The Way to Her Heart (23 page)

He looked at her for a long moment, considering. Sometimes she was harder on herself than necessary. He felt powerless as he watched her suffer and wanted to make her pain go away. But he couldn’t fix this, couldn’t make it better. “Of course. Anything specific you want to talk about?”

She smiled, her eyes still closed. “Tell me about
1984
.
I was supposed to read it too. Why can’t teachers ever pick anything interesting to read?”

He laughed. “Oh, it’s not too bad. How about I read some of it out loud?”

She agreed, so he read to her until they brought her dinner. He helped her open the juice and milk since her right arm was immobilized because of her shoulder wound.

“Okay, we need to get you out of here before you starve to death. What is this?” He stirred the bowl of reddish liquid on her tray.

“It’s tomato soup, I think.” She was only able to eat half of it. She was nibbling on a saltine when Claire came in, followed by Detective Garcia.

“We found them, Bernie.”

***

Josh
watched her face closely as Garcia told them how Natalia and Sofia had finally been found in El Paso, Texas. They had been staying with one of Sofia’s cousins, and Garcia suspected they had planned to sneak across the border into Juarez, Mexico. Bernie listened with her eyes closed, and Josh wondered what she was feeling. She almost seemed asleep except for the small crease between her eyebrows, which could be pain or a sign of how the news upset her. Or both. He reached to take her hand, entwining his fingers with hers as she squeezed tightly.

“It was a fairly anticlimactic arrest, apparently. We called the El Paso PD and asked them to go by and check the house. Sofia’s cousin answered the door and invited the police inside. The girls were at the kitchen table and didn’t resist arrest. They’ll be extradited sometime next week. I’m removing the officer from outside your door.”

“Bernie? You okay?” Josh was concerned at her silence.

She opened her eyes and nodded at him with a semblance of a smile, which didn’t make him feel much better. “Why? Did they say why they did it?”

“They haven’t said much of anything yet. I’ll be questioning them as soon as they get here. Sorry, Bernie. I wish I could tell you more.”

“Okay, enough police talk.” Claire gave the detective a hard look and motioned for him to step aside. “I brought you some real pajamas and a robe. I hope you like what I picked out.” She held up a Target shopping bag.

“If it closes in the back, I’ll love it.”

Josh chuckled appreciatively as he helped her out of bed and supported her to the bathroom. Claire went in with her to help negotiate the tricky process of changing with multiple bandages and a limited range of motion. She looked exhausted as he tucked the blankets around her. “How are you holding up? You ready for those pain meds yet?”

“Yeah. You should go home and get some sleep.”

“Nope. You’re stuck with me until you come home.” He pressed the call button for the nurse.

“What happened to you being in such a hurry for me to move out?” She hissed in pain as she tried to shift into a more comfortable position.

“There’s plenty of time for that when you recover.” He was impatient to move forward and see where their relationship might go, but now was definitely not the time.

The nurse brought the pain meds and asked if Josh was staying the night again, offering to have a recliner brought so he’d be able to rest more comfortably. Josh realized Detective Garcia must have interceded on his behalf, otherwise he knew they’d have kicked him out as soon as visiting hours were over. They did require him to leave during shift change, so he found the cafeteria and ate some dinner while he called Tony and Kayleigh to give them an update. They were relieved to hear about the arrest and made plans to visit the next day since the guard was gone.

Bernie was asleep by the time he returned, so he settled into the semi-comfortable recliner that had been delivered and drifted into a restless sleep. His mom returned in the morning and sent him home for a few hours to get a shower and change clothes. He stopped by the school and picked up his and Bernie’s assignments as well. Now that she was able to stay awake for more than a few minutes, she was worried about falling behind.

When he entered her hospital room later that afternoon, he stopped short at the sight of the guy seated next to her bed. He looked like some sort of hipster with his dark hair, black-framed glasses, and scruffy beard. Claire and Bernie were laughing at something he’d said.

