Shadows from the Grave (40 page)

The ambulance driver closed the door and, within moments, they were heading back toward Madison. Annie was in and out of consciousness, and the EMT told Chase she should start stabilizing soon. He hoped that was true. All the times he could have told her that he loved her, he hadn’t done it, wanting to hold back just a little bit of himself in case things didn’t work out. He wanted to kick himself now, and he promised Annie quietly that if she would just come back, he would tell her every day for the rest of his life.

It was warm, Annie thought, blessedly warm. She was snuggled up in something that wasn’t quite soft, just a little scratchy. With a leisurely stretch, she raised her arms above her head and yawned. As she extended her arms, her muscles protested, and she winced.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” she heard Chase say from somewhere nearby.

“Mmmm,” she responded. “What time is it?”

“Nine-thirty. You’ve been asleep a little while.” She felt him brush her hair back, and she smiled. She had to struggle to open her eyes, wincing against the light when she managed to pry the lids apart.

“Light too much?” Chase asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. Can you turn it down?” Before she even finished asking the question, the light was dimmed. It took her another few seconds, but she finally realized that something was wrong. She wasn’t in her bed, or in Chase’s. Without warning, the memories came rushing back, and she tried to sit up.

“Hey, hey, take it easy,” Chase said. He sat on the hospital bed at her hip and put his hands on her shoulders. Annie reached out to him, wordlessly asking to be held. Chase obliged with a gratifying speed.

“What happened? Did Travis get away?” she asked. “I didn’t imagine all that, did I?”

“No, you didn’t imagine it. Travis is in surgery in Cincinnati,” Chase said. When Annie started to speak again, Chase stopped her. “I know you have a lot of questions, but I need to say something to you first. Okay?”

“Okay,” she responded.

Chase tipped her head back and cupped her face with his hands. Looking straight into her eyes, he said, “I love you. I’m so sorry I didn’t say it before now. I wanted to, but I was just… I was scared. But I do, Annie. I love you so much. It’s a cliché, and the subject of some really lousy songs, but it’s true—you complete me.”

Annie felt her eyes tear up, and she reached up to pull Chase down for a kiss. When they broke apart, she drew back and tipped her head to the side. “Really? You mean it?”

“God, yes,” he said. “I love you. I had hoped you knew without me saying the words. Stupid me.”

“I hoped you did, was even pretty sure of it, but it’s still nice hearing the words, Chase.” She smiled. “To that end, I love you. I know I’ve said it before, but I want to say it again. And again. I love you. Love you, love you, love you.” She punctuated each declaration with a kiss. “How strict are the nurses here?”

“Not too bad,” Chase said. “Why?”

Annie scooted over in the bed. “Can you come up here and hold me? I just need to feel your arms around me.”

Chase kicked off his shoes and obliged. When Annie was tucked in next to him, he covered them both with a blanket. For a long time, they just lay there, holding each other and whispering their feelings back and forth. After a little while, Annie’s eyelids started to droop.

“I’m sorry,” she said drowsily. “I just can’t seem to stay awake.”

“Don’t apologize,” Chase said. “Just rest. I’m not going anywhere.”

A final thought drifted through Annie’s mind before she fell asleep. “Murphy?” she mumbled.

“Gordon’s staying with him tonight. Your little boy is okay. Get some rest,” he told her. “I love you.”

“You, too,” she said, and then sleep claimed her.

~ * * * ~

By seven o’clock the next morning, Annie was up and raring to go home. Beth and Ethan had arrived with fresh clothes for her and Chase, along with news about Lauren and the baby.

“You’re an aunt,” Beth told Annie. “Baby Clark came into the world last night just after ten, and is a healthy, squalling baby girl. Eight pounds, two ounces.”

Annie had a huge smile on her face. “How’s Lauren? What did they name her?”

Beth, whose own smile was just as wide, laughed. “Lauren is fine, and they haven’t named her yet. They can’t decide.”

“I think they should just name her Baby,” Ethan said from where he stood at the foot of the hospital bed with Chase. “I guarantee that’s what the kid’s nickname is going to be, anyhow.”

Both women shot him a quelling look, and he shrugged. “What? It will be, you wait and see.”

“You may be right,” Beth said, “but that’s not what they’re going to name her. Lauren and Charlie both said to give you a hug and tell you they love you,” she told Annie as she gave her a tight hug. “We had to tell them what happened yesterday, since half the crew wasn’t there.”

“It didn’t upset them too much, did it?” Annie asked. She got out of the chair she’d been sitting in and stretched. “I’m ashamed to say that I was just too addled to even think about how they would react. I don’t remember much from yesterday morning on, just bits and pieces.”

“Well, we didn’t tell them quite everything,” Ethan said. “Just that there had been an arrest in the case, and that you two had to go deal with it. They don’t know you were kidnapped and spent the night in the hospital.”

“Oh. That’s going to be fun to explain. Good call, though,” she said.

“Has anyone been in to question you yet?” Beth wanted to know.

