His Every Move (9 page)

“I told you about Red and Nicole?” Kallie asked. “I don’t remember any of it.”

“That’s common with severe head injuries like what you’ve incurred. You’re lucky to be alive and talking with me right now, Kallie. Someone gave you quite a knock on the head.”

Kallie winced at the thought of it. “I can’t believe this happened,” she said softly.

“I’m sorry, I should let you get your bearings before we discuss these kinds of details,” he said. Then, the doctor leaned over and took her vitals—used his stethoscope to listen to her heart and lungs, checked her pupils.

“I hope no one contacted my family yet,” Kallie says. “My parents would be frightened half to death.”

The doctor stood up straight and made some more notes on Kallie’s chart as he spoke. “We contacted Red Jameson, and he and Nicole have been in your room, off and on, since very early this morning. They may have contacted other friends or family, but that’s as much as I know. I believe they just stepped out momentarily and will be back soon.”

Kallie put a hand over her eyes. She wanted to cry. She wanted to curl up in a ball. Another part of her just wanted to go to sleep. “My head…it’s pounding.”

“I’ll have the nurse bring you something for the pain. Just try and relax, now, Kallie. You’re in a safe place,” he said.

The doctor left soon after that, and a nurse came in and gave her some kind of pill. Kallie was in too much pain to bother asking what they were giving her.

She drank a quarter cup of water and then lay still again. As she lay there, Kallie reached up to the heavy bandage that started high on her forehead, and tentatively touched near the top of her head. A shooting, sharp pain arced through her neck as her fingers delicately prodded the bandage.

Kallie squinted and hissed, surprised by the intensity of the pain. “Oh, man,” she sighed, wondering what she’d been struck with and why. Vaguely, she recalled a voice behind her outside the movie theater. “Kallie,” the voice had called, and then….nothing.

She closed her eyes and tried to let the medication do its work, but now that she seemed to have got the pain moving, it had a life all its own. At times her entire head seemed to throb and ache, and then the next moment, a sharp pain would slash through her like a bolt of lightning. She didn’t know which kind of pain was worse.

As she lay there, trying to fall asleep or will the pain away—she heard voices in the hall, coming towards her room.

The first voice was Nicole’s. “…should never have let her go. I remember thinking something was off.”

“That’s not your fault,” Red replied.

And then they were back in the room. “Kallie, are you awake?” Nicole asked.

Kallie opened her eyes, but just barely. Suddenly she felt kind of warm, and it was as if she was floating--the pain was becoming distant. “Hi guys,” she smiled, and the tears started now in earnest.

Nicole ran to the bed, concerned. “Oh, honey. Are you okay?”

“Sorry, I’m just emotional.”

“You’re going to be just fine, though. You know that, right?”

Kallie nodded slightly, but stopped, because nodding brought the pain back to the front. “I know,” she whispered.

Red was standing just inside the doorway, looking anxious and uncomfortable. It was strange seeing him so unsure of what to do. “Hey, Kallie,” he smiled. “Glad to see you back with us again.”

“I’m sorry about all the trouble I’ve caused you guys,” she said, sniffling. The floating sensation became stronger. It was as if Red and Nicole were on shore, and she was drifting away from them on a little boat.

“Don’t apologize, Kallie. You haven’t done anything wrong,” Nicole said. She took Kallie’s hand in her own.

Even Kallie’s hands felt like they were on the shore. It was like she was leaving her body—an out of body experience. “I think the meds are kicking in,” she rasped.

Nicole and Red chuckled at this, and Nicole began stroking her hair.

“Do you want us to call your parents and let them know what’s going on?” Red asked her.

Kallie’s brow creased and for a moment everything pulled back into focus. “No,”

she said, her voice growing louder. “Don’t call my family. I don’t want to scare them.”

The tears started up again, and now she was sobbing.

Part of her was wondering why she was crying so hard, because she wasn’t that upset about the thought of calling her parents. It was some sort of disconnect.

Nicole soothed her, pet her hand. “Don’t worry, we won’t. We won’t call them until you’re ready, Kallie.”

Kallie nodded slightly, thanking her for being so kind. She could barely even speak. She was blubbering.

