait? What? When? Why didn’t you mention this?” John demanded in short barks of sound.

  Vicki shrugged. Which made John’s face pinch harder. “Well, it happened after lunch. He was pissed Bentley went to see him.”

  John’s eyebrows came down. “You should have called me.”

  “I can talk to my ex on my own, you know. I’m a big girl now,” Vicki said in a tart tone.

  “A big girl who decided to hang out alone with an ex who might mean her harm.”

  “First, he just wanted me to give him some shares that his dad gave me for our wedding. He needs them. Second, he’s going to leave us be. He promised—”

  John rolled his eyes. “Vicki, that doesn’t change the fact you talked to him, alone. It could have been dangerous.”

  Did he think she was stupid? She knew that. “There were all kinds of people around, John.”

  “Still.”

  Vicki leaned closer and put her palm on his cheek. “I was safe. I promise. And I don’t think it is David. It’s not his way of dealing with things. He throws money at stuff or runs away. He isn’t the confrontational type.”

  John’s hand covered hers. He bent down and covered her mouth with his. Enough to tease her senses with longing. Her lips throbbed. The slip of his tongue along the seam of her mouth set her pulse racing. Their lips clung when he pulled back and glanced at Bentley, who openly watched their interaction, then rested his forehead against hers. “Promise me you won’t see him alone again if you can help it or call me.”

  His face looked so earnest. She didn’t think she’d ever seen someone so concerned for her. She resisted, but her heart melted a little bit more. She crossed her arms. “Okay, fine.”

  ****

  John yawned and turned over as much as he could on this tiny flipping bed. The guest chair in Vicki’s hospital room spread out into a very uncomfortable mattress. His back would never be the same. He sat with a grimace. His leg throbbed when it hit the ground. A faint bleach smell tickled his nose.

  God, he hated hospitals. He’d spent way too much time in them in the course of his life.

  With a quick glance, John ascertained Vicki remained asleep. Overnight, every four hours, someone came in to repeat some reflexes and look at her eyes. It made resting kind of difficult. His mind felt numb. He flexed his hands and stretched out the kinks, turning to take in the clock. Oh six hundred. Since she was still out, this would be a good time to run and get some new clothes. The double-breasted navy suit he wore had seen better days. He leaned over and kissed her forehead softly before heading out, waving at the private security guard her grandmother had hired.

  At the front desk, he flagged down her nurse. “If she wakes up before I return, could you let her know I will be back in a flash?”

  The nurse grinned. “I will. The doctors should be rounding soon. Her neuro checks were good so I anticipate they’ll send her home today.”

  “Good. That will cheer her up. I don’t think she slept well.” Neither of them had.

  The drive was traffic free. He pulled up to the apartment complex and hopped out. When he rounded the corner, he saw his door hanging off its hinges. He crouched and automatically reached for his sidearm, until he remembered he didn’t have one anymore. Given all the excitement going on, John had yet to apply for his concealed carry, but that was going to the top of his list. This was fucking ridiculous.

  He grabbed his phone and sent Bentley a quick text before heading into his apartment. He toed open the door and stepped inside. Someone had ripped apart the couch. Little pieces of fuzz floated in the morning sun coming through the blinds. Spray paint and, from the smell of it, less pleasant material lined the walls. His kitchen was wrecked. All the drawers were emptied, and utensils were scattered along the room. John went into the bedroom. Fuck. All his new clothes were cut up and discarded like rags. His gut burned. He needed to find this fucker and make him pay. John picked up the phone and called Flick.

  Flick arrived as the cops finished their sweep. “What the fuck is going on, dude? This is a quiet town, now threats, slashed tires, assaults, breaking and entering. Who’s got a hankering for you and your girl?”

  “Wish I knew, Flick. Then I could take care of it. Vicki thought it might be David, but she has since revised her opinion. He wanted some shares from her. She agreed easily enough. No reason for this. But still it has to be something along those lines.”

  Flick handed him a suitcase full of the clothes he’d asked to borrow. “Are you thinking we should go suss out David until the cops are finished?”

  “That sounds like a plan. Let me tag Sara and have her pick up Vicki. I don’t want to leave her there alone. I hired someone to come clean this place up. With Joonie’s connections, they told me it’d be done by tonight.” John sorted through the clothes quickly and picked out a basic white T-shirt, hoodie, and sweats only minimally torn.

  “Who’s Joonie? Is she hot?”

  John laughed at the thought of Vicki’s grandma meeting Flick as he yanked on his shirt. That was going to be an experience he didn’t want to miss. Fireworks all around. John flung his arm around Flick’s shoulder. “She is. You’ll like her.”

