Almost Midnight (12 page)

Suddenly the winds began to howl louder, bending trees to the ground as if they were made of rubber. Jeremy whimpered. Small bits of hail banged against the truck, and Tanner’s heart raced with fear.
Come on, baby. Where are you?

Tanner held Jeremy’s good hand in a tight grip, knowing it would be at least five more minutes before the ambulance arrived. Feeling helpless, Tanner stared past the window into the raging storm. What if she’d fallen and been knocked unconscious?

Panic stuck deep in his throat. He’d pushed her too far. She wasn’t used to hiking.

“Jeremy, I’m going to have to ask you to be very brave. Can you do that for your old dad?”

Jeremy opened his eyes wide and let out a strangled sob. “Hannah’s lost, isn’t she? I love her, Dad. I love her almost as much as I love you. About ninety-nine percent.”

Tanner swallowed hard. “I know, partner. Don’t worry, I’ll find her. Here’s the cell phone.” 

He gave his son a few short instructions and told him that help would be there in a matter of minutes. Throwing on a yellow raincoat that Hannah had packed, he kissed Jeremy on the forehead and reached for the door.

“Dad?”

Tanner turned. “Yeah?”

“She’s never gonna let you forget that you left those raincoats in the truck,” Jeremy announced with a shaky smile.

Tanner’s lips curved upward. “We’ll eat all her gingerbread and ask for more, then she’ll forget all about the raincoats.”

Jeremy closed his eyes, fighting back the pain. “Yeah, she’ll like that.”

Tanner’s expression turned serious as he grabbed a bright red poncho for Hannah. “Have to go. I can hear the sirens. You tell them where I went. I’ll be back with Hannah before you know it.”

“Okay.”

“Hang on, partner.” 

Tanner opened the truck door and gave his son one last look, then bolted out of the truck, raising his hand to shield his eyes against the pounding storm. His chest tightened with dread at the thought of Hannah hurt or missing.

A wave of rain slammed into his face as he dove against the winds and followed the trail.

“Hannah!” He yelled her name over and over. The sky answered with a clap of thunder, jolting his legs to move faster.

“Hannah!”

There was nothing but the cry of the storm, beating against his body. His shoes, drenched with mud and leaves, sunk into the barked trail. Loose branches brushed against his ankles and thighs, making it harder to run.

Thoughts of a mountain lion dragging Hannah’s limp body into the bushes invaded his sanity. Though there hadn’t been a sighting here in quite a while, his mind began to race with all the possibilities. Could Hannah have wandered off the trail?

“Hannah!” His cry was thrown back into his face by the wind. Frustration filled him. He was less than ten yards from where he’d last seen her, and then he froze. A dark form lay huddled on the edge of the trail. His heart seemed to stop.

“Hannah!” Her name exploded off his lips.

He was beside her in the matter of seconds. “Hannah, can you hear me, honey?” 

He pressed her limp body against his, shielding her from the storm. He threw the raincoat over her and swept her into his arms. Kissing her face, he brushed his hand across her forehead and swore. She was hot. Too hot. Her body was soaked to the skin and she wasn’t responding. The thought of Julie’s death immediately flooded his brain. Noooo!

He ran down the mountain with her body pressed close to his chest. “You’re not going to die on me, Hannah. You hear me?”

He shot over the trail like a bullet, vividly recalling a pair of long dark lashes sweeping across a set of pale green eyes. He wondered if her body was as fragile as she looked. He prayed it wasn’t.

Oh, God, he prayed. Please not again. Not again!

The rain began to let up as he neared the end of the trail. He dropped his gaze and noted a faint color rising to her cheeks. “Hannah, honey, can you hear me?”

Her lids fluttered open. “I’m sorry, Nick,” she said in a low, muted voice. “I’m sorry.” 

Nick?

Tanner felt as if she’d slapped him. Stifling a curse, he finally made it to the parking lot. The paramedics were already there, placing Jeremy inside the ambulance. Tanner handed Hannah to the paramedics and stood there, speechless as they took her limp body and closed the doors.

He didn’t know how long it took them to get to the hospital. His head was spinning with regrets. He followed in the truck. The blasting sirens sounded more like his heart beating outside his chest.

Jeremy seemed as if he would be all right, but would Hannah? Would he? He cared for her more than he wanted to admit. He realized that it was her love for his son that had tipped the scales from her being a tutor to a possible mother for his child. But could he do it again? Could he marry the lady and still keep his heart in tact?