For a moment, she thought about Hunter. She almost—almost—told Nicole to call Hunter and tell him. She knew that Nicole would do it if she asked.

But then the moment passed, and she was drifting again, drifting, and it was pleasant. “I’ve always loved the ocean,” she said.

“Oh? The ocean?” Nicole asked.

“Yes,” Kallie smiled. “The ocean. I’m floating on a float.”

“That’s nice.”

Kallie opened her eyes widely. “Oh, what about Riley?” she asked. “Who’s watching Riley?”

“Riley’s fine. Kane and Danielle have been at the house since we heard what happened to you. They’re taking good care of her for us.”

“Oh,” Kallie said, closing her eyes. “Good. Good. Danielle is very smart.”

“She sure is. You just close your eyes and rest now.”

And she did.

***

The next time she woke up, Kallie felt clearer headed. There was nobody in the room, but she heard voices in the hallway. The voices were trying to be low, but they weren’t succeeding because at least two of the people were clearly arguing.

All Kallie heard was snatches of conversation.

“…coming here right now, after everything she’s been through…”

“…really shouldn’t have…”

“Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t do.”

The last voice was shockingly familiar, and her entire body broke out into gooseflesh. It was Hunter’s voice. Hunter was either here, or the medicine was stronger than Kallie thought, and she was now hallucinating on top of everything else.

She lifted her head and saw only shadows in the hall, and people just out of view.

“We can’t make you leave,” Red said. “But we can…” his voice faded as someone else spoke and then they were arguing.

She couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Finally, she heard Nicole. “Red, please. Red. Just let him see her. Let her decide if she wants him to stay.”

There was a long pause.

“Fine. I’m going downstairs, Nic. You coming with?”

More mumbling and then Hunter was walking into the hospital room alone.

Kallie closed her eyes again, afraid to look at him, afraid of the hope and excitement that had just blossomed in her chest.

Her heart was thudding powerfully in her ribcage.

Hunter Reardon had come for her. He was finally here.

When his footsteps stopped, she could tell he was only just inside the room. She heard a sharp intake of breath, as if he’d been physically punched in the stomach. “Oh my God,” he moaned. She’d never heard him make a sound like that. “Oh, Kallie,” he whispered. “Kallie,” he whispered again. He came closer still, and she could hear his footsteps approaching her bed.

She was flushing now, and knowing how perceptive Hunter normally was, Kallie wondered if he was going to tell her to stop pretending to be asleep. But he didn’t say any such thing. For a long time, he just stood there, and he didn’t say anything else or even move, as far as she knew.

Finally, she pretended to stir and opened her eyes a little bit.

When she saw him again, Kallie couldn’t help but smile.

And when Kallie smiled, Hunter’s eyes grew moist. He stared down at her and took her hand in his own. “I’m never going to let anyone hurt you again,” he said. The look in his eyes told her that he wasn’t just saying it for effect. He meant it.

“It’s fine,” she said. “I’m okay.”

Hunter shook his head forcefully. “No, it’s not okay. But I’m going to make it okay.” He slowly massaged her palm with his thumb.

He was wearing a leather coat and dark shirt, blue jeans and shoes. As always, he looked somehow spectacular in the kind of way that she imagined movie stars and heartthrobs would look in person.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said softly. And it was true. Despite everything that had gone on between them—and most of it had gone wrong—she couldn’t deny how comforting it was to have Hunter here with her now.

It felt like this was the way it was supposed to be.

“I’m here and I’m not going anywhere,” he told her firmly.

She smiled wider, if possible. “I appreciate that.”

He put both his hands on her hand now and held it, softly rubbing her skin as he talked. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard what happened. I’ve never been so scared in my life, not even when my—“ he stopped short.

Kallie looked up at him. “You can say it.”

He shook his head, licked his lips and she saw the stress and pain etched in his features.

“I can’t go there right now,” he said.

“Okay. I understand.”

He looked up again, directly into her eyes. “No. You don’t understand. I’m going to go there, I’m going to tell you everything. Just not right now. I can’t do it right now, when I’m seeing you like this. But soon, I promise.”

