A Knight for Nurse Hart (14 page)

An hour? So soon? She swallowed a momentary flash of panic. “Of course. No problem.”

“Great, we'll see you in an hour, then.”

Raine hung up the phone, feeling jittery. She hurried to finish in the bathroom, wishing more than anything that Caleb was here with her. If they hadn't argued, he would have gone with her for moral support.

She pushed away the useless thoughts. But as she used the hairdryer, she couldn't help worrying.

What if she couldn't pick this guy out as one of the men who were at the After Dark nightclub that night?

And if she couldn't identify him, would he go free?

A
S
R
AINE
walked up the concrete steps leading into the police station she saw a familiar figure walking down the stairs in the opposite direction. The woman walked with her shoulders hunched and her head down to avoid direct eye contact with anyone.

But Raine still recognized her. Helen Shore. Her sexual assault patient from the ED.

The knot in her stomach tightened. Had Helen successfully picked the suspect out of the line-up? Or was the fate of this man going to rest solely on her shoulders?

Her footsteps slowed as a tidal wave of doubt swept in. What if she picked the wrong man? Or, worse, what if she picked the suspect they had, but he was actually innocent?

The DNA evidence would eventually exonerate him if that were the case, but not for several weeks yet.

She took a deep breath, and walked into the police station. Detective Blanchard was waiting for her.

“Hi, Raine. How are you doing?” The detective's expression radiated true concern.

The tenseness in her stomach eased a bit. “Pretty good, all things considered.”

Detective Blanchard's gaze was sharply assessing. “You look good,” she said slowly. “Like you've really recovered. I'm glad. Well, are you ready?”

No, she wasn't ready. But she nodded. “Yes, but what happens if I can't pick this guy out of the line-up? Does he walk away?”

“Come with me, and I'll explain how this works.” The detective led the way into a small room, with a one-way mirror lining the wall. “This suspect isn't going to walk away, no matter what happens here today. I don't want you to feel pressure to make the so-called right identification. We have enough evidence to hold this guy for a while. So don't worry about him being back on the street, because that's not going to happen. Just relax and do your best.”

“Okay.” She placed a hand over her heart, willing her pulse to slow down, and swallowed hard. “I'm ready.”

Detective Blanchard hit a button on the intercom. “We're ready—bring the suspects in.”

Raine watched as six men walked into the brightly lit anteroom in single file, each going to their assigned numbers. They all stood staring straight ahead, their hands down at their sides. A tingle of apprehension slithered down her spine, even though she knew they couldn't see her. She clasped her arms over her chest, wishing more than anything that Caleb was here to hold her.

She took her time, looking at each of the men. When she reached suspect number five, the tingle turned into a full-fledged shiver.

He was the silent one who'd been there that night. She was sure of it. But, still, she forced herself to look
at suspect number six, too. And then Detective Blanchard gave the order for the men to turn to the right and then to the left, so she could get a thorough look at their profiles.

Her gaze went back to suspect number five. She was absolutely certain he was one of the two guys who'd been next to her that night. She remembered the way he'd watched her so intently without saying much, letting his buddy do all the talking for him.

“Number five,” she said, looking at Detective Blanchard. “I recognize suspect number five as being in the nightclub that night. He and another man bought me a drink, and I don't remember anything after that.”

“Are you sure?” Detective Blanchard asked, her gaze impassive.

For a moment her heart sank. Had she picked the wrong man? She turned back and looked at them again, but she knew number five was the man who'd been there. “Yes, I'm sure.” Her voice rang out with confidence. “Number five.”

A smile broke out on Detective Blanchard's face. She reached over to touch the intercom button. “Thanks, we're finished here.” The men filed out of the room.

The detective turned toward her. “Good job, Raine. Number five is the suspect we arrested. His name is Colin Ward and your positive ID will help us when we present our case to the grand jury.”

Overwhelming relief washed over her. Colin Ward? Sounded like such an average name. “What happened?” she asked curiously. “How did you end up arresting him?”

