Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 126580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
JESS
I shoved through the doors, flashed my badge, and bypassed the front desk.
Trace was on my heels. I hadn’t cared he was coming. He’d tried to ask, to make sure on the scramble to get dressed and get here, but I’d barely reacted.
My mom. Get to my mom. That was my only concern, and now we were here, and I was racing down the hallway toward where she’d be kept. I’d been here enough times that the staff knew me by name.
I skidded to a halt, seeing one of the senior-most nurses on staff. She held up a hand. “Whoa there, Je—” She stopped, seeing who was coming right behind me. Her head straightened up, and she stood a little taller. “Fancy seeing you here.” Her eyes darted to me and back again. “And with law enforcement.”
Trace’s hand came to the small of my back as he stepped to my side. “How’s her mother, Sloane?”
She didn’t answer at first, her eyes falling down to where he was touching me and back up again, then to me before slowing sliding once more to him. “No disrespect, Trace, but I have to say that I’m not approving of this situation.”
His hand pressed harder to me, and the side of his body pressed against mine. I could feel his tension. “Why don’t you save the judgment and tell us how her mother is?”
“She’s alive.” Her tone gentled, and she took a step back before turning and indicating we should follow her. “Call came in from the ambulance, so we were ready. Patrick was with her, and he had the bottle of what she ingested too.” She moved to a room and pulled back the curtain, and a startled cry left me before I could clamp down on my emotions.
My mom was in bed. She was intubated, her skin with an unhealthy pallor.
She looked so small, like she could’ve been sixteen.
Trace stepped up even closer, holding me upright before my knees firmed. I gave him a nod before pushing off and approaching the bed. Her hand was peeking out from the blanket. I looked, but no one else was here. “Where—”
“Pat must’ve stepped out. He was here earlier.”
Pat was Bear’s first name. Or Patrick. I forgot some people preferred to use that name. Never made sense to me.
I nodded, suddenly so fucking tired. “He called, said she was stable.”
“She is. She was. She’ll be just fine. They administered Narcan. She’s just sleeping it off now. She’ll be sore when she wakes, but you know the drill.”
Because I’d seen this before with parolees. Too many times to count.
I moved to the chair by the bed and took my mom’s hand in mine, and I laid my forehead next to it. If I could’ve crawled in bed with her, I would’ve, but only while she was like this. The second she woke, I had no doubt it’d be back to the norm. Hateful words and loathing feelings. Blame all around. Same old, same old.
But right now, she looked vulnerable and peaceful.
My heart constricted. What did that say about me that I wished she could look like this a little longer before her fighting spirit lit her alive once again?
“You have got to be kidding me?”
A new voice, a new arrival. One that wasn’t happy.
I lifted my head—everything in me was so heavy—and I saw Leo standing with two coffees in hand. He was glaring at Trace before jerking his gaze to find me, then my mother. His gaze softened just a tad before going back to Trace and hardening all over again. “Get the fuck out of here, West. I won’t give you another chance, or the handcuffs are getting pulled out.”
“He’s with me, Leo.”
My boss, mentor, and second dad swung his gaze my way. The soft look was gone. He barreled in, sweeping past Trace and Sloane, and put one of the coffees on the nightstand. He went to my mom’s other side before turning and facing back at them. “Get out. Now.”
Trace ignored him, looking to me. “You need anything?”
I scanned the room, taking in everyone’s stances. Sloane seemed caught, which didn’t make sense to me, but my mom was here. She was sleeping. I was okay right now.
I said as much to him, still holding her hand. “Gonna stay a bit.” I gestured to Leo. “Have a talk.”
His eyes lifted to Leo, who was barely keeping it together. He was huffing. “If I had a fucking shovel with me, you’d already be dead, West. Get out of here. I say it one more time, and I don’t care whose gun gets drawn. You feel me?”
Trace took him in before his eyes shifted to me. “Call me if you need something. I mean it. Anything.”
I nodded, and his eyes darkened.
I wanted him to come over, press a kiss to me or at least smooth a hand back over my hair, but he didn’t. Not yet. And judging by his reluctance, he wanted to do the same, but it was too soon. I watched Leo as Trace left and heard Sloane comment, quietly, “That one never ceases to amaze me. Okay, folks. Jess. Leo. I’m on staff today, so I’m here if you need anything. In the meantime, I’ll tell the doc you both are here and wanting an update.”