I'll Never Let You Go (Morgans of Nashville) (29 page)

Her gaze looked both pleading and annoyed. “All I ask is that she be polite.”

“Understood.” Someone should probably apologize for Georgia, but he didn’t. Whatever had happened with Alex had shaken them both.

The nurse opened a chart. “Your brother sustained a bad blow to the ribs, which are going to be real sore for a week or two. We’ll know soon if they’re broken.”

Behind him, he heard Georgia’s loud footsteps as she paced and released a loud sigh.

The nurse leaned in a fraction and lowered her voice. “Your sister isn’t making this easy.”

“The Morgans don’t like hospitals. And she’s the worst.” He and Georgia had done time in the hospital, as had Alex when he’d shattered his arm as a kid. All the Morgan siblings would have preferred the operating room to the waiting room. “Know how much longer it will be?”

A brow arched. “He should be in his room any minute.”

Rick gently tapped the nurses’ station counter, as if closing a chapter. “Thanks.”

Her computer dinged and she glanced at the monitor. “He’s headed to his room now. If you give me a minute or two to get him settled, he’ll be ready to be seen. But you can’t stay long.”

“Soon as we know he’s fine, we’ll clear out.”

He moved back toward Georgia. “Just give it a few more minutes.”

She wrapped her arms around her chest. “I hate the smell of this place.”

The elevator doors opened to reveal Deke, Rachel, and Jenna. The trio of Morgans stepped off the elevator and moved toward them. Deke looked grim-faced, par for the course, whereas Rachel’s expression was cool and controlled. That was her courtroom, don’t-let-the-jury-see-you-sweat face. Jenna’s long hair hung around her shoulders and over a black V-necked sweater and faded jeans. Seeing his bride smoothed the edginess grating Rick’s insides.

He shook Deke’s hand. “Hell of a family reunion.”

Deke rubbed a callused hand over his dark hair, his relief palpable. “We’ve never been good at normal. What’s the deal with Alex?”

“Maybe broken ribs. He should be in his room any minute and we can ask him. Can you tell me now what the hell happened?”

“Don’t know. He called and said he’d been attacked. I didn’t ask questions, just bolted. Uniforms were on the scene first.”

“Did he get a good look at his attacker?” Rick asked.

“I tried to get a description out of him, but he wasn’t able to give me one.”

“Did he see a car? Anything that would help us catch this creep?” Jenna’s hand rested on his shoulder, halting the rising heat of his temper.

“No.”

“This isn’t a case, boys,” Georgia said. “This is Alex.”

“Georgia.” Rachel’s voice hit a steady, even chord. “Alex is going to be fine.”

Georgia glanced at Rachel, her expression sharp. “That’s what Deke said when I stood in this very room after Rick got shot. Hell, that’s what Mom said when they brought Alex here as a kid.”

“And I stood here after you were hurt,” Rick said. “It’s just our turn to wait on Alex. Shit. It sounds like he doesn’t even have a legit injury.” The last comment was meant to distract, break her growing panic. “As a kid, he at least had a compound fracture and signs of exposure.”

“That’s not funny!” Georgia shouted.

Rick shrugged. “Cracked ribs, Georgia. Don’t be dramatic.”

“We don’t know it’s just cracked ribs! They might not be telling us the worst.”

So that she could fight rather than cry, Rick said, “Alex’s old scar and, hell, my scar are a hell of a lot longer and nastier than a few bruises.”

Deke, understanding Rick’s motive, nodded. “Alex won’t even have a scar. Just bruises. This really doesn’t even count as an injury.”

“I agree,” Rick said. “Just like Alex to get a baby injury and then try to hog all the attention.”

Jenna and Rachel swallowed smiles when they glanced at Georgia’s thunderous expression.

Georgia gritted her teeth. “God, you two are such jerks. Why’s it always a competition with you guys?”

“It’s no competition when you know you’ve won, Georgia,” Rick said. “He’ll be out of here in a day with a handful of aspirin. I had months of rehab.”

Georgia’s face reddened.

Jenna laid a gentle hand on Georgia’s shoulder. “Tell me again why you like having older brothers?”

Tears glistened in Georgia’s eyes. “I don’t. They’re a pain.”

Jenna smiled. “I know. But in a good way, right?”

Rachel’s pale face revealed her worry far more than her words. “He’s going to be fine.”

