Road to Peace (10 page)

He frowned. “Who’s Ryan?”

“Ali’s husband.”

He relaxed. “You don’t quit cryin’ baby, you’re gonna make your head throb worse.”

“I can’t help it. Everything hurts and you’re being really lovely and I’m worried about Poppy.” He cupped my cheek and I leaned into his touch, which was stupid, because it hurt. “I’m so sorry I didn’t ring you back.”

“It’s okay.” He smiled. “But I need you to stop cryin’, yeah?”

I nodded, but I couldn’t stop. Now that the floodgates were opened, I couldn’t seem to stop, the stress of the day covering me like a blanket of doom.

Hatch leaned forward and pulled me to him, cradling me gently against his chest. I was surprised the action didn’t hurt me, but all I felt was safe. He was warm and smelled good and he was stroking my hair which felt super, super nice.

“I’m sorry that took so—” the nurse cut off her sentence as Hatch released me. “Are you in pain? I can give you a little something.”

“That’d be good,” Hatch answered for me.

“I’ll be right back.” The nurse left again and I settled back against the mattress.

Just as the nurse returned with pain meds for me, Ali and another nurse also walked in wheeling Poppy, and Hatch stepped away from me.

“Hello, darling, how did it go?” I asked.

Poppy lowered her head and I frowned over at Alison.

“She was a bit claustrophobic,” Ali provided. “They’re going to see what they can do. Maybe a CT scan instead of an MRI. They have an open one.”

“Sorry,” Poppy whispered.

“That’s okay, Poppet,” I assured. “Those machines can be scary.”

“I’m gonna head out,” Hatch said.

“Will you come back?” Poppy asked, and I was surprised by the sound of worry in her voice.

“Yeah, baby girl, I’ll come back.” He pulled a card out of his wallet, found a pen, and scribbled something on it, handing it to her. “Here’s my cell phone number, okay? You need me, you call me. Anytime.”

Poppy smiled and held the card to her chest. “Thanks, Hatch.”

He made his way to me, leaning down to kiss my cheek. “I’m gonna go check on your car. But if you need me, you let me know, yeah?”

I nodded up at him.

“Call me when you know about surgery. If you want me here, I’ll be here, okay?”

I nodded again.

He smiled and straightened, turning to my best friend. “Nice to meet you, Ali.”

“You too,” she said, and then Hatch left.

“What is
up
with that guy?” Ali demanded. “I thought you blew him off.”

“I did. But he apparently wants to help.”

“I don’t know about this, Maisie. I think Ryan should look into him. It’s weird that he’s showing up here right after you’ve had an accident.”

“Poppy
did
call him, Ali.”

“Still…”

“Don’t worry about it, love. It’s fine. I’ll tell him to back off if it gets weird.”

Alison’s response was a quiet grunt, but she let it go… thank God.

The rest of the night passed in a fog as I was helped into a hospital gown (I was glad Hatch missed
that
), and we had to focus on the status of our concussions and other injuries. By the time Poppy had been cleared to go home, and I was good to sleep, I could barely keep my eyes open so Alison took Poppy home and I crashed.

I awoke with a start, totally confused as to where I was. It took me a little bit to remember I was in the hospital and I relaxed against the pillows.

A nurse rushed in, flooding my room with light. “Are you okay?”

“I think so,” I said.

“You were screaming,” she said.

“I was?” I sighed. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, sweetie. Let’s make you more comfortable. Are you in pain?”

“A little, but it’s manageable.”

“From one to ten?”

“Eight.”

She smiled. “Manageable, huh?”

“I’m a pretty tough cookie.”

“Apparently.” She pushed something through the IV and my pain disappeared. “Better?”

“Much.”

“Press this button if you need anything else, okay?”

I nodded and the nurse set the call button by my hand.

“Can I do anything for you before I leave you?”

“Can you please grab me a phone?” I asked. “I need to call my daughter.”

“Of course.”

She rolled the table over with the phone and showed me how to turn the light off and on, and then left me to call Poppy.

“Hello?” Ali answered.

“Hey, lovey.”

“Oh, Maisie.” Ali breathed out a sigh of relief. “How are you?”

“Tired, but good. How’s Poppy?”

“She’s good. She finally fell asleep about an hour ago. Do you want me to wake her?”

