Tattered Stars

by Catherine Cowles

  “Not sure. EMTs were called. Ruiz and Williams are headed over there now.”

  “On my way.”

  All sorts of scenarios, each one worse than the last, filled my mind as I made my way to my SUV and climbed inside. The steering wheel creaked as I adjusted my hold. What the hell had she been doing at the vet’s office so late? Why had she been walking to her car alone?

  I took a deep breath, the air whistling through my clenched teeth. It took less than two minutes to get to the vet’s, but it felt like two decades. Lights from an ambulance and a cruiser painted the streets and buildings in a red and blue staccato rhythm.

  I pulled my SUV to the side of the road and added my lights to the symphony. Something in me released at the sight of Everly on a gurney, awake and talking. But my rib cage gave a painful squeeze at the sight of my sister holding a compress to Ev’s head.

  My boots hit the cement with a thud, my pace picking up with each step. Hadley’s gaze met mine. “Hayes, dial it back a notch.”

  I glared at my sister. “What happened?”

  “Everly was attacked, but she’s going to be fine.”

  “I’m okay, really. Just feeling a little woozy.” Everly tried to smile, but it was wobbly, and her skin was so damn pale.

  I didn’t think, I simply moved, slipping my hand into hers and squeezing gently. “Tell me what happened.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket with my free hand and hit my recorder app. I didn’t want Ev to have to recount this over and over.

  “I stayed late to finish up some paperwork so it wasn’t hanging over my head this weekend. I locked up and was walking to my SUV when someone grabbed me. I didn’t even hear him coming. I’m usually really good about being aware of my surroundings, but I was looking at the sky. The moon and the stars aren’t nearly as clear in Seattle. I missed them. So dumb.”

  I squeezed her hand again. “It’s not dumb, and it’s not your fault.”

  Everly’s hand twitched in mine, but I held firm. “I should’ve been paying better attention. But I wasn’t, and it felt like he came out of nowhere. He yanked me hard and covered my mouth with a cloth.”

  My gaze met Hadley’s over Ev’s head. Hadley’s normally relaxed expression had hardened to granite. “I’d guess chloroform or something similar. Her vitals are still a little sluggish.”

  “Then what happened?” I asked.

  “I bit him. Hard.”

  I swept my thumb across the back of her hand. “That’s my girl.”

  Her fingers gave another twitch, but she didn’t let go. “I was losing my balance, and everything was fuzzy, but I got him with an elbow to the ribs. Then someone yelled from down the street.”

  I glanced over to where Sergeant Ruiz was interviewing a couple—I guessed the people who had interrupted the crime.

  “I don’t really know what happened next. I guess I fell…”

  Hadley removed the gauze pad, and it was soaked in blood. She quickly replaced it with another one, even though Everly winced as she did. “Everly knocked her head pretty good on the pavement. It’s going to need stitches, and she might have a concussion. Whenever you’re done, we’re going to take her to Forest Lake to get checked out.”

  One of the few downsides of living where we did was that there wasn’t a hospital close by. We had a good Urgent Care, but we were forty-five minutes away from treatment for true emergencies.

  Everly tried to sit up on the gurney but winced. “Hadley, I don’t think I need the Emergency Room. Can’t someone give me stitches here?”

  “You’re getting checked out,” I barked.

  “Bedside manner, Hayes,” my sister warned.

  My back teeth ground together. “You need a doctor to look at you, and probably some x-rays or a CT scan.”

  Everly slumped back against the gurney.

  “They’ll get you in and out as fast as they can,” Hadley assured her. “You done?” she asked me.

  “Just one more question. Did you see the attacker? Anything about him or her at all?”

  “Based on size, it was a man. He was behind me the whole time. I never got a look at him.”

  “What about his voice? Did he say anything?”

  “Nothing—” Her words cut off.

  “What?”

  “He made a noise when I bit him…but nothing about it was familiar.”

  It was all just a little too similar to Cammie’s attempted abduction—and easily could’ve been a crime of opportunity. “Do you usually work this late on Thursdays?”

