The Running Series Complete Collection: 3-Book Set plus Bonus Novella (49 page)

T
hey let me ride with Evan in the ambulance as they take him to the hospital.  Jill and John follow in their car.  I’m sure the rest of our crew can’t be far behind. 

I watch as the medics quickly assess Evan’s condition.  I look over at Evan, who is sitting on the stretcher, still propping up his injured hand.  His jersey is covered in blood.  I can’t help but wonder if any of it belongs to Averee.  There are dark circles under his eyes and he looks pale.  His jaw is set tightly, a sure sign that he’s in a considerable amount of pain.  He’s got scratches up and down his arms along with some bruises, but he’s here and he’s safe now. 

The EMT riding with us is busily taking Evan’s vitals and calling them into the emergency room.  There are a lot of acronyms and medical terms being used that I don’t understand, but when I hear him say ’stable condition’, I feel a renewed sense of relief wash over me.

I’m so thankful he’s safe. I can’t keep my hands off him.  I’m stroking his hair, his face, and his shoulders.  “Sweetheart, what happened to your hand?  How bad is it?” I ask.

“I haven’t looked at it, but I think it’s pretty deep.  Averee was about to slice open her own throat.  I had to grab the knife from her before she did anything to seriously harm herself.”  He looks weary from spending the last six or so hours with a suicidal woman.  This is a woman he used to have an intimate relationship with.  Even though Evan would never classify their history as a relationship, I imagine Averee might feel differently.  He obviously cares for her on some level, or he would have handled things very differently.

The EMT has an IV line started and is putting saline in his line.  I watch as he takes out a small vile and syringe, then injects a clear liquid into his line, too.  “What was that?” Evan asks.

“It’s Demerol, a narcotic.  It will help manage the pain.”  I can see an almost immediate response on Evan’s face.  The tension he was holding in all his muscles is slipping away.

Evan looks up at me with a smile and proudly announces, “That’s some good stuff.  I think I like Mederol.”  The EMT chuckles and grins. 

He closes his eyes and leans into my hand that is caressing his face.  “I love you, Juliette.  I’m sorry I scared you.  But I was so afraid that she was going to hurt you.”  He brings my hand to his mouth and presses his lips lightly on my hand.

I place a soft kiss upon the top of his head.  “I was afraid, too.  But we’re together now.  She can’t hurt us anymore.”

As soon as we arrive at the Emergency Room, Evan is whisked into a private examining room.  A physician comes in to assess Evan’s condition and gently unwraps the temporary bandages.  I hold Evan’s left hand as the doctor examines his injured right hand.

“Well, Mr. McGuire, I’m going to call in a plastic surgeon, but it looks to me like you’re a very lucky man.  You don’t seem to have damaged any tendons or ligaments, but we’ll need an MRI to know for sure.  I’ll order the tests and make some calls.  I’m sorry we had to meet under these circumstances, but I’ll make sure you’re very well taken care of.”  The doctor puts a clean dressing on the wound, writes a few notes in his chart, and excuses himself from the room.

When Evan’s parents arrive, they rush to his side.  All the self-restraint they maintained throughout the night is gone.  Jill grabs him and whispers, “I didn’t know if I was ever going to see you again.”  She kisses him on the cheek and wipes away a tear.  “You had us all scared to death.”  Her eyes are red and puffy, she must have been crying the whole ride here. 

Evan wraps his good arm around her and holds her tightly.  “I’m so sorry, Mom.  It’s OK now.” 

John is gently rubbing Jill’s back, comforting his wife.  “That was a very brave and stupid thing you did last night, son.”  He looks directly at Evan and tells him in no uncertain terms, “Don’t you ever do that to your mother again.”  His voice is stern, but his face reflects relief and gratitude.

The four of us spend some time catching up and sharing stories about the events of the past night.  It turns out that Averee showed up at Wilkinson’s with a gun.  That’s why Evan wasted no time in removing her from that very public venue.

He tells us how Averee would shift in and out of reality.  That’s why he took her to my house.  He was trying to get her to realize she and I were two different people.