  “Why am I afraid of that smile of yours?” Flick said.

  ****

  Vicki woke feeling refreshed. The nagging pressure behi
nd her left eye was gone. Other than a gritty sensation in her mouth, she felt good. She turned to look for John. The mattress was still unfolded with the faint impression of a body, blanket curled up near the top, but no sign of her sexy marine. She listened for the sound of a flush. Nothing. Her hand rose and pressed on her temple. It was less sore; the swelling seemed to have gone down. She got up, pulling her gown closed. They had stopped the fluids, but the hub was still in place on her hand.

  When she got to the bathroom, she surveyed the damage. A huge blue bruise on her left forehead and some bruising under her eyes. They’d put in four stitches above her temple. She moaned at the missing hair around the knots. Did they really have to shave her head for such a small cut? She fluffed her hair to cover it, thickening the bangs. If she didn’t know better, it would be hard to notice her injuries. Good. Fewer questions that way. Now to find her man. And wasn’t it weird? She already thought of him as hers. That he was the one. After a week, not even that. Crazy.

  As she left the bathroom, a team of three white-jacketed doctors entered the room.

  “Ms. Masterson, please sit. We need to repeat your neuro exam. If it’s good, you get to leave today. How’s the head?”

  Vicki tucked her gown around her legs on the bed. “Much better. The funky feeling from yesterday is gone.”

  “Okay, good. Sit there. Have your eyes follow my finger. Good. Now keep following. Good. Smile. Make a frown. Stick out your tongue. A bit of poking.” He hit his hammer against both forearms and knees and tested her grip. “Now could you put your legs on the bed for me? I am going to have you go from sitting to lying back and turn your head quickly. When you turn your head, tell me if you get dizzy and please keep your eyes open, okay?”

  They’d done the same thing yesterday. She got it already. “All right.”

  The doctor leaned her back, and she turned her head right, no dizziness. He repeated the move on the left side. Minimal dizziness. Much better than before.

  “Good,” he said. “The nystagmus is gone. You’ve improved. I would take it easy for the next week at least, and I am going to prescribe an antiinflammatory for your headache, but you should be fine. A mild concussion. Nothing to worry about. You will have a follow-up in about two weeks with our neurologist. Of course, if at any time the symptoms worsen, please return, and we will take care of you.”

  “Thanks, doc. Would I be able to get my clothes now? And get dressed. Text my family.”

  “Absolutely, although I am not one hundred percent on when you will be discharged, we can start on the process.”

  The first call from the hospital phone was to John. He’d made a show out of updating his contact information in her phone last night. He didn’t pick up.

  She left a message, short and sweet.

  Come get me.

  In the meantime, she grabbed her wrinkled dress from the bag along with her pumps. These socks the hospital provided were kind of nice. A bit rough but the skidding stuff on the bottom helped prevent falls. She got dressed, brushed her hair, slipped on her shoes, and then plopped back on the bed to wait.

  Still no John. He got the day off, same as her, to take care of her. Heck, he worked with Joonie. She’d give him the next year off if he wanted. And if he needed it to take care of her, no worries. She’d expected him to be here. Where was he?

  At that moment, Sara walked in. She was wearing one of the nicer of the many outfits they’d gotten the other day, a rich maroon that didn’t clash with her hair.

  Vicki waved. “Hi, Sara. What are you doing here?”

  “John asked me for a solid. He wants me to hang out with you and the bodyguard your Grams hired. John has to take care of something.”

  Vicki’s eyes narrowed. “Take care of what?”

  “Like the boys ever tell me anything. Bentley is down the hall. He kind of reminds me of that dude from Law & Order.”

  “Oh, I get that. I forget the guy’s name, Lenny maybe, but I had the same reaction. Kept hearing the ding, ding thing when he talked.”

  Sara grinned. Behind her hip, a small redheaded child peeked out. The little girl was three or four years old, sucking on her thumb. Her hair was a cloud of soft chestnut curls to her shoulders surrounding huge blue-green eyes. This little one would be a stunner one day. Just like her mother. Huh. She didn’t know Sara had a daughter.

  After cutting her gaze to Sara, she squatted. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

  “Mina.”

  “I love that name. Did you come to keep me company?”

  She nodded and pressed her cheek into her mommy’s calf. “Momma says we can go to lunch and then play at home. Could you read to me?”

  “Mina.” Sara chided and stroked her hand down her head. “You know you’re supposed to be the one practicing your words.”

  “But I love stories, Momma. It’s always so pretty. Please. One story.”

