“We’ll let Meredith handle it. Come on, let’s get you some coffee while we wait,” Rachel said, heading towards a food cart vendor.
“I’m okay, I want to wait for Ben.”
“Katherine, Meredith is good, but she can’t wave a magic wand and get him sprung from jail that fast. Besides, you look like you could use some coffee. I’m sure Ben has been worried sick about you. Don’t let the first time he sees you worry him more,” she said gently.
Katherine nodded her head. She knew her hair was a mess and had pulled it into a ponytail. She hadn’t even bothered with makeup before heading to the police station. She knew she probably had dark circles under her eyes.
“Thank you. Rachel, I know I’ve said it, but I’m sorry this happened to him.”
Rachel gave her a reassuring smile. “This didn’t happen to him. He did this because he chose to. No one told him he had to go all Rambo on the guy. That’s on him.”
Rachel ordered two coffees, handing one to Katherine.
“Did you get his car home?” Katherine asked.
“Yep. Will had a spare key and took it back to Ben’s house, which reminds me, I need to order his car for him. Just a second,” she said, pulling out her phone and speaking to someone.
Together, they waited and paced outside the police station. Katherine kept checking her watch, wondering what was taking so long.
“Do you think something’s wrong?” she asked, her worry making her a little crazy.
The look on Rachel’s face told her she was worried as well. Her stomach twisted in knots. She felt like breaking him out in an old-fashioned jail break.
“There she is!” Rachel practically shouted when Meredith emerged from the police station.
Rachel and Katherine rushed towards her. “What happened? Where is he?” they both asked.
Meredith smiled. “He’ll be out shortly. They were a little stubborn, but I am a lot more stubborn.”
Katherine hugged the woman. “Thank you so much!”
“You’re welcome.”
Katherine’s nerves were making her jumpy. Between the nerves and the stout coffee, she couldn’t stand still. She was shifting back and forth, her hands twisting together as she paced.
“Why don’t we go inside and wait,” Meredith suggested when the breeze picked up and the air was suddenly very chilly.
The three women went back inside. Katherine felt a lot better with the two strong women flanking her. Soon, she’d see Ben.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ben
BEN’S CELL MATES LOOKED hungry and cranky. It wasn’t a good combination. He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to fight them off should they attack. He’d chosen not to eat the slop they tried to serve for dinner or breakfast and was feeling a little shaky. His lack of food combined with no sleep left him vulnerable. He had a feeling he’d end up in the infirmary or the morgue if someone didn’t show up soon.
“O’Leary,” a guard called out his name.
Ben moved his head, not bothering to get up. “What?”
“You
’re out of here.”
That got him moving. He stood and walked to the cell, trying his best to play it cool, not wanting to look too excited. The guard opened the cell and led him down a corridor where he was given his personal property back. He didn’t bother checking to see if it was all there. He signed the paper and made his escape to freedom.
When he stepped into the lobby, he saw Rachel immediately. She jumped up and raced towards him, followed by what he assumed was his lawyer, a middle-aged woman wearing a slick black pantsuit, and then Katherine, who hung back.
Meredith Green pulled him into a corner to talk with him, but his eyes kept drifting to Katherine. He could tell she hadn’t slept.