Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
RHETT
They let him ride in the ambulance to Sagebrush Hospital. The whole ride there he kept his mind off of whatever the EMT was transmitting to the hospital about Morgan. He concentrated on holding her hand and wiling her to wake up.
He just wanted her to know that he was there.
That he was holding onto her.
That he wasn’t going to let go.
It wasn’t until they were at the Emergency Room that he found himself casting about. The moment they took her into the trauma center and he was left standing alone, he found himself struggling to hold himself together.
The rock that everyone saw him as, was crumbling under the surface.
The others were coming in the truck if other calls didn’t come through.
And even if they didn’t have calls, they’d be on site cleaning up glass and metal for a bit before they could leave.
Deputy Hayden Hatcher had been called to the scene and he knew she was already putting out a call to every business along the route from the school to the scene of the accident looking for sources of security footage. That would take a bit to compile. And then they’d have to track down the man responsible.
Rhett wanted to track him down, too.
He’d never been a man of violence, more of a man who wanted to heal, but if something happened to Morgan that couldn’t be fixed, he couldn’t promise to remain the same man.
“Sir?”
He turned to look at the nurse. “Yes?”
“You came in with Miss Rafferty?”
He nodded.
“We have her things…” She looked a little uncomfortable when she lifted up the bag in her hand. “We can just leave it with her and transfer it to her room-”
“I’ll take it.” He put out his hand and took the bag, feeling how light it was. Rhett wasn’t sure what he expected when he took hold of it. It looked like it held the clothes that she’d been wearing when she’d left for work that morning. He remembered when she’d walked out the door wearing them, a smile on her face.
He looked at the nurse again, remembering his manners. “Thank you.”
The look she gave him was a tense one as if she was afraid to show her feelings too easily on her face. “Someone will be out as soon as we have any news.”
Rhett nodded, but that was all he could offer at the moment.
He moved to the side of the room and put his back to the wall and felt the weight of the bag as if it had doubled or tripled in a few moments.
It was then that his phone trilled in his pocket.
Rhett pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the name on the screen as if he didn’t know who it was.
He brushed his thumb across the screen and lifted it to his ear. “Jacob.”
“Hey. Sorry to bother you, man. I was trying to call Morgan and she’s not answering.”
“Yeah… uh.”His whole mood dropped through the floor. Sighing, Rhett lifted his other hand to press his fingers against his temple but he stopped when he caught sight of the bag in his hand. “Jacob. Morgan’s in the hospital.”
The other end of the call went silent. He didn’t even think that Jacob was breathing.
“She was in a car accident. We’re still learning more about it, police are investigating.”
Rhett felt his heart pounding painfully against his ribs.
“We were called to the scene. Dispatch said it was a hit and run and she was trapped in the car. I… I climbed in after her and held her hand. I was there while they opened the car so we could get her out.”
“But she’s alive.”
“She’s in with the ER staff. They brought her clothes out to me.” Putting it into words was painful.
“But she’s alive? Right?”
Rhett wanted to beat his head against the wall. “Yes… Yes. As far as I know… I’m just waiting for news.”
“I’m coming down to San Antonio.”
“We don’t have any concrete information-”
“I don’t care! You just told me that my sister was in a car accident and in the ER. I’m coming down there. I need to be there with her.”
“Yeah… Yes, of course.” What else could he say?
When Morgan was ready to have visitors, she’d want to have her brother there.
“I’ll be here at the hospital. I’ll send you the address and updates as they come in.”
“Okay.” Rhett heard the rough scratch in Jacob’s voice. “God… she’s all I have left. She’s got to be okay.”
Rhett wasn’t sure he could hold it in any longer. “I’m sorry, Jacob. I’m so damn sorry.”
The words felt like they were torn straight from his chest through his ribs and skin.
“What do you mean, man? You didn’t hit her car, did you?”
“Well, no, but-”
“You didn’t cause this… You just keep her going until I get there.”
“Okay…” What else could he say. “We’ll be here when you get here.”
“Thanks.”
The phone call ended on that rather final note.
MORGAN
The first thing she felt was the warmth against her hand.
That’s when she remembered where she’d been.
Startled and fearful, she tried to sit up.
Palmer sat upright in the chair beside her bed, drawing her attention.
“Pal-”
Coughing, she held onto his hand tighter as she tried to lift her other arm to touch her chest.
Tried, but failed.
“Wha?”
Palmer was standing beside her bed, gently rubbing at her shoulder. “Take it easy, Morgana. Relax for a moment.”
