Karma (35 page)

He knocked once and let himself inside, the smell of his mother’s pot roast assaulting his senses made his stomach grumble.

“Michael, is that you?” his mother called from her post in the kitchen. When he was a kid, he’d thought she had a sixth sense that told her which child had walked in the door, but as an adult he realized they each had their own arrival time, and his mother intuitively knew their routine.

“It’s me,” he yelled back, bending to give his parents’ new dog, a small fluff ball that resembled a dust mop, a pat on the head. He still marveled that they’d named the furry thing Kojak.

“Well come give me a hug,” Ella called out, as if she
hadn’t seen him in ages. In reality, she’d stopped by the police station yesterday to say hello.

He grinned and his shoulders eased downward. The insecurities that always followed thoughts of perfection fled at the warmth in his mother’s voice and the comforting smells of home.

“Come on, little man. Let’s go say hi to Mom.” He headed for the kitchen, Kojak by his side.

Along the way, he passed the family room where his father lay snoring in his recliner, football game on the big-screen television Mike and his siblings had bought their parents for Christmas last year. Knowing Simon needed his rest, Mike let him sleep.

“Hey, Mom,” Mike said, entering the kitchen and giving her the requested hug before turning to the oversized pot on the stove. “Smells delicious.” He lifted the lid only to have his mother smack his hand with her wooden spoon. “Hey!”

“No sampling.” She waved her weapon in front of his face, a knowing smile lifting her lips.

Despite his father’s illness, she’d managed to retain her cheery disposition and if a few more lines creased her beautiful face, it didn’t affect her good looks at all. Wavy auburn hair curled naturally around her face, adding to her youthful appearance.

“Hey, family!” His sister Kim’s voice sounded from the entryway.

“In here,” Mike called back, then winced because his father was sleeping.

“Dad’s snoring,” Kim said, striding into the kitchen with a box in hand. “A hurricane couldn’t wake him.”

“That’s because I gave him a painkiller a little while ago. His back was hurting.” Ella said.

Mike pushed past the fear in his throat. The old man was strong. He would pull through. “What kind of cake did you bring?”

“Angel food. Dad’s favorite.”

Of course. Kim was always the good girl, doing the right thing without being asked. Mike could barely manage to get himself places on time, let alone remember to bring something with him.

His sister placed the white bakery box on the counter. “Hi, Mom,” she said, pecking her cheek. “Big brother.” She grinned and pulled him into a hug.

“Hey, pest.”

She nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. “Jerk.”

“Squirt.”

“Enough!” Ella yelled at them like they were naughty kids and Kim grinned.

“It’s just so easy to fall back into it.” She shook her head and grinned. Kim was a true mixture of both parents, with their mother’s reddish brown hair and Simon’s hazel eyes. Eyes that now danced with laughter. “So where’s Sam?” she asked.

“Your brother isn’t here yet.” Ella glanced at the clock on the oven and frowned. “He’s late and that’s not like him. Is he working a shift today? Maybe he got held up.” She looked to Mike for the answer, since he was now his brother’s boss.

“Not that I know of, unless he switched with someone.”

“Well, let’s sit down in here for a little while and wait. Give your father some more time to sleep.” Ella gestured to the Formica table and they each sat in the same chairs they’d eaten in growing up.

“How’s Dad doing?” Kim asked. “You mentioned back pain?”

Ella nodded. “The doctor said he might try and do radiation this week instead of waiting until later on. It’s supposed to help shrink the tumor and help with the pain. But he’s handling the chemo well enough. And his spirit is amazing,” she said with obvious pride.

“What about you?” Mike asked his mother, reaching for her hand.

She immediately waved him off. “I’m fine, Michael. I’m not the one who’s sick.”

Mike shot his sister a knowing look. Their mother acted like Superwoman, stepping up and handling everything without complaint.
Perfection personified
, Mike thought. But he knew she had to be exhausted. He opened his mouth to argue that she needed rest too; but Kim shook her head, telling him to let it go.

Fine, he’d listen for now but at some point his mother would have to give in and let someone else help her out for a change.

Suddenly the telephone rang and Ella rose to answer it.

“Don’t pressure her. She likes feeling needed,” Kim whispered as their mother spoke on the phone. “I’m coming over to sit with Dad one day this week so she can go get her hair done. Sam promised to play chess with Dad one afternoon this week. She’s getting breaks.”