“We set up a sting operation at the After Dark nightclub with one of our young, very attractive female officers. We also had a cop working undercover behind the bar and we caught him spiking her drink with Rohypnol. The bartender quickly swapped it out but she played along, as if she was drunk. Colin Ward insisted on helping her out to her car, and once he'd stashed her in the passenger seat and slid behind the wheel with her keys, we nailed him.”

“I can't believe he did it again,” she whispered.

“He's a predator, no question about it. And when the DNA match is confirmed, and we're very sure it will be, this guy will go to jail for a long time.”

She was glad, fiercely glad, that he'd been caught. How many others had he raped? She knew only too often that many women didn't come forward after something like that. Especially when they couldn't remember what had really happened.

She wanted to ask if Helen Shore had been able to identify him, too, but she held back, unwilling to break her patient's confidentiality. Helen's ability to ID him wouldn't matter as she herself had been able to pick him out without a problem.

Detective Blanchard walked her back outside, telling her she'd be in touch when and if the case went to trial. The detective thought that if the DNA evidence was positive, Colin Ward would cop a plea.

Raine nodded, hardly listening. No matter what happened from here, her nightmare was over. She'd thought she'd feel better once the guy was caught, and she did, except there was a part of her that still felt empty.

Because she didn't have Caleb.

She walked to her car and slid behind the wheel. She was tempted, very tempted, to call Caleb. He was the only one who'd understand how she felt. And in spite of their most recent break-up, she knew he'd want to know. She went so far as to pull out her cellphone, bringing up his number, but then hesitated.

No. She flipped her phone closed. She needed to figure out how to move forward with her life without him. Because even if she called him now, and they managed to mend their rift from this morning, how long would the peace last?

Only until the next time she did something stupid. Or until the next time she grew tired of his inability to trust her.

She loved him, but they didn't have a chance at a future. Better to figure out a way to get over him, once and for all.

 

Caleb's father called two days after he'd been discharged, asking if Caleb could come over for a while because Marlene had to go and help her daughter, who needed an urgent babysitter for her sick child. He readily agreed, heading over right away.

Grizzly met him at the door, waving his tail excitedly. “Hi, Grizz, how are you? Taking good care of Dad, hmm?”

“Caleb? Is that you?” his father called from the kitchen.

“Yes, I'm here.” Caleb made his way through the house into the kitchen. “Has Marlene left already?” he asked.

“Yeah, her daughter had to be at work by nine, so she went over first thing.”

“I hope she doesn't bring germs back to you,” Caleb said, pulling up a chair and sitting down beside his dad. “You need to stay as healthy as possible.”

“Marlene said the same thing. She's just as worried as you are. I'm sure I'll be fine,” his father said. “I'm surprised you didn't bring Raine with you. How is she?”

Caleb had dodged questions about Raine in the past few days, but he couldn't keep lying to his dad. He blew out a heavy breath. “She's fine, as far as I know. But we're not seeing each other any more.”

“What?” His father glared at him. “Why not? What happened? Raine was perfect for you, Caleb. A keeper!”

He couldn't suppress a flash of annoyance. “And how would you know a keeper, Dad? You're hardly the expert. None of the women you picked stuck around long enough to be a keeper. What's the longest relationship you had since Mom left? Three years?”

His father's eyes widened and his frankly wounded expression hit Caleb like a punch to the gut.

His breath hissed out between his teeth. What was wrong with him? This wasn't his father's fault. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that.”

His father stared at him for a moment. “No, don't apologize. I never realized you felt that way.”

Caleb winced. “I should have just kept my mouth shut,” he muttered.

“No, I think you need to understand, Caleb. The reason I had trouble holding relationships together after your mother left was largely my own fault.”

Caleb couldn't help but agree to a certain extent, because his father had obviously picked some losers.
“No, it wasn't your fault, Dad. The women you were with made lousy choices.”

“Listen, Caleb. I didn't love them. I couldn't love them, because I was still in love with your mother.”

Caleb stared at his father in shock. “You loved her? Even after she left us?”

His father's smile was sad. “Son, you don't always control who you love. Your mother got pregnant with you and we tried to make a marriage work. But she was young and a very talented dancer. She talked constantly about pursuing a dancing career. When she told me she was moving to New York, alone, I wasn't entirely surprised.”

