Chapter 10
10
S ullivan woke with a jerk, wincing as the light from the window to his right hit his pupils.
“So…you’re awake. How are you feeling, Mr. Dean?”
“Feeling? Where am—” Oh my God…Ginny ! “How long have I been here?”
The nurse checked his chart. “The better part of two days.”
“Christ almighty!” Sully groaned. “I’ve got to get up.”
He began throwing back covers and fidgeting with the IV they had inserted in the back of his hand.
“No! No! You can’t do that,” the nurse cried, and began pushing at his hand.
Sully’s fingers encircled her wrist, but it was the calmness in his voice that told her he meant business.
“Lady, I’m getting up, whether you help me or not. Which is it going to be?”
Knowing she couldn’t manhandle a man his size on her own, she reached for the call button, but it was too late. Sully was already pulling the tape off his IV.
“Wait! Wait!” the nurse said. “You’ll have blood everywhere.”
“It’ll wash,” Sully said. “I need to see Ginny.”
“Who?”
“Virginia Shapiro. We came to the hospital in the same ambulance.”
“Oh. Her.”
Sully’s heart sank. “What do you mean, her?”
“She’s the one with the guard at the door.”
He sighed. “Thank God. How is she? Her condition, I mean.”
“If you’ll give us a few minutes, you can see for yourself.”
“That doesn’t tell me anything,” Sully muttered.
“That’s because her condition is between her and her doctor.”
“You don’t understand,” Sully said. “She was in my care when this happened. If I had—”
Suddenly, the nurse understood, and her frustration with the man disappeared.
“I didn’t realize,” she said softly. “Look, just let me find your doctor and get his okay. If he has no objections, you can visit her and see for yourself. But please don’t get up until I get back. You have a concussion. It won’t do anyone any good if you fall on your face and wind up back in bed.”
Sully frowned. “I feel fine.”
“You do not,” she argued. “You’re pale and sweating, and I’ll bet the only five dollars I have in my purse that you’ll be dizzy when you stand up.”
He glared.
She stood her ground.
“Are you going to stay in bed, or do I have to ring for the orderlies?”
The idea of being manhandled did not appeal to him. “I’m here, aren’t I?” And then he added as she walked to the door, “But I’m not going to wait forever.”
“You’ll do what you’re told,” she said, and closed the door behind her.
Defiant to the end, Sully swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. True to her word, the room tilted beneath his feet. He sat back down.
“Son of a bitch.”
It would seem she’d been right after all. Added to that, within ten minutes, a doctor strode into his room. Proof that the nurse was a woman of her word.
“So, Mr. Dean, I hear you’re wanting to go AWOL on us.”
“Are you going to take the IV out of my arm or is she?” Sully asked, eyeing the nurse, who had followed the doctor into the room.
The fact that he’d countered a question with a question was not lost on the doctor, nor was the look on Sullivan’s face.
“You had a pretty good knock on the head,” the doctor said.
“I’ve been hit before.”
Well aware of Sully’s occupation, the doctor smiled. “Yes, I suppose you have.” He circled the bed and leaned over, checking Sully’s pupils and then reading his chart. “Have you been up?” he asked.
“Yes,” Sully said, ignoring the snort of disapproval from the nearby nurse.
“And how did you feel?”
“Slightly dizzy. Slightly weak.”
The doctor grinned outright. “Thank you for being forthright, Mr. Dean. If you’d said anything else, I would have known you were lying.”
“Oh, I’ll tell the truth every time. It’s entirely up to you whether you like what I say. And I am going to get up and go to Virginia Shapiro’s room, with or without your permission.”
The doctor frowned. “The question isn’t really whether you’re able to go. It’s whether she will have anything to do with you.”
Sully glared at the nurse. “I was given to understand she was healing. What the hell do you mean?”
“She’s healing fine. But she hasn’t said a word to anyone since the day she arrived.”
“Oh hell,” Sully muttered, then swung his legs over the side of the bed again and started pulling at the tape on his IV. “Either you get me out of this getup or I’ll check myself out right now.”