“Why didn’t anyone ask me to help out?” Mike asked, too petulantly for his liking. But the fact that he hadn’t thought to relieve his mother had him feeling out of sorts and selfish. As usual, he’d fallen short compared to his siblings. So what else was new?

“We figured you had your hands full taking Dad’s place and getting up to speed,” Kim said.

“It’s been a month. I’m as up as I’m going to get. The rest depends on everyone accepting how I want to do things.” He’d have made time for his mother. He was about to say as much when Ella returned.

One look at her pale face and Mike shot to his feet. “What’s wrong?” he asked, placing a bracing arm around her shoulder.

Kim came around her other side. “Mom?”

“Sam’s been in an accident.”

Heart pounding hard in his chest, Mike eased his mother into the nearest chair. “What happened?”

“That was Cara,” she said. Sam’s partner. “His car crashed into a tree. He’s at University Hospital now.”

“Cara was with him?” Mike knew for a fact they weren’t on duty today, but it wasn’t surprising they were together. Those two made a mockery of the notion that men and women couldn’t be just friends.

It was Mike who couldn’t just be Cara’s friend, not after an explosive one-night stand three months ago that he’d yet to get out of his head. “Are they both okay?”

“Cara sounded fine. Sam’s being assessed,” his mother said, still trembling.

Mike swallowed hard. His mother’s fear wasn’t an easy thing to deal with, not when she was usually so strong. But she’d been hit with too many things at once lately.

“I need to go to your brother but I can’t leave your father. I don’t want to drag him out there and put him under all that stress, around sick people and germs…”

This was something he could do to help. “I’ll head over to the hospital,” Mike said, glancing at his sister.

She nodded. “And I’ll stay here with you and Dad.”

“No.” Ella shook her head. “You go with your brother. You two should be together when you get news on Sam.”

Mike immediately thought of a solution. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll call Aunt Louisa to come over,” he said. His mother’s sister also lived in Serendipity, a few streets away. “That way you and dad won’t be alone.”

“I don’t want to be a bother to her.”

But Kim had already reached for the phone and begun dialing over their mother’s objections.

A few minutes later, their aunt was on her way over while Mike and Kim headed for the hospital.

Officer Cara Hartley paced outside the emergency room, waiting for news on her partner. And waiting for his family to arrive. She didn’t know which members would come given Sam’s father’s condition, but her gut told her his
brother, Michael, would be one of them. Usually as laid back as he appeared, when it came to doing his job or caring for his family, the man was as take-charge alpha as they came.

He also liked control in the bedroom, something Cara knew only too well. She shivered at the memory of one incredible night a few months ago when Mike had been home for the weekend to visit his father. He and Sam had shown up at Joe’s Bar. Mike had flirted with Cara. He’d bought her drinks, walked her to her car, and the next thing she’d known, she’d agreed to let him follow her home and take her not just to bed but wherever he damn well pleased. He’d been a demanding, aggressive lover and he’d ignited a hunger that fueled many fantasies about that hot night they’d spent together.

“Dr. Nussbaum, please call extension fifty-three. Dr. Nussbaum, extension fifty-three.” The voice over the hospital loudspeaker broke into Cara’s heated thoughts.

Although those provocative memories had been a welcome distraction from worrying about Sam, the last thing she wanted to be thinking about was the man who was now her boss. He’d completely rocked her world months ago, but he hadn’t mentioned it since his return. Granted, she hadn’t brought up the subject, either, but his complete refusal to acknowledge her as more than one of his officers grated. Even the few times they were alone, Mike had been abrupt and all business.

When he arrived she had no doubt he’d want to talk about what she and Sam were doing on Route 80, heading back to Serendipity from the outskirts of town. Though it wasn’t unusual for her and Sam to be together, they hadn’t been on the normal local roads. Though they’d been looking into a sanctioned investigation while off duty, the implications of their findings involved Mike and Sam’s family—and it wasn’t something she’d share without Sam’s permission. Not even with her boss.

She shivered at the idea of lying to the man who appeared to see through her with one searing glance. But if she had good news about Sam, maybe he wouldn’t care where they’d been or why. That information was up to Sam to share with his brother when he was ready.