A young doctor wearing green scrubs and a white medical jacket rounded the corner, and Jenna was the first to spot him. “Your answers have arrived.”

The five turned and arguments and jokes were silenced.

The doctor had thick, brown hair and dark circles shadowing smiling eyes. “Your brother said to follow the sound of arguing voices. He said when I located the source, I’d find the Morgans. Have I found the Morgans?”

Deke extended his hand. “You found us. And before my sister attacks, how’s Alex?”

“He’s got bruised ribs. But he’ll be fine. He’ll be out in the morning.”

Deke looked at Georgia. “See?”

She swiped away a tear. “Jerk.”

Rick winked at her. “Brat.”

Deke grinned. “Can we see him?”

“Room 206. He’s awake and ready for visitors. Though I want you to clear out in ten minutes. He needs rest.”

The Morgan entourage made their way up in the elevator and then down the hall. Georgia was the first to push into the room and find Alex trying to sit up. Pain and fatigue had paled his angled face, but his gaze remained sharp and alert.

“You’re supposed to be resting.” Georgia came up behind him and propped his pillows.

“Just the idea makes me want to jump out of my skin,” Alex said. “I want out of here.”

Jenna and Rachel hovered close to the door of the small room while Deke and Rick moved to the foot of the bed. For a moment, neither spoke as the weight of the evening lessened.

“Get a look at the guy?” Rick asked.

He grunted as he settled against the pillows. “Like I told Deke, fucker came out of nowhere. I think he’d have caved in my skull if I hadn’t drawn on him.”

“What did you see?” Deke pressed.

“Hoodie. Mask. Tall. Lean. Broad shoulders. Black jeans and tennis shoes. Couldn’t tell you more than that, which really pisses me off.”

“Okay,” Rick said. “Take it easy. This isn’t something we’re going to figure out tonight.”

“The doc says you have to spend the night,” Deke said.

Alex pushed to straighten up, winced, and collapsed back against the pillows. “I want out.”

“I can stay the night,” Georgia said. “Consider me your personal nurse.”

“I’m fine,” Alex said. “Really.”

“I want to stay.”

Alex shook his head. “I can’t sleep if you’re staring at me.”

Her sweet smile belied her tenacity. “I won’t stare.”

“Yes, you will. And you’ll fuss. I’m not doing that tonight.” A crooked smile meant to soften the honesty fell short. “I mean it.”

Georgia smoothed her hand over the rumpled sheet. “You shouldn’t be here alone.”

Alex closed his eyes. “I need to sleep and get better. Someone is going to pay.”

Deke laid a steady hand on Georgia’s shoulder. “He’ll be fine. You can see him first thing in the morning.”

She pointed a finger at Alex, her voice cracking as she spoke. “You scared me.”

Alex arched a brow. “You’ll survive. Where’s my phone?”

“You can’t have your phone,” Georgia said. “You have to rest.”

“Phone, Georgia.” Pain honed the words to brittle sharpness.

She rolled her eyes and moved to the closet, where his personal items had been stowed in a plastic bag. She fished out his phone and tossed it in his lap.

He winced. “Brat.”

Groaning, she closed her eyes. “Are all my brothers jerks?”

“Yes,” Alex said. “Now beat it.”

The Morgans left the hospital, each grateful to be away from the antiseptic smells and fluorescent lights. The five hovered near the emergency room doors. Cold wind blew across the lot, forcing them all to burrow deeper into their coats.

Whatever goodwill they’d projected to Alex vanished. Deke glared at Rick. “What’re you doing tonight?”

“I’m at the station with you, trying to figure out what the fuck happened to Alex.”

 

 

Leah arrived at the hospital just before one in the morning. She paused as she entered the emergency room. The last time she’d been there, she’d been on her back, bleeding, pain cutting through her body. The doctors had been talking over her, as if she weren’t there. Several times, when her eyes were closed, a few of them had voiced their fear that she would die.

But it was a young nurse who had taken her hand and said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “You hang tough, Leah. We’re going to fix this, but you have to stay with us. We need your help.”

Leah had opened her eyes and seen the vivid smile. The moment of kindness had been the anchor that had kept her among the living.

At the admitting desk, she cleared her throat, and a clerk gazing at a computer screen looked up at her. “I’m here to see Alex Morgan.”