Just hearing him commit to tell her about his life was a shock, and she must have registered the surprise on her face, because Hunter laughed. “I guess you didn’t expect to ever hear me say those words, did you?”

“No. I certainly did not.”

Hunter looked back and saw a chair near the wall. He walked to it and slid it forward, close to Kallie’s bedside. Sitting down in the chair, he held her hand yet again and kissed it.

It was such a sweet and loving gesture, and Kallie didn’t know what to make of it.

She felt like she was dreaming.

“I’ve made some big mistakes in my life,” he told her. “But nothing was ever as bad as feeling like I was going to lose you.”

Her breath caught in her chest. She couldn’t believe her ears. It was all so much.

“I didn’t want to lose you, either,” she said, finally.

“I know I’ve made things difficult, but that’s all going to change from here on out.”

“You don’t have to become a different person, Hunter. I just want you to let me into your life a little bit.”

“I understand. A very reasonable request,” he said, and the corners of his lips turned up into a smile.

“You never seemed to think it was reasonable before.”

“I was an idiot before.”

“You were definitely stubborn.”

“I was definitely an idiot. I can admit that much.”

She bit her lower lip, trying to take it all in. This was almost too much. After waking up from being assaulted and unconscious for hours, she now had Hunter Reardon basically waltzing in and telling her he wanted to be with her again. “How did you find out I was in the hospital?” she said, trying to switch the subject long enough to give her some breathing room.

He relaxed a little too, sitting back in his chair and putting a foot up on the bottom railing of her bed. “Kane told me.”

Kallie rolled her eyes. “It seems like Kane and Danielle are always in everyone’s business, somehow.”

Hunter shrugged, his expression becoming somewhat enigmatic. “Kane is a guy who likes to have his hands in everything. Sometimes that can be bad, and other times it can be good. Today, for me—it proved to be quite helpful.”

Kallie wasn’t sure what Hunter was hinting at exactly, so she just nodded. “I’m glad he told you. I’m glad you came.”

“Nothing in the world could have kept me away from you, Kallie. When he told me what happened…” Hunter’s eyes grew distant and his jaw set. He stood up, as if suddenly energized, and began pacing. “That somebody could come along and just hurt you that way drives me crazy. When I’m finished with him, Terrence is going to regret he was ever born.”

“Terrence?” Kallie croaked. Her headache was coming back. She lifted her head to look at Hunter as he paced. “What does Terrence have to do with me being mugged?”

Hunter stopped and stared at her. “You don’t honestly believe this was a mugging, do you Kallie?”

She wasn’t sure what she thought. In fact, she hadn’t had a chance to consider exactly what had happened to her at the movie theater. She’d just accepted what Doctor Scofield had told her. “All I know is that I was robbed. All of my stuff was taken.”

Hunter crossed his arms. “Nicole told Danielle and Kane that you were on your way to meet some guy. Was he the same guy you and I argued about?”

“Please don’t turn this into some kind of jealousy over a guy I met. I think we’ve got bigger issues here, Hunter.”

“I’m not using this as an excuse. I’m making a point,” Hunter told her. “Just tell me the truth. Were you going to meet someone for a date?”

“Yes,” she sighed, laying down again and rolling her eyes as the headache ratcheted up to a new level.

“And am I wrong in assuming that this guy was someone who seemed to just start talking to you almost out of the blue?”

She thought about it. “It was an ordinary situation. I noticed him reading a dumb magazine and then he made a comment…it was normal. There was nothing weird about how we met.”

Hunter ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe not at first glance. But I’m guessing you don’t know much about him. Where he lives, works, never met any of his friends.”

“We barely knew each other,” she said. “And no, I don’t know much about him.”

Hunter nodded. “So he invites you on a date and then doesn’t show up—but somehow you get assaulted. And you think that’s a coincidence?”

“I don’t know what I think.”

That voice, calling her name as she was walking from the empty movie theater to her car. It had been oddly familiar, hadn’t it? Had that been Levi’s voice, or was she just imagining it now because Hunter was pushing her to believe that Levi had something to do with her assault?

“Where were you supposed to meet this guy?” Hunter asked her.

“A second-run theater. When I got there, it was closed.”