Fever (54 page)

She couldn’t keep the anxiety from creeping into her voice.

“Not sure when you’ll be able to go home. The doctor said you’ll make a full recovery. They’ll be

running tests to make sure there isn’t any liver damage but he didn’t expect there’d be any permanent

ramifications. As for food, I’ll go check with the nurse right now. If they say you can eat, I’ll order in

the most fantastic meal ever. No hospital food for you.”

She smiled, relief swelling in her chest.

“I need to let the others know you’re awake and okay,” he said. “Mia, Gabe and Ash have camped

out in the waiting room the entire time you’ve been here. They’ve been worried sick about you.”

“Jace?”

He sat up, picking up on the worry in her voice. He glanced down at her, concern burning brightly

in his eyes.

“What is it, baby?”

“What’s going to happen to Jack?”

Jace’s expression went grim. “That I’m not sure of. This had to be reported to the police. At first it

was reported as a suicide attempt.”

She blanched at that, mortified that anyone would think she’d done this to herself. Embarrassment

crowded in, heavy and suffocating. She’d moved beyond her past. And now she was right back where

she’d come from.

“Don’t look like that, baby,” Jace said in a gentle voice. “I spoke to the officer who investigated.

He knows about Jack and his involvement. He also knows it wasn’t intentional. Not sure what this

will mean for him, but it’s serious. He’ll have to face the consequences of what he did.”

Sadness crept into her heart, squeezing until it was a painful ache.

“I’ll see what can be done, baby. Let me worry about Jack, okay? All I want you to do is focus on

feeling better so you can come home with me. Do you trust me to take care of this?”

She slowly nodded. She knew it was beyond her reach now. She could no longer protect Jack.

He’d gone too far this time and she was powerless to protect him from the consequences. But it still

saddened her that he’d opted to end his life rather than embrace the things that Jace had done for him.

Life was sweet. Even when it was bad, there was always the hope of better. The future. And Jack

could have made a better future for himself. That was his choice and Bethany couldn’t make that

choice for him.

She couldn’t live her life for Jack. She had her own life to lead. With Jace. She wanted a better

future.

It was time to let Jack make his own way.

“I know this hurts you, baby,” Jace said in a soft voice. “And I’m sorry. I’ll do my best for Jack,

but you have to know I’m pissed as hell at him. He could have killed you. He could have taken you

from me. He almost did.”

“I know,” she said quietly.

He leaned down to kiss her and then moved back from the bed. “Will you be okay for a few

minutes while I go tell the others you’re awake and see about getting you some food?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

He walked to the door and then stopped and looked back at her a long moment as if memorizing her

every feature. His eyes glowed warm with love and relief. So much love that she couldn’t possibly

mistake it for anything else.

She smiled, infusing as much love as she could into her own gaze. He got it. Recognized it. Then he

smiled back before turning and walking out the door.

chapter forty-two

Jace stepped into the waiting room in time to see a police officer cuff Jack’s hands behind his

back. He walked over, forgetting for the time being that he was there to inform Mia, Gabe and Ash

that Bethany was awake.

“Can I have just a moment?” Jace asked the police officer.

The officer hesitated and then said, “Two minutes. I have to take him in.”

Jace nodded and the officer took one step back but remained close as he eyed Jack.

“Wanted you to know Bethany is awake and she’s doing well,” Jace said in a low voice. “She also

knows what happened and how.”

Jack’s face grew grim and regret haunted his eyes. Then he stared directly into Jace’s eyes.

“Take care of her for me.”

“I will,” Jace said shortly.

“And tell her I’m sorry,” he added quietly. “Tell her I love her. I’ll always love her.”

“If you love her, you’ll take this opportunity to straighten your life out,” Jace said. “If you’ll stick it

out, I’ll hire a lawyer for you. Try to work out a deal where you go to rehab and get probation as

opposed to a jail sentence. Can’t guarantee anything. I don’t want you anywhere near Bethany. She’s

been hurt enough. If things work out, I wouldn’t be opposed to you keeping in touch with her.”

