A Soldier's Promise (Crystal Lake Series Book 2) (12 page)

“I am hungry, but you don’t have to wait on me,” he said in a rush. “I can make my own breakfast.”

“I don’t mind. Just give me a minute to wash up. Lexi? Come with me. You need to wash your hands, too.”

Lexi gave a nod and skipped next to Julie as they went inside. He let out his breath in a heavy sigh and followed more slowly. He sank down into the closest kitchen chair and held his head in his hands.

Help me, Lord. Guide me. Show me the way.

“Derek? Are you all right?” Julie asked, putting her hand on his shoulder. He had to stop himself from taking her hand in his and pulling her close.

“Fine,” he said gruffly. “Where’s Lexi?”

“She went outside to draw.” Her brow was pulled into a frown. “You don’t look fine, Derek. You look like you’re still in pain.”

He was, but not the kind of pain she was talking about. “Really, I’m fine.”

“I’ll get you more ibuprofen, but you shouldn’t take it on an empty stomach.” Julie took her hand away and went back over to where she had the ingredients assembled for breakfast. “This won’t take long.”

“I’m not leaving.” The words popped out of his mouth before he even realized he was going to say them.

She froze, looking a little ridiculous with the spatula hanging in mid-air. “You’re not?”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “No, I’m not. Unless you want me to.”

“I...no.” For a moment, she gaped at him. “Why would you think I wanted you to leave?”

He didn’t know why he had the insane urge to confide in Julie. He forced himself to hold back the instinct. “I thought maybe your brother might have talked you into it.”

“No, of course not.” She flipped the egg-coated bread on the sizzling grill. “We lost our parents several years ago, and Zack tends to be a bit on the overprotective side. But he’s been more withdrawn and abrupt these days, ever since he lost his daughter to leukemia eighteen months ago.”

His chest tightened with sympathy. He couldn’t imagine losing Lexi to some horrible cancer. And now that he knew, he could understand why her brother had wanted to get far away yesterday. “That’s tough. I can’t say that I blame him.”

“Yes, it’s been difficult.” Julie stared at the French toast, but he sensed she was really looking back into the past. “Amelia was a beautiful little girl. Constantly talking, constantly moving. Until she got sick...” Her voice trailed off.

He pushed to his feet. “I’m sorry, Julie. Why don’t I take over here? You should sit down for a while.”

“No, it’s all right.” Her smile was pathetic, but he gave her points for trying. “When I first saw Lexi, she reminded me a little of Amelia, but they’re really very different.”

He straightened, ready to come to Lexi’s defense. But he needn’t have worried.

“Lexi is so quiet and so talented. She’s the complete opposite of Amelia. Every time Lexi draws another picture for me, I’m flabbergasted at how good she really is. You might want to consider getting her into an art program.”

“I have thought about it,” he agreed. Too bad art programs were expensive and he was currently unemployed. But he was determined not to be unemployed forever. And he ignored the tiny voice in his head telling him Claire’s parents would be able to afford an art program. They believed that super-strict private school was best for Lexi. There was no way they’d even consider paying for an art program.

“Sit down, Derek, these will be ready shortly.”

He reluctantly returned to the table, yet despite the seriousness of the conversation and his conflicting thoughts, he felt lighter, less apprehensive than he had when he’d first woken up.

Because he’d agreed to stay. A decision he’d made for himself as much as for his daughter.

___________

Julie was secretly thrilled Derek wasn’t leaving, but she tried to hold her emotions in check. After all, he’d leave eventually.

Unless, of course, he found a reason to stay?

Ridiculous to allow her thoughts to wander down that path. She sensed Derek didn’t have a lot of money, and the way he’d asked about any manufacturing jobs made her more convinced that he needed work of some sort.

He was doing a great job on her townhouse, but after he’d overexerted himself yesterday, she didn’t want him anywhere near a crowbar or a hammer. If he would just give himself time to heal, they could probably come to some sort of arrangement.

So what was his hurry?

