Finding Peace (Love's Compass #1) (14 page)

Tuck had tried to stop pacing back and forth across the hospital waiting room without much success. Every time he sat down, he had an almost painful need to get back up and walk some more.

When Lexi finally came out of a door and headed towards him, he met her partway. “How is she?”

“She’s going to be fine.”

Her words made his head hang and he took a deep breath. “Praise God.”

Lexi led him to a couple of chairs and sat down, waiting for him to join her before she continued. “Her injury is a flesh wound. It’s deep, but it’ll heal. The knife missed all the major organs. She took a pretty good hit to the head, but it’s nothing serious. Right now, it’ll be a matter of waiting for her to wake up.”

He stood again, drawing his sister into a big hug. “Thanks, Lexi,” he whispered into her hair. “Can I sit with her?”

“Of course.” She smiled at him and began to lead the way. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

Tuck grinned and gave her a wink as he followed her through the doors. The moment he saw Laurie, he wanted to find the guy who had hurt her and put him through a wall. 

She was laying on the bed, covers pulled up to her chest. She had an IV in one arm, two different bags dripping fluids and medication. She also had an oxygen tube running under her nose. The bruise on her temple was even more obvious now that it had had a chance to darken. Her hair was fanned out all over the pillow and seemed much redder next to the white linens. Her eyelashes lay in rust-colored crescents against her pale cheeks.

Lexi squeezed his arm. “Remember, Tuck, she’s going to be okay. I doubt the doctor will keep her past a day or two.”

He nodded, grateful for the reminder, because looking at her like this made him feel incredibly helpless. God had saved her and she was going to be okay. That was what he needed to focus on.

“I’ll leave you here. Text if you need anything. I think the doctor should be in sometime tomorrow morning. She should be waking up soon. I’ll come check in on you both in a little while.”

He gave his sister a hug. “Thanks again, Lexi.”

He pulled the chair as close to the side of the hospital bed as he could and took a seat, reaching for one of Laurie’s hands. Stroking the soft skin, he whispered, “I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”

It seemed like an eternity before Laurie’s eyelids fluttered and a low moan escaped her lips. Tuck was instantly alert, leaning forward to see her face. He touched the back of his hand to her cheek. “Shhhh. Take your time.”

She licked her lips and he knew that her mouth would be incredibly dry after the anesthesia. He watched as she tried to drag her eyelids up and he got brief glimpses of the jade hidden behind them. Finally, she focused on him and squeezed his hand. “What happened?” Laurie swallowed. “I’m thirsty.”

“I’ll go get something. I’ll be right back.” Stepping out to the nurse’s station, he was given ice chips and told someone would be in momentarily. Using the spoon, he helped place a few pieces on Laurie’s tongue. She moved them around in her mouth and swallowed, opening her mouth for more. He obliged. “That had better be it. Someone is supposed to be here in a few minutes. I don’t want to give you too much.”

A slight nod told him she understood.

The last thing he wanted to do was push her, but the sooner they got an idea of what the man looked like who stabbed her, the more effective the search for him would be. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

Her eyebrows drew together and she closed her eyes. He thought she might be falling asleep again when she said, with a raspy throat, “I think it was the same man as before. More careless this time.” She swallowed. “Brown eyes. Right handed. Probably about five foot six.” She swallowed again and tried to clear her throat. “He had a cleft in his chin. He wanted all of my customers’ names and contact information.”

“What did you do?”

“He was coming at me. I shoved my chair at him and tried to get the gun out. I had moved the safe downstairs because I felt better that way. I remember getting the safe open, but that’s it. I don’t remember anything after that.”

Tuck grinned at her. “Yes, you got the gun out and managed to get a shot off before he stabbed you. We’re testing some blood samples in your studio to see if the drops by the front door are yours or his.” Brushing hair off her forehead tenderly, he placed a soft kiss on the bruise. “I’m incredibly proud of you. That shot is probably what saved your life. As best as we can tell, he took off right after that.”

Lexi entered the room, followed by a doctor. “Laurie, it’s good to see you awake,” she said, checking the IV drip and the monitor.

“It’s good to be awake.”

~

The next thing Laurie registered was the fact that it was dark outside. She eased herself up on her elbows a little and spotted Tuck asleep in the chair nearby. She couldn’t help the smile that pulled at the edges of her lips. She reached up to scratch her nose and was relieved to find that the oxygen tube had been removed.

Her head was pounding and her side felt like it was burning. She tried to pull her gown over to see what the wound looked like, but a bandage was covering it. It was definitely the middle of the night, yet she could still detect the sounds of the hospital outside her door. Footsteps, machines beeping, and the occasional muted voice found their way through along with the light from the hallway.

Her throat was dry. Spotting a clear, plastic cup of water on the small table nearby, she reached for it gingerly.

“Hey, hey. Let me get that for you.”

He stood and got the cup from the table, handing it to her. “You might want to take sips at first, make sure you can handle it okay.”

“Thanks.” She took a tentative sip. “It takes a lot to mess with my stomach, though.” After another swallow, she handed the cup back to him. “What time is it? What day is it?”

He cleared his throat and glanced at his watch. “It’s after two in the morning and it’s Tuesday.” He studied her. “How do you feel?”

“I’ve felt better.” She touched the bruise on her head. “But I think I’m doing okay, considering.”

“Good. I’m glad.”

Laurie looked up to find him staring at her. “What is it?”

“I have never been as scared as I was when I saw you lying there on the floor like that.” Tuck reached for her hand and placed a light kiss to her wrist. “Please don’t ever do that to me again.”