“No,” I rushed to say. “Let her sleep. But she can call me even if it’s the middle of the night, okay?”

“Definitely. We’ve got her, honey, okay? You take care of yourself. We’ll be there tomorrow before your surgery.”

“Okay, Ali. Thank you for everything. Seriously. I don’t think I could do life without you.”

“Hey, don’t get mushy on me now.”

I smiled. “Fair enough. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Love you, honey.”

“Love you too.” I hung up and relaxed against the pillows again.

For the next half-hour or so, I tried to sleep, but every time I closed my eyes, I’d jump awake, the accident flashing in my dreams. I pulled the phone toward me again, found Hatch’s card, and dialed his number, chalking my insanity up to the drugs.

“Yeah?” Hatch answered, his voice gruff with sleep.

“Hi. It’s Maisie.”

“Hey, Sunshine, you okay?”

I nodded, although, I realized he couldn’t see me. “I’m sorry if I woke you. I can’t seem to sleep.”

“You in pain?”

“No, the nurse took care of that. I keep having nightmares.” I sighed. “Poppy’s asleep which is good, but I’m here listening to my own thoughts and I see the accident over and over again.”

“I bet.”

“Anyway, thanks for answering.”

He chuckled. “You can wake me anytime, baby.”

I bit back a yawn. “I’ll let you go. I’m going to try and sleep.”

“Okay. You call me if you need to. I’ll keep my phone close.”

“Thanks.” I smiled. “And thanks for everything today. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem.”

He hung up and I closed my eyes, finally succumbing to sleep again.

* * *

Pain sliced through my arm and I gasped awake.

“Maisie? You okay?”

I frowned and followed the sound of Hatch’s voice. “Hatch?”

He was walking toward my bed and I thought I might be dreaming. He smiled down at me. “Hey, Sunshine.”

“What are you doing here?”

He stroked my cheek. “Thought it might be easier for you if I was here.”

I bit back tears. “That’s so nice,” I whispered.

“I’ll find the nurse and get you some pain killers.”

I nodded and he left the room, returning quickly with a nurse following, syringe in her hand. “I’m Sammi. I’m here for the next six hours, so if you need me, just let me know. You’re in pain, huh?”

I nodded.

She smiled. “You made it over four hours. You’re a rock star,” she said, and pumped more morphine into my system. I felt instant relief.

“How long until surgery?” I asked, forcing back a yawn.

“A few hours,” the nurse said. “Try and get some sleep. The doctor will be in soon.”

My bladder was screaming at me, but I didn’t know if I could move. “I need to…” I pointed toward the restroom.

“I’ll step out,” Hatch said, and left the room.

Sammi helped me slide my legs over the side of the bed, then walked me into the bathroom. I moved slowly, still weak and sore, but at least my head felt back to normal.

After doing my thing, we headed back toward the bed and I faltered. Sammi pulled a chair toward me quickly and I sat down. “I’ll get someone to help.”

She pulled open the door and Hatch stepped in. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s okay. Your wife was just a little dizzy.”

“Well do somethin’,” he ordered.

“Just need to get her back to bed so she can rest. I’ll call an orderly.”

“I got it,” he said, and stalked inside.

“I’m okay,” I countered.

Hatch shook his head. “Loop your left arm around my neck, okay? I’m gonna lift you, but I don’t want you to move your right arm.”

“I can do it, Hatch.”

“Don’t argue with me, yeah?”

“I’m too heavy.”

“Baby, will you please shut the fuck up? I’ve got you.”

He leaned down and I looped my left arm around him. He lifted me effortlessly and carried me to the bed, setting me gently on the mattress with a smile. “You good?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Okay, I’ll wait outside again.”

I gave him a shaky smile. “Thanks.”

“Your man is quite the hottie,” Sammi said as she wrapped the blood pressure cuff around my good arm.

I smiled. “We actually don’t know each other very well.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you were married.”

“Nope.”

“And he’s here taking care of you?” she asked in surprise.

“Yes. Strange, eh?”

“I think it’s pretty darn special. Keep that one around if you can.”

A sweet kind of warmth filled my heart. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Sammi took a few more readings and then smiled. “Want me to send him back in?”

I nodded. After making sure I was comfortable and the call button was close, she left and Hatch walked back in.

“How ya doin’?” he asked.