“Nurse, would you assist Mr. Dean before he makes a mess of himself?” the doctor said.
“Certainly, Doctor.”
“Where are my clothes?” Sully asked.
“In the closet,” the nurse said. “If you’ll wait a moment, I’ll get them for you.”
“Understand, Mr. Dean…I’m not recommending this,” the doctor said.
“Yeah, I know, and if I fall and bust my nose, I won’t be suing anyone, okay? Just hand me my pants.”
The doctor frowned at Sully’s impatience. “You won’t be doing her or yourself any good if you have a relapse, you know.”
Sully stopped, giving the doctor a cool, studied stare.
“Then I’ll have to be sure and stay on my feet, won’t I?”
The doctor sighed. “Nurse, while he’s dressing himself, ring for a wheelchair. The least we can do is give him a ride to her room.”
The nurse nodded, laid Sully’s clothes on the bed and left to do as she’d been told.
Ignoring the doctor, Sully slowly stood, hanging on to the bed to make sure he was going to be mobile. This time he experienced nothing more than a brief moment of lightheadedness, which passed.
“How do you feel?” the doctor asked as Sully started putting on his pants.
“Like hell,” Sully said.
“Miss Shapiro…she means a lot to you?”
Sully stopped, then took a deep breath and nodded.
“Well, if you mean as much to her as she does to you, then I wish you both the best,” the doctor said, patted Sully on the arm and walked out.
The imprint of the man’s hand was still on his arm, but he couldn’t move. Unknowingly, the doctor had hit the proverbial nail on the head, pinpointing the depth of Sully’s concern. He grunted as if he’d been punched in the gut and sank back on the edge of the bed. His gaze fell on the linoleum floor, but he wasn’t seeing it. He was locked into the last time he’d seen Ginny’s bloody face. He closed his eyes, and as he did, he flashed on the picture of her and her family that had been taken in Yellowstone National Park.
God in heaven, what if she never smiled like that again? With fumbling fingers, he buttoned his jeans. He reached for his shirt, then saw the blood on the front and tossed it aside, opting to use the hospital gown as a shirt instead. He was at the door when an orderly arrived with the wheelchair.
“Hop in, man,” he said. “I hear you’re ready for a ride.”
“Take me to Virginia Shapiro’s room,” he said.
“Yeah, they told me. The one with the guard.”
A mop handle hit the floor in the hall outside Ginny’s door. She jerked at the startling noise, the motion sending her whole body into spasm. A quick film of tears shattered her vision as she stifled a moan. She was healing. Nothing had been broken, only terribly bruised, and nothing had required stitches. She considered herself fortunate, considering the size of the knife Carney Auger had pulled. If Sullivan hadn’t come in when he had, the man would have cut her to pieces. At the thought, she closed her eyes, squeezing them hard against the horror of what she’d endured. But the images wouldn’t go away. Not when she slept. Not when she was awake. They’d been with her every moment since they’d brought her to the hospital.
Added to that was the guilt of knowing she was the reason Sully had been injured. She turned her face to the pillow. She’d heard them talking when they thought she was asleep. Sully was unconscious. Had been since he’d passed out in the hall. What if he died? She couldn’t live with that guilt on her conscience.
And then there was the other thing. Carney Auger was in this very same hospital. Under guard, they said, but he was here, under the same roof with her. Just the thought made her want to throw up. What if he slipped past his guards? What if he came after her or Sully to finish the job?
Doctors and nurses had been here and a man she thought might have been like Sully—with the FBI. He’d come twice the first day. She hadn’t seen him since, but the others wouldn’t leave her alone. They wanted her to talk about what had happened—to tell them all the gory details of how the man stripped her and beat her and put his hands on every inch of her body. They wanted her to say how he jerked and then screamed when Sully’s bullet ripped a hole through his body. They wanted to know how his blood got on her face and hands. They wanted to hear it said in the name of medicine and the law. Why couldn’t they understand that the words were poison on her lips? Didn’t they know that saying them aloud would only give them life? That revealing what had happened to her would make it real, and that the only way she was still staying sane was by pretending this was a nightmare from which she would eventually wake?