When he got her to my house, he was able to get the gun away from her during a brief moment of lucid clarity.  That’s where the bruises and scratches came from.  She was trying desperately to get her firearm back, and when that failed, she darted into the kitchen and found the largest, sharpest knife she could get her hands on.  She began cutting herself up and down her arm, testing its blade.  Evan warns me that there’s going to be a lot of blood all over Auggie’s kitchen.

Then it’s my turn to tell Evan how she got into his house and destroyed my clothes and his bed.  “Looks like we have nowhere to sleep for a few days,” he says.  “I’m not going back to Auggie’s anytime soon and I guess my place is no better.”

“Between Adam and your parents, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding somewhere to stay.  And I’m sure I can stay at Emmy’s for a while.”

“Hell no.  I didn’t go through all of that just so you can sleep at a friend’s house.  I don’t care if we have to sleep in my car, Juliette.  I’m not spending one more minute apart from you.  Got it?”  He pats the side of his hospital bed and motions for me to climb on.  I look at his parents, and Jill gives me a smile and a nod.  Not needing any more motivation, I gently climb into bed with him.  He wraps his good arm around me and I wrap my arms around his waist. 

“Evan, your father and I will make sure you have a warm bed in your own home to sleep in tonight.  Please don’t worry about that.”  I know both John and Jill have felt completely helpless this entire time, and it’s good that there’s something they can do to help their son now.

His parents ask Evan for his wallet so they can give the hospital a copy of his I.D. and insurance card and at the same time, offer us some much needed alone time.

It feels like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders and almost as quickly as my head hits Evan’s pillow, I’m asleep.  I wake briefly when Evan’s parents come back into the room, only to discover that Evan’s sound asleep beside me.  Silently, Jill places Evan’s wallet on the bedside table and slips out of the room.  I close my eyes and drift back off to a blissful sleep in the arms of the man I love.

A
fter a few hours of waiting, we get the good news we were hoping for.  The MRI shows no sign of damage to any ligaments or tendons.  There’s some nerve and tissue damage that needs to be repaired, but it’s a relatively simple procedure with a short recovery period.

While Evan is in the operating suite with the plastic surgeon cleaning and suturing his knife wound, I wait in Evan’s room.  It’s strange to be alone.  I haven’t been by myself in an empty room in days, and the quiet solitude is a pleasant change. 

His parents are getting everything ready for Evan’s discharge tonight.  Their first task is to find a mattress store willing deliver a new one today.  Then they plan on heading over to the beach house to begin cleaning the mess left behind by Averee.  Evan’s been through enough, and he doesn’t need to be reminded of the depths of her malice towards me.  That is, of course, assuming the house is no longer being processed as a crime scene.

Callie and Dean are on their way down to help.  I have a special errand I’d like Callie to run for me and when I call to ask her, she’s more than happy to oblige.

Sitting alone and waiting, my mind wanders to how the different choices we make can have such a significant effect on our journey through life.  With just one simple choice we can change the course of our life forever.  Wait or react? Run or fight?  Blame or forgive?  Many of our choices affect not only ourselves, but also the people around us.  Adam has learned that lesson in spades. 

Now I make the decision to forgive Adam for the choices he made.  He was not alone in his decision. Evan played a part in that, too.  He thought he was making the right choice.  It’s not until we see those choices played out to the end when we learn of the wisdom of our decision.

A nurse wheels Evan back to the room.  He’s groggy from the anesthesia.  She helps him back into bed, tucks him in, and updates me on his condition.

“The surgery went well.  There were no complications.  Dr. Sharpe will be here soon to go over the post-operative discharge directions with you both.  He’ll probably sleep for the better part of an hour.”  She shows me the call button.  “Just press this if he wakes and needs anything.”

As soon as she walks out the door, Evan is snoring loudly.  I’ve never heard him snore like this before.  He must be in a deep sleep.  The physical and mental exhaustion have really taken a toll on his body.