Suddenly the street doors swung wide and Cara caught sight of Mike, his dark hair longer than regulation for a cop, his leather jacket giving him a dangerous edge. He barreled through the lobby and headed straight for her, his sister right behind him.

“How’s Sam?” Kim asked.

“What the hell happened?” Mike barked at Cara.

She straightened to her full height, which at five foot three wasn’t much compared to his nearly six feet. “We were in an accident, Chief.”

“Any news on Sam?” Kim asked.

Cara shook her head. “Not yet, but he was conscious when the ambulance brought him in.”

“I didn’t have you two on the schedule today.” Mike pinned her with a steady stare.

Cara looked into his chocolate-brown eyes, wondering how they could have been so sexy all those months ago and so cold and forbidding now. “And if you’ll notice, I’m not in uniform. Your brother and I were out for a ride. It’s a gorgeous day,” she said, hating the lie as it too effortlessly fell from her lips.

“Ease up,” Kim said, punching Mike in the arm. “She’s not on duty and she’s as worried about Sam as we are. And lay off the formalities. Cara’s like family,” Kim said, pulling her into an embrace. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Cara managed a nod, and hugged Kim back. “It was scary,” she said, allowing herself to admit her fear for the first time. She stepped away from Kim and wished she was wearing a heavier jacket.

“You’re shaking.” Kim said, breaking into her thoughts.

“Were you checked out?” Mike asked, his tone deep and
gravelly, sending shivers through her that had nothing to do with the earlier accident.

“The paramedics cleared me at the scene. It’s just a delayed reaction, I guess.”

Mike’s frown deepened. “Let’s sit.” Without waiting for her to agree, he grasped her elbow and led her to a chair.

Because Cara’s legs were truly unsteady, she let him have his way. Kim picked a chair across the aisle, while Mike chose the chair beside Cara. He sat so close to her that the musky scent of his aftershave warmed her in ways she couldn’t think about now.

“What happened?” Kim asked softly.

In a weird way it was a relief to go back in her mind to the accident and share the experience. “Sam was driving. He was fine one minute and the next he doubled over in pain. I reached for the wheel but I had no leverage and the car hit a tree.”

She blew out a stream of air and steadied herself before continuing. “My airbag deployed. His didn’t. Sam’s head hit the steering wheel…” She winced as she recalled the awful sound. “And his side of the car took the brunt of the impact. I was able to call for an ambulance, and here we are.” She clenched her fists until her nails bit into her flesh.

“Easy,” Mike said as his big, strong hand covered hers and he gently pried her fingernails away from her skin.

Her entire body reacted to his touch, awareness jolting through her like a sudden burst of electricity. Startled, she met his gaze and in that moment she
knew
he was as stunned as she.

Until he jerked his hand back and rose to his feet. “Where is a damned doctor with some news?”

Kim rose and put a hand on her brother’s shoulder. “I’m sure we’ll hear something soon.” No sooner had she spoken than a familiar voice called out Cara’s name.

“Alexa!” Relieved, Cara jumped up and turned to Dr. Alexa Collins, a beautiful blonde who was not only one of Cara’s closest friends but also the doctor on call.

“How is he?” Sam’s siblings asked at the same time.

“He’s stable. He had an appendicitis attack while he was driving.” She glanced at Cara. “Did he mention any pain during the day?”

She thought back and shook her head.

Alexa frowned. “Then he must have covered and ignored it. Appendicitis pain typically increases over a period of time. Stubborn man,” she muttered, knowing Sam as well as Cara did. “Okay, well, he’s in surgery to take care of the appendix and, barring any complications, he should be fine. He’s also got a concussion from impact with the steering wheel but again, barring complications, nothing life threatening.” She smiled at Kim, Michael, and Cara to put them at ease. “I’m going to go back in. As soon as he’s in recovery, I’ll let you know. You can see him later.”

“Thank you.” Kim breathed out in relief. “I’ll go let Mom and Dad know.” She rushed outside, probably to a place she could use her cell phone.

“Thanks, Alexa,” Cara said.

The other woman smiled. “I can honestly say it’s my pleasure. It’ll also be my pleasure to kick his ass for ignoring pain. And trust me, he had to have felt something earlier.”