Jake pushed himself to his feet. He pressed a couple of buttons on his oxygen device and began removing the plastic tubing from around his head.
“Is she okay?” he asked.
“I don’t know all of the details yet,” Cole replied.
“Dad, what are you doing?” Mason asked. “You can’t be running around in the dead of night. We can—”
“We’re going to the hospital, Mason,” Jake interrupted. “Everly needs us.”
Whatever Mason saw on his father’s face had him nodding. “All right. I’ll get changed.”
“Before you do, I need an outfit for Everly,” Cole said. “I’ll bring it to the hospital.”
“What? She doesn’t have anything at your house, Cole?” Mason asked, reaching out and giving him a light punch on the shoulder.
Cole guessed it was meant to be a gesture of camaraderie. All it told Cole was that Mason Wallace didn’t know his daughter at all.
“No sir,” he said. “Do you want to get something for her, or should I?”
“Why don’t you look for something? You probably know what she’d prefer to wear more than I would.”
“All right.” Cole stopped by Jake. “Are you okay to get ready on your own?”
“I’ll be fine. Thank you, Cole.”
Cole nodded and headed down the hallway. He hadn’t been in this part of the house before, but it wasn’t hard to figure out which room was Everly’s. He stepped inside of it and took a deep breath.
It smelled like her.
Forcing himself to focus, he headed for the closet. He pulled the folding doors open and shifted some things around to figure out where her winter garments were hung. His eye caught a reflection of the room’s light off a piece of glass behind the hanging clothes.
What the hell? Parting the clothes, he stared down at the large framed poster of himself. He still remembered giving Wyatt a hard time as he signed it. His brother said it was going to be a gift for someone he worked with. The girl was a huge fan of his, Wyatt had said. Cole had joked that maybe they should be introduced.
Jesus.
Turning, Cole glanced around Everly’s bedroom. He realized that it was decorated in Atlanta sports memorabilia. The only uncovered surface was a large rectangle over the bed.
He looked again at the print. No wonder she hadn’t asked for his autograph. But why was it in her closet?
His gaze fell on her father’s suitcase. He remembered some of the things she’d said, as well as Mason’s reaction when he opened the door and saw him. Frowning, Cole returned his attention to the task at hand.
It took him two more minutes to choose a sweater, jeans, and undergarments for Everly. Spotting an empty backpack on the shelf in the closet, he used it to hold the clothing. Then he headed back out to the family room.
Mason stood next to the couch, his phone in his hand. He looked up from the screen when he heard Cole.
“Sure is thoughtful of you to stop by and tell us about Everly’s incident, Cole.”
“No problem.” Cole glanced at Jake’s closed bedroom door. “I guess I’ll see you at the hospital. Northside.”
“Oh, right. Thanks.” Mason smiled and nodded. “We’ll definitely see you there.”
Cole waited for him to ask if he had more information about Everly’s condition. He waited for him to offer Cole his cell number so he could get updates. He waited for him to show some amount of concern over his daughter.
Any at all.
And receiving none of the above, part of him bled for Everly.
Chapter 34
While Cole was in the house, Wyatt found out from Rowan that the doctors were conducting a number of tests on Everly, including an MRI and X-rays, to determine whether or not surgery was needed. Rowan still hadn’t gotten back to them by the time they walked into the hospital.
“Hey, my man,” Javier called out.
He rose from the low couch along a wall to the left of the doors. The other guys were nearby and also turned to greet him.
“Hey.” Cole accepted Javier’s quick and hard embrace, then another one from Marshall. “Thanks again for coming.”
“No problem, man. We don’t have a clue what’s goin’ on, though.”
When everyone gathered around, he spoke in a low voice about what had happened. Several of his friends let out loud curses as he spoke. The registration nurse, who was conversing with Wyatt and Rowan, gave them all a warning look.
“This is so messed up,” Anton said with a scowl. “Did they catch who did it?”