  “No. I normally leave with everyone else.”

  One more point in the opportunity column. But I had to ask one more thing. “Do you think this could’ve been Ian?” I wasn’t sure Allen had the strength to overpower Everly. She was much stronger than her size suggested.

  Pain danced across Everly’s eyes, and this time, it wasn’t from the gash on her head. “I don’t think so. It’s not his style. Attack me? Sure. But try to kidnap me? That’s not him.”

  “Okay. I’ll need to talk to him anyway. I’ll tell him to keep his distance, but you may get blowback.” I hated that there was almost nothing I could do to shield her from it. Nothing legally, anyway.

  “I’ll be prepared.”

  “I really need to take her in, Hayes.”

  “Go.” I forced myself to release Ev’s hand, but it hurt like hell. She looked so damn small and alone on that gurney. “Take care of her.”

  “You know I will.”

  I looked at Everly. “Text me and let me know what the doctor says. Or if you remember anything else.”

  “Okay.”

  The single word was soft—quieter than I’d ever heard Ev before. And I had to fight the instinct to climb into the back of the ambulance they were loading her into. Instead, I turned to my officers. The way I could help was to find whoever had done this.

  24

  Everly

  “I’d stay, but I have to head back for the rest of my shift. You going to be okay? Is there anyone you want me to call?”

  There was no one. I fought back the rush of tears that wanted to surface with that knowledge. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for everything, Hadley.”

  She moved to my purse on the hospital gurney in my ER bay. Riffling through it, she pulled out my phone and handed it to me. “Add me to your contacts.” She rattled off her number, and I plugged it in, even though my vision was still a little blurry. “Call me if you need anything.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “No problem.” She patted my leg. “Take care of yourself.”

  I nodded and immediately regretted the action. My head thrummed as if a full marching band was practicing inside my skull. I closed my eyes against the light, trying to block out the brightness and the incessant beeping and chatter around me. It helped a little, but it only made me feel more alone.

  But that’s what I was, wasn’t I? No one would come running when I called. Maybe Ben, but he didn’t have a cell phone. And asking for help from him would only give him another reason to believe that I couldn’t handle things myself.

  I fisted and flexed the hand free of an IV—the one Hayes had held for what seemed like hours. I hadn’t felt alone then. Not with his rough palm pressed against mine, his thumb sweeping back and forth across my skin. I’d felt warm for the first time in forever.

  But that warmth didn’t belong to me. Not really. It would belong to some other woman someday—someone who would share his bed and his life. Become a member of his family. It was ridiculous how much that felt like a stab to the heart.

  The familiar burn climbed up my throat, but I swallowed it down. I couldn’t break. Not here, and not now.

  “Everly Kemper?”

  My eyes opened at the feminine voice, and I blinked a few times before taking in the woman at the foot of my bed. She was petite with jet-black hair and golden skin. “I’m Dr. Balicanta.”

  “Hi.”

  She gave me a kind smile. “You’ve been through the wringer to
night, haven’t you?”

  “It hasn’t been one of my favorite evenings.”

  She chuckled and moved to the side of my bed. “Well, let’s see if we can get you feeling better.” A man in scrubs stepped through the curtains. “This is Nurse Joe. He’ll be helping me out. Is that okay with you?”

  I realized she was asking because I’d been attacked, and the knowledge of what could’ve happened tonight made me shudder. “It’s fine. As long as he has access to the good drugs.”

  Nurse Joe chuckled. “Honey, I’ve got you covered.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  Dr. Balicanta slipped on gloves and carefully peeled back the gauze near my temple. “Joe, can you get me a suture kit? I’m afraid this is going to need a few stitches. Luckily, I aced my plastic surgery rotation, so I think I can get you through it without a scar.”

  A scar was the least of my worries. “Whatever gets it to stop bleeding.”

  “I’m agreed with you there.” She probed the wound a bit, and I winced. “Pain on a scale of one to ten?”

  “I don’t know…seven?”

