Chapter Twenty-Five Raine
Chapter Twenty-Five
Raine
It was dark when I returned to the hospital. I hadn’t called Dr. Webber or the nurses’ station. I showed up, hoping I could see Maria. Maybe she could tell me a little more about the night she’d collapsed.
My half dozen calls to Gabe went unanswered. Shocker.
The hallway was mostly empty, except for a few rattling carts and the humming voices of the nurses. Hospitals always felt like churches at night. Quiet. Sacred. Creepy.
I pulled back Maria’s room curtain. To my surprise, she was awake. And Ken sat at her bedside.
He grinned when he saw me. “Look who finally showed up.”
My stomach tightened. “Came to check in. I won’t stay long.”
Maria pressed her hands against the mattress as she tried to raise herself. “I hoped you’d stop by.”
Annoyance prickled as I crossed to the bed and kissed Maria on her forehead. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I was kicked by a mule. But I can breathe a little easier.”
“Good.”
“When can I bust out of here?” she asked.
A year of not speaking, a lawsuit, and now we were friends again. “I’m not sure. Dr. Webber is gone for the day.”
Ken leaned back in his chair like he owned the place. “The nurse gave me the five-minute warning. Maria needs silence and rest.”
“I wasn’t planning to stay long,” I said.
Maria’s smile was slow and lazy. She stifled a yawn. “I’m glad you came by.”
A knock on the door, and a nurse in scrubs entered. She sanitized her hands and moved to the computer. “You’re very popular, Mrs. Durant. But I’m chasing everyone out.”
Ken rose, kissed Maria on the cheek. “See you soon, gorgeous. Still as sexy as ever.”
Maria’s chuckle was familiar, a sound shared between friends, but she immediately winced. “Stop.”
“Promise to wait a few more days before I break out the hard-core jokes,” Ken said.
“I’ll be back tomorrow.” I squeezed her hand. Without a glance toward Ken, I left the room.
At the elevator, he caught up to me. “She looks good,” he said.
“Good to see her on the mend.”
“I was expecting worse, but I’m glad I was wrong.”
Ken could be a caring guy. He had moments of pure kindness. Unexpected flowers, chocolates on my birthday, sexy texts. It had been good between us for a couple of years. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss those days. When he was focused on me, I felt like the only person in the world.
“We’re lucky.”
“I’m checked into the hotel, so no rush to get on the road. Join me for a drink? Not a big deal. Just two friends catching up.”
I was less curious about him than I was with what he knew about Maria’s case. He was using it to get to me, and for now it was working. “Sure, why not?”
“There’s a bar across the street. Nurses were talking about it.”
“Perfect.”
We left the hospital and crossed the street to the Bones Café.
Streetlamps cut the darkness, creating the illusion that nighttime didn’t really exist in the world of medicine.
It also didn’t matter in legal defense. How many times had Ken’s phone rung in the middle of the night when a high-profile client was in trouble?
I’d listen to his gruff responses as I rolled on my side away from him.
He’d kiss me on the cheek, and then he’d be gone.
He opened the door for me, and we stepped into a room buzzing with people dressed in all flavors of scrubs. We grabbed the last two seats at the bar.
He ordered a beer. White wine for me. I was good for one so I could drive home.
Six months ago, I’d never have pictured myself with Ken in a bar. I had visualized burying him alive or pushing him off a building, but not sitting casually beside him as we’d done since high school.
“I miss you,” he said.
“No, you don’t.” The bartender set a basket of nuts in front of me, and I scooped up a handful, needing a task more than the calories.
“I do. We have something good.”
“Now we don’t.”
“That was my fault,” he said. “And I’m sorry.”
“Life goes on, Ken.” He still hadn’t taken himself off my calling plan, so when I was feeling masochistic, I would read a few of his texts. The numbers didn’t have names attached to them, but judging by the syntax, he was seducing a new woman on a regular basis.
“Any theories on who might have poisoned Maria?” he asked.
“No.”
“Gabe’s going to be the top of every cop’s list. He had motive and opportunity.”
“I can’t see that. She stuck by him when he was arrested and went to jail. And when his business faltered, she took on more hours.”
“No telling what’s going on in someone’s mind. I’ve had clients snap.”
“Amen.”
He raised his glass. “I wasn’t fair to you.”
“No, you were not.” I took a long sip of wine. “That’s the past.”
“It ain’t over yet.”
“I’ve signed the papers. Now you need to do the same.”
“I haven’t received the papers from my attorney yet.”
“They’ve been on his desk for a month.”
“I haven’t gotten them.”
“That’s not what my attorney says.” Frustration coiled in my belly. This was a familiar dance for us.
“I’ve been slammed. Ending our marriage isn’t a priority for me.”
“It is for me. Just sign and get them back as soon as you can.” This conversation had taken a turn I should have seen coming. How could we have avoided the divorce? By not getting married. “I better get going.”
“There’s no rush.”
I grabbed my purse and stood. “This was a bad idea.”
He gripped my wrist, trapping it in a gentle embrace that could harden in a snap. “I love you. I want to work this out.”
The words tugged me back to a time when I’d lived for him to say this.
But Ken never did anything without a goal in mind. I wasn’t sure what he wanted from me, but it wasn’t wedded bliss. He knew I wasn’t prone to dramatic displays in public. I avoided conflict and was even willing to keep small secrets from him so they wouldn’t become a thing.
Even in private, I always kept my composure. I’d always seen anger as a weakness.
“No.” I jerked my hand free and left him sitting at the bar alone.