Jack stared at Jace for a long moment. “You’d do that for me?”

“I’m doing it for Bethany,” Jace said stiffly. “Only for her.”

Jack nodded. “Thanks, then. I’ll do it. It’s time to do something . . . different. Better. I almost killed

the person who means the most to me. Can’t even say what that does to a man. I won’t touch that shit

again. Ever.”

“I hope you’re telling the truth. I hope you straighten up and get clean.”

“Time’s up,” the officer said, moving forward to guide Jack out.

“I’ll have a lawyer come see you,” Jace said.

It went against every instinct not to let them make Jack rot in jail. Not that he’d probably do any

time anyway. But he was doing this for Bethany, because it would be her who’d be hurt knowing Jack

had gone to jail for his foolish actions. And he’d do anything at all to spare her more pain. Even if it

meant helping the man who’d nearly ended her life.

It was twisted and fucked up in every way. His gut screamed to take revenge. To make Jack suffer

for what he’d done. But Bethany would suffer the most and Jace couldn’t bear that.

“You’re a good man,” Jack said. “You’ll be good for my Bethy. I want her to be happy.”

“She’s mine,” Jace corrected.

“But she was mine first,” Jack said softly.

And then the officer led him away and Jace stood staring after him as he shuffled like a man much

older than his twentysomething years.

“Jace?”

He turned to see Mia standing a short distance away, flanked by Gabe and Ash.

“Is it true? She’s awake? I heard you talking to Jack.”

Jace relaxed and then smiled at his family. “Yeah, she woke up a while ago. We talked. She was

disoriented. Had no idea what happened.” His smile faded. “Had to tell her about Jack.”

Sympathy brimmed in Mia’s eyes.

“How’d she take it?” Gabe asked gruffly.

“Not very well. She’s upset,” Jace said with a sigh. “But she’s tough and she realizes she’s done

all she can do for him.”

“Can we see her?” Mia asked.

“Yeah, baby girl. But first I need to see if they’ll let her eat something. She’s hungry and I promised

her a good meal if they’ll let her have it. None of this hospital shit.”

“I’ll run out and get us all something,” Ash offered.

“That would be great. Thanks. I’m sure you’re all starving. You’ve been here all damn night. You

should probably all go home and get some rest.”

“We’ll go home after we see Bethany. I want her to know she has people here who love her,” Mia

said.

Jace pulled her into a hug. “Thanks, baby girl.”

She squeezed him back, then pushed away. “Go see if they’ll let her eat. I for one am starving and

would love part of this fantastic meal you’ve promised her.”

• • •

their faces when they saw her sitting up in bed. Jace squeezed her hand and smiled.

“Looks like dinner is here.”

Ash walked forward, several takeout bags and carry-out boxes in his hands. He spread them over

the end of the bed and then walked up the other side of her bed and leaned over to give her a kiss.

“Scared the shit out of us, sweetheart.”

She smiled up at him and then he enfolded her in a fierce hug.

As soon as Ash let her go, Gabe pressed in with a ferocious hug of his own and then Mia latched

on to her, hugging and babbling a nonstop stream that had Bethany’s head spinning.

“Brought you supper. Well, brought it for all of us. Haven’t had much to eat during our vigil,” Ash

said.

“Thank you all for being here,” she said softly. “It means a lot to have people who care. I’ve never

had that before.”

Jace tightened his hold on her hand, giving her a fierce squeeze. Ash’s gaze softened while Mia

looked as though she was going to cry. Gabe gave her another quick hug and then kissed the top of her

head.

“You’re family,” Gabe declared. “Maybe not the most normal family in the world, but you’re stuck

with us now.”

She grinned. “Can’t think of a better family to belong to.”

Ash brought her a foam container filled with wonderful-smelling food. She peeked inside to see

he’d loaded it down with finger foods. Fried cheese, crab wontons, barbecue riblets, French fries,

Asian noodles and an eggroll. It was so unbelievably perfect that she could only stare as her stomach

protested the fact she hadn’t dug in yet.