She had no idea. Unless he was walking the edge financially, which was a distinct possibility. At least his appetite had returned.

“I have to work a four-hour shift this afternoon,” she said, crossing over to join him at the table. “Apparently, one of the nurses called in sick, so they’ve asked me to cover from three to seven-thirty.”

“No problem,” Derek said. “Lexi and I will be fine.”

“Why don’t we stop by and pick up your accident report?” she offered. “That way you can get your insurance company focused on getting your settlement ready.”

Derek stared down at his plate for a moment, and she wondered if he resented the fact that she was poking her nose into his business. But really, it was silly of him to rent some car when the insurance company needed to pay him for the wrecked vehicle.

Unless he hadn’t been telling the truth about having insurance?

“All right,” Derek agreed.

She was surprised but pleased. “Great. We’ll head out as soon as I’m finished.”

“No, we’ll head out as soon as I finish the dishes,” he corrected. “You cooked, so it’s my job to clean up.”

She was about to protest but then realized that Derek probably needed to feel as if he were contributing at least in some way. And since working on the townhouse wasn’t an option, doing the dishes was a dismal second. “All right, I’ll see what Lexi is up to.”

Lexi was drawing another picture of the lake, only this time, she focused more on the boats and skiers rather than on the trees and water. Julie sat down next to her. “Who taught you how to draw, Lexi?”

“Mommy,” Lexi responded absently, barely looking up from her picture.

This was the first time Lexi had mentioned her mother, and Julie sensed she should tread lightly. “That’s wonderful,” she murmured.

“I miss my Mommy,” Lexi said plaintively.

She didn’t want to assume that Lexi’s mother died, so she wrapped her arm around the little girl’s shoulders in a soft hug. “What happened, sweetie?”

“My mommy died.” Lexi abruptly dropped her pencil and turned to bury her face against her breast.

“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry,” she murmured, her heart aching for the child. “But I’m sure your mommy is up in heaven with God.”

Lexi lifted her head, her tiny face intense as she absorbed the idea. “You mean like an angel?”

She nodded. “Yes, exactly like an angel. Every time you miss her, you should just close your eyes and talk to her. I’m sure she’s an angel up in heaven listening to you.”

“Really?” Lexi’s voice held a hint of hope mixed with doubt.

“I promise,” she murmured, tears welling in her eyes as she glanced over to see Derek hovering in the doorway. Would he be upset that she’d talked to Lexi about heaven and God? She hoped not.

“Julie is right, Lexi,” he said as he walked outside. “Your mommy is up in heaven with God.”

The little girl smiled and released Julie in favor of her father. Derek scooped her up and held her close as Julie discreetly swiped at her damp eyes.

“Are you ready to go?” Derek asked after he set Lexi back down.

“Sure.” It was almost as if Derek wanted to get the errand over with. Not that she could blame him. Maybe he thought that the sooner he put his insurance company on notice, the sooner he could get a replacement vehicle.

And the sooner he could leave, taking Lexi far away.

The ride to the sheriff’s department took about fifteen minutes, and as she drove into the parking lot, Derek’s expression grew grim, and she half-expected him to ask her to turn around.

They climbed out of the car and into the hot, humid air. The sun reflected off the blacktop parking lot as they made their way toward the building. The interior of the building was much cooler in comparison, the blast of air-conditioning causing her to feel chilled.

“Hi, Grace, how are you?” she greeted the older woman who sat behind the dispatch desk.

“Hanging in there,” Grace responded with a grimace. She was a large woman, her dark hair liberally streaked with gray. “Stay back, Julie, I might have a touch of the flu. I’ve been feeling sick to my stomach, and my back’s been hurting too. Gotta tell you, getting old sure ain’t fun.”

Now that Grace mentioned being in pain, Julie noticed that her skin was ashen with tiny brackets of pain lining her mouth. “Maybe you should have called in sick today,” Julie suggested with a frown. “You look like you could use some rest.”

