Running Back to You (The Running Series, #1) (53 page)

“That’s so sweet of you to be worried about me, but I’ll be fine.  I
don’t expect anyone to drop what they’re doing to babysit me.  Besides, I’ll be
so busy getting Evan to physical therapy and job hunting that I won’t have time
to feel sorry for myself.”

“Job hunting?  I thought you had a job.  Didn’t you tell me you were
making a ton of money bartending at some nightclub on the boardwalk?” 

“Yeah, well, I sort of got fired last night.”  I stand up and walk to the
other side of the room so I don’t disturb Evan.  “My friends and I all walked
out in the middle of our shift last night.  There wasn’t time to explain, so we
all got fired.  I was just getting good, too.”

“That’s perfect.  Maybe you could open up your own bakery or something.  Remember
in school, how we used to dream about opening up our own restaurant? You and
Luke were going to be the pastry chefs and Simon, Sara and I would be the
executive chefs?  I think we even had restaurant names picked out.  But then
you interned at that cupcake shop, and you completely bailed on our fantasy.”

“To tell you the truth, I don’t think I want to work in a bakery anymore,
Reese.  I’ve really begun to enjoy bartending and watching the customers’
immediate reaction when they enjoy something that I’ve prepared.  Do you
remember that place in Denver owned by Chef Keegan Gerhard, D Bar Desserts?”

“Remember it?  It’s still one of my all-time favorite places.”

“There’s nothing like it around here, a cool dessert bar where people
could go and have a plated dessert and cocktails, maybe even a small light
meal.  How cool would it be to own a place like that?”  This is another example
of how the choices we make determine our path in life.  The choice to accept a
bartending job has completely changed my professional goals and aspirations.

“Well, if you do, I’ll be the first to fly out there to help you open
up.  Does Evan have any cute single teammates you could introduce me to?”

“By the time I’m able to open up my own place, you’ll be married with two
point five children and a dog.”

We spend a few more minutes chatting and catching up.  It feels so good
to forget about my problems and just spend time with a dear friend.  I glance
over at Evan and I see he’s starting to wake.

“Reese, I gotta go.  Evan’s starting to wake up.  I’ll call you
tomorrow.  Give my love to everybody.”  I quickly end my call and hurry over to
Evan’s side.

“Hey, sleepyhead.  Welcome back.”  I plant a soft kiss on his lips and
sweep some hair off his brow.  “I missed you.”

Slowly but surely, he wakes from his deep sleep.  The nurse brings him a
cup of ice chips and a can of ginger ale.  She brings me a wash cloth, soap,
and a small basin.  Evan allows me to wash his face, fix his hair, and put
toothpaste on his toothbrush.  He insists on brushing his own teeth.  I begin
to see the man I love so dearly returning.  Relief finally begins to settle
within me.

Evan’s first visitor besides his parents and me is Officer Harper.  He
explains that he’s here to take Evan’s statement.  When I tell him that Evan
just woke up from anesthesia, he offers to leave, but that means Evan will have
to go down to the police station to answer their questions.  We decide that
it’s best if we just get it over with now, so we can move forward.

Since Officer Harper has already interviewed Adam, he knows all about
Averee’s harassment and vandalism.  What he’s most interested in hearing about
is how and why Evan removed her from Wilkinson’s so quickly and why he brought
her to Auggie’s house.

He explains to the officer how she pulled Evan on stage with her and
discreetly showed him the gun she was prepared to use if anyone tried to keep
them apart.  He says he had to make a quick decision to get her away from me
and the crowds of innocent people.

After jotting down Evan’s remarks, he turns to me.  “Miss Fletcher, I
want to compliment you on your quick thinking in helping the police locate Mr.
McGuire so rapidly.  It saved the police valuable time and resources.”

Then he turns and addresses Evan directly.  “And Mr. McGuire, your clever
clue-dropping conversation with Mr. Deegan helped the negotiator piece together
a very important part of the puzzle.  You should both be proud of your
fortitude and resourcefulness.” 

Officer Harper asks us if we have any questions for him.  My mind
immediately goes to our friends and whether or not they will be able to gain
access to both the houses.

“Mr. McGuire, your house has already been processed and you’re free to
enter.  The mattress and damaged clothing have all been seized for evidence. 
You should have no problem getting in,” the office explains.

“And what about the house on Comanche Avenue?  Our cars are there and I
need to get a change of clothes.”  I hold my breath, fearing he’s not going to
tell me what I want to hear.

“Well, that’s hard to say.  Picking up the vehicles is not a problem. 
It’s the house that’s closed off for now, not the property.  I can escort one
person into the home to retrieve a few items, but the house will probably be
sealed for a few more days.”  That’s exactly what I thought.

We decide it’s best if Auggie meet Officer Hewitt at the house.  After
all, he needs some of his things, too.  He instructs us to have Auggie meet him
there in one hour.  Before leaving, he gives us another business card so we can
contact him if we need to make any changes to our statements.

After we call Auggie to let him know the plans, we call our friends.  Adam
and Marcus offer to retrieve Evan’s car from my house and bring it to the
hospital so we can drive ourselves home.  They are more than happy to meet
Auggie and get changes of clothes for both of us.  They can bring my clean
clothes to the hospital when they bring us the car.  I’ve been wearing my
uniform for almost twenty-four hours straight and I cannot wait to get changed. 

