~
Laurie had been in a hurry to download all of the digital files from the photo shoot the night before. But then she had made herself go to bed once she had saved a copy of them onto her external hard drive.
Now that it was the next day, she had been crazy busy with two more shoots and a meeting with another special needs family. It was nearly five and she was finally sitting in front of her laptop in the studio. As she went through the images of Gideon, she couldn’t keep from smiling. There were a lot of photos that she deleted because they weren’t quite in focus, or for a number of other reasons.
Typically, she liked to present anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five images. She couldn’t wait to finish processing these and show Serenity.
Sitting on her chair, her left leg tucked under her, she browsed through the images. Two things struck her. The first was that Gideon was truly a happy child and he had a smile that was incredibly contagious. Second, Serenity was a dedicated single mom who was clearly struggling with something in her life.
“God, please help her. I don’t know her well, but I get the sense there is something going on in her life and she could use some help. If there’s anything I can do to help, please show me that as well.”
Laurie sat in silence for a few moments before turning back to her laptop. The first thing she did was connect her external hard drive and back up the chosen files one more time. She had learned it was always better to be safe than sorry.
She placed the hard drive back in her bag and took a sip of water.
The studio door opened and she jumped. Why hadn’t she locked it earlier? She’d been so focused on processing that she hadn’t even thought about it. She turned, half expecting to see Tuck.
A man, all in black, was standing there instead.
She leapt to her feet.
He must have waited until he entered her place to pull the ski mask on, because he was rolling it down over his face. She could barely see a cleft in the man’s chin before it was covered up. Her movement seemed to spur him on and he suddenly had a knife in his hand.
Laurie’s heart raced as she glanced at the small gun safe on her desk. Could she open it and get a shot off before the intruder reached her?
The man moved to stand halfway between her and the door to her apartment, effectively blocking her in.
“What do you want?”
“I need a list of your customers with all of their contact information.”
Laurie consciously made herself note his eye color and height. She couldn’t tell much else other than the fact that the guy was incredibly jumpy. He wanted to know about her customers? Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.
“I can’t help you.”
“I need that information. Now!”
He hedged closer, the knife swaying in the air.
“I pressed a panic button. The police are probably on their way right now.” It was a lie, and it looked like the intruder wasn’t convinced. Laurie held her breath, desperately trying to think.
“If you think I won’t hurt you, then you’re wrong.”
He stepped closer and Laurie could see his hand flexing around the knife.
She shoved her chair at him and grasped it as she dashed around the desk. Come on! Come on! She punched in the four digit code and pulled the gun out. Adrenaline made it easy to pull the slide back and she flipped the safety off.
With a furious yell, the man kicked the chair aside, his feet nearly skidding out from beneath him as he attempted to intercept her.
She managed to squeeze the trigger and get one shot off before she felt a hot pain in her side and fell forwards under the intruder’s weight. Her head collided with the edge of her desk and everything went black.
~
Tuck had worked like a crazy man all day. By the time five-thirty rolled around, he was starving and more than ready to be off duty for the night. Bad weather had managed to hold off, and now he hoped he could go home and get some rest before he was called back in again. He got into his truck and dialed Laurie’s phone number, smiling in anticipation of hearing her voice.
She didn’t pick up, but then he knew she was having a pretty busy day herself. He decided to stop by the studio and see if he could bring her something to eat.
The closer he got to her place, the more he had a feeling of dread settle in the pit of his stomach. By the time he was pulling up in front of Capturing the Moment, he had dialed her phone one more time and was getting concerned.
Tuck went through the studio door, and the first thing he saw was her desk chair dumped on its side. His eyes went from that to her body slumped on the floor. “Laurie!” He ran to her, kneeling down as he felt for a heartbeat. Relief flooded him as he detected that precious pulse of life in her neck. He pulled his gun out and scanned the room. He wasn’t going to get caught off guard if her attacker was still in the building.
His eyes were drawn to a purple bruise on her temple, but it was the red seeping into her pale green sweater what alarmed him. “God, please help her.” He took his jacket off and pressed it against the wound. He holstered his weapon and dialed the station to have both officers and an ambulance dispatched to their location.
Waiting was the hardest thing that Tuck had ever done. “You’re going to be okay, Laurie. Hang in there.” Pressing the jacket with one hand, he used the other to sweep hair out of her face and stroked her cheek. “I need you. You have to be okay.”
Lance burst through the door along with two other officers a moment before he could hear the ambulance sirens in the distance. “What happened?”
“She was attacked. I found her like this - it looks like a stabbing.” Tuck groaned, frustrated. “I shouldn’t have left her here alone. We should have known better.”
“You certainly couldn’t have anticipated this was going to happen.” Lance gave him a stern look.
Tuck knew that was true, but he still wished he would have been there for her. He would give anything to have been able to protect her from this.
“I’ve got something over here,” Lance said, bending to examine something on the floor near the cabinet. “It’s a gun.”
