Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Carter cursed himself once more as he studied Audrey, where she sat on the bed of the small emergency room, feet crossed at the ankles, her face pale and drawn.
He couldn’t believe he left his piece in the car.
The one time he should have had it, he’d forgotten to put it back on.
He hadn’t been able to take it with him to court that morning, and he was in so much of a hurry to see Audrey that he had parked beside the coffee shop and practically jumped from the car.
He couldn’t get the sight of her ragged, torn flesh out of his mind. It replayed on loop over and over, serving only to increase his fury. Thank God she’d taken a step to the side when she had. Just a few inches to the right, and the bullet would’ve pierced her heart instead of her arm.
Unbidden, his hands curled into fists at his side. The neighborhood the coffee shop was in was a decent one, but he wasn’t a fool; he knew bad things happened everywhere. However, there was one detail that stuck out in his mind.
As he’d lain there on the pavement, his body covering Audrey’s, he managed to glimpse the back of the car between the bumpers of two vehicles parked along the curb, and what he’d seen, or lack thereof, turned his blood to ice. The car’s license plate had been removed.
Over the past couple of hours since the incident, he played several possibilities through his mind.
It could’ve been a random drive-by shooting, but he didn’t think gangbangers would be so cautious as to remove their license plate.
The bullet could’ve been intended for someone else, except for the fact that, though there were several other people milling around on the sidewalk, no one else was even remotely close to her when the shot was fired.
He had to admit that it was possible the driver was shooting at the coffee shop itself, or someone inside, but the glare of sunlight on the glass more than likely would’ve obscured the driver’s vision.
It would be difficult to mark a target inside the building while in motion driving past. He didn’t like the last remaining option, that Audrey was, in fact, the intended victim.
You didn’t shoot that close to someone just to scare them.
Aside from her recent trouble at the health center, she hadn’t mentioned anything unsettling. The attack nearly a month ago had resulted in several stitches, but the man who had attacked her was now dead, so that trail was cold.
Something else must’ve happened, and he wanted to know what it was. They’d relayed everything they knew to the detective who’d left just a few minutes prior. He seemed to be of the opinion that it was random, possibly gang-related, but promised to look into it.
His focus returned to Audrey, bantering with the nurse who held out a sheet of instructions to care for the wound.
The nurse tipped her head at Audrey. “I’m sure you know all this, but no showers for twenty-four hours, and make sure to check for infection when you change the bandages.”
“I appreciate it.” Audrey offered a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
He thanked the nurse and made sure the curtain was pulled shut before he turned back to her.
Her gaze was focused on the industrial-style linoleum floor, and he watched her for a long moment before speaking.
As a doctor, she was probably used to hospitals, used to procedures of this sort.
But he had to imagine that this was the first time she’d been on the receiving end of something this serious, and she looked utterly calm. Too calm.
He stepped forward, right into her field of vision, and squatted in front of her, then waited for her to meet his gaze. “You okay?” he asked softly.
The corner of her mouth curled up, and her hands lifted in a shrugging motion. “I’m used to it. This is what I do.”
He captured one hand and drew it between his. “I know,” he acknowledged. “But you’re normally the one in control; you take care of everyone else, but who takes care of you, Audrey?”
“I do,” she whispered. “Only me.”
For a moment, her eyes filled with pain so acute that he could feel it as it sliced through his heart.
In those bright blue depths, he saw fear and worry and something else he couldn’t quite name.
He knew she wasn’t used to having someone to count on, but he wanted to be that person for her.
He wanted to be the man she turned to when she needed something.
Whether she needed help or just wanted to talk, he wanted to prove to her that she could always count on him to be there.
Tears glazed her pretty orbs, and he stood, gently tugging her to her feet. He wrapped one arm around her waist and tucked her head against his chest as she leaned stiffly against him.
“Let it out,” he whispered against her hair. “I’m right here. I won’t let you go.”
Her body shook, but her tears fell silently as she buried her head into him, clinging to his T-shirt for dear life.
