Tia found it nearly impossible to relax even with Brody sitting beside her. Every sound made her jump and look to the doorway.
“It’s going to be all right,” Brody said as he held out a hand. She was grateful for his touch, but even that didn’t calm her racing heart. In just a few days, she’d been in an automobile accident, had a gun pulled on her, been locked in a bathroom due to a code silver, and been injected with Insulin. She wasn’t sure her heart would ever return to its normal rhythm.
“How are you two doing?”
Tia looked up to see Detective Graves in the doorway.
“Did you get the guy?” Brody asked. “Who was he?”
Detective Graves nodded. “We did. His name is Adrian Petrov. He’s the leader of one of the bigger gangs out of Chicago and the head of a drug organization. He isn’t saying much right now, but Stone will take care of that. We did manage to ascertain his address.” He turned to Tia and a slight smile pulled at his lips, “Where we found a black Ford truck, and though he tried to have it fixed, we are almost certain it was the same truck that hit you. It’s over, Tia.”
“That’s wonderful.” Brody turned to Tia, and a broad grin graced his features.
Tia forced a smile in return, but her worry wasn’t entirely eased. She didn’t know why, but the situation still bothered her. “Wait, what about the nurse?”
“We got her too. Susanna Petrov, his wife. She’s not talking either, but from what we can gather, they obtained uniforms when they saw on the news that you were in ICU. We’re not sure whether she was merely keeping him informed or if she was a backup plan, but we do know that she’s the one who bought the flowers. We showed pictures to the clerk at the gift shop, and he was able to ID her.”
So that was it. It was over, except…. “What about Rico?” Where did he fit into all of this? Why hadn’t he come after her?
Jordan’s jaw clenched and his eyes shifted just slightly. “He’s in the wind. We think he’s in Chicago hiding out and trying to clean up this mess, but I promise you we’re still looking for him.”
It should make her feel better, but it didn’t. “Thank you, Detective Graves.”
“Call me Jordan,” he said as he held her gaze.
“Yes, thank you, Jordan,” Brody said clapping a hand on Jordan’s shoulder before turning back to Tia. “We need to monitor you to be sure the insulin didn’t damage anything, but if all goes well, and as long as your fever is still gone, you might be able to leave the hospital tomorrow.”
She should be glad. No one wanted to live in a hospital, but Tia didn’t know what life held for her now. Did she go back to writing? She wasn’t sure her stories would be the same after everything that had happened, and she didn’t want to chance falling into the person she had been before. But, if she didn’t write, what would she do?
As if sensing her unease, Detective Graves stepped forward. “I know this is a lot to deal with, Tia. If you’d like to stay in town a little longer, I can find you a temporary place and set you up with a counselor who might be able to work through some of the trauma with you.”
Tia smiled up at him. “Thank you, I might take you up on that.”
“And I don’t know how your recovery will be, but I own a restaurant. I have a need for a good hostess if your doctor says it’s okay.”
Brody nodded. “I’d be okay with it as long as she can stay off her leg. It would be great if you stayed in town, and I was able to check up on you as well.”
Check up on her? Was that all he wanted? She had thought after their two near death experiences that he might want more, but perhaps that had just been adrenaline acting and not any real affection for her.
“Thank you, Jordan. I think I’ll spend tonight thinking about where I see my life going from here, and I’ll let you know.”
“You do that.” He pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to her. “I know Al gave you a card the first day we were here, but this one has my personal cell. You call me if you want some help. I’m sorry this happened to you, but you are strong. You will be okay.”
Tia nodded and hoped her lips formed a smile though she didn’t feel much like smiling. After Jordan left, Brody went to check on other patients, promising to check in on her before he left for the night.
As she lay in the quiet room, Tia wondered what the rest of her life held for her. If Brody didn’t have feelings for her, would she stay in Fire Beach? There wouldn’t really be a need, but could she readjust to her life back in California? It already felt a lifetime ago. Though she couldn’t remember the last time she had, Tia turned her eyes to the ceiling and whispered a prayer.
“God? I don’t know if I used to do this. I’m not even sure I’m doing it right, but if I am, please help me know what to do. I don’t want to go back to the person I was before, but I have no idea how to go forward.”
She hadn’t expected a booming answer, but Tia sighed when all she received was the stillness of her room broken only by the beeping of her monitor.
“Whew, you took quite a pounding,” Nick said as he helped Brody get his arm out of the shirt. Though he didn’t think anything was broken, Brody wanted to get a second opinion before heading home for the night. Besides worker’s compensation required he receive medical attention for his claim.
Brody tried not to grimace as the pain shot through him. His arm was already turning an ugly collection of blues and purples. “I know, but it was either take the guy down or let him get away.”
“In that case, I think you chose wisely, but you should remember that you’re not Superman. You’re going to have a sizable bruise on this shoulder. I’d ice it tonight and think about taking a few days off to recover. You certainly have enough saved up.”
“Yeah, maybe after Tia gets released,” Brody said with a nod. He tried to lift his arm to replace his shirt, but the pain made him stop.
Nick stepped back and narrowed his eyes at Brody. “Tia, huh? You’ve saved this woman twice now, and you don’t want to take time off while she’s here. Are you really going to tell me you don’t have feelings for this woman?”
Brody sighed. “I don’t know what I have - whether it’s feelings or some crazy case of needing to protect her, but I want to be here until she’s released.”
“You don’t even know how bad you have it, man,” Nick said with a shake of his head as he helped Brody place his arm back in his sleeve. “Okay, let me see the hip.”
Brody took a deep breath, stood, and lowered his pants. His hip was definitely sore and would probably be just as colorful, but his shoulder actually ached more.
“Yep, you’re going to have fun walking the next few days. Ice and rest, man. Ice and rest. And no more fist fights or wall slams.”
“I’ll do my best,” Brody said with a smirk. “It’s not like I practice them on a regular basis.” He zipped his pants back up and grabbed his bag. “Thanks, Nick. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You too. Oh, and Brody?” Brody turned back to his friend. “She won’t be your patient much longer.”
Brody smiled and flashed his friend a wave as he stepped out of the door. Was that his hang-up? Was he worried about how it would look if he were seeing a patient? He supposed it was possible. There was no denying he had feelings for Tia now, but were they worth pursuing? Would she return to California when she was released? He had so many questions and no real answers. Perhaps tomorrow would bring more clarity.