SPIRIT OF CONSEQUENCE (A Spirit Walking Mystery Book 1) (28 page)

By the second week, I sat up in my bed and actually stayed awake for several hours.

One morning, Uncle George came in and sat with me.

“How’s my girl?” he said as he came through the door.

“I’m grumpy, Uncle George,” I said, sticking out my bottom lip.

“Why?” He sat down next to my bed.

“I’m tired of being pushed, prodded, stabbed with needles and woken up four times a night to make sure that I’m still alive. I am sick of this room. Can’t I move back into my own room?”

He laughed. “It will all be over soon, Princess.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m getting a little old to be called that, Uncle George.”

“I don’t care.” He patted my arm. “You’ll always be my princess, no matter how old you get.”

I smiled. Uncle George always made me feel better. “Where’s Dodge?”

“I sent him into town with Carl.”

“He must be going stir crazy around here.”

“He is, but he’s a good guy.”

“I think so.” I smiled. “Can you do me a favor, Uncle George?”

“Sure, anything you want.”

“Can you draw up a will for me?”

“Sure, why?”

“I want to put Dodge in it. If for some reason I have a relapse,” I put up my hand because he started to protest. “No, I want him taken care of.”

“Okay, Sammie. I’ll get the papers drawn up. Actually there are quite a few that you need to sign. We never signed them on your twenty-fifth birthday.”

“I missed that one.”

“Yes, you did. I think I’m going to go out a buy you a new car to celebrate you coming back to me.”

“Something sporty and black?” I asked, feeling my heart start to race at the thought of a new car, downshifting, and driving the hell out of it.

“Of course.”

“Whatever happened to my car?”

“It’s in the garage.”

“You had it fixed?”

“No.” He shook his head. “After the accident I had it towed to the lower garage. Whenever I felt like you were slipping away, I’d go down and look at it. Then I’d say to myself, ‘If Sammie could survive this, she can pull through anything.’”

“I’d like to see it.”

“When you’re up to it, I’ll take you down there myself.”

“Thanks, Uncle George.” I took a deep breath and yawned.

“No problem.” He got up. “It’s time for you to get some rest and for me to take my afternoon nap.”

“No work to do?” I asked.

“No, I turned the practice over to Jed a few years ago.” He waved as he went out the door.

I fell asleep immediately and dreamed of my black Jaguar sports car and flying around the corners on the way to this house. Flying fast and free!

When I woke up, Dexter stood by my bed.

“How are you feeling Samantha?” he asked.

“For an egotistical, self-centered bitch?” I asked.

“Sorry about that.” He shrugged.

“No, Dexter. You were right. That’s exactly what I was.”

“Was?” He raised his eyebrows. “It’s not going to be that easy to change, Samantha.”

“Very true.” I nodded. “You don’t pull any punches, do you?”

“Not when it comes to my friends.”

“Dodge is lucky to have you, Dexter.”

“I know.” He smiled. “I’m headed back to San Francisco in a few hours.”

“Back to work?”

“Yes. Plenty of bad guys to catch.”

“Is Dodge going with you?” I asked, afraid of the answer.

“No.” He shook his head. “I tried to get him to go with me. You need time to recover and he needs to work. He’s going crazy here.”

“He’s afraid I’m going to leave him.”

Dodge nodded, then raised his eyebrows. “Any chance of that?”

“Not if I can help it.”

“Good. Then I’ll leave him in your capable hands.”

He turned to go.

“Dexter?”

He turned around.

“Thanks.”

He smiled, nodded, and then left.

Dodge came in a few minutes later, kissed me on the lips and said, “Good afternoon, Samantha.”

“Good afternoon, Dodge. Did you have fun with Carl?”

Dodge pulled up a chair. “I just went with him to town. He bought a new fishing pole and I wandered around the sporting goods store.”

“Do you fish?” I asked, thinking there was a lot about Dodge that I didn’t know about.

“Honey, I wouldn’t know what to do with a pole. I’m a city boy.”

“I used to go fishing all the time. Maybe I’ll teach you.”

“You used to fish?”

“Sure.”

“Not much thrill in that.”

“You’ve never gotten a bite on your line and pulled in a fifty-pound catfish.”

“How’s your strength today?”

“I’m doing fine. Dexter was just in here.”

“Yeah, he’s headed home.”

“Shouldn’t you go with him?”

“No, I’m going to stay.”

“But you have a job in San Francisco.”

“Yes, but the bad guys will still be there when I get back.”

“Aren’t you going to be bored here?”

Dodge shrugged.

“You’re already bored.”

He shrugged again.

“What do you like to do besides catch bad guys and have sex with me?”

He smiled and his eyes glistened. “Not much.”

“Well, according to my doctor the sex is out for awhile.”

“You asked him?”

“Damn right. I can’t wait to get my hands on you.”

Dodge laughed and slid his hand under the sheet and stroked my thigh. “I promise to take it slow and easy if you can get him to revise that date.”

I reached under the sheet and pulled Dodge’s hand out. “Come on, Dodge. There must be something else you like to do.”

He shrugged. “I used to work on cars.”

“Uncle George has a mechanic who does that.”

“No, I didn’t work on the engines. I used to refurbish them.”

“Oh, like your dad did with the Dodge Dart.”

“Yeah, I grew up detailing cars. I used to work out all my frustration and anger banging out the dents.” He tried to put his hand under my sheet again but I pulled the covers tighter around my leg. He frowned. “I’ve got a lot of frustration these days.”