  “Okay. I’m going to shine a light in your eyes, and it might not feel fun.” She plucked a penlight from her coat and aimed it at me. I squinted but did my best not to let out a moan. “Painful?”

  “Not a trip to Disneyland.”

  “I like her,” Joe said as he set something on a tray next to Dr. Balicanta.

  “If you’ve won Joe over, that means you’re a good egg,” she said. “You’ve got a mild concussion. I’m going to send you for a CT scan, just to be safe, but I think you’ll be feeling better in a few days. Do you have pain anywhere but your head?”

  I did a mental inventory. “My side.”

  “Let’s have a look.” Dr. Balicanta pulled down the blanket. “Just roll onto your side.” I did as she asked, and she lifted my scrub top. “Ouch.”

  Angry scrapes and blooming bruises looked back at me. “Not exactly pretty.”

  “Joe, can I get antiseptic, ointment, and some bandages?”

  “You got it, boss.”

  She ripped open a gauze pad and poured something onto it. “This is going to sting, but I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

  “I can handle it.” Pain was something I’d learned to live with as a child, and that had stuck with me—a handy by-product.

  The doctor moved swiftly, and I simply focused on my breathing. The ointment soothed away the sting the antiseptic left behind, and soon, Dr. Balicanta was taping off a large bandage. “All done with that portion of events.”

  I rolled to my back. “Thank you.”

  “Let’s see if you’re still thanking me when I do these stitches.” She moved with practiced ease as she readied her tools. “Ready for a little pinch?”

  “Sure.” Pain was one thing, but I’d never been a fan of needles. What other choice did I have, though?

  Joe moved to the other side of the bed. “Here. Squeeze my hand. It helps.”

  I took his offered hand. It wasn’t as rough or warm as Hayes’, but it was comforting. And the kindness of the gesture had that burn returning to my throat. “Thank you.”

  “Anytime.”

  Dr. Balicanta readied the syringe. “Here we go.”

  I kept my eyes closed as she worked. I mentally reviewed all the bones in a cat. The symptoms of diabetes in a dog. Anything I could think of to keep my mind off the needle in my flesh.

  “We’re all done. I just need to cover the sutures. And Joe will print out aftercare instructions while you’re getting your scans.”

  I slowly released Joe’s hand, heat rising to my cheeks. “Thanks for that.”

  He sent me a wink. “Any excuse to hold a pretty girl’s hand.”

  Dr. Balicanta chuckled. “I’ll be back as soon as we get your results, and then we can get you some painkillers.”

  Anything to dull the pounding in my head would be a miracle at this point. I didn’t have to wait as long as expected. An orderly came in moments later, and the scan itself went quickly. I guessed that was the benefit of coming in after ten on a weeknight.

  “Knock, knock,” Dr. Balicanta said as she pulled back the curtain. “Everything looks good. Since you have a concussion, we can keep you overnight, or you can go home if you have someone who can stay with you and wake you up every three hours.”

  The burn was back, and it was fiercer than before. The last thing I wanted to do was stay here tonight. I wanted real sleep. “I guess I’ll have to stay. I don’t have anyone to come get me—” The curtain being pulled back cut off my words, and then Hayes appeared. “W-what are you doing here?”

  He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I figured you’d need someone to take you home.”

  Dr. Balicanta’s eyes held a twinkle when she spoke. “Can you stay with her tonight? Everly will need to be woken up every three hours and asked simple questions since she has a concussion. If she seems confused or her pain worsens, you’ll need to bring her back. But I’m about to give her a painkiller and a prescription that should help.”

  “It’s okay. I can just stay here.”

  “No. You’ll stay with me.”

  I couldn’t help the scowl that rose to my lips. “Will I now?”

  He took the papers the doctor handed him and turned to me. “Do you really want to stay here and be woken up every hour to have your vitals taken? Or would you rather suck it up and sleep in my guest room for the night?”

  I really didn’t want to stay here. “Fine.”

  “Or, you could say ‘Thank you.’”

