His Safe Keeping (The Safe Series) (11 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Krista sat on the hospital bed, then moved to sit in the chair, then paced the small room back and forth, back and forth. She repeated the process a few times, worried, confused, and still shaken up. After Kade left like he did, she’d tried to work and eat. Giving up on both, she went for a walk, just kind of wandering around, until she found herself in front of Mrs. Worley’s house. Thinking that spending a little time with her might help, she went to her door, knocked, and knocked again, then decided to peek in the window. She had seen Mrs. Worley lying on the floor. She tried the knob then, and, thankfully, the door was unlocked. She ran into the house, checked Mrs. Worley for a pulse, and finding one, she ran to the house phone and dialed 911.

That had been hours ago. Now, she was pacing around Mrs. Worley’s hospital room, waiting. Waiting on Mrs. Worley’s family to arrive, waiting on the doctors to finish running tests on her, just waiting…and pacing. Her mind kept jumping from one thing to the next. What was happening with Mrs. Worley? Why had Kade acted and spoken to her the way he had? Was Mrs. Worley going to be okay? Was Kade sorry he was ever with her? Was Mrs. Worley’s family going to get here in time if something bad happened? Should she call Kade to let him know what was going on? Krista had left her phone at home, but maybe she could call the station and someone there could get him a message. But, did he even want to hear from her at all? The way he’d just walked away, not even saying goodbye or telling her he would be back soon…or never. She’d told him not to come back, she remembered, as she dropped down in the chair. Then the door opened and she jumped back up just as a nurse walked in. “Are you Mrs. Worley’s family?” the nurse asked.

“No, not really family, but a good friend and neighbor. I rode in the ambulance with her.” Krista felt the need to explain.

“Well, the doctor sent me to let her family know they’re running more extensive tests and it will be about an hour before she’s brought back to her room, in case you’d like to go get something to eat, or take a walk, or something.” The nurse informed her, and she could see the indecision on Krista’s face. “If you give me your name, I can have you paged when she’s ready to be brought back to her room, so you can be here when she returns.” The nurse smiled, and took pity on her.

“That would be great,” Krista said with a small, worried smile. “My name is Krista Avery and her family is on the way, but they don’t live close anymore, so it may be a while before they get here.” Krista was giving the nurse too much information, but she couldn’t seem to stop, and the nurse was taking notes as she spoke. She finally stopped writing and looked back up at Krista.

“Okay, Ms. Avery. I’ll have you paged just as soon as the doctors are done running their tests,” the nurse said and smiled at her again.

“Thank you,” Krista mumbled as the nurse turned and briskly walked out of the room.

Kade pulled out his phone and tried once more to call Krista, only to get the same voicemail, again! He could not believe what he’d done and how he’d spoken to her. He’d been a complete and utter dick. She didn’t deserve that…none of it! He’d lost it when he got the text informing all officers about Price’s escape. It hit him all of sudden what had happened to Krista, the shit that asshole Price spewed. Over and over it ran through his head, and all he could see was Krista at the hands of some sick bastard like Price, and his gut was telling him to stay on top of this. But, he didn’t have to be so hateful to Krista. She’d done nothing wrong, only tried to be there for him. Now, he didn’t even know if she wanted to see him again. She sure as hell didn’t want to talk to him, as he heard her voicemail
again
!! “Fuck!” He drew back and slammed his phone across the room, then watched it hit the wall and shatter as it bounced off into a million little pieces. “Fuck.” He repeated not as loudly, trying to get control of himself. And that was when Velgada sauntered into his office.

“Hey, Kade. Don’t your girl live out there on Beacon Street?”

“Yeah, but how did you know ‘bout her?” Kade wondered aloud. He wasn’t keeping Krista a secret, but he hadn’t really told anyone about her either.

“So that 911 call out her way wasn’t her then?” Velgada stared at Kade.

“What 911?” Kade was feeling a little confused, and a whole lot worried. Had something happened to Krista? Was she hurt?