Who was he kidding? She could die tonight, and it would be Julie’s death all over again.

Gritting his teeth, he turned his truck into the hospital parking lot. He stared at the ambulance pulling under the canopy and recalled Hannah’s last words to him.

He hit the steering wheel with the palm of his hand.

Who the hell was Nick?

CHAPTER NINE

Tanner walked into the small cubicle inside the emergency room where Jeremy’s arm was being cast. Beige curtains draped the perimeter of the area. His son sat on the bed, his small body wrapped in a blue hospital gown with dinosaurs spotted throughout. A nurse stood beside Jeremy, taking his blood pressure.

Tanner was grateful it was only a broken bone and nothing else. “How’s that pitching arm of yours, partner?”

Jeremy looked up and smiled, showing off his cast. “Look! Uncle Rafe had them make it purple.” His small brows rose in surprise, taking in Tanner’s scrubs. “Hey, you look like Uncle Rafe. A real doctor, Dad.”

Tanner palmed his hand against his new green shirt and pants. “Yep, playing doctor today. Now, let’s see that arm of yours.” 

He strolled past the nurse and inspected Jeremy’s cast. It was amazing how swiftly kids bounced back from an injury. The boy’s eyes were still red from crying, but his disposition seemed much better. “Looks as purple as your uncle’s underwear.” 

The nurse beside Jeremy gave an amused snicker. Jeremy blushed and began to giggle. Tanner’s mouth twitched in amusement. He was relieved to see that the incident hadn’t doused his son’s spirit.

Jeremy had been given some pain medication, but other than that he acted as if his cast were a badge of courage, and he seemed to be treating the entire day like a grand adventure.

Hannah was a different story. The memory of her hunched form on that trail made Tanner’s blood run cold. Although Rafe assured him Hannah was going to live, Tanner still felt a pang of guilt for bringing her up that mountain.

“Hey, I heard that remark about my underwear, and I’d like you to know it isn’t purple. It’s white with red hearts. I think your dad got the same kind for Christmas from your grandfather.” 

Jeremy bent over and laughed while his uncle, who was a year younger than his father, strolled into the room. The man’s coal black hair was the opposite of Tanner’s blond head, but most people recognized them as brothers. Their strong chin and proud nose, features most likely inherited from their ancestor the Duke of Elbourne, were quite similar, not to mention their eyes, which were an intense gray, almost steel-like in appearance.

“Uncle Rafe, that’s embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing?” Rafe snapped the elastic waist on his scrubs. “I’ll have you know, they’re the most expensive pair I have! Now, let’s have a look at that arm.”

The boy looked pleased as he showed off his cast. The nurse clicked on the television screen in the corner of the room, shifting Jeremy’s attention from the men to a cartoon.

Tanner turned his amused gaze toward the young nurse’s increasingly red face. The lady finished tapping the keys on the computer screen and left the room.

While Jeremy watched his favorite show, Tanner lifted a questioning brow toward his brother. “Wasn’t she last month’s special?”

Rafe patted Jeremy’s arm and walked a few feet away. “Back off with my love life, big brother. Anyway, I need to speak to you.” He tipped his head toward the hall. “Privately.”

Tanner nodded. “Be with you in a minute.”

“Hey,” Jeremy cried, finally realizing Rafe was leaving. “I want to know about Hannah. Is she all right? No one will tell me anything around here except the color of people’s underwear!”

“She’s going to live,” Rafe said, smiling. “You just wait here and watch your cartoons.” He showed his nephew the remote control, and Jeremy said he no longer needed the two men as long as he had control of the television set.

“Jeremy seems rather attached to that nanny of his,” Rafe said, a few minutes later as he and Tanner headed toward the hospital cafeteria.

Tanner nodded, but said nothing until he grabbed a cup of coffee and took a sip. “She’s a positive influence on the boy.”

“And is she a positive influence on you too?” Rafe asked with a chuckle.

Tanner didn’t bite back. He wasn’t ready to talk about Hannah and him. “My boy’s more than fond of the woman, Rafe. He loves her almost like his own mother. In fact, Jeremy has been talking about his mother more than he ever did before. I think he’s finally healing, and I think it’s because of Hannah.”

Rafe frowned. “The kid had it really tough, Tan. But it’s not Jeremy I want to speak about. He’s going to be fine. It’s Miss Elliot.”

