Chapter 17 #3
“Everyone, this is Holly Dillon…soon to be Kingston. Once the best bat girl on my high school baseball team, and now a hotshot Realtor here in Dallas. Holly, this is Cliff Beale, my homicide partner. And Frankie Adams, the only female detective in Homicide with enough patience to put up with us.”
“I’ve heard nothing but good things about both of you,” Holly said.
Frankie rolled her eyes. “She must really love you if she’s willing to lie for you, too.”
Gunner started to laugh, then caught himself. “No jokes. My jaw is barely hanging on my face.”
The huge purple bruise on the right side of his face was evident.
“Well, you look like hell,” Cliff said.
“Good observation. I feel like hell, too, but Holly is taking really good care of me.”
“Clearly,” Frankie said. “When we didn’t know the password, I wasn’t sure she’d let me in.”
Holly grinned. “I always wanted to say that, and it’s a pleasure to meet you. Can I get you anything to drink? We have coffee already made.”
“No, but thanks,” Cliff said.
“I’m good,” Frankie added, then poked Cliff on the shoulder.
He nodded, then took a deep breath in an effort to calm down.
“Everybody in the department is proud of you, Gunner, but they… We…are also ashamed of the raw deal you got. Greg Rance is an ass. He caught hell from all of us after you left. I confronted him in his office afterward, and I might have recorded the conversation we had. And I might have sent it to Captain Edwards. Nobody contacted me personally, but as of yesterday, we have a new lieutenant.”
“And I came just so you could razz me about the new hair color,” Frankie said.
Cliff frowned. “She’s lying. She’s the one who said you needed to hear that from us.
And she made me come because I didn’t have the guts to face you on my own.
You have been my rock. My advisor. My best friend.
And I acted like an ass because of the mess I’d made of myself.
I’ve been going to Gambler’s Anonymous for a while now.
I wanted you to know that. And you also need to know that after that video went viral, I claimed bragging rights to having been your partner. I’m really sorry.”
Gunner smiled. “You’re still a doofus, and thanks for that, Cliff. It means a lot. And thank you, Frankie, for coming with him.”
“You’re welcome,” Frankie added.
Gunner saw the tears in her eyes. “I should probably confess that some days, your bullshit was the best thing that happened in that department. Thanks for making this happen, and I appreciate you both.”
Frankie shrugged. “I can’t help being superb.”
In that moment, Holly saw the adoration she had for Gunner. Frankie was in love with him, and Holly couldn’t blame her. He was a hard man to ignore, but an even harder man to love. She didn’t know why he had, but she was glad he’d trusted her enough to let her into his life.
Cliff slapped his knees and stood. “Okay… Confession time is over, and I can tell by the way you’re not blinking that you hurt like hell. We’re wishing you and Holly happy ever after and a safe journey home.”
When they left, Gunner felt the cord between them breaking. He no longer belonged in their world.
Holly closed the door behind them, then held out her hand and helped him up.
“Bed now.”
He didn’t argue, and when he stretched out and finally got comfortable, Holly pulled up his covers and then lay beside him and closed her eyes.
Gunner reached for her hand. “Love you, baby.”
She threaded their fingers together. It was the only way she could hold him without hurting him. “Love you more. Close your eyes and sleep away the pain.”
* * *
Around midnight, she brought him a cup of soup in bed. He sat up long enough to drink it, then made his way to the bathroom and back. Holly was waiting for him with a pain pill and a glass of water.
He moved in slow, measured steps to accommodate the aches, took the pill, and chased it with water.
“Did you set the security alarm?” he asked.
“Yes, I did. Just like you showed me. And I have your extra house key on my key chain. Do you want something else to eat? Ice cream?”
He shook his head. “I’m good. What time do you need to be up tomorrow to get to work from here?”
“I’m working virtually from here, but the office doesn’t open until 8:00 a.m., so I’ll get up about six. If you hear my alarm go off, ignore it. Tomorrow, you do what you need to do at your own pace. There will be food already made in the fridge, and we will heat and eat.”
He frowned. “What? Have you been cooking for me?”
“You had nothing to cook. I ordered in. Don’t fuss.
You can’t use your right arm. In the morning, do not get in the shower.
You can’t get that road rash wet. Sometime during the day when you feel like it, I’ll help you get in your Jacuzzi.
It will probably make all those achy muscles feel better, but I’ll need to wrap your arm at least up to the elbow before the bath to keep it from getting wet. ”
He chuckled. “I shall obey, Dr. Dillon.”
“It’s your own fault for thinking you could fly,” she said.
He laughed, then winced. “Have mercy, are they sure my jaw is just bruised?”
“Yes, they’re sure. I saw the X-rays. And your ribs aren’t even cracked, which means you could be a bit of a superman after all.”
He cupped the side of her cheek. “Will you come to bed with me? I’m out of circulation in the sex department, but I love the sound of your breathing when you’re asleep.”
“Do I snore?” she asked.
“Not even a little.”
“That’s not what Travis says about me. He says he can hear me snoring from his room down the hall.”