Suddenly she tensed. She could hear voices outside her door, talking about things better left unsaid, as if people who were sick had also suddenly gone deaf. Usually they went away, only this time they didn’t. The door was beginning to open.
She pulled the sheet up to her chin and held her breath, knowing she had no endurance left for anything, not even herself.
And then she saw him, getting out of a wheelchair and coming toward her bed.
Oh God. Oh God. Sully.
Her heart started to pound. The familiar swagger in his walk was missing, and the concern on his face shamed her. She was ugly. Ugly. She would never be pretty again.
She ventured another glance at his face, this time focusing on his eyes. He was crying. She’d never seen a grown man cry—not like this. Dear God, he was crying for her. She closed her eyes, unable to bear his pity.
“Ginny…Ginny, baby, look at me.”
When his hand brushed her shoulder, she flinched.
“I’m sorry…I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I didn’t think about…”
She heard him sigh, and it was the defeat in the sound that made her ashamed. This man wasn’t like Carney Auger. This man had promised he wouldn’t let her die. He’d kept his promise. Now all he wanted was for her to look at him. It was the least she could do.
When she opened her eyes, Sully’s whole body went limp. The stress of being up, coupled with his fear for her, had undone him. He swayed where he stood, and as he did, an orderly darted into the room. The moment Ginny saw the stranger, her eyes widened with unmistakable fear.
Sully turned, his voice tight with anger. “Get out. Get out and leave us alone. I’m fine.”
“But, sir, you’re too weak to be left—”
“Now!” Sully barked.
The door swung shut behind him.
Sully turned. Ginny was looking at him now, her attention completely on his face. He could see her searching out the injuries—the bandage on his forehead and the stitches that were beneath. Her lip started to quiver.
He groaned. “Baby…please…I swear to God I won’t hurt you, but I need to touch you. Just to know.” His voice broke. “It’s my fault. I let him get to you and—”
Tears boiled to the surface, suddenly blurring Ginny’s vision.
“You saved my life,” she whispered, and reached for his hand.
Sully froze. Riddled with guilt, it was the last thing he’d expected her to say.
Ginny pulled his hand to her cheek, then turned her face into his palm.
Her tears were wet against his skin, her lips trembling as she struggled to speak.
“I thought he’d killed you. I didn’t know where you were, and I thought he’d killed you.”
“Jesus,” Sully moaned, and sat down on the side of her bed before he fell.
Her pupils dilated with fear as her voice lowered to a mere whisper.
“He’s here, you know. Right here in this hospital.”
Sully stiffened. “Are you talking about Carney?”
Her fingers were clutching at his arm, fingering the fabric of his gown in nervous jerks.
“Don’t go to sleep,” she whispered. “It isn’t safe.”
“Christ almighty,” Sully muttered, and then stood abruptly. “I’ll be right back.”
He strode to the door.
The guard on duty jumped and reached for his gun as Sully grabbed his arm, thinking something was about to go down.
“You go tell whoever is in charge of Carney Auger’s detainment in this hospital that they’d better get that son of a bitch out from under this roof or I’ll do it for them.”
“I’m not supposed to leave my post,” he said.
“You’ve got a radio on you, don’t you?”
He nodded.
“Then use it. I want Auger moved. If someone has a problem with that, send them to me.”
The young man had been an agent with the Bureau for less than a year, but he was well aware of Sullivan Dean and the reputation that went with him. The fact that the director himself was directly involved in this case told him not to argue. If Dean spoke, the young man knew enough to listen.
“Yes, sir. Right away, sir.”
“One last thing,” Sully said.
“Sir?”
“Thank you for taking care of her.”
The young agent nodded. “Sir. It was my pleasure.” Then he added, “I’m real sorry what happened to her.”
“Yeah,” Sully said. “So am I.”
He stepped back inside the room and closed the door. Ginny was just as he’d left her. He started back across the room, feeling weaker with each step he took. But he couldn’t give in to the urge to lie down. Not yet. Not until that horrible fear was gone from her eyes.