“No.” Here, Cole caught Marshall’s gaze. His friend’s eyes widened slightly as he realized what Cole was implying. “Rowan didn’t want to leave Everly, so he didn’t chase after her attacker.”
Nick frowned. “Damn. Why would someone just jump a waitress? Was she robbed?”
“No,” Cole replied. “The police are investigating.”
“Cole,” Wyatt said.
Glancing up, Cole caught his brother’s hand motion. He hurried across the lobby to the registration desk. He realized a woman in surgical scrubs had emerged from a pair of double doors. When Wyatt and Rowan approached the woman, Cole went with them. His heart thundered in his chest. He found it impossible to ignore the smears of blood on the woman’s top.
“Wyatt,” she said, reaching out and shaking his hand. “Good to see you.”
“Thanks, Janice. What can you tell us?”
“Dr. Remer’s still reviewing the results of the MRI to be certain, but we see no evidence of a cranial bleed. There’s a minute fissure on the frontal lobe in the area she was struck, but it appears to be remodeling from an older injury. We want to be certain before considering discharge.”
“Of course.”
“X-rays show no evidence of a fracture in the forearm. There is, however, hairline fracturing in two ribs from the strike to her back. Took us a while to review those images due to more remodeling.”
Cole struggled to keep up as Wyatt nodded and made noises of understanding. From what he gathered, Everly’s injuries weren’t life-threatening. It also seemed that she’d been injured before. Maybe a car accident? He supposed it wasn’t relevant just then.
“Can I see her?” he asked.
Janice turned her gaze to him. “She should be admitted to a room soon. We’ll want to keep her overnight for observation. Visiting hours—”
“Janice,” Wyatt interrupted. “This is my brother, Cole. Everly is his…”
“Girlfriend,” Cole supplied. “Please, I just want a few minutes with her.”
Sighing, Janice said, “I’ll see what I can do.”
Then she turned and disappeared through the double doors. Cole walked back over to his friends to give them an update. He left out the part about the remodeled injuries.
“Look, guys,” he said. “There’s no reason for you to hang out here. Visiting hours don’t start until the morning, and we’re causing a bit of a scene here.”
They looked around and found everyone gaping at them. Considering the time, there was a large number of people in the waiting room.
“You sure?” Marshall asked. “We don’t mind. Hell, all I’ve got waiting for me back home is my pain-in-the-ass brother-in-law.”
“It’s cool, man. It sounds like they’ll release her tomorrow. Thanks so much for coming out.”
“Keep us posted, hear?” Javier said.
“Will do.”
Once his friends departed, Cole went to sit with Wyatt and Rowan on the other side of the waiting room. Rowan started to apologize, but Cole stopped him. Whatever had happened in that parking lot, it wasn’t Rowan’s fault.
Twenty minutes later, Janice came back out. Cole got to his feet. She met him, Wyatt, and Rowan in the middle of the waiting room.
“She’s under the influence of heavy-duty pain killers, Mr. Parker, but you can see her for a few minutes,” she said. “Come with me.”
Receiving nods from Wyatt and Rowan, Cole followed Janice through the dou
ble doors. He felt like he should be draped in surgical scrubs himself. Moans and cries of pain emerged from one of the areas they passed. When they turned another corner, Janice drew back a curtain.
Everly lay on a hospital bed in a slightly inclined position. Her eyes were closed. Her arms rested beside her on top of the blanket. White gauze and some kind of cooling pack covered her right forearm. Swelling and dark bruising was visible on either side of the bandages. Similar dressings covered her forehead and part of the left side of her face.
“God,” he breathed. She looked so pale and fragile. “Everly.”
She didn’t stir. He took her hand in his. It felt like ice. He couldn’t help but fear that the ER team had been wrong. What if there was a bleed in her brain?
“Everly,” he said again, squeezing her hand. “I just want you to know that I’m here, okay? You be strong for me. Your grandpa’s on his way, too.”
