Chapter Ten Bree #5
“I got her.” Brad’s face was replaced by Sherry’s.
Is this a nightmare? She smiled down at me.
Then the ambulance doors closed with a bang, and Sherry settled in next to me.
The EMT started taking my vitals as someone banged on the door, and we were off with the sirens blaring.
I closed my eyes as the sound became too much.
“I need you to stay with me, Bree.” Kelly squeezed my arm. “I need you to fight the urge to sleep.” I didn’t like that idea.
“Bree?” Sherry loomed over me. Her eyes mocked sympathy.
“I know Brad and I are divorced, but you should know he struggled with a deep depression for several years. He just didn’t seem to care about anything, and it drove a wedge in our marriage, and at some point, I just couldn’t take it anymore, so I ended it. ”
I couldn’t believe she was taking advantage of my vulnerability to talk about her relationship with Brad.
“But he still needs me. He’s always needed me, and I think that point was made clear when we got married.”
“All right, that’s enough, Sherry. I’ve got a job to do here, and I think you’ve said your piece.” Kelly leaned in and began to feel around my body. “Bree, does it hurt anywhere? If anything does, just let me know.” I flinched when she touched my left side. “Okay, that’s a yes, sorry.”
“I’m sorry you’re in pain, Bree,” Sherry continued and ignored Kelly when she gave a loud huff. “I’m not trying to be a bitch. I’m just saying if you’re going to start something with Bradley, just know I will always be a part of his life. So, we’re going to have to find a way to get along.”
The topic of Brad and Sherry was becoming too much. The heartbeat on the monitor slowed as I slipped off to a dark bliss. Good. I needed to be alone and not trapped in this steel box with Sherry.
Beep, beep, beep. I woke to a horrible beep that felt like a sledgehammer to my head. Nope, I wasn’t ready to be back here. I closed my eyes again.
I heard the sound of people in the room whispering.
“A witness across the lake said the asshole kept his light bar on her truck until it sank.” It was Kennedy’s voice, but I was too tired to open my eyes.
“Concussions are a tricky thing.” I didn’t recognize the man’s voice. “The brain decides if it can repair itself or not. It’s just a waiting game.”
“Thanks, Doctor.” I heard my mom’s voice, and I pushed through the darkness and forced my eyes to open just in time to see her turn and look at me. “Bree?” She leaned over the bed and started to cry. “Oh my god, just wait, let me grab the doctor.”
Dad moved into my line of vision and smiled at me warmly. “Welcome back, kiddo.”
The door opened, and the doctor came in and began to shine a light in my eyes. After a few questions he seemed satisfied and had a quiet word with the nurse, then began to write on my chart.
“You had some water in your lungs, so your throat might be sore. Just give it a few tries and see how you feel.” The nurse held a cup and straw to my lips, and I took a few sips.
“Bree, can you tell me where you are?” the doctor asked.
“Hospital,” I croaked out.
“Very good. Do you remember what happened two nights ago?”
Two nights ago? Holy shit, I’ve been out for that long? I nodded.
“Okay, what happened?”
“I was pushed off the road and into the lake.” I was surprised by how much my head hurt as I spoke.
“You weren’t wearing your seat belt, so you hit the windshield.” He gave me a disapproving look, which got my back up immediately. “You’re lucky you survived at all. A hit that hard to the head should have kept you unconscious until you drowned.”
“The truck”—I licked my lips—“hit me, my phone went flying, and I tried to grab it. Belt needed to come off so I could reach it.” Good Lord, I felt exhausted from three little sentences.
“Okay.” He nodded and wrote something else on his tablet. “If you feel well enough, your friends at the SPD want to question you on what happened.”
“Can’t it wait?” Mom pleaded, but Dad placed a hand on her arm, and she nodded. She knew I had to do that. “She’s just been through so much.”
“First seventy-two hours,” I croaked out.
“That’s right.” The doctor gave me a nod. “The first seventy-two hours are most critical in cases like hers.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” I whispered and tried to be strong for them all.
“I can do it.” I felt around for the button and raised the bed to sit more comfortably.
I spotted Patrick and Lainey in the corner.
They both looked concerned. “I’m fine, really,” I assured them as Lainey moved to touch my hand before she eased herself onto the edge of the bed and sniffed.
