Unbreak the Woodsman

  Somewhere outside the car, I heard a baby crying.

  That made me tense.

  “The baby…”

  “Your baby is fine, ma’am. One of the other paramedics is looking him over,” the firefighter said.

  My baby? I frowned at that. That didn’t seem right.

  I shook my head again, trying to clear it, but it only made it worse.

  My head hurt so bad.

  I tried to think past the pain. I needed to. It was important. The baby.

  It had something to do with the baby.

  My phone started to ring. Dazed, I looked over and stared at the seat next to me, looking for my purse.

  The firefighter was still talking. I nodded and made an agreeable sound. He could have been telling me that he was taking me to the moon and I wouldn’t have known. I needed to answer the phone.

  What if it was Ryder?

  Just that simple thought made the fog in my head disappear, and I gasped. “Ryder!”

  “Is that the baby’s name?”

  I jerked my head around, then groaned as pain sank greedy, nasty bites into me. “No,” I whispered. “The baby is Natanael. Ryder is his…that’s his father.”

  Panic welled up, and I reached out, grabbing the firefighter’s heavy coat in my hand. “You have to make sure Natanael’s safe until his dad can get him. That man–”

  The firefighter took my hand and squeezed gently. “Listen to me,” he said softly. “You’re safe. The baby is safe. You’ve got five different squad cars here and seven cops, plus more on the way. Nobody is going to hurt you or the baby.”

  I stared at him, desperate to believe that.

  He seemed to understand, and he squeezed my hand again. “Let’s get you out of here, and you can see for yourself,” he told me.

  I nodded.

  This time, when he started to talk, I made myself focus and listen.

  I had no idea how much time had passed before they got me out of the car.

  I had to be still as they put a neck brace on me, and I hated it because I couldn’t turn my head, couldn’t see.

  One of them went back for my purse and the diaper bag after I started babbling about them.

  I tried to fumble my phone out, so I could call Ryder, but they tugged everything away from me and guided my hands back to the stretcher. “But I need to call Ryder. I need to let him know about Natanael,” I told them.

  People made hushing sounds as they wheeled me away from the car. I sucked in a breath as I saw the taxi, all but smashed against the back of the SUV. I tried to crane my head, so I could see the car better, see the driver.

  But I didn’t see him.

  “Where’s the man who was driving?” I demanded. “Where is he?”

  “The cops are watching him,” I was told. “He’s in the other ambulance.”

  One of the cops approached the firefighters. I could see him just to the side of the stretcher where I lay trapped.

  I caught bits and pieces of the conversation – they seemed to be arguing.

  Finally, the firefighter who’d been with me from the start bent over me, giving me an encouraging smile.

  “Can you talk to the police for just a minute?”

  I went to nod but couldn’t. “Yes,” I said raggedly. “Please…please let me talk to them.”

  It took me a minute to realize it, but the cop who bent over me next looked familiar.

  “Ms. Parrino,” he said, his voice gruff but kind.

  “Yes.” I blinked back tears. “You talked to Natanael. You told me he was okay.”

  “The baby,” the firefighter said.

  The cop nodded. “Your little guy is angry, but I think he’s going to be just fine, like I told you. You both must go to the hospital to get checked out. But I think you’re both going to be fine.”

  I breathed out a sigh of relief.

  “You told me that you were being chased. The man in the taxi had been chasing you. Is that right?”

  “Yes.” Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes as I focused on his face. “I was so scared. He was following us, and I saw him twice, the second time at the park, and I managed to get me and Natanael into the car. I thought we’d be okay, but he got a taxi to stop – I saw it in the rearview mirror. He grabbed the taxi driver and threw him out.”

  “I know. Several witnesses to the event called it in.” He straightened up.

  I reached out blindly, catching his wrist just before he would have turned away.

  “I need to talk to Ryder. The baby’s dad. He’ll be so scared.”

  “Let me take care of that.” He patted my hand and pulled a notepad from his pocket. “You got this Ryder’s name? Phone number?”

  My aching head didn’t want to give up the information, but I finally coaxed it into cooperating. Reciting the number back to me, he waited, then nodded. “I’ll get in touch with him right away.”

  He passed out of my line of sight, and I blinked back the tears.

  “Let’s get you taken care of,” the firefighter said softly, returning to my side. “I’m going to start an IV…”

  His words only distantly made sense.

  I didn’t tell him that.

  When he lapsed into silence once more, I asked, “Natanael?”