“Josh.” Claire spied him hovering by the door. “This is Ben. He stopped by to visit Bernie.”

“Great.” The guy stood to shake his hand, and Josh might have squeezed it harder than strictly necessary. “How do you know Bernie?”

“We met at a party a few nights ago. I got her phone number but haven’t been able to reach her. Now I know why.” The guy narrowed his eyes at Josh, clearly taking his measure.

She gave some guy her number? Ah, hell!
“Yeah, now you know why.” Josh smiled faintly and stepped in front of the annoying idiot to lean over and kiss Bernie’s forehead.
Take that, Ben.
“How are you doing today?”

She was prevented from answering by the arrival of Diego. Josh was irritated but knew he had no right to be. He had no official claim over Bernie, and she had every right to give her phone number out to anyone she wanted. And Diego had saved her life, so he deserved a warm welcome.

The doctor entered as Diego was telling them how he had followed the girls from the party. She stopped short at the number of visitors crowding the room. “Well, Bernie. I hate to interrupt, but I need to do an exam. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask all these handsome young men to come back later.”

Ben said he’d call her later and left.
Good riddance
,
Josh thought.
Maybe I can get her phone number changed.
Josh invited Diego to join him in the cafeteria until they could return to visit Bernie. He bought him a soda and an order of fries and sat across from him. “Diego, I don’t know how I can possibly thank you. You saved her life.”

“It’s cool, man. I just didn’t like the way that Natalia bitch was acting, you know? Shit, I’ll never forget the sight of all that blood.” He was shoving fries in his mouth as he said it, so Josh didn’t think he was losing sleep over it.

“Well, I’m glad you followed them. When I think of what would have happened—” He couldn’t finish and raised a suddenly shaky hand to run through his hair.

Diego paused his fry-snarfing and stared, smirking slightly. “You too, huh? Well, you better make your move before that other guy gets his hooks in. Bernie’s a hottie. I know a bunch of guys who like her.”

Great.

***

Claire had taken over the day shifts with Bernie at the hospital so Josh could go to school. He took over immediately after his last class and refused to budge until the next morning. They spent the evenings doing homework as soon as Bernie felt up to it. She was stressed about how far behind she’d fallen and worried about not graduating and losing her scholarship.

“Calm down! Breathe, sweetheart. You’re making your heart monitor go crazy and the nurse will probably kick me out.” He wondered if she even noticed the endearment. He was beyond ready to declare his feelings, but he’d promised his mother. At least Ben hadn’t returned for another visit. “All your teachers have assured me they understand and will give you as much time as you need. Mom talked to the principal, and you get to walk for graduation, even if you’re not done with your finals. They’ll hold your diploma until you get everything done. It’s going to be fine, Bernie.” She’d calmed down a bit, and her pain meds did the rest of the job.

She was released from the hospital three days later. She was ready and waiting impatiently Thursday after school when he entered her hospital room. He’d dropped Claire off that morning so he could pick them both up in the Lexus; he didn’t want Bernie to have to climb up into his truck. He made several trips to the car to load up all the flowers and gifts she’d received, some from people she’d never met. The nurse wheeled her to the car and made sure she was safely buckled in the backseat. Claire sat next to her, and Josh chauffeured them home. Bernie would start physical therapy for her shoulder the following week; the nerves had been damaged, and she had an extremely limited range of motion in addition to a persistent numbness in her pinky and ring finger.

He prepared a special homecoming meal for her of chicken alfredo pasta, one of her favorites. She’d lost weight since the stabbing, and he didn’t like it. He also didn’t like how little she was able to eat.

“Sorry, Josh. It’s delicious, but I just don’t have much appetite yet.”

“Well, I hope you saved room for a little dessert.” The doorbell rang, sending Freddie into a frenzy of delight. Claire left the kitchen and returned with Detective Garcia—
Mike
—carrying a pink bakery box.