“He’ll be gone before dark. I promise.”
She nodded, then clutched at his hand again, curling her fingers around his wrist and tugging gently.
“Stay with me,” she begged.
Sully’s heart twisted. “Baby…I’m not going anywhere.” Then he grinned wryly. “I’m so damned weak, I couldn’t if I tried.”
“Then lie with me.”
Sully felt as if he’d just been punched in the gut. Lie with her? Lord in heaven, give me the strength to do this thing right .
“You sure?”
She nodded.
He took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.
“I don’t know about this. What if I hurt you?”
“Please, Sully. I’ve been afraid to close my eyes.”
It was the “please” that sold her case. He sat beside her first, then scooted his arm beneath her neck. When she flinched, he paused.
“It’s not you,” she said. “Just for a minute I could feel his hands on my—” She swallowed harshly. “Just hold me.”
Sully scooted the rest of the way onto the bed, then pulled her close against him. The guardrail was up against her back. At least she wouldn’t fall out.
“Am I too close?” he asked, fearing the simple weight of his body against her would be enough to send her into a flashback of the assault.
She sighed. “No.”
“I’m going to have to pull the guardrail up behind me or I’ll fall,” he warned.
“Okay.”
He reached behind him, felt for the metal railing, then gave it a yank. It came up abruptly, then locked into place. Now they were cocooned within the narrow bed, connected in body as well as in spirit.
“Are you in pain?” Sully whispered.
“Not anymore.”
He heard her sigh, then felt her body relax. Minutes passed in which he watched her eyelids begin to droop, finally fluttering to a close. Her breathing slowed, then evened out. Only now and then did a muscle tense and begin to jerk, and when it did, Sully held her that little bit tighter and whispered quietly into her ear, “I’ve got you, baby. I won’t let you die.”
And they slept.
Curious as to why the patient in room 411 had never come back to his bed, the nurse who’d been caring for him went looking.
She found them asleep, locked in each other’s arms. She knew their history. She also knew the woman hadn’t spoken a word to anyone since she’d been admitted, and she knew why. Rape, even if only attempted, was an ugly thing. And the woman had been beaten badly to boot. If she needed that man to hold her, then so be it. It was against every hospital rule and everything she’d been taught, but she turned and walked away as if she’d seen nothing.
Dan Howard stood just inside the hospital entry, waiting for his passengers to arrive. He could have sent someone else to pick Sullivan up, but he wanted to talk to Virginia Shapiro personally, and this seemed the best way to do it.
While he waited, the elevator doors inside the lobby suddenly opened. Sullivan emerged first, looked around the area and spotted Howard at the entryway.
“He’s here,” Sully said.
Moments later, Ginny emerged, seated in a wheel-chair. After a week of being hospitalized, she felt as if she were being let out of jail.
“Let me walk,” she said.
“As soon as I get you outside,” the orderly said. “Hospital rules.”
Heads turned as they passed, mostly out of curiosity that someone was being released, but there were some who gave the woman a second glance, wondering about the fading bruises on her face, and the healing cuts on her lip and eyebrow.
Ginny hated it all. The curiosity. The double takes. She felt as if they could, just by looking at her, know what had happened. It was like being stripped naked all over again and at the mercy of that man.
“Miss Shapiro, it’s good to see you again.”
She jerked. Again? Had she seen him before?
Dan Howard could tell she didn’t remember him, and while he hated to remind her, it had to be done. He had more than one thing to ask her while they were en route to the safe house.
“I came to see you when you were first admitted,” he said. “Maybe you don’t remember. Those were pretty tough days for you.”
“Oh. Yes. I remember.”
“Let’s get you inside the car, where it’s nice and cool,” he said. “Sully can sit up front with me, and that way you can stretch out in the back seat. It’s going to be a short drive to the helipad, and then a couple of hours in the air until we get to the house.”
Ginny gave Sully a nervous look.
“It’s all right, Ginny.”