Relax?
Her throat felt like it was on fire. “What-”
“Hey, sis. Give the man a break and take a sip of water, okay?”
Sis?
She looked over at the other side of the bed and saw her brother standing there with a comically yellow plastic up in his hand. “Jac-”
She started coughing again, the pain in her throat doubling in a heartbeat.
“I told you, man. She’s not the best patient.”
Jacob leaned in with the cup held in his hand, his other hand holding the straw in place.
“Try and drink a sip of water so that you can catch your breath.”
He held the straw right before her lips and smiled when she wrapped her lips around the straw.
“Small sips,” he prompted her and she looked up at him with a grateful smile.
Then she leaned forward and took a few slow sips of water before she let the straw go.
“Jacob?”
He sat on the side of her bed and shook his head. “You come all the way down here from the big city to the suburbs and end up trying to become a sardine.”
“Jacob!” Palmer was on his feet, his gaze burning a hole in Jacob’s head.
“It’s okay, Palmer. It’s okay.” Morgan reached for his hand and she felt her fingers twining with his. “It’s just the way he deals with his feelings.”
Palmer looked at Jacob and Morgan saw the look that passed between the two. It looked like Palmer was making it clear with his eyes that he wasn’t okay with the ‘joke.’
Jacob leaned in closer and grinned at her. “Nice to know you’ve got a protector here, too. Makes me feel okay that you came down here by yourself.”
Morgan looked up at Palmer and smiled. “I’m not by myself anymore, Jacob. I’ve got Palmer with me.”
Palmer leaned in for a kiss and she felt his lips tenderly press against hers. She sighed as he moved away.
“I’m so thankful that you were there.”
Palmer leaned closer. He reached an arm across her body and braced his hand at her hip. “Do you remember that?”
She opened her lips to speak, but paused for a moment. “I remember being afraid. I remember… trying to get help. But…” Morgan’s eyes closed for a moment before she spoke again. “I don’t remember why. I don’t remember anything between the accident and… and when I went back to school to get my grading book.”
RHETT
Rhett felt Jacob’s eyes on him.
Rhett didn’t want to push, but Jacob was a detective through and through. “You went back to the school. Did you see anyone there?”
Morgan’s face pinched with pain. “I… I can’t remember.”
“That’s enough, Jacob.” Rhett glared at him over his shoulder. “Leave it alone.”
“Don’t you want to find out who did this to her?”
Rhett felt his teeth clench together and a muscle tick in his jaw.
Morgan’s fingers moved across his cheek, soothing the tension. “Jacob’s already working the case. He’s just trying to help.”
She tried to sit up higher on the bed and winced at the pain.
“Careful, honey. You have a cast on your arm.”
“A cast on my- Oh, I have a cast on my arm!”
Rhett picked up her hand and lifted it to his mouth, tenderly kissing her fingertips. “You probably don’t feel the pain because of the meds they have you on. It’ll ache soon enough, Morgana. Enjoy the medicine while it lasts.”
She smiled at him. “I’m enjoying having you care for me.”
Jacob moved back from the bed. “Gross. My friend and my little sister.”
Morgan laughed, smiling at the whole situation. “Get over it, big brother. I’ve finally got the man of my dreams, you won’t sour it for me.”
“I won’t let him.” Rhett leaned in and kissed her again. “And if you think I’m letting you out of my sight ever again-”’
“HA!” Jacob clapped his hands together. “This is great! She moves thousands of miles away from me and ends up with another brother!”
Rhett and Morgan turned to look at him, but it was Morgan that spoke. “I’m going to kick your butt when I get out of this bed if you don’t take that back!”
Jacob held up both of his hands in surrender. “Fine… fine. Besides, I’m looking forward to Palmer here getting his act together and putting a ring on your finger I don’t know if I’m okay with my sweet, innocent sister shacking up with a firefighter.”
Morgan sagged back against the cushions on the bed and sighed. “He’s also an EMT so don’t mess with him, brother dear. And I’m not so innocent.” She grinned at Rhett. “Anymore.”
Jacob sank down into a chair near the wall. “Oh god…”
Rhett smiled at Morgan. “He asked for that, sweetheart. But I am going to put a ring on your finger. I love you.”
Tears gathered on her lower lashes. “I love you, too, Palmer. Thank you for being there when I needed you most.”
Rhett turned her hand so that her palm covered his heart. “Thanks for sticking with me, Morgana. Thank you.”
He stayed there, holding her hand against his heart until long after she fell asleep.