Our next visitor is the plastic surgeon, Dr. Sharpe, who comes in to
check on his patient.  He opens up the bandages and checks his work.  He seems
pleased with what he sees.

“Okay, Mr. McGuire.  You’re all set.  I want to see you in my office in
five days.  We’ll remove your stitches at that time.  You may notice some
tingling and numbness.  That’s normal and should clear up after a month or so. 
There was some significant nerve damage, but the nerves will eventually
regenerate.”  He’s looking over Evan’s chart and adding some notes of his own.

“What about exercise?  Can I continue my workouts?” Evan asks.

The doctor is firm.  “I don’t want to see you using that hand at all
until I see you in my office at the end of the week.  You can do cardio, but no
weight training.”

“How about football?  Will I be able to start this season?”

“I don’t see why not.  As long as there are no complications and you
follow the discharge and aftercare instructions, I expect to see you on the
field this fall.”  He hands Evan a list of do’s and don’ts, along with
prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medication, then excuses himself from
the room.

“Come here, you.”  Evan makes room for me on the bed beside him.  “Did
you hear that?”

I curl up beside him and snuggle into his strong embrace.  “I did.  Are
you relieved, baby?”

“Very.  Thank God I’m cleared for cardio.  But I can’t use my hand, so
that means you’re going to have to do most of the work for a while.”  He has
the most wicked smile plastered across his face. 

“You are insatiable.  Is that what you were worried about?  Seriously?”

“Petrified, weren’t you?”  He pulls me closer and kisses me gently,
running his fingers across my cheek.  He still makes my heart sing.

“Hey, you two, break it up.  This is a hospital, not a motel.”  Adam and
Marcus walk in with our change of clothes and car keys.

I get out of bed and give Marcus a big bear hug, “Thank you so much for
everything.”  He smiles and hugs me back.

Adam walks over to look out the window, giving me some space.  He’s
received so much of my anger last night and this morning, I don’t know if
things will ever be normal again.  But I think I should at least make an
effort.

I walk over to Adam and take his hand in mine.  “Adam, I need to thank
you for everything and apologize for the way I treated you.  I needed someone
to blame, and well, you were there.  I know you never would have intentionally
done anything to hurt Evan.  Will you forgive me?”

He wraps his arms around me.  “There’s nothing to forgive.  You didn’t
say anything to me that I haven’t said to myself a thousand times since.”

Evan watches us with a puzzled look on his face.  “What was that all
about?”

Adam and I answer him at the same time, “Nothing.”

“Okay, then.”  Evan just shakes his head and changes the subject. 
“Thanks for the change of clothes, guys.  What’s it like out there?”

“It’s pretty crazy still.  There are reporters camped out at every exit
waiting for you two to leave.  They swarmed your car when we pulled up.  I
guess they recognized it.”

“Suppose we wait another hour or two until dark?” I ask.  “Maybe they’ll
be gone by then.”

Adam disagrees.  “It doesn’t work that way, Jette.  They stay until they
get the shot they came for.  It’s probably best if we just give them what they
want.  Let’s get you two looking human again.”

I have to help Evan change into clean clothes.  The boys brought him
jeans and a t-shirt.  No one realized how difficult it would be to pull up a
pair of jeans, fasten and zip them up with only one good hand.  Evan does not
seem to like being helpless.  “I think I prefer when you’re taking my pants off,
Juliette.”

I slip into the bathroom to get changed.  Emmy sent over a pair of jeans
and a clean top for me, too.  When I come out, Marcus hands me a small black
bag with a zipper.  “What’s this?” I ask.

“It belongs to one of the nurses.  It’s her make-up bag.  She was kind
enough to let you borrow it.”  Marcus is honestly one of the kindest men I
know.  There aren’t a lot of men who could charm a woman into handing over her
make-up to a complete stranger.  “Is there anything useful in there?” he asks.

“Actually, yes.”  I find some lip-gloss that I apply to my finger, and
then dab on my lips.  A little foundation to cover the circles under my eyes,
and just a touch of mascara, and I’m good to go.  Emmy packed a hairbrush and a
hair tie, so a high and tight pony will have to do.  “Okay, boys.  Let’s do
this!”

Adam and Marcus leave to get the car.  They have to stop by security
first to let them know we’re leaving.  The plan is for Adam to pull up with
Evan’s car and for Marcus to follow behind.  They take our bags with them, so
we won’t have to fumble with any belongings while the cameras are flashing in
our faces.  While they head to the parking garage, Evan and I stop by the
nurse’s station to sign the discharge papers and return the make-up bag.

We take our time walking through the hospital, slowly making our way
towards the main entrance.  Adam calls to tell us they’re about to pull up. 
Just as planned, Evan and I step onto the automatic door opener, and
immediately the cameras start flashing and voices start calling out to us.  The
security department at the hospital has a path cleared so we can get to the
car.

As usual, Evan has his good arm wrapped around my waist and he pulls me
close as he slows us just enough to allow a few pictures to be snapped.  We
don’t answer any of their questions. 

Adam steps out of Evan’s car, leaving the door open.  Evan holds the door
for me as I slip into the driver’s seat, and then he shuts the door.  He claps
Adam on the shoulder with his left hand and thanks him.  Then he walks around
the car, opens the door, and slides into the passenger seat.  Adam leans into
the car to say something to us before he leaves.

“Race you there,” he challenges.  Without waiting for a response, he
shuts the door, and retreats back to join Marcus in the car behind us, and off
we all go.

The Home
Stretch