“Carol had her baby last night,” Grace said with a heavy sigh. “Leaves us only four dispatchers for a while, and we’ve gotta cover all three shifts. But that’s enough about me. What can I do for you?”

She still didn’t think Grace looked so good, but she introduced Derek. “Derek needs a copy of his accident report from Friday evening, so that he can get in touch with his insurance company.”

“Oh yeah, heard all about that from Deputy Thomas, especially after he arrested that no-good Tommy Hinkle,” Grace said. She struggled to her feet and then braced herself against the desk, as if she couldn’t get her breath.

Something was definitely wrong. Julie hurried around through the open doorway to Grace. The woman was sweating profusely, and her skin had gone slate gray.

“Sit down, Grace.” She glanced back at Derek. “She needs an ambulance. We need to call 911, but Grace is the one who usually takes those emergency calls.” It was crazy to think that she couldn’t get help for the dispatcher.

Derek had followed her inside the dispatch office. “I know how to use the radio,” he said as he took over the controls.

“Grace, try to take slow, deep breaths,” Julie said, suspecting the dispatcher was having a heart attack right before her eyes. “Do you have a baby aspirin in your purse?”

“No,” Grace answered weakly.

She bit her lip and listened as Derek confidently put out the 911 call, praying help would arrive soon.

But then Grace slumped in her seat, and she knew there wasn’t a moment to waste. “Help me get her to the floor,” she said to Derek. “I need to start CPR.”

Chapter Ten

As an ER nurse, this wasn’t the first time she’d had to perform CPR, but providing life-saving measures in the middle of the dispatch office was much different than being in the emergency room where they had equipment readily available. What she wouldn’t give for an oxygen tank, ambu mask, and meds.

“I can help,” Derek murmured, kneeling on the opposite side of Grace’s prone figure. He gently tipped her head back so he could provide rescue breaths as needed.

Julie was extremely grateful for Derek’s support. She spared Lexi a quick glance, noting the little girl was off to the side, watching them with wide blue eyes. Julie’s heart went out to the child, but she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted.

“One and two and three and,” she counted out loud for Derek’s benefit. They worked in tandem through two rounds of CPR before Derek insisted they switch places.

Shortly after the switch, two Deputies came rushing in. “What happened to Grace?” Deputy Matson demanded.

“Heart attack. Where’s the ambulance?” Julie asked. She recognized both deputies from working in the ER.

“On the way,” Deputy Armbruster said. He swept his gaze around the interior of the office. “Poor Grace. We must have overworked her, and it’s even worse now that Carol delivered her baby.”

“Yeah,” Deputy Matson agreed. “But we need to find someone to take her place, and quick.” Even as he spoke, he leaned over to take a call.

“Derek knows how,” she said before leaning down to give two rescue breaths.

“Really?” Deputy Armbruster asked hopefully.

Derek appeared to be concentrating on nothing more than doing good chest compressions. And doing an excellent job, based on the strength of Grace’s pulse.

Please, take care of Grace, Lord!

The wailing sounds of the ambulance made her weak with relief. Within moments, the paramedics were inside the building, coming over with a gurney, heart monitor, and supplies. She’d never been so thankful for medical supplies.

Derek continued chest compressions, and Julie gave another two breaths before looking up at the paramedics. “I suspect she’s having an acute myocardial infarction.”

“What were her symptoms?” The first paramedic wore a nametag that said Sam. He nudged Derek aside in order to place large patches on Grace’s chest. Within seconds, he had her hooked up to the portable cardiac monitor.

“Pale, sweating, complaints of back pain and nausea,” she said as she watched Grace’s heart rhythm. “She’s in v-fib.”

“All clear! Shocking at 200 joules,” Sam said as he pushed the button on the machine.

She watched Sam give two more shocks, and then suddenly, Grace’s heart rhythm changed into what looked to be a normal sinus rhythm with depressed ST segments. Julie leaned forward to feel for a pulse. She felt a rush of relief when she found the thready beat. “We have a pulse.”