Gunner just shook his head. “He’s been lying to you all along. He probably lies in bed laughing to himself about the trick he’s played on you all these years.”
She rolled her eyes. “Are all boys like this?”
“Pretty much. We have a really weird sense of humor, and one of the biggest kicks in my family was embarrassing your siblings.”
“Lord… Well, so be it. Feel free to check the security anyway, so you can rest easy. I’ll be here when you get back.”
And she was, wearing nothing but a smile and waiting for him to get settled before she went to bed.
Gunner groaned. “Lord… You are beautiful.”
She shook her head. “And you are so hurt. Lie down, sweetheart. This can wait.”
He eased himself into bed. She adjusted his covers and then circled the bed and got in beside him. When she turned the light out, she heard him sigh.
“We’re taking this bed to Crossroads,” she said and rolled over on her side.
He patted her bare butt. “Yes, we are. Night, darlin’.”
“I’m sleeping with a hero,” she muttered.
“Shut it, girl. I don’t want to laugh again tonight.”
She smiled and closed her eyes. The last thing she remembered was the touch of his hand against her hip.
* * *
Holly wasn’t in bed when Gunner woke up, but he remembered she was working from here and was probably in his office with the door closed.
Then he thought of Frankie Adams. She would either still be at home or on her way to work, and he wanted to talk to her about her sister’s beauty school debt.
He made a quick trip to the bathroom, eyed the black whiskers beginning to show on his face, and thought, Tough shit. So, I look like a pirate for a while. No way am I dragging a razor down the side of that face.
He put on his sweatpants again, picked up his phone, and walked into the kitchen. Holly had left his bottle of pain pills on the counter along with a note.
Whatever you’re thinking, don’t do it.
Your job today is taking your meds in a timely fashion.
He grinned. Her sense of humor was a delight. He took the pain pill, poured himself a cup of coffee, then sat down and pulled up Frankie’s number.
It rang several times, and when she answered, she was breathless.
“Hello.”
“Frankie, it’s me, Gunner.”
“I know… Caller ID,” she said.
He grinned. “Okay. Duly noted. I have a question to ask you.”
“Ask,” she said.
“There’s something I really want to do, but I don’t want to insult you by the offer.”
“Okay. If I promise not to be insulted, what is this thing you really want to do?”
“It’s strictly between me and you. Nobody else in the department has to know.”
“Jesus, Kingston, just spit it out!” Frankie said.
“Family means everything to me, and I admire the devotion and time you give to yours. Then I went and won all that money out of sheer luck, and I wondered how you’d feel if I paid for the rest of your sister’s beauty school, with extra to help you take care of your mom.
Like building that ramp off your porch for her wheelchair, and whatever else you needed to get your sister on her own path. ”
He heard a gasp, and then nothing.
“Frankie… If this was an intrusion into your private life, then—”
“I’m not insulted. I’m crying, damn it.”
“So, you’ll accept my offer?” he asked.
“Yes, with more gratitude than you will ever know,” she said.
He sighed. “Awesome. You’ll probably have to notify the new lieutenant about a chunk of money suddenly showing up in your account.
You can tell him it came from me, for your sister’s beauty school and handicap aids for your mom, and some minor repairs in your home.
Something like that. And you can make a joke about how I always teased you about your colored hair to make the point.
But I’d advise not mentioning it to any of the other detectives. People don’t deal well with jealousy.”
“Chunk of money? What are we talking about? There’s less than two thousand dollars left of her schooling.”
“I was thinking fifty thousand. It was the bounty for my life, and I want to give a real bounty to you. You spend it everywhere else you need, okay?” She was silent again, and he could hear her sobbing. “Don’t cry.”
“You have no idea what a difference this is going to make in my life. My father walked out on us when I was thirteen. My sister was four. Mom worked herself sick at two jobs to help me get through the police academy. My brother is a clone of my father. He has a dozen priors and at the moment is in jail somewhere in Mississippi, I think. Not for sure. Nobody has ever given us anything…until today. I am honored, and overjoyed, and grateful beyond words.”
“Then it’s a deal. You can either come by my house and pick up the check, or I’ll have my bank transfer it to your account, but I’d have to have the bank tracking number and your account number for that.”
“If we don’t pick up a case I can’t get away from, I could come by this evening.”
“Holly is here, working virtually, but I’ll have it written and in a sealed envelope, in case I’m asleep. Okay?”
“Yes, yes, and Gunner, thank you. So much,” Frankie said.
“It’s my honor to be able to do this,” he said. “Have a good day.”
“Oh. Well, shit Sherlock! It’s already peaked. Whatever happens next will never top this.”
Gunner was grinning as he hung up. Frankie Adams was one of a kind. Tough as an old boot, with a heart of gold.
He got up, immediately wrote the check with a good degree of pain, and slipped it into an envelope, then left it on the table by the door. He didn’t know how Frankie was feeling, but he felt like he was walking on air. Doing something awesome for someone else was a true emotional high.