“It’s after visiting hours.”

“I know. He texted me and told me he was here.” The truth wouldn’t get her past the gatekeeper. “I’ve got his medicine. He asked me to bring it.”

The clerk’s gaze narrowed. “What kind of medicine?”

“I’m not exactly sure. He’s a private guy.” She fished a bottle of prescription pain meds out of her purse. It was for a canine with a bad hip. When the owner, a longtime client of the clinic, had called in, she’d offered to drop it off. They hadn’t been home when she arrived so she’d kept the pills. Pills rattled as she shook it. “I won’t be long. Honest.”

“I can give it to him.”

Her fingers tightened around the bottle. “He was clear I take it to him.”

“Let me check.”

Frustrated, she turned and waited. The clerk’s phone started ringing just as an ambulance crew showed. They had a teenager with alcohol poisoning, the paramedic shouted to a harried doctor. All this offered just enough distraction for her to slip past the desk and down the hallway toward the elevators. She punched the Up button and waited, as if she had every right to be there. The doors opened and she slipped inside.

Seconds later, she approached Alex’s door. A television buzzed conversations as the light from the screen flickered and cast shadows on the wall. She knocked gently.

“What?” He sounded angry and annoyed.

She pushed open the door. “Good to hear you’re in such a good mood.”

Gripping the remote control, he turned from the screen. For a moment, he didn’t say anything, as if he wasn’t sure she were real.

“Better let me in your room. There’s a nurse out there right now paging security to have me thrown out.”

He clicked off the television. “Breaking and entering.”

She closed the door behind her, moving toward his bed. “That would be correct. The hospital has a thing about visiting hours.”

He pushed himself up into a sitting position and winced. Without a word, she came behind him, fluffed his pillows, and settled him in a comfortable position.

She sat on a chair beside his bed, not sure why she’d come to his side. He’d returned her text an hour ago, saying he’d been delayed by a minor injury. “So what happened?”

He tossed the remote control aside. “Someone confused me with a piñata.”

Carefully, she set her purse on the floor. “You were hit with a bat?”

“That’s correct.”

His even tone belied the jolt of panic shooting through her. “Did you see the guy?”

“No. Too quick. That’s what I get for not paying attention.”

“Do you think it was Philip?”

“That’s one guess.” His gaze lingered on her face, as if searching. “But I’ve made more than a few people angry lately.”

“Imagine.”

A smile flickered. “Why’d you come?”

She shrugged off her coat. “I was worried.”

“Why?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“You have any trouble?”

“No. But I’m now counting the minutes until Wednesday.”

“He’s not going to hurt you again.” So much confidence. So certain.

She traced a pale finger along the handrail of the bed. “I’ll do whatever it takes to catch him. Whatever. You just need to let me know how to help.”

“I’ll come up with something, Leah. I promise.”

Her gaze caught the darkening bruise on his forearm. “I had a bruise like that once. I was blocking a blow.”

He frowned. “That’s what I was attempting to do.”

“Not as easy as it looks in the movies, is it?”

“No.”

She reached over and brushed his dark bangs away from his eyes. “Tonight, you sleep. Tonight, you let yourself heal, and tomorrow we’ll worry about Philip.”

“We?”

“The way I see this, we’re in it together.”

“Yes, we are.”

She laid a hand on his. “Nothing is going to happen tonight. Sleep.”

His brow furrowed, as if he were weighing and arguing a dozen points at once. “I’ll try if you try.”

“Deal.”

She rose, leaned forward, and kissed him softly on the lips. His hand came up, resting at the small of her back and coaxing her forward. She deepened the kiss, savoring his taste and the feel of his lips against hers.

Outside, she heard a sharp voice, a nurse, and, grinning, pulled back. She touched her fingertips to her lips. “That would be my exit cue. See you soon, Agent Morgan.”

“Count on it.”

 

 

Music pulsed from the jukebox as he elbowed his way into the crowded all-night diner. He flexed his fingers, still annoyed that he hadn’t caved in Alex Morgan’s skull. He’d had a clear shot, had moved fast, but the son of a bitch had heard him coming at the last second and whirled out of his way. He’d heard the crack of the bat against bone and the agent’s thud to the ground. Before he could take a second swing, Morgan had drawn, and he’d been staring down the barrel of a gun.