Chapter 40
Mina
“Hey, Mina. How are you feeling?”
My eyes popped open, my mind ripped out of the delicious daydream brought on by the dose of morphine the nurse gave me just minutes ago.
I blinked, bringing Ozzie’s face into focus.
“Hey!” What felt like a smile spread over my face.
“Morphine is amazing. So is this cloud they’ve put me on.
” The pain in my side had faded to a dull roar, and a floaty sensation filled my limbs.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I was on a cot in the ER, but it felt much lighter and softer than that.
He chuckled. “I’m glad you’re feeling good. You’ve got some decent injuries.”
“Oh yeah?” Again, somewhere, I knew that, but my brain was a little fuzzy. I remembered my ribs hurting, but that was it.
“Yeah. The staff called your parents since you were too out of it once they gave you morphine to really understand what was going on. The nurse let me speak to them. Your mom said you broke your bottom three ribs, one of them in two places. Luckily, they’re not displaced, so no surgery required.
You also lacerated your spleen. They’re watching that. ”
“Yikes. That sounds bad.”
“Bad enough you’re going to be a guest here for a while. The nurse told me they’re getting a room ready for you upstairs.”
I frowned. “No. I want to sleep in my own bed.” With Luke. Because we wore out the dogs.
Wait. Ozzie was back, so he’d take them. Even better.
My frown deepened as my foggy brain tried to make sense of things. Why was Ozzie here and not Luke? Where was he?
“Where’s Luke?” I voiced the thought.
Ozzie’s amused look faded. “Yeah, about that.” His mouth twisted, and he glanced away for a second. “He’s down the hall in another cubicle.”
“Oh. Okay.” My eyelids drooped.
Several beats passed before the implications of that cleared my addled brain.
“Wait, what?” A bit of the fog cleared as concern entered the picture.
“Sarah got to Claire and Ellis and took them to the antique store. She tried to burn it down with them in it. Luke ran in and got them out. They’re all here being treated for smoke inhalation.”
I kicked at the blankets covering my legs, then put an elbow under me to sit up.
Fire raced through my side, and I fell back to the bed with a moan.
“Easy.” Ozzie took my hand and helped me straighten up against the bed. “They’re fine. Just hacking. Claire and Ellis might have to stay the night, since they were in the smoke longer, but I imagine once the ER staff cut Luke loose, he’ll be up in your room. So, just take it easy. He’s okay.”
More sober now, thanks to the rush of adrenaline, the throb in my ribs registered. I winced as I shifted. “What happened? Is my building gone?”
“No. It’s damaged, but I think it’s fixable. It hadn’t been burning long, and the fire department was there pretty quickly. Sarah and Miranda set fire to a pile of shop rags and some packing material.”
My brows twitched down. At least we wouldn’t have to start from scratch, and hopefully, The Cozy Cup could still stay open.
“Did Luke tell you it was Sarah who murdered Moira? That Miranda and Walter just helped hide her body?”
Ozzie nodded. “Both women are in custody. Chief Riggs and I caught them running from the fire. It’s over now, Mina. All of it.”
I smiled. “That’s great news. Moira can finally rest in peace.”
“Yeah, and her family gets closure.”
That was the best part, knowing her parents could rest easy, and so could Rich.
Ozzie patted my hand. “You get some rest. Claire and I will come see you tomorrow, sometime.”
“Okay.” Sleep tugged at me again. The pain meds might have backed off a bit, but it wasn’t just that making me tired.
With another quick pat, he left.
I drifted off. Not into a terribly deep sleep, but enough that time passed without my knowledge. It was nearly an hour later, when the nurse unlocked the brake on my bed, that I awakened again.
She smiled at me. “Hey there. We’re taking you upstairs. You can keep sleeping.”
Not about to argue, I let my eyes slide closed once more.
The nurse and a patient care assistant wheeled me through the halls and into an elevator. I barely felt the bump as we arrived on my floor. With a clack of the wheels over the elevator threshold, we were headed down another corridor. Seconds later, they turned into a brightly lit room.
It was impossible to even feign sleep when the ward staff descended on us to take a report.
Fifteen minutes later, my ER escort was gone and the floor nurse left to check on other patients. Blessed quiet enveloped me.
I let out a soft sigh, ready to drop back into dreamland.
The door opened, admitting the chime from someone’s IV down the hall.
Frustration bubbled over in the form of a growl. “No, I don’t need anything, and you literally took my vitals a few minutes ago. I just want to sleep.”
“I can come back.”
My eyes popped open. That wasn’t the nurse.
It was Luke.
“Don’t you dare leave.” Lifting a hand, I crooked a finger. “Get over here.”
