Chapter Thirteen #2
To give the medical professionals the room they needed to work, he stood aside.
“I couldn’t sleep.” He rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes glued to the bed.
“I felt something was wrong. I knocked on the back door and got no answer. I knew she was home. I’d seen the lights on earlier.
” They were hooking her up to oxygen. She still hadn’t moved a muscle.
“Kieran?” Cal prompted.
He dragged his hand over his face. “Right.” He skipped the part about peeking in her window. That would likely get him arrested as a stalker. “I was worried about her after the accident yesterday and a run-in with her ex-boyfriend today.”
“Her ex is in town?” Cal’s tone was sharp.
Kieran pulled his attention from Georgia’s limp body.
“Yeah. He showed up at the bakery this afternoon. When she didn’t answer, I broke down the back door and found her lying across the bed.
” He rubbed his head. “Shit, I’m getting a headache.
” That was a first. It was mildly concerning—another sign he might have signed his own death warrant.
Maybe his father had decided he no longer deserved a choice about his fate, considering his abysmal failure.
Cal swore and disappeared. A few seconds later, he gave a yell. “Get all the windows open. Now!”
Kieran leaped across the room and yanked the bedroom window up, letting in a fresh breeze. The other officer rushed out, presumably to help Cal with the rest of the house. “How is she?” he asked the paramedics.
“She’s alive. We’re moving her now.” They lifted her onto the waiting stretcher and secured her in place before rolling her down the hallway.
The officer stopped him before he could follow. “You need to stay and answer questions, sir.”
“No, I need to be with Georgia.”
“The medical professionals are taking care of her. You can help her by helping us figure out what happened.”
The ambulance pulled away, sirens blaring, and he watched it go. “Fine.” They were wasting time, but he wasn’t getting out of here until they were satisfied that he hadn’t been the one to harm her. He couldn’t fault them for wanting to protect her. Well, he could, but it wouldn’t help.
“Let’s step outside.” The officer waved him out onto the front lawn. “I’m Officer Lamont Wilkins, sir. I need your full name and relationship to Ms. Baker.” He was tall with dark skin and short-cropped black hair.
“Kieran Blackwell. I’m renting the apartment above the garage and temporarily working for Georgia at the bakery.”
Officer Wilkins raised an eyebrow. “You’re working for her?”
He ignored the skepticism. “I’m temporarily helping her out while I’m in town dealing with a family issue.”
Cal joined them, a frown on his face. “Sorry to interrupt, Lamont. Did you hear an alarm of any kind at any point?”
Brow furrowing, Kieran shook his head. “No. Why?”
Cal turned to his fellow officer. “Carbon monoxide detector didn’t go off.”
Kieran’s blood went cold. Accident or intentional?
He was sure the other men were asking themselves the same thing.
“Am I being charged with anything, or am I free to go to the hospital?” There wasn’t anything he could add to what he’d already told them.
His place was beside Georgia. If she died…
He swallowed heavily. If she died, he needed to be there to guide her soul. He wouldn’t entrust her to another.
Officer Wilkins gave a curt nod. “You’re free to go, for now. We’ll have more questions later. Don’t leave town.” It was an unnecessary warning.
“You don’t have any worries about that.” He wasn’t going anywhere until this assignment was over…one way or another.
Both men went back inside, leaving him alone on the front lawn.
A foreign sense of helplessness settled over him.
He had none of his usual powers, barely any money, no transportation, and no idea where to find the local hospital.
Taking a deep breath, he pulled his phone out of his back pocket and punched in a number.
When the call was answered, he uttered words he’d never in a million years thought he’d say. “I need you.”
…
There was something covering her mouth and nose.
Georgia lifted her arm, or tried to. Her hand flopped back by her side.
Why was she so weak? Confused, she tried to open her eyes.
They were heavy, the lids glued down. Frowning, she tried again.
It took more effort than it should, but she managed to get them open enough to allow in a sliver of light.
The sheet covering her was white, nothing at all like the floral ones on her bed.
The mattress was hard and unfamiliar. Panic made her heart jump.
A machine beeped. Seconds later, a woman wearing scrubs with a badge clipped to her pocket that identified her as Martha hurried into the room.
She was vaguely familiar, as if Georgia should know her from somewhere.
