Chapter Twenty-One

“Are you sure?” Shay asked Aden. When she told him she wanted to see Nick before leaving, something ghosted across Aden’s face.

The coffee shop was closed, so he settled in the waiting area next to it. “Go, I’ll be fine.”

“I won’t be long.” She took the elevator up and stepped back when the door opened to let two nurses on. One of them pushed the floor number just before ICU.

Leaning back against the wall, Shay crossed her arms and stared at her sneakers. In the past forty-eight hours, her ex-husband had been shot and her friend attacked. She herself had been arrested and then set free. Her house was vandalized. All this happened in addition to her changing relationship with Aden. A relationship she’d decided was not going to happen. How had her life become so complicated? Maybe she’d been in a bit of a rut, but a stable rut since her divorce.

The elevator dinged and opened, and the two nurses got out. She took a breath, glad to have a moment alone.

Just before the doors closed, an arm slipped in, making them reopen.

Michael, in plain clothes, smiled and stepped in. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question. I’m heading up to see Nick and find out if there’s any improvement.” Shay slid into the corner to give the big man some room.

“I’m heading there too.” Michael leaned against the wall next to her, his arm almost touching hers.

Thanks for taking my side.” She inched over. “If it weren’t for you, I’d probably still be locked up.”

Michael turned to face her, his shoulder pressed against the wall. “I know you didn’t do it. It’s my job to make sure the truth is seen.”

“Can I ask you something?” Shay examined one of her chipped fingernails. “It’s about one of the detectives from today.”

“You can ask me anything, Shay.” He leaned a bit closer.

The elevator stopped, and the doors slid open. Across from them, the ICU waiting room for families sat empty. At this time of night, most visitors had gone home. Shay tried to push aside the weird vibe Michael was throwing off. For crying out loud, she’d known him forever.

Then he reached down and placed his hand on her lower back.

She stiffened and hurried forward, putting some distance between them. “Let’s talk in there.”

Michael sighed and followed her in.

They sat in the low, barrel-shaped chairs, facing each other.

“What do you want to ask me?”

“About Brandt.”

“Brandt, right.” Michael nodded. “Do you know him? He seems to have a personal grudge against you.”

“No, I don’t. I also don’t know if you’re aware, but someone attacked Olivia House, my boss, today. The woman told Olivia to give me her regards, right before knocking her out.” She clasped her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking. “Olivia is here in the hospital too.”

“What? For crying out loud.” Michael leaned forward and grasped her hands between his. “Are you okay? It’s got to be freaking Brenda.”

“I think so too. But the strange thing is, when Brandt left Olivia’s room after insinuating I’m the one responsible for the attack, he got on the phone.” Shay sat back and pulled her hands out of Michael’s. “He had a conversation with some woman about me.”

She told Michael everything she remembered about the conversation. “I think he’s involved with Brenda, and they’re both trying to hurt me and anyone I have a relationship with.”

Unable to hold back the tears, Shay grabbed a tissue out of a box on the nearby table.

Michael waited for her to regain control.

Several minutes, and half a box of tissues later, she blew her nose and gave him a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I’ve never cried as much as I have in the last couple of months.”

“It’s ok, you’ve been under a lot of pressure, and it’s built up.” Michael furrowed his forehead and placed a hand on her knee.

She would have appreciated his comfort until she saw the heat in his eyes. Then he gave her knee a gentle squeeze. Shay lifted his hand off, stood, and walked over to the window. Turning around, she leaned against the sill. “Michael, what’s going on with you?”

The usually confident man fidgeted in the chair. He shook his head and said, “This is not how I wanted the conversation to start.”

“What conversation?” Her stomach churned with worry about where this was heading. “You’re very touchy-feely tonight. What’s going on?”

“Fine, let’s do this.” He stayed in the chair but leaned forward and ran a hand through his short dark hair. “I’ve always liked you as more than a friend, Shay. I hated what Nick did to you. I’m glad you and he have come to terms with everything. But now I wonder if there’s room in your life for me?”

“I…I don’t know what to say…” Breaking eye contact, she fumbled for words. “I didn’t know.”

“I’d like you to say, Yes, Michael, there is room in my life for you.” He slumped back into the chair. “But you’re not going to say it, are you?”

Shay folded her arms over her chest. A chill ran through her, and she rubbed her upper arms. “No, I’m sorry. I can’t say it. I like you as a friend. Also, I’ve sort of started something with Aden House.”

“Sort of?”

“Yeah.” She bit her lip. “Sort of.”

“All righty then.” Michael slapped his thighs and stood. “Not the right time or situation. Let’s forget we had this conversation.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be.” He walked to the door. “I’m going to ask around about Brandt. You need to be careful, though.”

Shay nodded.