“Better.”

“I found your cell phone in your car.” He pulled it out of his pocket and set it on the table. “I charged it up, so it’s ready to go.”

“Thanks.” I stared up at him. “What are you doing?”

“Whaddya mean?”

“I’m just confused as to why you’re here.”

“Would you rather I go?”

“Honestly? No.” I let out a long, frustrated sigh. “Which confuses me as well.”

He chuckled, pulling a chair close to me. “I think there’s somethin’ here. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t get you outta my head.”

“You look like you ate something nasty.”

“Yeah, well, you know I was chained to a woman before, and it didn’t go so well. Thought I was done with this shit, but you just keep pullin’ me back in.”

“I’m not trying to,” I whispered.

“I know.” He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed my palm. “Been in a dark place, Maisie. But you’ve changed that. Can’t explain it, but I see you and I feel peace.”

“Is that why you call me ‘Sunshine’?”

“Yeah, why?”

My breath hitched on a sob. “I thought it was because of my hair, but that’s way better.”

He chuckled. “Why are you cryin’, baby?”

“Because you’re being so sweet and I’m having a hard time processing all of these emotions.”

“Don’t process anything right now, Maisie. Once all of this is over, we’ll spend some time together and find out what this is, yeah?”

I nodded, trying to pull myself together. “Do you still have my car?”

“Yeah. My guys are checkin’ it out.”

“I don’t understand why my airbags didn’t go off. I service that bloody car on time every few months. The brakes were working fine the day before.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know why any of this happened.”

“Me neither,” Hatch said. “But we’ll figure it out.”

“You really don’t need to take this on, Hatch. It’s a lot for someone you’ve just met.”

He grinned. “I’m doin’ it for Poppy.”

I let out a quiet snort. “Oh, really? How’s that then?”

“She asked me to help you. I gave her my word, Sunshine, and I always keep my word.”

I smiled sleepily. “Well, that’s good to know.”

“Sleep, baby.”

I think I was out before he’d finished his sentence.

* * *

Hatch

Maisie had been wheeled into the operating room close to three hours ago. Hatch had managed to catch a few hours of rest before her nine a.m. surgery, but he was still wiped. He shook his head. What the fuck was he doin’ with this woman? He should walk away. Leave her to her life. But he knew he never would. She was under his skin now and he felt more for her than he’d ever felt for anyone. As irrational as that might be, it was no less the truth. And now that he knew someone was after her, he was even more on alert. For the moment, she was safe, so he took that comfort and let it settle into his bones.

He’d been at the hospital since two a.m. and he was pretty wiped, but couldn’t turn off his brain. He was convinced someone messed with Maisie’s car, but the cops had cleared it at the scene.

Sipping coffee while he waited with Alison and Poppy, he thumbed his phone on, hoping to see a message from Ace, who’d  gotten an early start this morning, pulling the mangled car apart one piece at a time. Ace’s brother, FBI agent, Jaxon Quinn, was documenting everything they found and dusting for fingerprints. Even though he wasn’t a fan of law enforcement, Hatch had asked Jaxon to assist. Jaxon had backed up the Dogs on several occasions, including his assistance in saving Ace’s woman, Cassidy from a psychopath. 

“You’re the family of Maisie Mann?” a woman’s voice asked.

Hatch turned from the waiting room window as Poppy jumped up from her seat and rushed toward the nurse. “Is she awake?”

“Yep. I can take you back if you like. One at a time, though.”

Poppy nodded and walked with the nurse through the double doors. Hatch dragged his hands through his hair and sat in one of the chairs by the window.

“What’s your deal?” Alison asked.

He turned his head slowly toward her. “My deal?”

“You know she lost her husband, right?”

“Yeah, babe, I know.”

“And that she’s never dated another man? Ever? Niall has been her world since she was five,” she continued. “She had dinner with you and then didn’t call you back for a reason. She didn’t want to see you again. Why are you here? Are you some kind of crazy stalker? Because if you are, my cop husband will deal with you.”

“You’re lookin’ out for your girl,” Hatch said. “I get it. And I have no intention of doin’ anything other than gettin’ to know Maisie and sortin’ out what happened with her car. But since we don’t know each other, nothin’ I say’s gonna assure you… and it shouldn’t. You just gotta get to know me and make up your own mind.”