“Glad to see you awake.” She offered a reassuring smile before giving her attention to the machines beside the bed. It was then that Georgia became aware of the various devices attached to her body.
Alarmed, she struggled to sit up. The nurse gently caught her by the shoulders and pressed her back down on the bed. “Everything’s okay. You’re in the hospital. You need to stay calm and breathe.”
The door to the room was shoved open. “You can’t be in here, sir.”
Georgia’s gaze flew to the tall man glaring from the doorway, and relief hit her like a ton of bricks. She lifted her hand and reached for him.
Kieran closed the distance and enfolded her hand in his before turning to the nurse. “How is she?”
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to wait outside.”
Georgia tightened her grip and shook her head. “Stay,” she managed to croak. The sound was muffled by what she now realized was an oxygen mask, but they both heard her.
The nurse’s expression softened. “You need to rest and relax and do nothing but breathe for the next few hours.”
Georgia licked her dry lips. “What?”
Kieran brought her hand to his lips and brushed them over each knuckle in turn.
“You heard the nurse. Cal and Officer Wilkins are trying to figure out what happened. Your job is to take care of yourself and do whatever they tell you.” He walked around to the opposite side of the bed and pulled a chair up alongside it, then took her hand again.
Once he was settled, he flashed the nurse a smile.
“My name’s Kieran Blackwell. I promise to be good. ”
In spite of the serious situation, Georgia snorted. Kieran chuckled, but to her ear it sounded as forced as his smile.
“How about, I’ll try to be good?”
The nurse pointed her finger at him. “You’re on probation. Any trouble, and you’re out of here.” She lifted the call buzzer and placed it by Georgia’s hand. “You need anything, or if he gives you any trouble, you call. The doctor will be by shortly.”
The second the door closed, leaving them alone, Kieran bent his head over their clasped hands. “You scared the hell out of me.” His massive shoulders trembled—or maybe she imagined it. When he lifted his head, he was rock-steady, his dark eyes piercing.
She took several deep breaths. “What happened?” Her voice was rough, her throat raw.
“Shh, don’t try to talk. You’re going to get me tossed out.”
She rolled her eyes. As if anyone could toss him anywhere. He was too big and too darn stubborn.
“I honestly don’t know what happened. I got an uneasy feeling.” He glanced away, not meeting her gaze. “I went to check on you. When I knocked and got no answer, I kicked the door in.”
Her brows rose at his confession. The questions tumbled around in her mind, but she swallowed them back when the machine gave another beep and concentrated on breathing.
She didn’t want to give the staff any reason to ask him to leave.
Times like this drove home how solitary she was.
Without Kieran, she’d be alone. Her parents had both been only children, so she had no aunts or uncles or cousins nearby, no boyfriend or husband to depend on.
Her parents were in another state and would be more annoyed than worried if she called.
It wasn’t something she dwelled on or even noticed most days. The bakery kept her incredibly busy.
“You were lying across the bed, totally unresponsive. I used your phone to call Cal. I figured you’d have his number in your contacts.”
Her phone? She tilted her head to one side in mute questioning.
His lips compressed into a hard line. “I saw you unlock it, so I knew your password.”
She needed to change her password and be more careful around Kieran. He was a man who missed little. Before she could decide whether to forgive him or yell at him, there was a quick knock and the man in question walked in.
“The nurse said you were awake.” Cal’s face was wreathed with concern. “How are you doing?”
She gave a thumbs-up, making him chuckle.
“Glad to hear it. You gave us quite a scare. You remember Lamont Wilkins, don’t you?
” He indicated the officer beside him. “This is his case. I’m along for moral support and because I’m nosy.
” She appreciated him trying to make her smile, but there was no covering the concern in his expression.
He held up her purse before setting it on the rolling table beside her bed.
“I brought this along. Figured you’d want your keys and wallet.
Your back door’s secure for now, but it needs to be repaired. ”
“Thanks,” she managed to get out, her voice raspy. It was good to have friends.
“How are you doing, Ms. Baker?” Officer Wilkins asked.
“Georgia, please,” she whispered. She didn’t know him well. He’d married a local woman about five years ago, took his coffee black, and preferred tarts and pastries over cookies.
He smiled and nodded. “Can you tell us what you remember about tonight, Georgia?”