When he produced a bottle of orange juice, however, she lost the battle and burst into tears.

Ash looked horrified. Mia and Gabe exchanged panicked glances and Jace leaned in, concern

flaring in his eyes.

“Baby, what’s the matter? Is that not what you wanted? I’ll get you whatever you want to eat.”

“It’s perfect,” she said with a sniffle. “It’s all my favorites and he remembered orange juice.”

Ash cracked a grin and Jace sat back, relief soaring in his eyes. Then Mia and Gabe burst into

laughter and Ash joined them. Soon Jace was chuckling and Bethany giggled, wiping the tears from

her cheeks.

“God, I’m such a dork,” she said. “I get the best food ever and I start crying like a moron.”

“I’m with you,” Mia said, settling down with her own plate of yummy goodness. “Best food evah!”

Ash took a seat at the end of her bed, his thigh resting against her feet. “Did you find out when she

can go home?”

Jace sighed. “In a case like this—well, I should say, when suicide is actually attempted, they put

the patient under psychiatric evaluation, have the shrink come, wait for him to sign off, et cetera, et

cetera. But in this case, given the circumstances, if all her tests come back okay, she can go home as

early as tomorrow. The police have already taken a statement from Kaden, and they’ll likely be

around to see Bethany later on this afternoon, but she doesn’t remember much so she can only provide

information on the events just prior to her blacking out.”

Bethany sighed, chewing on a cheese stick as sadness settled into her chest. Jace squeezed her knee

and continued talking to the others about all the doctor had to say.

“Is he in jail now?” She spoke up when Jace had finished.

Jace gave her a look of sympathy. “Yeah, baby. They took him away right after I left your room to

see about getting you something to eat. He agreed to go to rehab. I offered him a lawyer if he’d go into

rehab and straighten out his shit. If the lawyer can work it out with the D.A., he’ll get probation under

the condition that he checks into rehab.”

“Thank you,” she said. “You didn’t have to do that. I know you’re angry and you have every right to

be. But thank you for doing that for him.”

“I did it for you, baby.”

“I know,” she whispered. “And I love you for that.”

His eyes went soft, like melting chocolate. “Love you too, baby.”

She stifled a yawn and stuffed a crab wonton in her mouth, savoring the yummy flavor. She

followed it with a forkful of noodles and then got barbecue sauce all over her fingers when she

devoured a riblet. By the time she’d put a sizeable dent in the food Ash had brought her, the yawns

were coming faster than she could eat.

“We’re going to head out now,” Gabe said. “Bethany’s tired and we’re all exhausted as well.

Going to head home and get some sleep.”

“Thank you for being here,” Bethany said again. “It means a lot to me. Thank you for caring.”

Gabe smiled and ruffled her hair before bending down to kiss her cheek. Mia gave her a huge hug

and then Ash kissed her brow and gave her a big hug as well.

“Catch you later, sweetheart. Rest up so you can go home tomorrow.”

“That I can do,” she said with a smile.

They all left the room and Bethany sagged back on her bed, her food container still resting on her

lap. Jace cleared it away, setting it aside, and then he began lowering her bed so it was fully reclined.

“Time for you to get some rest, baby.”

“Are you staying?” she asked, worried he would leave and she’d be alone.

He frowned. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to crawl onto this bed with you and you’re going

to sleep in my arms.”

She sighed with contentment. “Good. I really didn’t want to be alone tonight. Hospitals give me the

creeps.”

“You’ll never be alone again,” he said tenderly, his eyes full of love and promise.

He climbed into bed with her, fully dressed, and positioned himself on his side, instantly pulling

her tight against his body just as he’d done before. He kissed her brow and then rested his cheek

against her forehead.

“Love you,” she whispered.

“Love you too, baby. Almost lost you. Not ever going to do that again.”