“Yeah, the Sheriff of Jefferson County and one of his detectives. They told us that Travis is in ICU in Cincinnati. He came through the surgery, but it looks like he’s going to be paralyzed if he survives.” Annie studied her hands. “I knew I had hit him. I’m feeling guilty because I
don’t
feel guilty about shooting another human being. Think that’s normal?”

Everyone looked at Ethan. “Yeah. I think that’s pretty normal, especially given what we know about who he was.”

“The Sheriff said the FBI is sending a team out to his property,” Chase told them. “It should be interesting to see what they find. Gordon called earlier, too. He said that Kiely’s family has been notified.”

“How’d they take it?” Beth asked quietly.

Chase shrugged, playing with the blanket on the end of the bed. “Not well. They were still pretty insistent that I had to have something to do with it, but I guess whoever it was that told them about Travis managed to get them to see reason. Finally.” Annie walked over and slid her arms around Chase’s waist. He put his arm around her shoulder and tried to smile.

“That’s not the worst of it,” she told Beth and Ethan. “Gordon’s probably not going to be reinstated. From what he said, his supervisor is fighting tooth and nail, but Gordon dared to stand up to this Bledsoe character, and there are going to be consequences.”

Ethan was stunned. “You have to be kidding. Yeah, he pulled a stupid stunt, but it wasn’t like he attacked Detective Hart without provocation, and the information he let slip? It got the investigation back on track. I can see reprimanding him, but letting him go?”

“Believe me, we’re not happy about it, either,” Chase said. His mouth tightened. “Gordon’s good at his job. He doesn’t deserve this.”

“How is Gordon?” Beth asked. “Is he upset? He didn’t seem to be that worried the other day at the house.”

“Yeah, he swears it’s not that big a deal, but I find that hard to believe,” Chase replied. “When we get back, I’m hoping to get him alone and talk to him about it. Find out how he really feels.”

There was a knock at the door, and the doctor who had admitted Annie came in. “Hello. How are you this morning, Ms. Tucker?”

“Ready to go home,” Annie said. “Can I get out of here, please?”

The doctor smiled. “Well, you certainly look much better this morning than you did last night. I’d like to check you over, and then I’d say you’ll be sprung from this place.”

“We’ll head down to the cafeteria,” Beth said. “Just call us when you’re ready to go.” Ethan pulled the door closed behind them, and Chase gave Annie a quick kiss on the forehead.

“I’m going to change clothes, clean up a little bit. Holler if you need me.”

Once Chase went into the adjacent bathroom, the doctor turned to Annie. “Let’s have you sit on the bed here.” She complied, and he listened to her chest and heart. Satisfied, he put the stethoscope back around his neck and performed a quick neurological test, having her follow his finger as he moved it in front of her.

“Any odd aches, pains, funny feelings?” he asked.

“No, I feel pretty normal. A little sore,” she admitted as he checked her reflexes, “but that isn’t surprising. Not after what I went through.”

He straightened and smiled. “How are you mentally?”

Annie tilted her hand back and forth. “I’m coping. I’ve got a lot of people around me who love me, and I know a good counselor, if it comes to that.”

“Do you want me to write you a prescription for something to help with the anxiety?”

“No, I’m good,” she assured him. “Does this mean I can go home?”

“Sure does. I’ll go out and do your discharge paperwork. The nurse should be in shortly to take out the IV, and you’ll be free to go.” He headed for the door. “Take care, Ms. Tucker.”

After he left, Annie walked to the bathroom and tapped on the door.

Chase opened it, having just stepped out of the shower. “I hope it’s okay that I took a shower.”

Annie smiled. “I don’t think they’ll complain too much. After you get finished, I’m going to take one myself. Then we can go home.”

The first stop Annie wanted to make when they got back to Leroy was, naturally, the hospital. Ethan and Beth dropped them off at Chase’s car.

“We’ll visit later this evening,” Beth told them as they got out of the Beast. “We both need to get to work right now, though.”

Chase unlocked the car, which he had left at the hospital the day before, and they put their dirty clothes inside.

“Ready to go see this baby?” he asked.

Annie smiled. “More than. I just hope they’ve named her.”

He held his out hand, and she clasped it tightly as they started toward the entrance. “It really doesn’t bother you, seeing babies?”

“I… no. Not really,” Annie said. “It’s never something I wanted for myself. I don’t mind seeing other people who want it. Does that make me a horrible person?”

They got in the elevator, and Chase tugged her close for a kiss. “No, not at all.” The doors opened, and they headed to the nurses’ station to sign in. Anyone wanting to visit a new mom and baby had to sign in as part of the hospital’s safety protocol. No one got on or off the floor without signing the sheet. That finished, they followed the nurse’s directions to Lauren’s room. Outside the door, Annie stopped, suddenly nervous.

“You can wait,” Chase told her quietly. “You don’t have to do this right now.”

Annie shook her head. “No, I need to. I want to. I just hope they don’t freak out when we tell them about the kidnapping.” On the way back to Leroy, they had discussed whether or not to tell Charlie and Lauren about the kidnapping while Lauren was still in the hospital. Everyone had agreed that it was a good idea because, if they didn’t share the news, someone else would surely let it slip. All things considered, it would be more upsetting for Lauren and Charlie to find out like that than if Annie told them herself.