“We were so worried, Bree.” Tears fell down her cheeks. “We just got you back, and then . . .” her voice trailed off. “I thought we lost you.”
“I’m still here.” Every word took so much energy. “See?” I squeezed her hand as I looked around. “Where’s Charley?” Where there was Lainey, there was Charley.
I loved my twin brother, but over the years after what happened at the river, I’d pulled away, and he’d let me.
Lainey had always been on my side when I was young, but I’d never felt I could confide in her.
I always knew she told Mom everything, and I wanted to live a different life from what she seemed to picture for me.
When Charley came into the picture years ago, there was something about him that drew me in.
I guess it was what Lainey saw in him—he was thoughtful and always made time for the family.
Maybe it was because he didn’t have any siblings of his own and adopted all of us to fill the holes.
I leaned back in and tried to relax and hoped he’d walk through the front door, because I needed him at a time like this—he was my rock and always seemed to ground me.
“Oh, Bree, his mom’s sick. But as soon as he heard, he looked at booking the next flight home.”
I shook my head then. “No, Lainey, call him. I’m fine. His mom needs him more.”
She laughed and dried her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Her dementia is getting worse, and as insensitive as it sounds, I don’t think she’d even notice if he did leave.” She drew in a deep breath.
“Sweetie,” Dad said and linked arms with Mom, “the police are here.”
“Oh, Bree”—Lainey held up her phone—“Dale called like a hundred times.” Oh my god, Dale! I forgot he had called me during my attack on the road. “I hope you don’t mind, but I texted him back that you were in the hospital. I told him to stay put and that we’d update him when we know anything.”
“Thank you.” I gave her a light smile. The very last thing I needed was Dale showing up and panicking over what had happened. The man had been through enough. I looked at Dad. “All right, I’m ready.” He and Mom walked out of the room with Patrick and Lainey. Alone, I waited for Cap to come in.
To my utter disbelief, Ray was the one who came in to question me—after curtly informing me the truck had evaded capture.
He was, of course, an asshole and questioned my judgment on most of my actions instead of just taking notes on the events that took place.
By the time he left, I felt wrung out and pissed.
As much as I wanted to report him to Cap, I knew better than to snitch.
I needed to win Ray over myself, somehow.
“Nice to see you up.” Brad was suddenly in the doorway, arms at his sides, fingers rolled into fists.
“Welcome back.” I felt my heart squeeze when I took in how handsome he was, and now I had to pull myself away before I let myself fall for him again.
Tall, dark hair curled under his ears, dark eyes to match, lean and fit in a way that would make any woman stop and admire his features.
He crossed the room, pulled up a chair, and sat next to me. “You hit your head pretty hard.”
“Yeah.” I touched the stitches that ran along my hairline. “Could have been worse.”
“Yeah, you could have died.” He coughed into his hand and gave me a pissed-off look. “I told Cap you should maybe step back.”
“You did what?”
“This is getting real, Bree. You really could have died.”
I waved a hand around as I tried to form a sentence. I was so pissed. “Who gave you the right to do that?”
His thumb swiped his nose as he fought to keep his voice down. “I’m lead detective, which gives me the right to pull people off the case. If you were anyone else, I’d still do the same.”
“I packed up my life in New York to come here.” I glared and ignored how much it hurt to talk. I took a sip of water. “I came as a favor for Cap, so if he pulls me, fine, but I don’t take orders from you.”
His fingers tapped the bed rail as he absorbed my words. “I’m only trying to protect you.”
“Not yours to protect,” I ground out. More of what Sherry had said in the ambulance seeped back in.
She clearly still had feelings for him, and I realized he was trying to balance her and work—and me.
It was all just too much. I turned away as his phone vibrated.
He cursed when he read the message. He tucked it away and stood over me.
He leaned down close and whispered, “I will always protect you.” I felt tears prickle my eyes. “I’ll check on you later,” he said as he straightened up and walked out of the room.
Once I was alone, I thought hard about everything.
If I ever let Brad in, then Sherry would always be in my life too.
Not to mention the fact that I was being targeted by whoever it was who ran me off the road.
I had my job and my happy life back in the city.
I went over and over it, but my body felt like it had been hit by a truck.
Oh wait, it basically had been. I let the pain in then and silently sobbed into a pillow.