I pull my chair up next to his bed so I can be as close as possible.  I want to be the first thing he sees when he wakes.  His hair is stuck to his face in some parts, and wildly unkempt.  He hasn’t shaved, and there’s scruffy stubble covering up much of his beautiful face.  The hospital gown they have him dressed in makes him look fragile.  His normally virile and strong body is lying listlessly.  I hate seeing him like this.

My ringing phone startles me from my deep thoughts.  Reese is calling me from Wisconsin.  Has the news made it all the way across the country?

Quietly, so as not to wake Evan, I answer the phone.  “Hi, Reese.  How are things in the heart of dairy land?”

“Jette, I can’t believe you’re answering the phone.  I thought for sure I’d be leaving you a voicemail.  What the hell is going on over there in New Jersey?”  She’s talking so quickly and excitedly, it sounds like she’s on caffeine overload. 

“I guess you’ve seen the news?”

“Are you kidding?  We stayed up all night watching.  They showed almost the entire thing live on T.V.  I was Skyping with Sara and the guys all night.  We watched as they wheeled that lunatic out on a stretcher.  I cried when we saw your boyfriend finally walk out of the house, Jette.”  She pauses to compose herself and catch her breath.  “I know you must have so much going on right now, but I just had to know that you’re all right.”

“Tell everyone, especially Sara, that we’re all fine.  Evan just got out of surgery to repair a knife wound to the palm of his hand.  The doctors are very optimistic that he’ll make a full recovery.  We’re all very lucky.”

“You know, Jette, Evan’s going to have a ton of people watching out for him and taking care of his every need, but you need someone to take care of you, too.  Is someone there who will be making sure you’re OK?”  Reese is so thoughtful and her concerns are admirable.

“That’s so sweet of you to be worried about me, but I’ll be fine.  I don’t expect anyone to drop what they’re doing to babysit me.  Besides, I’ll be so busy getting Evan to physical therapy and job hunting that I won’t have time to feel sorry for myself.”

“Job hunting?  I thought you had a job.  Didn’t you tell me you were making a ton of money bartending at some nightclub on the boardwalk?” 

“Yeah, well, I sort of got fired last night.”  I stand up and walk to the other side of the room so I don’t disturb Evan.  “My friends and I all walked out in the middle of our shift last night.  There wasn’t time to explain, so we all got fired.  I was just getting good, too.”

“That’s perfect.  Maybe you could open up your own bakery or something.  Remember in school, how we used to dream about opening up our own restaurant? You and Luke were going to be the pastry chefs and Simon, Sara and I would be the executive chefs?  I think we even had restaurant names picked out.  But then you interned at that cupcake shop, and you completely bailed on our fantasy.”

“To tell you the truth, I don’t think I want to work in a bakery anymore, Reese.  I’ve really begun to enjoy bartending and watching the customers’ immediate reaction when they enjoy something that I’ve prepared.  Do you remember that place in Denver owned by Chef Keegan Gerhard, D Bar Desserts?”

“Remember it?  It’s still one of my all-time favorite places.”

“There’s nothing like it around here, a cool dessert bar where people could go and have a plated dessert and cocktails, maybe even a small light meal.  How cool would it be to own a place like that?”  This is another example of how the choices we make determine our path in life.  The choice to accept a bartending job has completely changed my professional goals and aspirations.

“Well, if you do, I’ll be the first to fly out there to help you open up.  Does Evan have any cute single teammates you could introduce me to?”

“By the time I’m able to open up my own place, you’ll be married with two point five children and a dog.”

We spend a few more minutes chatting and catching up.  It feels so good to forget about my problems and just spend time with a dear friend.  I glance over at Evan and I see he’s starting to wake.

“Reese, I gotta go.  Evan’s starting to wake up.  I’ll call you tomorrow.  Give my love to everybody.”  I quickly end my call and hurry over to Evan’s side.

“Hey, sleepyhead.  Welcome back.”  I plant a soft kiss on his lips and sweep some hair off his brow.  “I missed you.”