In several long strides, he crossed the room to sit on the edge of my bed. Leaning down, he brushed a kiss over my forehead and took my hand. “How are you doing?”
“Better now that you’re here. Ozzie told me about the fire. Are you all right?” His voice held a raspy note that wasn’t normally there.
“I’m okay. I’ll probably be coughing for a couple days and get winded a little easier for a bit, but I’m fine. Your café isn’t, though. I think our timeline for opening is going to have to change.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I heard. I still don’t understand why she wanted to take them there. Why didn’t she just kill them at Claire’s?”
“I asked Ozzie that. Sarah’s not talking, but I guess Miranda is singing like a canary. She said Sarah wanted the poetic justice of killing them where Moira was laid to rest.” He rolled his eyes. “There is something seriously wrong with that woman.”
“That’s no lie. She’s crazy.” I let my body relax into the bed, a sense of rightness taking over me now that Luke was with me and the whole Moira situation had come to a conclusion. “I’m just glad it’s over, and that everyone will be okay.”
“Me, too, honey.” He kissed the side of my head and ran small circles over the back of my hand with his thumb. “I was worried the whole way back to town about how you were. Did you have to walk out?”
“No. The Coast Guard dropped in a rescue team at a clearing not too far away. They debated carrying me in a litter, but it wasn’t far, so I said I would walk.
They ended up giving me a low-dose painkiller, then just provided some support for the short trek.
A helicopter picked us up from the clearing and brought us to town.
I took an ambulance ride to the hospital, and Walter took a cop car ride to the police station along with Pebbles and Betty. ”
He let out a soft grunt. “That sounds better than my run. My legs are stiff. I’m going to feel it tomorrow.”
“We all are.” I tipped sideways a fraction, so I could lean into him. This sucked. I wished we were back at my place—or his—cuddled up all warm, cozy, and sated in bed.
I also wished I was a little less fuzzy-headed. There had been several huge revelations between us in the last few days, and we needed to figure out what was next for us.
A tear trickled down my face. Turning my head away, I swiped at it.
“Hey, what’s this?”
Luke put a gentle finger under my chin, turning me to face him again.
“Why are you crying?” He frowned.
I sniffed—or tried to, anyway. The pain in my side kept me from doing much more than a brief inhale.
He got up and grabbed a tissue from the box on the nightstand, handing it to me.
“Thank you,” I murmured, then wiped at my nose.
“You’re welcome. Now tell me what’s upset you.”
“I’m not upset.”
One dark blond eyebrow rose over his gray eyes.
“I’m not. I’m just… overwhelmed, I guess.”
His forehead wrinkled. “How so?”
“Just all the stuff that’s happened. Finding Moira’s body. Getting held hostage. Falling on the rock and doing a number on my body.” I paused, meeting his gaze. “You.”
“Me? What about me?” He sat down again, curiosity lighting his expression.
“You’ve come barreling into my life. I’m not mad about it, but it’s got me wondering where we go from here. Do we continue going on as we have been? You stay with me one night, and I stay with you another? We date when our schedules allow? Or do we try to do more?”
Luke held up a hand. “I vote we do more.” He lowered his arm to thread our fingers together.
“I meant what I said in the woods, Mina. I love you. Yes, I want to date you, but I’m also willing to turn the dating into something more serious.
Your life is in Parker’s Landing. Mine can be too.
I can draw up architectural plans and make phone calls about projects from anywhere.
Dad’s company does business all over the region, and I’ve built a solid reputation since I hung out my architect shingle.
I don’t need to be headquartered in Juneau anymore. ”
He leaned closer, earnestness making him look more boyish. “That is, if you want a roommate?”
Maybe it was the pain medication. Maybe it was fatigue.
Or even a combination of both. But the happiness that bubbled up inside of me at the thought of seeing his handsome face first thing every morning and last thing every night threatened to float me right off the bed again, like my high down in the ER.
A smile so broad, I swear it touched my ears, spread over my face.
I quashed it, though, trying to look serious for a second. “I don’t know. Do you snore? That blasted puppy of Ozzie and Claire’s snored, and it about drove me crazy.” Which was the truth. Between her whines and her snores, I got very little sleep while she was at my house.
Luke laughed. A deep, down to his soul, belly laugh. “I’ll wear the nose strips if I do.”
A smirk broke free of my serious mask. “Well, if you’re willing to compromise… I guess a roommate sounds okay.” I sent him a heated look. “So long as there are benefits to this arrangement.”
He bent forward, hovering over me, mere millimeters from my lips. “You can count on that.”
Raising my right hand, I skimmed my fingers over his face and smiled. “Good.”