He’d always detested a woman’s tears. He’d hated it when Whitney would come home from school sometimes, crying over the breakup of a boyfriend or the loss of a best friend.
Though he comforted Whit as best he could and dropped a threat or two in the ear of whichever young, stupid jock had broken her heart, he’d always tried to distance himself from her grief.
With Audrey, though, he wanted to pull her into him, absorb her sorrow like it was his own and take all the pain away. As he knew she would, she pulled away much too soon and dabbed at her eyes with her fingers as she moved away, putting distance between them both physically and emotionally.
Despite every instinct inside him screaming not to, he allowed her to retreat. For now. There was a lot going on in her head and her heart at the moment, and she needed time to come to terms with all of it.
She looked down at the blue-and-white hospital gown in dismay, and he fought the smile that came to his lips. “I think you make the gown look good.”
Her head tipped slightly to one side as she slid a glare his way.
This time, he couldn’t help the soft smile that curled his lips.
After seeing her so vulnerable, it was a welcome relief to see the feistiness come back full force.
“If you don’t want to wear that hideous thing out of here, I think I can help you. ”
He scooped up the ruined shirt he’d been wearing earlier and held it up. “Missing a sleeve, but it’ll do well enough. Should we make it match?”
A tiny smile touched her lips as she nodded, and he deftly tore the seam of the remaining sleeve.
“Turn around,” he said softly as he twirled a finger in the air. She followed his instructions, and he pulled the ties on the gown until it loosened up the back.
She threw a glance over her shoulder. “Promise you won’t look?”
It was a ridiculous request, considering he’d explored every inch of her body at length during their night together a little over a month ago. Still, he couldn’t help teasing her a bit. “Are you crazy? I’ve been dying to see you again.”
Her cheeks flushed bright pink, and he decided to let her off the hook as he scooped up her bra from the pile of clothes discarded on the chair in the corner.
“I want you to know how completely unfair this is,” he complained without heat. “I have to help you get dressed, but I can’t look or touch? That’s not very nice, Doctor.”
Audrey smiled a little at his teasing tone and met his eyes. She looked so gorgeous, he couldn’t help himself. He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, then leaned in and gently kissed her lips.
He met her eyes as he held her bra up between them, suspended from the tiny straps.
She extended her arms and allowed him to slip it up and into place, then fasten it in the back.
He helped her into his now sleeveless dress shirt, first her bad arm, then the good one.
He buttoned it all the way up to her neck, then tied the tails at her waist.
She arched her neck and tugged at the stiff collar. “Did you have to button it all the way up?”
He lifted a brow at her. “Heck, yes. No one is going to see an inch of your body except me.”
He grinned when she glared at him again, then gave a playful tug to the front of her shirt. “Come on, red, let’s get you dressed and get out of here.”
Holding up the pants she’d worn earlier, he helped her step into them, despite the fact that, just like his, they were dirty and showed signs of holes.
He scooped up her purse, flicked a look around the room to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything, then held out a hand for her to take.
Reluctantly, she grabbed on, and they made their way to the elevator.
He jabbed the down arrow, then guided her inside as the doors slid open.
He leaned against the railing as the car began its descent, and he watched Audrey in the mirrored reflection across from him.
Her eyes were closed, and her head tipped drowsily to one side.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he slipped one arm around her waist and tucked her head against his chest. He loved seeing her in these rare unguarded moments, where her prickly demeanor slipped away, leaving only the open, desirable woman beneath.
“Tired?” His lips brushed her hair as he spoke, and her cheek rubbed gently against his chest when she nodded.
“I just wanna fall into bed and sleep for the next twelve hours.”
The elevator dinged their arrival at the parking garage, and he curled his fingers into her waist. “Soon,” he promised.
He gently propelled her forward, steering her toward his car.
Though he’d been rather salty at the time, he was grateful he’d driven himself instead of riding in the ambulance.
At least now they didn’t have to call a cab or an Uber.
Audrey’s SUV was still at the coffee shop, but he could arrange for that to be picked up tomorrow.