  “Thank you,” I gritted out.

  Joe peeked his head in. “I couldn’t help but overhear. You two are like a soap opera.” Hayes glared at Joe, but he simply ignored it and handed me a bag. “Had this filled at the pharmacy for you. Take care of yourself, doll.”

  “I’ll try. Thanks for holding my hand.”

  “Anything for you,” he said with a wink and bustled out. Hayes’ glare intensified.

  Dr. Balicanta cleared her throat, but it sounded more like she was trying to cover a laugh. “Well, now that that’s settled, all I need is for you to sign these discharge papers while I give you a dose of these meds through the IV.”

  I signed while Dr. Balicanta gave me the drugs. After a couple of minutes, she took out my IV, giving me another of her kind smiles. “Take care of yourself and come back if you have any concerns.”

  “Thanks again. For everything.”

  She patted my leg through the blanket. “Thanks for being a trooper.”

  The drugs were already making their way through my system, and I started to feel as if I were floating just a bit. Hayes moved to my side. “Think you can sit up?”

  “I might need a little help there.”

  “I got ya.” He moved smoothly and gently, one hand going behind my shoulders and the other taking my hand. He guided me to a sitting position. “Think you need a wheelchair?”

  “No. Maybe just an arm to lean on.”

  Hayes’ gaze met mine. “I won’t let you fall.”

  “Okay.” The single word came out as a whisper, and I forced myself to look away.

  We moved slowly through the halls and then out into the night. That first hit of mountain air soothed my fraying nerves—a balm to all the pieces that felt just a bit ragged at the moment. As I stepped off the curb, my entire body twinged.

  “What is it? Is something wrong? Should we go back?”

  The panic in Hayes’ voice had the corners of my mouth tipping up. For a man who dealt with emergencies every day at his job, it was amusing to see one little grimace send him running. “Nothing a few soaks in the hot springs won’t cure.”

  He stayed still for a few more moments, studying my face as if to assess if I was being honest with him. “More than just your head hurting?”

  “I landed pretty hard on my side. I’ll be tender for a week or so.”

  “Shit. I’m so sorry this happened.”

  “Me, to
o.” I started moving towards the parking lot, scanning the vehicles for that familiar Sheriff’s SUV. “Did you find anything?”

  Hayes took my arm again. “This way. And not much. We’ve still got officers looking, and we got a bit of a description from the couple who came along, but it was dark, and he was wearing a hat. All we’ve got is a better idea of height and build.”

  “Better than nothing, I guess.”

  He beeped the locks on his SUV and opened the passenger door. “We won’t stop searching.”

  “I know you won’t.” I looked at the seat I needed to climb into. “This might be tricky.”

  “Trust me?”

  I turned back to face Hayes. That question held so much more than this moment. It held baggage and forgiveness and a million other things. I searched his face, looking for all the answers I needed in those dark eyes. I didn’t see all of them, but I saw enough. “Yes.”

  He moved in, swift and smooth. One arm went under my legs, and the other behind my back. He lifted me as if I weighed no more than a sack of flour and deposited me carefully in the seat.

  I let out a whoosh of air. “Well, that’s one way to do it.”

  Hayes chuckled. “Easier than anything else. Do you want me to buckle you in?”

  “I think I can handle that.”

  “All right, then.”

  He closed the door softly and rounded the front of the SUV. Climbing behind the wheel, he turned over the engine and started us back towards Wolf Gap. We were quiet on the ride, both of us lost in our thoughts.

  I turned my gaze to the sky, searching for the constellations my father had taught me. It was one of the good memories I had of him. And I tried to hold on to the good bits. To remind myself that no one was all good or all bad. But, sometimes, the good pieces held more pain than the bad ones, as if the stars themselves became tattered remnants of what they once were.

  Instead of thinking of that, I let my vision blur with the landscape, allowing it to become a beautifully dark impressionist painting in my mind. By the time we pulled up to a house on the outskirts of town, my eyes were drooping, but I was in a lot less pain.