Tanner’s nerves tensed immediately. “What about her? You already said she would live.” 

“Let’s go over there.” Rafe carried his coffee to a yellow plastic chair at the far corner of the room. He brought the cup to his mouth, took a sip, then set it down on the Formica table, meeting Tanner’s cool gaze with one of his own.

“Since you were the one who took her in, I’m giving you some of the facts. But as a doctor, legally—”

“Cut the legal mumbo jumbo, Rafe. What the hell’s wrong with her?” 

Rafe’s lips thinned. “She gave me permission to tell you about her condition. She has a touch of pneumonia. Added with pure exhaustion that doesn’t put her body on the best of terms. Her fever’s not too high and she’s alert. She can leave in a few hours, but she needs to rest. This wasn’t an immediate illness, Tan. Something has been lingering in her chest before today’s fiasco.”

Pneumonia? The word was like a knife to his chest. “Fiasco? You think I asked for the rain?” 

Rafe stared back, his gaze unmoving.

Tanner shook his head in disgust. “All right, so she must have been sick the past week. Maybe a few weeks. But I thought it was just a lingering cough. I didn’t pay much attention. I think she had a cold or something.”

A probing query flashed in Rafe’s eyes. “And?”

Tanner’s brows puckered in annoyance as he glanced over the rim of his cup. “What?”

The corner of Rafe’s lips tipped upward. “And you didn’t catch the cold?”

The cup came slamming down, sloshing hot coffee on Tanner’s wrist. “What does that have to do with anything? She’s Jeremy’s tutor and nanny. If I recall, you told me I was the one who should back off about a certain person’s love life, or should I say lack of it.”

Rafe lifted a black brow. “We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you. And my only nephew is involved here. I think I have a right to ask.”

“What am I? Some kind of bacteria you’re inspecting under your microscope?”

Rafe shrugged his shoulders and leaned back, throwing his arm around the top of his chair. “Just asking.”

Tanner knew his brother was not just asking. Rafe had some other reason to bring up the possible attachment he had with Hannah. “What are you driving at?”

“This is strictly off the record, but do you know her mother was here?”

Tanner looked surprised. “When?”

There was thin smile on Rafe’s lips as he leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. “All I know is she was visiting Mrs. Belthorpe...with Dad stuck to her side. He’s been seeing a lot of her, if you get my drift.”

“Mrs. Belthorpe?”

“No, Dad’s been seeing Hannah’s mother. Mrs. Belthorpe just had heart surgery.”

Tanner’s jaw dropped in shock. “That weasel. He had something going on all the time. I’ve never even see the lady. I thought perhaps...but he never made it known.”

“Her name’s Lorraine Harbers.
Harbers
, not Elliot.” A question flashed in Rafe’s eyes.

Tanner’s mind reeled with confusion. “What are you saying? The woman got married again after she had Hannah?” 

Dishes clanked behind them, and the smell of hamburgers lingered in the air.

Rafe pursed his lips. “Nope.”

“Divorced then?”

Rafe didn’t answer for a few seconds, and Tanner struggled to calm the thoughts that ricocheted in his brain. He narrowed his eyes, his hand fisting unconsciously beside his coffee cup.

“Are you telling me Hannah’s married?” Nick’s name came to mind and a feeling of dread swept through him.

Rafe swallowed the last bit of coffee and avoided his brother’s gaze, nodding to a cute nurse a few feet away.

Tanner slapped the table with the palm of his hand, causing more than one head to turn his way. “Listen Rafe,” he snapped. “You started this, now finish it.”

Rafe’s expression grew hard as he turned back to him. “I’m a doctor, Tan. You know what that means? What I see and what I do is confidential regarding my patients. The facts you’ve been given are nothing you couldn’t have figured out on your own by asking Dad. And for some reason, he’s not giving you all the information. Maybe because he’s sweet on Hannah’s mom. I just don’t know.”

“There’s something else you’re not telling me.”

Rafe’s mouth plunged into an even deeper frown as he stood. “I’ve got to get back to work. You can bring Hannah home later tonight, unless she wants to stay here for the night. But make certain she takes it easy and rests. I have her on antibiotics for two weeks.” 

He hesitated, then pursed his lips. “I have an obligation to my patients. She’s not at death’s door, but—” 

“But it’s pneumonia,” Tanner interrupted coolly, watching the concern in Rafe’s eyes. Or was it pity?