Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Hannah shifted again in the uncomfortable vinyl chair and let out a little sigh. Thoughts spun through her mind as she tried to piece together what had happened and why anyone would want to hurt Audrey.
The logical suspect was Scott, but was he really so upset with Audrey over their impending divorce that he’d stoop to hurting her?
It was a possibility, she supposed. It would save him a lot of time and money in legal fees.
Then there was the life insurance. Without kids, Scott would surely be her beneficiary.
She peered through her eyelashes across the hospital waiting room where Scott sat jiggling a leg restlessly.
He looked anxious, worried, but he’d always been good at concealing his true emotions.
He’d played the doting husband for years before Audrey had caught him with another woman.
Maybe he was a better liar than anyone knew.
She’d heard about their argument yesterday morning.
Could Scott actually be responsible for this?
Andrew drummed his fingers on his thigh, and she turned to look at him. “You don’t have to stay, you know. I can call a cab.”
“No, no.” He shook his head. “I’m not leaving you here all alone after everything you’ve been through today.”
She sighed. “Audrey’s the one who’s hurt, not me.”
He crossed one foot over the other. “I’m sure they’ll take good care of her.”
“You didn’t see her, Andrew. She’s lucky to be alive right now.” She rubbed her arms to dispel the chill that had crept down her spine. If it wasn’t Scott, then who could’ve done something so horrible?
The door to the waiting room swung open, emitting a doctor clad in blue scrubs. “Are you Audrey Stanton’s family?”
Hannah jumped from the chair and strode toward the doctor, anxiety gnawing at her insides. Before she could open her mouth, Scott jumped in. “Is she okay? How bad is it?”
“She has a mild concussion, which is to be expected, and she received seventeen stitches for the laceration on her forehead. The X-ray showed no broken bones, but we’ll want to do a CT scan to make sure there are no internal injuries.
She’s being prepped now, so we should have an answer in an hour or so.
Barring that, she should make a full recovery. ”
“Thank God!” Relief washed over Hannah, and she watched as Scott laced his fingers behind his head and bent at the waist. She laid a gentle hand on his back, and he straightened, turning his gaze to hers, tears swimming in his eyes.
Whatever she suspected him of evaporated at that moment, and she pulled him in for a quick hug.
“She’ll be fine,” she whispered. “I know she will.”
He tightened his hold and nodded against her neck before pulling away and wiping the dampness from his eyes. “When will we be able to see her?”
The doctor glanced at the clock on the wall.
“They have her scheduled for the CT in less than half an hour.” He turned to Scott.
“I can only allow one person back there at this time, and only for a few minutes. I’d like to get the scan done as soon as possible to ensure there are no additional injuries. ”
Hannah handed Audrey’s purse to Scott, and he clutched it to his chest. “You go. I’ll stop by after work tomorrow.”
“I’ll keep you posted. She’ll want to see you.” With a final nod, he followed the doctor through the doors and down the long hallway to the patient rooms.
Hannah let out a slow exhale, then turned to Andrew.
“I wish I’d been able to see her, but thank God she’s okay.
” Despite everything Scott had done, it was important that he see Audrey first. He was her husband, after all, even if he seemed to have forgotten that minor detail a few months ago.
She could tell from his reaction that he still cared about Audrey.
He might not be in love with her anymore, but he still wanted to make sure she was safe and healthy.
Andrew placed a hand low on her back and guided her toward the door. “You could have been seriously hurt tonight, too. You’re still in shock, and you need your rest. Let’s get you home.”
She allowed him to lead her out to the parking garage, and she followed numbly.
For once, she didn’t object to his nearness.
Her thoughts immediately flew to Luke and the way he’d held her last week, so snug and secure in his arms, offering solace when needed, but mostly just being there to listen.
She let out a sigh. She really wished he was here now, but he was probably still tied up with the police.
She was grateful they hadn’t pushed for her to come in tonight. Tomorrow would be a busy day between appointments, setting aside time to go speak with the detective, and stopping by the hospital to see Audrey. The mere thought drained her, and she smothered a yawn.
“You must be exhausted.” Andrew ran a hand up her back. “Why don’t you stay with me tonight?”
She couldn’t begin to tell him all the reasons that would be a terrible idea.
She really needed to come clean with him soon.
Even without looking at him, she could tell from the slight increase in pitch that she’d find hope in his eyes if she looked at him.
And that was the last thing she wanted. She wasn’t attracted to Andrew, at least not in that way.
Viewed objectively, he would probably be considered handsome with his dark brown eyes and prematurely graying hair that gave him a mature, distinguished look and made him seem older than his thirty-some years.
Not so tall that a woman had to crane her neck to look up at him, but not so short that she felt like a giant next to him.
Not that she had that problem. Being very average herself, she looked up to almost everyone.
And the height difference hadn’t mattered at all last week as she’d straddled Luke’s lap.
The position had put her mouth even with his, perfect for kissing.
His beard was thick but trimmed close to his face, and the well-maintained whiskers had brushed over her skin, tickling the nerve endings.
The memory sent a delicious shiver down her spine.
Andrew’s sporty, low-slung Porsche came into view, and he held the door wide as she slipped inside.
She tipped her head back against the seat and shut her eyes as he closed the door then rounded the car and slid into the driver’s side.
She prayed that he’d let the question slide, but she could feel his eyes on her as he started the car.
“You shouldn’t be alone tonight, Hannah.”
She turned toward him and studied him warily. “I’m really exhausted, and I have a ton to do tomorrow.”