I smiled. “Then I’ve got just the job for you.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You do?”

“Yes. But first I need to see it.”

“See what?”

“My car.”

“The one from the accident?”

“Yes, Uncle George had it towed here. I want to see it before anyone does anything to it.”

“Okay,” he smiled. “I can carry you.” He reached under my legs and quickly picked me up before I could protest.

“Dodge!”

Just then the doctor walked in. He frowned. “I said no sex for at least another week. The muscles of her body have not recovered from lying in a coma for five years.”

“Put me down, Dodge,” I said.

“Oh no, this is the closest I’ve gotten to you in two weeks and you need a ride.”

“Where are you taking her?” the doctor asked.

Dodge looked at me.

“The lower garage to see my car.”

“Just a minute,” the doctor said and left the room.

“Let’s sneak out,” Dodge said.

I smiled. “Okay.”

As he opened the door, the nurse brought in a wheelchair. She pointed to the chair. “She rides in this or she doesn’t leave the room.”

Dodge looked at the nurse and then back at me. “I think she means business.”

I giggled. “She could probably take us both.”

Dodge nodded and set me down in the chair.

We grinned at her and Dodge pushed me out the door. When we got to the top of the stairs, he stopped. “Guess I’ll have to pick you up now.”

“Take the elevator in the back,” we heard the nurse growl down the hall.

We both cringed. Dodge turned the chair around and we took the elevator down to the bottom floor. He wheeled me out the front door.

When the sun hit my face it felt wonderful. I put my hand up. “Wait, Dodge.”

“What?” he came around and knelt down. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” I took in a deep breath. “It just feels good to breathe the fresh air, smell the pine trees, and feel the sun on my face.

He stroked the side of my face with his thumb sending a shock wave to my toes. If we took it slow and easy, would having sex before the doctor’s date hurt my body that badly? A slow smile spread across Dodge’s face, as if he read my thoughts.

He kissed me gently on the lips. Now the inside of my body was as warm as the sun on my face. Dodge pulled back, winked, then walked back around and pushed me down the long walkway to the lower garage.

When we passed Uncle George’s five-car garage, Dodge said, “Your uncle’s got very good taste in cars.”

I shrugged. “Does he?”

“Yes. He’s got two Bentleys, one Shelby Cobra, a Cadillac SUV, and a black sports car that I’ve never seen before.”

“That must be Jed’s new car.”

“It’s a beauty.”

“I can’t wait to try it out.”

Dodge frowned.

“Just drive it. Eyes open and no drugs or alcohol in my system.”

“I don’t like that guy.”

“Who? Jed?”

“I don’t like the way he looks at you.”

“Jealous?”

“Maybe.” His broad jaw tightened.

I put my hand on his. “Stop for a minute, will you?”

Dodge stopped pushing.

“Come around here so I can talk to you.”

Dodge came around and knelt down by my chair, his expression changed from irritation to genuine concern. “What’s the matter, Samantha? Are you okay?”

I reached over and ran my fingers through his hair. “I’m fine and you have nothing to be jealous of, especially not Jed.”

“He’s your husband.”

“Legally, yes. In all other ways, he’s not. That was all so I could keep my money.”

“He is your best friend.”

“Yes, he is. Jed’s always been a part of my life.”

The lines in Dodge’s face tightened. “He’s a bad influence on you.”

“Well, we were kind of a bad influence on each other.” I brought his hand to my mouth and kissed it. “Now I’ve got you to influence me.”

He leaned down and kissed me gently on the lips, again. My heart kicked into overdrive and I took a shivery breath.

Dodge leaned over and whispered into my ear. “Did you hear what the doctor said?”

“Something about my muscles.”

“No, before that.”

“The thing about no sex.”

“Yes.”

“I heard him.”

“Did you listen?”

I raised my eyebrows. “Sure, he said no sex for at least another week.” Then I got it and the warmth in my body was expelled and slowly replaced with anxiety.

“Seven days, baby,” Dodge gave me a cocky grin. “I’m going to hold him to it.”

Dodge continued to push me down the path, whistling the entire way. The thought of getting into bed with him raged mixed emotions between my heart and mind. Why?

A few minutes later we arrived at the lower garage. A large building with an automatic door in front, it had been originally designed by the previous owner as a workshop, but now it was used primarily for storage.

“I’ll go in and open the front door,” Dodge told me as he left to go around to the side.

The garage door motor whined and the door rose. My car was a jumbled pile of steel and rubber. There wasn’t a part that didn’t look mangled. It had obviously also caught on fire, because it was black with soot and the seats were burned.

Dodge came back and pushed me into the garage. I reached out, so I could touch the car. “Oh baby. Look what I did to you.”

“She’s messed up.”

“Yes.” I nodded. “Do you think she can be fixed or should I just send her to the scrap heap?”

“I don’t know, Samantha. Let me take a look.” Dodge walked around the car, inspecting every dent and piece of metal still left of the frame.

He frowned.

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “She can’t be fixed, can she?”

“No, it’s not that. Tell me what you remember about the accident.”

“Not much. I was pretty high at the time.”

“You had your eyes closed, right?”

“Yes, you know I did.”

“Then tell me what sounds and feelings you remember from that night.”

“Why?”

“Just humor me, okay? Close your eyes and tell me what you heard and felt.”

“Fine.” I closed my eyes and thought back to the night. “I remember listening to the radio and then turning it off so I could hear the rain. It tapped on the road like drums in an orchestra and I felt it running down my face.”