Her eyelids parted. His heart slammed against his breastbone.
“Hi,” he said when she looked at him.
“Cole. Glad to see you.”
Her speech was slow. He prayed it was a result of the medication.
“Glad to see you, too. Wish it was in a more glamorous setting, though.”
“Mmm,” she managed. She moistened her lips and tried again. Her voice was raspy. “Thanks for coming. Didn’t know if you would.”
He frowned. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Why would you?” she whispered.
Her eyes closed. A tear leaked out and trailed down her cheek. Panic struck him.
“She’s gone back under,” Janice said in a quiet voice from behind him. “Why don’t you let her rest? She won’t be fully coherent until the morning.”
Although he didn’t want to leave her, he made himself follow Janice back out into the waiting area. Everly’s words followed him like a specter.
Why would you?
* * *
Everly woke in the middle of a dream. She’d fallen from a tall tree. Her arm was broken, the bone jutting through her skin. Her mouth opened on a scream.
Surfacing to reality, she blinked awake to see her father staring down at her. She read nothing in his cold blue eyes. Vaguely, she realized she was lying in a hospital bed. Her right forearm was bandaged. Her father was leaning on it, applying enough pressure to bring tears to her eyes and bile to the back of her throat.
Seeing she was awake, his grip eased. “I thought that might do the trick,” he said without inflection. “I had to wake you before Cole returns.”
The machines monitoring her vital signs escalated in the frequency of the beeps filling the room. Her gaze moved around her, hoping to see a nurse or anyone else nearby. She briefly registered the astonishing number of floral arrangements and balloons lining the window sill and counters before she once again looked at her father.
They were alone.
The fingers of her left hand gripped the blanket and squeezed. Whatever drugs were coursing through her system had her feeling sluggish. Unable to protect herself.
“What did you tell them?” her father demanded.
Her mouth and tongue felt like they were caked in sand. She shook her head. She hadn’t told anyone anything.
Had she?
As she struggled to remember what had happened to get her into the hospital, she watched her father bend down. Once again, he applied pressure to her arm. Pain seared through her. A strangled sound left her throat. Tears filled her eyes.
“What. Did. You. Tell. Them?”
She fought to gather enough moisture in her mouth to respond. When she did, she croaked, “N-nothing.”
He released her arm. A sob escaped her. She wanted to scream at him. How dare he hurt her? How dare he make her feel this vulnerable again?
Instead, she clutched the blanket and cried.
“You’d better hope that’s true,” he said. “You remember that if anyone asks what happened eight years ago, you fell. It was an accident.”
His words sent her spiraling back.
The quick, angry shove. Falling into empty space. Her body connecting like a ragdoll with the hard, wooden stairs. Bones snapping. Blackness followed by intense questioning.
Nurses. Doctors. Social Workers. Police.
The curtain separating her bed from the door was suddenly shoved aside. She turned and spotted Cole standing there with her grandpa holding onto his shoulder. Both of them looked from her to her father, who stepped away from the bed.
“Is everything okay in here?” Cole asked.
She thought he looked angry. How much had he heard? Lifting her left hand, she wiped at her face. She didn’t want her grandpa seeing her like this, never mind Cole.
“Fine,” her father said, wearing a smile that most people found charming. “Just enjoying a moment with my little girl.”
Bile once again surfaced. Everly turned her gaze to the window and struggled to regain her composure. Where in the world had all of these flowers come from?
“How are you, my girl?” her grandpa asked.
Swallowing hard, she turned her head and forced a smile. “Okay, Pee Paw.” She cleared her dry throat. “You shouldn’t have gone to all of the trouble of coming here.”
“That’s what I said.” Her father nudged Cole like they shared an inside joke.
Cole moved a step away from him and didn’t comment. Seeing the deliberate gesture, Everly’s breath caught. She battled back more tears.
“Don’t talk such foolishness,” her grandpa said, taking her hand. “You had us worried.”
