She clutched the bedrail in a white-knuckled grip. “The police are talking to Chase again. He showed up at Grace’s house and the cops were only a minute behind him.” Guilt, frustration—pain—all mingled in her blue eyes the same color as Jacob’s. “I heard him admit to stalking you, Dee.”
Jacob secured Evan against his shoulder, his eyebrows pinching in sympathy. “I’m sorry this had to happen.”
“Me, too.” Emily picked at Dee’s hospital blanket. “It’s tough, isn’t it? Loving somebody only to find out he isn’t who you thought he was.”
Dee covered the girl’s hand with her own. “Yes, sweetie, it is.”
Emily allowed the comfort long enough for a nurse’s cart to rattle past before a half smile reached her lips if not her eyes just yet. “Your kid’s really cute.”
“So’s yours.” Dee ached from more than the gunshot wound as she thought of that little baby without a reliable father.
Emily’s smile faltered. “This mother thing is tough to do alone.”
Dee nodded and waited for Jacob to speak up, willed him to step in and be the kind of brother, support, family Emily needed. He needed them, too, even if he didn’t realize it yet.
She stared between the two stubborn siblings….
Jacob cleared his throat, his stance still assertive, pushy even, but his eyes gentle. “I can get a transfer to Tacoma, but it wouldn’t come through until the summer. You know the courts aren’t going to let you live alone, but I want you to have choices. I can pay Grace to stay with you until I move here, or you can come with me to Charleston. I have friends there who would help out while I’m TDY.”
Dee wanted to be a part of the picture, but knew it was too soon to have those sorts of expectations from a man she’d known all of a couple of weeks.
A man she’d already grown to love more than she’d realized was possible. But a love formed with wide-open eyes and a wiser heart this go-round.
Emily braced her shoulders, her chin high, and for the first time, Dee could see the family resemblance in these two strong-willed siblings.
The teen tossed her head, her ponytail swishing with its red stripe of defiance glinting. “There’s nothing for me around here anymore. If you really don’t mind having us, Madison and I will go with you.”
“Good. Good.” Jacob secured Evan with one arm and reached to pull Emily to him with the other.
Dee heard a couple of whispered words go back and forth that sounded a lot like “love you, kiddo” and “love you, too” before Emily pulled back with overly bright eyes to match her grin.
“I’ll leave you two—or three—alone.” Emily smoothed a hand over Evan’s head before backing away. “Definitely a cute kid.”
The door swished closed behind her.
Dee pressed a kiss to her hand then her fingers to Evan’s forehead. She wanted to hold him. If only she weren’t so unsteady. She needed to gather him up and rock him as she’d done so many times before.
Thanks to Jacob, she would have that chance. “You could set him on the recliner and let him sleep while we talk. I need to hear more about what happened, starting with Chase.”
Jacob lowered Evan back to the recliner, then returned to Dee’s bedside.
She pushed herself up to her elbows and raised the bed. Jacob stuffed his hands in his jean pockets, looking so tall and strong. If only he would reach down and take her hand.
“Spike and the cops showed up right after the shooting. As I said, I tipped off Spike about Chase as we were loading you into the police cruiser to come to the hospital. Lambert is in custody. With kidnapping and assault charges pending—not to mention investigating the murder of the man in the river—Lambert won’t be out anytime soon. They’ll have plenty of time to make a solid case about his role in defrauding the airplane manufacturers.”>Air gushed from his lungs.
Carefully, he opened her coat and found blood staining her sweater along her collarbone. He heard a crunch of snow behind him and stiffened, ready to go on the attack—only to see Evan eyeing him warily.
Jacob forced his face to smooth. “It’s all right. I’m a friend of your mom’s, and I’m going to take good care of her.”
“Mommy? Mommy, wake up.” Evan’s voice shook.
No time to check the damage, he scooped her in his arms. “Your mommy’s going to be fine, kiddo. Come on with me and we’ll take her to the doctor.”
Evan stared up at him with watery eyes. “What about my daddy?” His chin quivered. “He shot my mommy.”
Jacob had tried his best to shield the boy. No child should have to see that. “Your father is resting inside.” Of course the kid had no reason to trust him, a stranger. Jacob searched for the right words. “Remember how your mom wanted you to go with me? You need to do this for her.”
He would carry them both if he had to, but he hoped it wouldn’t come to that.