Satisfied, she got inside the car and buckled up, but she didn’t relax until they were underway. After that, she settled back and pretended to nod off, knowing she would learn far more about what was happening with the case that way than if she asked specific questions herself.
As they drove away, the irony of her situation struck her. She’d been a victim and survived, but the danger in her life was far from over. It seemed impossible to believe that anything else could possibly happen. She’d had her quota of traumatic injuries from the assault, and yet that might be nothing to what lay ahead. She was still in danger of losing her life, and her enemy still had no face. If not for the man sitting beside Dan Howard, she would certainly be in danger of losing her mind.
“Where are we going?” Sully asked.
“Closest unoccupied safe house is outside of Phoenix. I know it’s hot as hell there this time of year, but the house has a pool and a great view.”
“It doesn’t matter where we go,” Sully said. “Ginny just needs time to find herself again.”
“I need to talk to her.”
“Not now,” Sully said.
“Damn it, Sully, it’s her life we’re trying to save here. I suggest we let her make the decisions.”
Sully lowered his voice, not wanting Ginny to overhear. “You don’t understand. Mentally, she’s barely capable of getting through a day, and that’s if no one rocks her world. You push her too hard and she could go over the edge.”
“I’m not going to push. I’m just going to talk,” Howard said. “When we get to Phoenix, we’ll see. Okay?”
Sully frowned, but he knew Dan was right. They needed information to solve the case, and until it was over, Ginny had no life.
“Okay,” Sully said. “There’s the helicopter coming in for a landing now.”
“Good. Right on time,” Howard said.
“Hey, Dan, I meant to ask. Our things that were at the cabin…where are they?”
“In the trunk of my car.”
“All of it? Even the stuff that was in my car?”
“Yes. We turned your rental in and put Miss Shapiro’s car in storage in Biloxi. The receipt and keys are in your luggage.”
“Thanks.”
“You know the routine. You’ve done it yourself. Oh, and another thing. The old man back at the landing…he gave back the money you’d paid down and tore up Ginny’s bill. He said it was the least he could do.”
Sully nodded, then looked over his shoulder into the back seat, making sure Ginny wasn’t listening before he asked.
“About Auger…”
“He copped a plea to attempted rape and assault, rather than face the attempted murder charge the D.A. was shooting for.”
Sully’s fingers curled into fists. “I should have finished the job when I had the chance,” he muttered. “Just the thought of that man ever being able to walk the streets again makes me sick.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. The judicial system sucks, and we both know it, although he’ll be out of commission for a few years.”
The car stopped. Ginny roused.
“Sully?”
Instantly his hand was on her arm.
“Right here, Ginny. We’re going to unload the luggage. Wait until I come get you, all right?”
“All right.”
She watched the two men exit the car and then sat up. To her dismay, she really had dozed off, missing everything that had been said during the ride.
A short while later, Sully opened the back door.
“Come on, Cinderella. Your chariot awaits.”
“Where are we going?” she asked, as he helped her out of the car.
He tilted her chin and then tweaked the end of her nose.
“To the ball.”
Ginny smiled and then caught her breath on a sob. Two days ago, she would have sworn she would never laugh again. Maybe there was hope for her yet.
“But I don’t have any glass slippers.”
“Doesn’t matter. That chopper’s gonna turn into a pumpkin if we don’t get a move on.”
Ginny let him lead her, but she couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder as they walked away. A couple of men had stopped working to watch, and there was a delivery truck coming down the road they’d just driven. She shuddered as they helped her up into the belly of the chopper and then buckled her in. When would this nightmare finally come to an end? Would she spend the rest of her life always looking over her shoulder?
Sully slipped into the seat beside her as Dan took the co-pilot’s seat. Ginny closed her eyes as the chopper lifted straight into the air. But her panic subsided as Sully gave her fingers a squeeze.
“You okay?”
Ginny swallowed the lump in her throat. “As long as this thing stays in the air and Agent Howard and the pilot don’t turn into mice, I’m going to be fine.”
Sully was still laughing as the chopper banked sharply and headed west.