Guarding Forever

“We’ll get you to the hospital, Grace,” the sheriff exclaimed. He had known her for decades. Her love for her family was absolute.

“Mike, can you pack the baby a bag?” she asked him, putting on her shoes and grabbing her purse.

“Yes, ma’am.” He left the room and made quick work of getting the baby’s things together. After spending so much time with the little guy, he’d been well aware of all the things he needed and liked.

“Ma’am…Grace. We need you to ride in the ambulance. Don’t fight us on this. Your injury is worse than you believe it is.”

“Fine, but only Mike is allowed to take Johnny.”

“I’ll make sure to lock up after they leave,” Bill said.

“Oh, and the power company will be by sometime tonight to fix the downed pole,” the sheriff added.

“Where is it at?” James asked.

“About a mile off the beaten track. The storm didn’t take it out. Someone else did.”

“Hey, don’t forget that the real Ms. Rhoades is at Cummings’s apartment.”

“She is?”

“Yes. Okay. I’ll send a couple of officers over there to retrieve her.”

Ten minutes later, Mike carried the baby to the car, strapped him in the seat, and then drove off toward the hospital. The officers waited for the coroner to retrieve the body and to take Mrs. Sparks in custody. They put out a warrant for Dallas Sparks’s arrest and the questioning of Grieg and Moran, who had seemingly disappeared.

Chapter 11

An hour after the minor surgery to his leg, Gage was wheeled in to see Hope in the ICU. Tears fell from his face as he prayed that she’d survive. “Hope, you have to wake up for me. I can’t lose you.” He gripped her hand and squeezed it as he cried. Never in his life had he felt so helpless and lost. Without her, he didn’t know if he could go on.

“Gage. Gage.” Her voice was so weak it could barely be heard above the sound of the machines.

“Hope. You’re awake.” He reached down and buzzed the nurse.

“She’s awake.” His voice practically sang, catching the nurse off guard. Two nurses and the doctor on call came into the room and started looking her over.

“Hope, Mrs. Gibson, can you hear us?”

She nodded gently, her eyes drooping again. “Do you know where you are?” Again she nodded, but she didn’t say it.

“So far, she’s improving. We need to take this slowly. We’re going to let her rest for now. You need to do so as well, Mr. Gibson.”

“Not going to happen. I’m not leaving her.”

“We can put another bed in here if you’d like.”

“That’s fine.” He grabbed Hope’s hand again and she moaned his name.

“I’m here, baby. I’m not going anywhere.” The doctor and nurses watched in amazement because Hope had known his touch even in her unconsciousness.

After watching the scene before them the hospital staff decided to give them some privacy. “We’ll back in a little while.”

As he watched her, thoughts of getting even with everyone who hurt her ran through his head.

“Gage…what happened?” Hope looked up at him through blurry eyes. He had a large white bandage on his forehead.

“We were forced off the road. They’re working on finding those who did it.”

“The baby?” She clutched at her stomach.

“Relax, my love. He’s okay.” Hope closed her eyes and smiled gently. “Oh my goodness. What about Johnny? They could be going to the house.”

A knock at the door surprised them, and Dax came into the room. “I’m glad to see you both awake. I would have been in here sooner, but they wanted you to rest.” Dax felt a sense of guilt as he looked at his broken friends. He had taken their case seriously, but it didn’t matter because his hands had been tied. At least now everyone would be working double time on this.

“Thanks. Any news for us? Please tell us our baby boy is safe.” Even as Gage asked the question, he feared the answer.

“A lot.” He grabbed a chair and sat on the opposite side of Hope and then began. “First, Johnathan is safe.”

“That’s good, but I feel there’s a major but coming.” Hope squeezed Gage’s hand, attempting to calm him down.

“There is. Cummings is dead.” Hope released a sigh of relief.

“How? When?”

“Cummings got into your home. He attacked and there was a standoff between him and Mike.”

“What about my mother?”

“She’s on her way here. She was roughed up, but they claim she’s refusing treatment.”

“Sounds just like her.”

Dax went over everything he’d learned before he came to see them. Extra guards were outside their room with photos of the three missing actors: Sparks, Grieg, and Moran.

Another knock on the door brought Mike and Johnny. “I thought you two would want to see him.”

“Ma…ma…ma.” Gage took his boy and held him close before bringing him to Hope for a kiss. He didn’t let her take the baby because he was too heavy for her right now and she was barely conscious.