“Is it a Smith & Wesson?” Lance nodded. “It’s Laurie’s. She kept it in a safe.”
“That’s back here behind the desk as well.” Lance used a handkerchief to eject the magazine and examined the chamber. “It’s been fired.”
Tuck noticed some drops of blood leading to the front door. “We need to find out if that’s Laurie’s blood or if she managed to hit our intruder.”
“We’ll get right on it.”
EMS arrived and it took all his strength to step back and let them work on her. Tuck watched as they bent to examine her and stabilize her condition in order to transport her to the hospital.
“I’m going with them.” He followed them out of the building. “Keep me updated.”
“I will. Let me know how she is when you can.
With a decisive nod, Tuck’s view of Lance disappeared when the ambulance doors were closed. He called Lexi to let her know they were on their way and then called his mom, who said she would keep Laurie in her prayers.
He’d only known her for a few weeks, but already he felt as though she had been a part of his life for much longer. He held tight to her hand as the ambulance sped through the streets.
She was going to be okay. She had to be.
Chapter Fifteen
Tuck had tried to stop pacing back and forth across the hospital waiting room without much success. Every time he sat down, he had an almost painful need to get back up and walk some more.
When Lexi finally came out of a door and headed towards him, he met her partway. “How is she?”
“She’s going to be fine.”
Her words made his head hang and he took a deep breath. “Praise God.”
Lexi led him to a couple of chairs and sat down, waiting for him to join her before she continued. “Her injury is a flesh wound. It’s deep, but it’ll heal. T
he knife missed all the major organs. She took a pretty good hit to the head, but it’s nothing serious. Right now, it’ll be a matter of waiting for her to wake up.”
He stood again, drawing his sister into a big hug. “Thanks, Lexi,” he whispered into her hair. “Can I sit with her?”
“Of course.” She smiled at him and began to lead the way. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
Tuck grinned and gave her a wink as he followed her through the doors. The moment he saw Laurie, he wanted to find the guy who had hurt her and put him through a wall.
She was laying on the bed, covers pulled up to her chest. She had an IV in one arm, two different bags dripping fluids and medication. She also had an oxygen tube running under her nose. The bruise on her temple was even more obvious now that it had had a chance to darken. Her hair was fanned out all over the pillow and seemed much redder next to the white linens. Her eyelashes lay in rust-colored crescents against her pale cheeks.
Lexi squeezed his arm. “Remember, Tuck, she’s going to be okay. I doubt the doctor will keep her past a day or two.”
He nodded, grateful for the reminder, because looking at her like this made him feel incredibly helpless. God had saved her and she was going to be okay. That was what he needed to focus on.
“I’ll leave you here. Text if you need anything. I think the doctor should be in sometime tomorrow morning. She should be waking up soon. I’ll come check in on you both in a little while.”
He gave his sister a hug. “Thanks again, Lexi.”
He pulled the chair as close to the side of the hospital bed as he could and took a seat, reaching for one of Laurie’s hands. Stroking the soft skin, he whispered, “I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”
It seemed like an eternity before Laurie’s eyelids fluttered and a low moan escaped her lips. Tuck was instantly alert, leaning forward to see her face. He touched the back of his hand to her cheek. “Shhhh. Take your time.”
She licked her lips and he knew that her mouth would be incredibly dry after the anesthesia. He watched as she tried to drag her eyelids up and he got brief glimpses of the jade hidden behind them. Finally, she focused on him and squeezed his hand. “What happened?” Laurie swallowed. “I’m thirsty.”
“I’ll go get something. I’ll be right back.” Stepping out to the nurse’s station, he was given ice chips and told someone would be in momentarily. Using the spoon, he helped place a few pieces on Laurie’s tongue. She moved them around in her mouth and swallowed, opening her mouth for more. He obliged. “That had better be it. Someone is supposed to be here in a few minutes. I don’t want to give you too much.”
A slight nod told him she understood.
The last thing he wanted to do was push her, but the sooner they got an idea of what the man looked like who stabbed her, the more effective the search for him would be. “Do you remember what happened to you?”
Her eyebrows drew together and she closed her eyes. He thought she might be falling asleep again when she said, with a raspy throat, “I think it was the same man as before. More careless this time.” She swallowed. “Brown eyes. Right handed. Probably about five foot six.” She swallowed again and tried to clear her throat. “He had a cleft in his chin. He wanted all of my customers’ names and contact information.”
“What did you do?”
“He was coming at me. I shoved my chair at him and tried to get the gun out. I had moved the safe downstairs because I felt better that way. I remember getting the safe open, but that’s it. I don’t remember anything after that.”
Tuck grinned at her. “Yes, you got the gun out and managed to get a shot off before he stabbed you. We’re testing some blood samples in your studio to see if the drops by the front door are yours or his.” Brushing hair off her forehead tenderly, he placed a soft kiss on the bruise. “I’m incredibly proud of you. That shot is probably what saved your life. As best as we can tell, he took off right after that.”