  Sara brushed back her bangs. “Maybe one story. We will see, but don’t wheedle our guest into it. That’s bad manners.”

  “Okay.” Mina wrinkled her nose at Vicki shyly and ducked back behind her mom.

  Vicki looked at Sara. “Yours and Brae’s? Those eyes are distinctive.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why didn’t the two of you ever marry? If ever there was a destined couple—”

  “I thought the same thing, once upon a time. John joined the military for the GI Bill and the medical care. Brae needed it for the same thing. Growing up the son of the town drunk left him few options. He wanted to provide for me, he said. But waiting to hear if they lived or died, it killed me a little inside each day. And he kept pushing to marry and have kids. I wasn’t ready until he was home again, here. I didn’t want to be left on a base somewhere. So, well. We ended it, but then.” She waved at Mina. “Best thing that ever happened to me.”

  Vicki stood up and dusted off her knees. “So why didn’t you get back together?”

  “He never called afterward. For months, I waited. And unlike the other times we broke up, this time, he didn’t call. I knew then it was over.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Sara snorted. “Don’t be sorry. I’m not. And I got my little Mina baby here.” She tickled Mina behind her neck, causing her to giggle. There was nothing as special as the happy laughter of a child.

  Warmth filled Vicki’s chest. “I’m glad things worked out for you.”

  “That’s right, sister. We need drinks and some relaxing today. Er. Can you drink?”

  “Well, not if I take my pain med.”

  “How about in place of one pill, you have one drink.” Sara held up a finger.

  Vicki laughed. “We can try that. One drink for me. What about Mina?”

  “We should go to my place. My mom watches Mina during the day. Your grandma is paying me to take a day off to take care of you. I love it. Maybe we can go get pedicures.”

  Mina slipped in between them, her hand grasping onto both of theirs. “What’s a pedicure, Mommy?”

  Vicki clapped. “Oh my gosh, we can do a princess transformation. She’ll love it. Teach her all the girlie stuff.”

  Sara rubbed a finger down her daughter’s hand. “Well, I am not huge on the girlie stuff.”

  “Don’t worry. You got me now. That’s my thang.”

  Eighteen

  John stood inside the entryway to Sara’s living room after a frustrating afternoon monitoring David. It had been just as boring as it sounded. Yet now, he rewarded himself by watching the girls, all three of them. Sara and Vicki lounged on the couch with their back to him while Mina played with Barbies at their feet. Holy crap, did she look like a mini female Brae. Right now, the dolls appeared to be walking and, whoop, one bitch-slapped the other. Ha. Little Mina seemed to be taking after her daddy.

  Vicki laughed and nudged Sara. Sara muttered something back, and they threw their heads back. God. Sara smiled wider than he’d ever seen her. They had their heads together over some magazine. Cosmo. Lord.

  “How
stupid is this?” Sara started. “Today is a day of fulfillment. Let yourself be open to being content. How is that a horoscope? It’s stupid. ’Cause the other six days, close up? Don’t let yourself be happy? Is that what they’re saying?”

  “I think they mean try for it today.”

  Sara glared. “Stop being a pansy. Join me. Say it’s stupid. Say it. Say something mean. I dare you.”

  Vicki hunched her shoulders. “No.”

  “Ha, knew it. You never could do it. You know that, right?”

  “Never could do what?

  “Say no. To your parents, to what people expected.”

  “You’re right. I couldn’t. And you. You could never say yes. You could never let yourself be content. Maybe that’s why we were friends back then.”

  Both girls went silent. John shifted. Heavy girl talk. He didn’t want to interrupt. They’d moved into some dark territory. He knew Sara took the loss of their friendship hard all those years ago. And when that girl got mad, she had a mouth on her.

  “Maybe that’s why we’re friends now?” Sara’s gaze remained fixed on the magazine in front of her.

  Vicki smiled and leaned over to hug her. “I’m so glad you said that. I could use a friend.”

  “Me too.”

  And girl moment over. Though . . . “Are you two ladies going to make out now? ’Cause if you are, I need to get my camera. So hold that thought.”

  Both of them whipped around. Sara flipped him the middle finger salute. Vicki stuck out her tongue. Did these women not know there were so many better uses for their tongues and fingers? John grinned and winked. Vicki got up and hugged him.

  He let his arms fall around her shoulders. His fingers grazed the side of her head near the temple. “Hurt?”

  “Nah. All good. Where have you been?”

  All the tension in his muscles leaked away at the feel of her in his arms again. “Some trouble at my place, but I got it all fixed now.”

  “What trouble?”