“Came home.” She sucked in a deep breath, sounding more like a villain from a sci-fi movie than herself. “Ate. Bath. Bed.” Each word was harder to get out than the last.
“What did you eat?”
She frowned and struggled to remember.
“Is it necessary to do this now?” Kieran scowled at the two men. “The nurse said she wasn’t supposed to talk, that she had to remain quiet.”
There was another knock on the door. This time, it opened to admit an older man in a white lab coat studying an electronic tablet.
Her room was getting crowded. This man was very familiar.
She’d known him her entire life, and he’d made a point of dropping into the bakery every couple of days since she’d opened it. “Hey, Doc.”
Doc Sullivan raised his bushy eyebrows. “I gave strict orders for you to rest, young lady, not throw a party.” Eyes twinkling, he elbowed his way past the two officers and took her free hand. Kieran still had ahold of her other one. “You’re very lucky the young man here found you.”
It was weird to hear anyone refer to Kieran as a young man—he was such a formidable force of nature. And if she understood correctly, he’d come to her rescue yet again. She glanced at him, but his face was grim, his eyes unreadable. “What happened?”
“You have carbon monoxide poisoning.”
She struggled upright. “What?”
Rather than telling her to lie back down, the doctor used the controls on the bed to adjust the top, allowing her to sit.
“It could have been worse. Would have been if you hadn’t been found.
” He patted her hand. “All your vital signs are looking good. We’ll keep you the rest of the night, but barring complications, you’ll get out tomorrow afternoon.
I want you on oxygen a few more hours. Then we’ll run a few tests: see how you do breathing on your own and how you handle eating.
I’ll leave instructions with the nurses, but I’ll be back to see you before you’re released. ”
“I have questions, Doctor Sullivan,” Officer Wilkins informed him.
“You can find me in the emergency room when you’re done here. You have five more minutes with my patient.” There was a steely edge to his tone that had been missing when he’d spoken with her.
Officer Wilkins nodded. “Understood.”
The doctor gave Kieran a nod. “I have no idea who you are, but since Georgia seems to want you here,” he looked pointedly at their clasped hands, “I’ll give you a pass. Don’t make me regret it.”
Georgia stifled a giggle at the elderly doctor ordering around two officers of the law and Kieran. When no one dissented, he gave a brisk nod and left.
Officer Wilkins wasted no time. “What did you cook?”
“Too tired to cook. Had fruit, cheese, and crackers.” Her voice slurred slightly. It was tiring her to talk. And what did it matter what she ate?
“You’re certain?”
“Yes. Why?”
“The gas was on on one of the stove burners, and the pilot light was out.”
Shock sent a jolt of adrenaline rushing through her. Her pulse jumped. That couldn’t be right. She pulled the mask off her face, and the machine beeped in protest. “I never turned the burner on. The detector didn’t go off.” And it should have.
“About that,” Cal interjected. “Battery’s dead.”
She shook her head. “Impossible.”
Kieran frowned at the officers and her. “You need to put the mask back on, or I’m calling the nurse.” He reached for the call button.
It made it harder to communicate, but he was right. Talking was stressing her lungs. She slipped it back in place.
“About the detector,” Officer Wilkins pressed.
“I keep track of maintenance at the house and shop. Change the filters and batteries.” She was rabid about it after a fire in an apartment building where she’d been living a few years back.
“Maybe you got a faulty battery,” Officer Wilkins suggested.
“Detector should have beeped if the battery was low.” She rubbed her forehead. The burst of adrenaline had deserted her, leaving her exhausted again.
“Is it possible you might have accidentally struck the knob on the stove and turned it on without realizing?” Officer Wilkins asked.
She had been preoccupied with looking out the window but remembered hitting the stove. It was certainly within the realm of possibility. She took a deep breath, coughed, and shrugged.
“If that’s the case, it’s likely an unfortunate event. They do happen. Maybe the battery’s fine, but the detector’s faulty. We’ll look into it. But I have to ask if you have any enemies, anyone who’d want to harm you?”
“Enemies?” Bewildered, she shook her head. The idea that someone would intentionally set out to harm her left her chilled to the bone. It was ludicrous to consider such a thing.
Kieran cleared his throat. “What about David?”