“I’ll do my best. I think I’m going to need some more sleep. You should go home and get some real rest – that chair can’t be comfortable.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you’re released.”

Yawning widely, Laurie blinked away the moisture his kindness brought to her eyes. Carefully, she shifted her body to one side of the small bed and patted the now-empty space next to her. “If you’re going to stay, would you mind holding me?”

“Now that I can do.” Being careful to not jostle her, Tuck eased himself onto the bed. He laid his arm out across the pillows and Laurie rested her head in the crook of his arm. She barely had time to enjoy the safety she felt with him right there beside her before sleep claimed her again.

~

Light came through the window and Laurie squinted the moment she opened her eyes.

“It snowed again.”

Her gaze swung to the other side of the room, spotting Patty sitting in a chair nearby. “Hi! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you right away.”

Patty used her hands to outline her thicker waist. “That’s the first time I’ve been told that,” she said with a wink.

Laurie laughed, catching her breath when the movement brought her a quick reminder about the knife wound.

“Tuck said for me to tell you he’s sorry he’s not here. He didn’t want to leave, but the chief insisted he go in to continue working on the case.”

“I completely understand. You didn’t have to come in and babysit me.”

“I wanted to sit with you. How are you feeling? Do I need to call a nurse for you?”

“I’m feeling better than I did the last time I woke up.” Laurie moved a little in the bed, testing her body. “I’m absolutely starving, though.” She found that, as long as she did so carefully, she could move however she needed. Her head still ached, but the pain wasn’t nearly as sharp as it was before. “Has anyone said how long I have to be in here?”

Patty shook her head. “I was told someone would be in later this morning or early afternoon to check on you and make that determination.” She stood. “But I can go find a nurse and tell her you need some food before you start eating the draperies. I’ll be right back.”

She chuckled at the thought. Pushing the covers down off her chest, she moved to sit up a little bit.

Looking pleased, Patty came back into the room. “I found someone and they’ll be right in. Lexi is off work or she probably would have had food waiting. There’s a nice little cafeteria here. If they don’t bring something decent, I’ll run down there for you.”

“I appreciate that. Thank you.”

“Of course!” She sat down again. “You should call your family and let them know you’re here.”

“If I call my parents now, they’ll get on the first flight back. I’m fine and will probably be home soon.”

“I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but a mother would want to know if her daughter had been hurt. If nothing else, she could at least be praying for you.”

She knew Patty was right, though she still hated the idea of pulling them back from their travels. She sighed. “I know. I would rather wait until I hear from the doctor. I can give them an estimated time for my release from the hospital. I don’t want anyone feeling like they have to come.”

Patty nodded and Laurie couldn’t tell if she agreed with the decision or not.

The morning passed by quickly. The nurse made sure she got lunch, which included tomato soup that tasted amazing. Her vitals were checked several times, one of the IV fluid bags was removed, and Laurie was able to make a couple of trips to the restroom without too much trouble.

Patty stayed several hours until Lexi was back on shift. Laurie hugged the older woman and whispered her thanks for her kindness. Patty only hugged her again and said she was happy to do it.

Lexi smiled down at her. “You look like you’re feeling a lot better.”

“I am.” She looked down at the IV in her arm. “I’m eating, drinking, and using the restroom. Any chance we could get this out of me?”

“I would say yes, but the doctor is on this floor making his rounds. He’ll be here in the next thirty minutes. Let’s see what he says first. I think he’s going to release you to go home, in which case I will be happy to remove it. Otherwise, officially, the hospital would prefer it remain.” Lexi moved closer. “That said, you have the right to refuse any medical treatment and ask that I remove it. At that point, I’ll be happy to do it” She winked.

Laurie grinned. She did like this older Chandler sibling. She was outspoken, and Laurie appreciated knowing where she stood with her.

The ladies visited for a few minutes before the doctor came in. He asked her a series of questions, checked her vitals, and removed the dressing to look at the wound. It was the first good look she had of it as well. It actually was such a small one, that it was hard to imagine the trouble that it had caused.

“There are three stitches on the outside and several more on the inside,” the doctor was telling her. “The ones inside will dissolve on their own. Those outside will need to be removed in five or six days.” He made some notes on her chart. “You may experience discomfort from it for a couple of weeks. Take a pain reliever when you need it. I’ll be sending a prescription for some stronger ibuprofen home with you.” A few more notes. “You can do what you would normally do, but don’t lift anything heavier than twenty pounds until you have the stitches removed, and I would recommend not lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk before then if you can help it. You don’t want to tear those stitches.”

No, she didn’t. If she ever saw the inside of a hospital again, it would be too soon. “Of course.”

“You have bruising on your head and you can expect to experience occasional headaches. If it gets past something you can manage with pain relievers, come back here or go see your doctor.”

They went over some more specific instructions before the doctor finally said, “I’m going to sign the release papers and we can start getting you out of here. I’m sure you’re anxious to go home again.”

Lexi said she had to go get some details tied up, but before she left, she removed the IV from Laurie’s arm.

Flexing her now-free arm, she thought about home and her stomach clenched with nerves. She was ready to get out of the hospital and she was ready to go back to where she was more comfortable. But after two different run-ins with the intruder in her studio, she didn’t want to be there alone. In fact, she was contemplating checking into a hotel when Lexi returned.

“I saw we’re about the same size. I brought some loose-fitting clothes for you to borrow until you can get some more of your own. You definitely don’t want to wear your old clothes, trust me.” She handed over the small pile. “Do you need help changing?”