“I’m sorry, Pee Paw. I’m all right.”
He smiled at her. “I brought you sunflowers. Thought they’d cheer you up. ‘Course, I didn’t know the entire ball team would bring you flowers, too.”
She looked again at all of the bright and cheerful arrangements. “I’ve never had flowers delivered to me before. That sure was nice of them.”
“Delivered? They brought ‘em themselves,” her grandpa laughed. “I think they bought out the gift shop downstairs.”
Her eyes widened. She couldn’t decide if she was flattered that her favorite ball players had personally brought her flowers, or horrified that they had seen her like this.
“The nurse said we only had a couple of minutes,” Cole said. “I’d like to speak to Everly, if that’s all right?”
“Of course,” her father said. He gave her a long look. “I’m sure she’s happy to see you.”
“We’ll be in the waiting room,” her grandpa told her.
Everly nodded. She watched in silence as they left. Then her gaze moved to Cole. He approached the bed. It was clear he hadn’t gotten much sleep, if any.
“You’re coming home with me,” he said.
Nothing else. Just that.
She didn’t know how to respond. Eventually, she went with, “I am?”
“Yep. I’ve arranged for Jonette to spend more time with your grandpa while I take care of you for a change.” When she opened her mouth, he added, “Don’t argue. You won’t win.”
Her emotions tumbled over themselves. How long had it been since anyone saw to her well-being? Since anyone worried about her enough to carry the fatigue she saw in Cole’s eyes? Since anyone pushed against her stubborn arguments and insisted that they take care of her?
How was this possible with Cole Parker?
“Why are you doing this?” she whispered at last.
He reached down and brushed his fingers along her right cheek. The worry in his eyes turned to another, more intense emotion. Her heart toppled as she held his gaze.
“I’m doing this for the most important reason there is,” he answered, his voice as soft as his caress. “I’m doing this for you.”
Chapter 35
Everly endured the evaluations and stream of questions by the nurses and doctors overseeing her care. She also spoke to the police, though she didn’t remember anything after leaving the restaurant with Rowan. By four o’clock on the day after the attack,
they decided she could be discharged.
At that point, she was chomping at the bit to get out of there. The nurses had reduced her pain medication once she regained consciousness. Although her arm still throbbed, the swelling had gone down to almost normal. Now she just had a wicked bruise running the length of her forearm. She imagined her father’s mistreatment hadn’t helped.
When she was allowed to stand and use the bathroom on her own to wash up and brush her teeth, she saw the bandaging on her face and forehead in the mirror. God, she looked awful. Feeling incredibly vain, she peeled back the gauze to see what her face looked like.
Not as bad as she feared, she noted with relief. Rowan mentioned earlier that Wyatt told him to insist that a plastic surgeon handle the stitches. She’d be forever grateful for that.
As she changed into the sweater and jeans that Cole had brought for her, she thought about the incident that had resulted in her being there. Someone had laid in wait specifically for her. They planned on using a baseball bat on her.
Was the bat symbolic? Had they planned on killing her, or was it only meant to scare her? Had it been Rebecca, as Cole feared? What if it wasn’t?
She had no answers. The police would question Rebecca, since Cole told them about the slashed tires and his recent run-ins with his ex. Maybe that would result in this mystery’s solution. Everly actually hoped it did. The alternative was chilling.
She sat on the couch in her room and slid her feet into the black wedges she wore for work. When Cole walked in, he glanced at her feet and winced.
“Forgot the shoes. Sorry.”
She shrugged and gave him a small smile. “I’ve got a ginormous bandage on my head. I don’t think people are going to notice my shoes.”
A corner of his mouth lifted. “I thought you might say that.”
She finally noticed the plastic bag he held when he sat beside her on the couch. He pulled out a knit hat in a soft shade of purple. It matched her sweater, she realized.
“Margaret brought this a few minutes ago. I have a sister, so I know how weird girls are about their appearance when in public.”