“There was a 911 about an hour or so ago. A transport to the hospital, patient unconscious. You didn’t get that?” Velgada asked him, more concerned now.

“No, fuck, and Krista isn’t picking up her phone.” Kade was already walking, almost running to the door. He jumped into his truck, and before he could get it in gear, he saw a cruiser pull right up in front of him, lights already on and at the ready. He flew to the hospital, right on the ass of the cruiser, with lights and sirens blaring. As soon as he reached the hospital he headed for the emergency entrance, when Velgada pulled up in the cruiser with his window down.

“Good luck, man. Hope everything is okay with your girl.”

“Thanks, Lee, and thanks for the escort.” Kade waved at Velgada, but never stopped until he was through the doors and at the information desk. “I need information on a transport that was brought in on an ambulance about an hour or so ago,” Kade barked at the nurse sitting behind the desk.

“Name, please,” the nurse asked him, sounding bored.

“Krista Avery.” Kade shot back. The nurse hit a few keys on her keyboard.

“Sorry, sir, there’s no one by that name registered here,” she replied.

“There was a 911 call about an hour ago from Mt. Eve. An ambulance did a transport of an unconscious patient. Maybe you don’t have her name because she’s fuckin’ unconscious.” Kade was trying to keep calm, but he couldn’t stop the growl which emitted from the back of his throat.

The nurse turned back to her keyboard and hit a few more keys. “There’s no Jane Doe listed either.”

Kade had had it. “Check again!” he hissed, just as the doors to the emergency wing opened and he saw Krista come walking out. Her head was hanging down, hands at her side. She looked like she’d just lost her best friend. “Fuck. Mrs. Worley,” he muttered to himself, too low for the nurse to hear him. He turned from the desk and walked over to Krista. “Krista?” he called her name, and she looked up at him and then through him, then looked back down again.

“Kade,” Krista mumbled, almost to herself, and he felt the breath leave his body at the look, at the blankness, on her face. He had never seen her look that blank before, but to hear her call him Kade instead of Irish, made him feel as if a piece of his heart was being ripped apart. Before he could open his mouth, he heard someone else call out to her from somewhere behind him. “Kris!” He turned around to see who was calling her and at the same time, Krista stepped around him and ran across the waiting room, right into the arms of another man! Who the fuck? He wanted to know who this was, as he walked toward them both. Before he could get there, they turned and were walking out the door, the man’s arm around her shoulder.

“Krista!” Kade tried shouting again and walked faster, trying to get to her. He saw her turn in his direction, but she didn’t meet his eyes, just shook her head, turned, and walked out the door. He stopped dead. What the hell just happened? Had he destroyed what they had by being so careless with her? Had something happened to Mrs. Worley? Who the fuck was that man she just walked out the door with? Questions churned round and round in his head.

Chapter Sixteen

Krista sat with Lance at the little table by the side of the hospital building. She’d just told him everything she knew, up to the part about his mom being transported to the hospital. How she’d found her passed out at her house and called 911. The nurse taking her name, and saying she would page as soon as the doctors were done with their testing. Now they were waiting on his wife to get back from the little café across the street, and the nurse to page about his mom. She sat quietly, thinking. She’d walked up and down every hall in the emergency wing, until she just couldn’t take the sounds any longer. She walked out to the waiting room, hoping Mrs. Worley’s family would start to arrive soon, and she’d dang near walked right into Kade. When he’d looked at her, he had that scary pissed look on his face, but she didn’t know why, and right then, she couldn’t deal with it. Thank goodness Lance had called her name.

Krista had met Lance and his wife, Marissa, a few times, as they lived the closest to Mrs. Worley, and came to visit her more often. They had two daughters, one of which had a little boy who had just turned four. She’d only met Lance’s sister, Lucie, once, but Mrs. Worley had told her about her, and how she’d lost her husband years back and never wanted to remarry. She was raising her three boys on her own. Now, two of those boys were married, and one of them had a three year old little girl, and the other married one had a child on the way. Krista realized she knew these people a lot better than they knew her, except for maybe Marissa. Marissa and Mrs. Worley were very close, even though they didn’t live close to one another. They talked on the phone at least twice a week, sometimes more, and Mrs. Worley talked about Krista to Marissa, a lot. Krista found this out the last time they’d visited and they all treated her like she was a part of their family. Marissa had pulled her aside and told her that as far as Mrs. Worley was concerned, Krista was family and she expected everyone else to treat her as such. And all of them did, to Krista’s surprise.