His mouth turned down in a frown of displeasure, but he pulled out of the parking garage before speaking again. “I’d feel much better if you weren’t alone. Do you really want to go home to an empty house tonight?”
The thought of going home, wondering if every creak and groan was the house shifting, or if someone was lurking in the darkness just waiting for her was unsettling. No, she really didn’t want to be alone tonight.
He seemed to read her thoughts and stretched a hand over the console, slipping his palm into hers. “Stay with me. You can use the guest room.”
With a tight smile, she pulled her hand free. “If you’re sure it won’t be an imposition—just for tonight.”
Dismay tugged at his features, and she almost felt bad for him. She’d noticed that he was more touchy-feely than usual—a hand on her knee, his arm around her shoulders. Was Andrew slowly trying to move in, put himself in her path so she would have no choice but to acknowledge him?
Not tonight, but one day soon, she’d have to tell him she just wasn’t interested in him romantically. Maybe Audrey was right—if she started dating Luke, maybe Andrew would just kind of disappear on his own. Hopefully, he’d take the hint and move on with someone else.
She stared out the window into the darkness, watching street lamps whiz by in a blur of light.
Twenty minutes later, they turned into a subdivision and pulled around the circular driveway in front of Andrew’s house.
The stately home was the epitome of a wealthy doctor’s house with its intricate brickwork and meticulous landscaping, lit by dozens of soft white lights.
Fancy car, fancy house. Instead of being impressed, she viewed the image as a whole with an odd sense of detachment. She’d been here before, of course, but this was the first time she’d really looked at it, and now she saw it for what it really was: a show.
Andrew had come from nothing. Growing up poor, he’d left that life behind to make something of himself. And he’d done well—very well—for himself. He could afford pretty much anything he wanted now, and he always needed the newest and the best of everything.
She had no such issue. Her parents had been well-off growing up, and she’d never lacked for anything. Selah’s parents had been incredibly wealthy, giving their only daughter everything she could ever dream of. But money hadn’t saved her, and it couldn’t bring her back.
She didn’t need expensive things to be happy—she was glad every day just to be here, to be alive.
She loved her little house with its big backyard.
Living in a giant monstrosity like this would just be overwhelming.
She had no desire to play the little doctor’s wife, even if she continued to practice.
Andrew would be a great catch for some lucky woman. But it would never be her.
Drawing a deep breath, she pushed open the door and stepped out.
Andrew retrieved his briefcase from the backseat, then rounded the car and guided her up the front steps. “How are you feeling?”
She lifted one shoulder. “Fine, I guess.”
“You’ve had a tiresome day. You need to relax, maybe take some time off.”
Like that would happen. She hadn’t had a vacation in almost six years, and it didn’t look like that was going to change any time soon.
She couldn’t afford to just leave her patients for a week or more.
Andrew traveled all over, attending seminars, sometimes speaking.
It suited him, but she preferred to stay home during her time off.
A glass of wine and some TV or light reading was infinitely better than jet-setting all over the place in her mind.
He led her inside the house and strode down the hallway to the guest bedroom on the main floor.
Flipping on a light, he allowed her to enter first. The room was lovely, the walls a pale blue with cream linens.
Everything looked expensive and high quality, but cold and impersonal.
She’d seen hotel rooms with more personality.
She offered him a small smile. “Thank you for letting me stay tonight.”
“You know you’re welcome to stay here any time.
” His dark brown eyes bore into hers, and guilt turned to lead in her stomach.
She couldn’t deal with this much longer.
He would only continue to make advances, gradually try to wear her down and convince her to go out with him.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have the energy tonight to deal with it.
She aimed for polite gratitude, but the smile felt tight and foreign on her lips. “Well, good night.”
“Good night.” He remained frozen in the doorway for another moment, looking very much like he wanted to say something else.
She placed a hand on the doorknob, hoping he would take the hint. Something flashed quickly across his features before he nodded. “See you in the morning, then.”
He took a step backward, eyes locked on hers as he reluctantly retreated into the hallway.
Before he could come up with another reason to stall her, she closed the door and flipped the lock into place.
She walked to the large bed and flopped back on the fluffy mattress with a sigh of relief.
She really shouldn’t be here tonight, but it was better than being at home, all alone with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company.
And the last thing she wanted to think of right now was what had happened at the health center.
She’d replayed the evening over and over while she’d sat in the waiting room at the hospital, agonizing over different outcomes.
People said hindsight was 20/20, and she couldn’t help but run different scenarios through her mind.
She’d wasted twenty minutes checking emails that could’ve waited while some monster had been stalking Audrey.
She should have called her right after her last appointment.
Then maybe Audrey never would’ve been in the man’s path.
If she had gone down sooner instead of waiting, maybe she could have prevented it.
Worst case, she could’ve intercepted him and frightened him off before he’d hurt Audrey. Maybe if…
There were too many outcomes to contemplate.
Pushing off the bed, she strode into the bathroom and twisted the handle on the shower.
Water flowed out, and steam rose into the air.
She rolled her shoulders, pushing the stress from her muscles.
Scouring the cabinets, she turned up a travel-sized bottle of shampoo and a small bar of soap.
Stripping out of her clothes, she climbed into the shower and stood under the warm stream of water, allowing the invigorating spray to pelt her skin.
Fatigue pulled at her, and she quickly soaped her hair and body before rinsing off and wrapping up in a fluffy towel. She couldn’t bring herself to care about her hair and fell into the large bed naked, knowing sleep wouldn’t come easily tonight.