“Happy belated birthday, Bernie!” He set the box down and opened it to reveal a frosted monstrosity of a cake.

Josh cringed, but he hadn’t had time to make one himself. “Your birthday got lost in the shuffle of the last week, but we didn’t forget.”

“Oh my gosh.” Bernie gulped and took a drink of her tea. Her hand was shaking slightly.

Josh smiled and cut her a small piece of cake while Claire brought out the presents she’d picked up on her way home the evening before.

Once they’d cleared away the plates and discarded wrapping paper, Garcia cleared his throat. “I have some news about your mom, Bernie.”

She set her mug of herbal tea on the table. “Do I want to know?”

“She checked herself into a rehab program. I went to visit her today. She told me to give you this.” He handed her a small folded note.

Bernie read it quickly before folding it back and shoving it in her pocket with a sniff. “Well, it’s a start, I guess. I hope she sticks it out. Thanks, Mike.”

***

He knocked lightly on her bedroom door before he went to bed. “Do you need anything? Did you take your pills?”

She nodded and motioned him inside. “Josh, I just wanted to say thanks. You’ve been so amazing through all this.”

He took her hand when he noticed how her eyes were shining. “Hey, of course. Aww, don’t cry, Bernie.” But she was already sobbing silently. He gently pulled her into his arms and let her cry it out. She was entitled, so he simply held her.

“Why, Josh?”

He froze, not ready to spill his guts—not with his mom right down the hall.

“Why did they do it? What did Gabby ever do to them? What did I ever do to them? They nearly killed me. I really thought I was going to die.”

Her rare vulnerability broke his heart. “Thank God Diego followed you that night. Shit. I never wanted to owe that idiot anything, much less my eternal gratitude for saving your life.” He was serious but felt her shaking with laughter.

She leaned against her headboard and wiped her eyes. “Sorry about losing it. I’m a mess.”

“You’re fine and certainly allowed to cry about what happened, both to Gabby and to you.” He reached to get her a tissue from the box on the nightstand. “I don’t know why, Bernie. It doesn’t make sense to me any more than it does to you. We may never know. I’m going with your theory: Natalia and Sofia are crazy, psychotic bitches.”

***

She was cleared to return to school the following week, but work would have to wait for at least two more weeks. Her boss had reassured her that her job would be waiting for her, but Bernie, of course, worried. She was only able to handle half days for the first week back at school, and Josh drove her home at lunch. She wasn’t allowed to drive herself for several more weeks.

“You were stabbed and had major surgery,” he pointed out when she fussed about how weak she was. “You’re actually recovering better than expected. Now stop fussing and take your pills before nap time.”

Garcia stopped by that evening to give them all an update. Josh noticed irritably that he waited until Claire was home before showing up.

“The district attorney will formally charge both Natalia and Sofia with attempted murder tomorrow,” Garcia said as he accepted a cup of coffee from Claire. They exchanged a smile, which made Josh narrow his eyes and made Bernie smirk.

“What about Gabby’s murder?” Bernie asked. “Will they be charged for that?”

“Hopefully. Sofia is the only one talking right now; Natalia isn’t saying anything. That girl is one of the coldest individuals I’ve ever come across. It’s scary.”

“Will I have to testify at their trial?” Bernie bit her lip and looked worried.

Josh reached to cover her hand with his.

“If there is a trial, yes, you’d need to testify. They may plead out, however. Try not to worry about it, Bernie.”

“Easier said than done,” she muttered.

***

Over the next few weeks, she slowly recovered her physical strength and was able to resume her normal schedule. What worried Josh was her continued depression. He finally talked to his mom about it, and she managed to talk Bernie into seeing a therapist. Josh knew from his experience over the past year having someone to talk to helped immeasurably. The therapist helped her deal with what amounted to post-traumatic stress as a result of the attack. He prescribed a mild sleep aid to help her get some much-needed rest in the first weeks after getting out of the hospital, and she seemed to be improving by the time she was ready to move into the triplex.