Lexi entered the room, followed by a doctor. “Laurie, it’s good to see you awake,” she said, checking the IV drip and the monitor.
“It’s good to be awake.”
~
The next thing Laurie registered was the fact that it was dark outside. She eased herself up on her elbows a little and spotted Tuck asleep in the chair nearby. She couldn’t help the smile that pulled at the edges of her lips. She reached up to scratch her nose and was relieved to find that the oxygen tube had been removed.
Her head was pounding and her side felt like it was burning. She tried to pull her gown over to see what the wound looked like, but a bandage was covering it. It was definitely the middle of the night, yet she could still detect the sounds of the hospital outside her door. Footsteps, machines beeping, and the occasional muted voice found their way through along with the light from the hallway.
Her throat was dry. Spotting a clear, plastic cup of water on the small table nearby, she reached for it gingerly.
“Hey, hey. Let me get that for you.”
He stood and got the cup from the table, handing it to her. “You might want to take sips at first, make sure you can handle it okay.”
“Thanks.” She took a tentative sip. “It takes a lot to mess with my stomach, though.” After another swallow, she handed the cup back to him. “What time is it? What day is it?”
He cleared his throat and glanced at his watch. “It’s after two in the morning and it’s Tuesday.” He studied her. “How do you feel?”
“I’ve felt better.” She touched the bruise on her head. “But I think I’m doing okay, considering.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
Laurie looked up to find him staring at her. “What is it?”
“I have never been as scared as I was when I saw you lying there on the floor like that.” Tuck reached for her hand and placed a light kiss to her wrist. “Please don’t ever do that to me again.”
“I’ll do my best. I think I’m going to need some more sleep. You should go home and get some real rest – that chair can’t be comfortable.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you’re released.”
Yawning widely, Laurie blinked away the moisture his kindness brought to her eyes. Carefully, she shifted her body to one side of the small bed and patted the now-empty space next to her. “If you’re going to stay, would you mind holding me?”
“Now that I can do.” Being careful to not jostle her, Tuck eased himself onto the bed. He laid his arm out across the pillows and Laurie rested her head in the crook of his arm. She barely had time to enjoy the safety she felt with him right there beside her before sleep claimed her again.
~
Light came through the window and Laurie squinted the moment she opened her eyes.
“It snowed again.”
Her gaze swung to the other side of the room, spotting Patty sitting in a chair nearby. “Hi! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you right away.”
Patty used her hands to outline her thicker waist. “That’s the first time I’ve been told that,” she said with a wink.
Laurie laughed, catching her breath when the movement brought her a quick reminder about the knife wound.
“Tuck said for me to tell you he’s sorry he’s not here. He didn’t want to leave, but the chief insisted he go in to continue working on the case.”
“I completely understand. You didn’t have to come in and babysit me.”
“I wanted to sit with you. How are you feeling? Do I need to call a nurse for you?”
“I’m feeling better than I did the last time I woke up.” Laurie moved a little in the bed, testing her body. “I’m absolutely starving, though.” She found that, as long as she did so carefully, she could move however she needed. Her head still ached, but the pain wasn’t nearly as sharp as it was before. “Has anyone said how long I have to be in here?”
Patty shook her head. “I was told someone would be in later this morning or early afternoon to check on you and make that determinat
ion.” She stood. “But I can go find a nurse and tell her you need some food before you start eating the draperies. I’ll be right back.”
She chuckled at the thought. Pushing the covers down off her chest, she moved to sit up a little bit.
Looking pleased, Patty came back into the room. “I found someone and they’ll be right in. Lexi is off work or she probably would have had food waiting. There’s a nice little cafeteria here. If they don’t bring something decent, I’ll run down there for you.”
“I appreciate that. Thank you.”
“Of course!” She sat down again. “You should call your family and let them know you’re here.”
“If I call my parents now, they’ll get on the first flight back. I’m fine and will probably be home soon.”
“I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but a mother would want to know if her daughter had been hurt. If nothing else, she could at least be praying for you.”
She knew Patty was right, though she still hated the idea of pulling them back from their travels. She sighed. “I know. I would rather wait until I hear from the doctor. I can give them an estimated time for my release from the hospital. I don’t want anyone feeling like they have to come.”
Patty nodded and Laurie couldn’t tell if she agreed with the decision or not.
The morning passed by quickly. The nurse made sure she got lunch, which included tomato soup that tasted amazing. Her vitals were checked several times, one of the IV fluid bags was removed, and Laurie was able to make a couple of trips to the restroom without too much trouble.
Patty stayed several hours until Lexi was back on shift. Laurie hugged the older woman and whispered her thanks for her kindness. Patty only hugged her again and said she was happy to do it.
Lexi smiled down at her. “You look like you’re feeling a lot better.”
“I am.” She looked down at the IV in her arm. “I’m eating, drinking, and using the restroom. Any chance we could get this out of me?”
Finding Peace (Love's Compass #1) Page 12