He'd heard the story of his mother getting a part in the Broadway play so the fact that she'd left them to dance wasn't a surprise. But his father's easy acceptance of her leaving was. “She left us both for her own selfish reasons and that's okay?”

“She was young,” his father defended. “And I knew she wasn't ready to settle down. But I loved her. Even after she left, I didn't stop loving her.”

“So why the string of women?” he asked.

His father flushed. “I felt bad for you, Caleb. I wanted you to have a mother. And I can't deny I was looking for some companionship, too.”

Caleb scrubbed a hand over his face. “I understand. I can't blame you.”

“You're missing the point. I couldn't give the women in my life the love they deserved. And they obviously knew that. So that's why those relationships ended. Carmen put up with me the longest, until she realized I wouldn't return her love. I think there was a part of me
that kept holding back, hoping your mother would return once she'd gotten her dancing out of her system.”

Caleb frowned. “She's married to someone else now. Heck, she has a new family of her own.” He couldn't quite hide his bitterness. He'd reached out to his mother once, after high school, but she hadn't been very interested in the family she'd left behind.

“I know.” His father didn't look surprised. “But it still took my heart a long time to give up hope. But don't blame the women who've come and gone over the years, Caleb. The blame is mine.”

Caleb sat there, dumbfounded by the turn in the conversation. He sensed his father was telling the truth. For so long he had blamed the women in his father's life for not being trustworthy. And he'd blamed his father for his poor choices.

But it had never occurred to him how his father had ended up sabotaging his own relationships because he'd still loved his son's mother.

Had he let his own bitterness after the incident with Tabitha do the same? Ruin his chance at a decent relationship?

“If you love Raine with your whole heart and soul, you need to fight for her,” his father urged in a low voice. “Don't let her go, Caleb.”

Was it really that easy? He loved Raine. With his whole heart and soul. And he knew, honestly knew, she wouldn't intentionally hurt him.

His dad was right. Raine was a keeper.

He jumped to his feet. “Dad, I have to go.” Then he realized he couldn't leave and abruptly sat back down.
“Sorry, I almost forgot. I can't go right now. I'll wait for Marlene to come back.”

“Tell you what. Throw something together for me to eat for lunch, and then you can go.” His father idly rubbed his chest. “I promise I'll do my physical therapy exercises.”

“Really?” Caleb glanced at his father doubtfully, desire warring with duty. “Are you sure?”

“I'm sure.” His father put a hand on Grizzly's head. “Grizz and I will be just fine. I'll call you if I need something.”

“Okay.” Caleb grinned, clapping his dad on the back. “Thanks. For everything.”

He was going to win Raine back, although he knew it wouldn't be an easy task.

He needed help. And he wasn't afraid to use every possible resource at his disposal.

 

Raine glanced up in surprise when her doorbell buzzer went off. Mikey? If so, her brother was early.

“Yes?”

“Raine? It's Caleb. I'd like to talk to you if you have a minute.”

Caleb? Her heart squeezed in her chest and hope, ever foolish, surged. “Uh, sure. Come on up.”

“Actually, I need you to come down.”

She frowned. Why did she need to come down?

Admittedly curious, she grabbed her keys and headed out of the apartment, taking the stairs down to the lobby level. When she went outside, she was surprised to see Caleb standing there with Rusty, the sweet Irish setter from the animal shelter.

“Rusty!” she exclaimed, going down into a crouch to greet the dog. He waved his tail excitedly, lavishing her with doggie kisses that she laughingly avoided as much as possible. “It's so good to see him. I'm surprised he's letting you near him without growling,” she said. “He's normally afraid of men.”

“I know. It took me a few days to win him over, but I did. He's not afraid of me. I'm taking that as a sign we were meant to be together.”

“You adopted him?” She was glad Rusty was going to a good home, but she couldn't hide the wistfulness in her tone.

“I'd like to. But that depends on you.”

She frowned, slowly rising to her feet. “What do you mean?”