Now, she was sitting and waiting, and waiting, when a big hand closed around her arm and she heard his voice. “Krista, we need to talk.” She looked up and Kade was towering over her. She just dropped her head and shook it at the table. She heard a chair scrape over the cement patio.

“Is there a problem?” Lance asked. Krista jerked her head up to see Lance—who was not a small guy by a long shot—standing and facing Kade who still looked as though he could break Lance with one hand. She stood quickly between them.

“Kade, this is Lance, Mrs. Worley’s son. Lance, this is Kade.” Done with the introductions, she just stopped talking and Kade jerked his head her way and glared at her.

“Is there a problem, Kade?” She heard Lance repeat his original question just as Marissa walked up, holding a cardboard cup holder with three cups of coffee.

“Kris, honey, is everything all right?” Marissa asked while swinging her gaze back and forth between her husband and Kade. Kade looked pissed off, and Lance looked as if he wasn’t gonna back down and allow Kade to drag her off somewhere.

“Yes, everything is fine. Kade, this is Marissa, Lance’s wife. Marissa, Kade.” And again, Kade looked toward Marissa and then back at her.

Then, Kade leaned down and spoke into her ear. “Krista, we need a minute.” She heard him and also noticed that Kade said it loud enough for Lance and Marissa to hear him also. Krista turned in Kade’s direction, looked at the hand still holding her arm, and then back up at Kade, without actually looking him in the eyes.

“Fine, Kade, let my arm go.” Kade immediately dropped his hand from her arm. “I’ll give you a minute, or until I’m paged.” Krista had already turned and was walking away from Lance and Marissa’s little table. She had walked around the corner of the hospital and was by the doors to go back inside when suddenly, Kade was there, standing in front of her, blocking her path. He reached down, grabbed her hand and walked over to the bench beside the doors. Kade sat and pulled her down to sit next to him, let go of her hand, leaned over, and placed his forearms on his knees.

“I’m so sorry, baby.” Kade looked down, staring at the ground. “Shit was happening at the station and I was being kept in the dark about it. I was pissed and I took it out on you. That’s no excuse for the way I treated you. I know this, but, baby, you gotta’ know how damn’ sorry I am.” He pleaded his case and then turned his head to look at her.

“Krista Avery, please go to the nearest information desk. Krista Avery, please go to the nearest information desk.” She heard her name being called over the loud speakers and jumped up, heading to the doors when she saw Lance and Marissa coming her way. She stopped to wait for them to catch up to her.

When she felt Kade at her back, then his hand threaded his fingers through hers, he bent his head down so he could speak into her ear. “You’re not doing this alone,” he whispered so only she could hear him. She turned to look at him to say something, but she wasn’t sure what to say. Then Marissa grabbed her other hand and they all started walking to the doors. They all walked up the information desk.

“I’m Krista Avery. I was paged.” There was a man behind the desk now, and he looked like he was about a hundred years old, but was typing on the keyboard in front of him like he invented it. Then he looked back at her, glanced at everyone in her little group, then back to her.

“Yes, Mrs. Avery—” Before he could say another word, Kade spoke up, interrupting him.

“Miss,” Kade stated this information and everyone turned to stare at him. “Miss Avery, not Mrs.” Like that piece of information was of the utmost importance.

“Yes, of course, Miss Avery. There’s a message for you from Nurse Greene. She says you may go back to the patient’s room and the doctor will be there shortly to talk to you.” The little man informed them all, looking pleasant and sympathetic at the same time.

“Thank you.” Krista gave him a small smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. They all then moved to go back through the patient’s entrance and down the hall to Mrs. Worley’s room to wait some more.