“Brenda is still listed as a missing person. I don’t think she’s a victim, mind you, but the evidence we have indicates she is.” Michael morphed back into professional mode. “I’m going to see what I can find out. I know Detective Carter. He’s not a bad guy.”

“Thank you for listening and believing me.” Shay walked toward the door he’d opened. “Are we good?”

“Yes.” Michael shrugged. “I refuse not to be.”

“Michael…” Words escaped her, so she let it go. It would only be weird if they allowed it. “Okay, we’re good. Aden is downstairs waiting for me. He must be wondering what’s taking so long, and I haven’t even seen Nick yet.”

“Then let’s go see him.”

She stopped in the doorway and put her hand on his arm. “You’re a great guy. Someday there’s going to be a fortunate woman in your life.”

He shrugged again and then followed her to the ICU doors.

The nurse buzzed them in when Michael told them who they were and presented his badge. Good thing he was there.

Shay didn’t recognize anyone, and no doubt they wouldn’t have allowed her after-hours access.

According to the staff, Nick’s condition showed little change. Though his vital signs showed some improvement, he was still listed as critical. Even though he responded to physical stimuli, there were no signs of returning consciousness. He’d received the last blood transfusion to replace lost volume, so now they could only wait for him to wake up.

“I’m so sorry, Nick.” She stayed for a few minutes and murmured soft words of encouragement. Even though she didn’t love him any longer, she still cared, especially after their talk the other night.

“I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow,” she whispered and then nodded at Michael. “Thanks again.”

****

Aden closed another outdated magazine, rolled it up, and began tapping it on the side of the small hard sofa. The television in the corner had been annoying as it droned on a loop about the latest medical offerings. A man vacuuming the carpet at the other end of the room finally drowned it out. What kept Shay? Just as he was about to get up and go find her, she walked around the corner from the direction of the elevators. “Is everything all right? What took so long?”

Shay plopped down next to him. Her puffy, reddened eyes peered out from a pale face. “Sorry I took so long.”

“Why were you crying?” Irritation fled as he reached over to caress her cheek. She leaned into his touch, and he covered the side of her face with his hand. This was no time for jealousy. “Is it Nick?”

Scooching in closer, Shay laid her head against his shoulder. “No…yes…no…it’s just everything.”

“Come here.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

They sat for a few minutes in silence before she told him about meeting Michael. He tensed when she said the officer’s name. Another flush of jealousy burned the back of his neck.

“He’s also checking into Detective Brandt.”

“Good. Anything else?”

“Nothing important.” She tensed again.

Aden didn’t believe it but didn’t want to push. She was already under enough pressure and didn’t need to deal with his unreasonable jealousy. “Let’s go home. Will you stay at Olivia’s with me? I can’t handle stairs yet, and I don’t want you to be alone at the Grill.” He could almost hear the wheels spinning in her head. “Just company. Nothing else.”

“Yes, I’ll stay.” Her body went soft under his arm. “I don’t want to be alone either.”

A short drive later, he let them into Olivia’s condo. As much as he appreciated his sister allowing him to stay, he couldn’t wait to go home to his own house, his own rooms. Aden led Shay down the hallway to the guest room and opened the door.

She went in.

“This is my room. If you want, you can stay in Olivia’s.” He forged on with the conversation wondering if or when she would say something. “Bathroom’s in there.”

She walked around him and looked in. “It’s great.”

“I would like you to stay with me.” He unstrapped the crutches then set them by the bed and sat on the chair next to it. His heart beat hard when she walked over and stood in front of him. Almost an automatic reaction, his hands went to her hips, and he pulled her closer.

That pale face was now gone; her cheeks flushed a lovely pink.

“I—”

“I just want to hold you. I care for you, Shay, but I know it’s too soon. Besides, with my injuries—”

“I want to stay with you too.”

Sliding one hand around her waist, Aden drew her in for a kiss.

Shay gripped his shoulders and then encircled his neck. She opened her lips to his. After a minute, both of them were out of breath.

He lifted his head, breaking off the kiss. He’d told her he wouldn’t push.

She stepped out of the embrace, avoided looking at him, and instead began to check out the rest of the room. The kiss obviously affected her as much as him. “Nice place.”

“There are towels in the bathroom if you want to take a shower.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll go grab something of Olivia’s for you to wear.”

“I have the change of clothes I always carry in my backpack, but nothing for sleeping. I’d rather you just lend me a T-shirt and a pair of boxers if you have them.” When she peeked over at him, a mischievous grin lit her face. “Unless you’re a tighty-whitey kind of guy?”

“Nope.” He grinned back. “Boxer man.”

He limped over to the dresser and extracted a gray T-shirt and black shorts. Handing them to Shay, he kissed her forehead before propelling her toward the bathroom. A few minutes later, the water turned on. Small puffs of steam and the scent of his body wash drifted into the bedroom. He took a deep breath and released a sigh of satisfaction.