  “He’s going to ride in the ambulance with us,” he told me. “You’ll be able to talk to him.”

  Relief flooded me.

  Moments later, the stretcher was on the move again, and I had to close my eyes because it felt like the world was spinning around on me.

  “We’re going to get you loaded up, ma’am. You’ll be in the ambulance, and I’ll be with you.”

  “And Natanael,” I said.

  “And Natanael. If you listen, I think you’ll hear him screaming even now.”

  The sound of the angry wail that filled the air in the next moment was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard.

  Black dots danced in front of me and I closed my eyes to block them out, to block out the buildings that kept spinning and swaying around me.

  “It’s okay, Natanael,” I whispered. I didn’t know if he heard me. “The cops are calling your daddy, and they won’t let anybody hurt you.”

  He continued to cry though.

  He must be so scared.

  I wanted to tell him that I understood, that I was scared too.

  But before I had a chance, those black dots that had danced around me seemed to swell together, and I was pulled under.

  I came to before they got to the hospital.

  Natanael was still crying.

  My head was aching, along with a hundred other things.

  I wanted to pick up the baby and tell him not to cry, but I couldn’t move, much less sit up and hold him.

  I opened my mouth to try and talk.

  A woman loomed into my vision and smiled at me. “You’re back.”

  “I am?” I stared at her blankly.

  “You lost consciousness for a few minutes.”

  “I did?”

  She didn’t seem bothered by my confusion. She patted my hand and said, “Your vitals all look good. You might need to stay at the hospital overnight for observation. Can you feel your toes?”

  I curled my toes, puzzled by the weird question.

  “Just checking on a few things,” she assured me. “Can you feel them?”

  I nodded. “They’re cold. I’m cold.”

  She turned away and a moment later, warmth surrounded me. She’d given me a heated blanket. I sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

  I heard a sharp, angry cry.

  Natanael.

  I tried to crane my head up, but I couldn’t move it.

  “Don’t try to move your head just yet, Ms. Parrino. We need to get you checked out and make sure you don’t have any spinal injuries.”

  “But I…” I blinked. My memory was clearing up.

  The chase. The wreck. The man following me.

  “There was a man following me,” I said slowly. ?
??He stole a taxi and was chasing us.”

  “The police will get your statement once you’re up to it,” she assured me.

  I squeezed my eyes closed.

  Ryder.

  Had anybody called Ryder?

  I didn’t realize I’d asked it out loud until the woman took my hand and squeezed gently. “I don’t know. But if nobody has, you can at the hospital. Soon. Once they check you over.”

  That wasn’t soon.

  Soon was…soon.

  But I didn’t yell at her. It wasn’t her fault.

  Tears burned my eyes, and I blinked to clear them. They slid in hot tracks to dampen my hair.

  I sniffed – or tried to. It hurt to do even that. I remembered the taste of blood in my mouth. “I think I broke my nose,” I said.

  It was more to myself than to her, but she responded. “It’s possible. Airbags can do that. But don’t worry. It will heal up. You just relax now…we’re almost to the hospital.”

  Relax. I closed my eyes. How was I supposed to relax?

  24

  Breanna

  My head hurt.

  My everything hurt.

  A funny scent tingled my nose, and I sniffed, trying to place it. I couldn’t and cracked an eye open.

  I was in a dim room, and the bed that I lay on was miserably uncomfortable. Light fell in through the open door, and I squinted against the light. Pain splintered my head once more, and I closed my eyes.

  A soft knock at the door had me cracking them open once more, and I frowned at the figure standing in the door. “You’re awake,” a woman’s voice said. “How do you feel?”

  Before I could answer, she clicked on the light. Instinctively, I lifted my hands to shield my face. That movement caused me almost as much pain as the bright light shining in my eyes.

  “Turn that off,” I said, lowering my hand.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, lowering her voice. “You’ve got a concussion. Do you remember what happened?”

  I had been too busy trying to deal with the pain in my head to even try to think, but now that she’d mentioned it, my brain clicked on, and the rush of memory had me groaning.

  The wreck.

  Panic leaped inside me. “Natanael,” I said, focusing on the woman in front of me.

  She wore a uniform – scrubs. A stethoscope hung around her neck, and she gave me a reassuring smile. “The baby is fine. His father is with him right now – he’s being discharged.”

  “Discharged?” I shook my head, trying to think.

  “Yes. He had to get evaluated and make sure he wasn’t hurt in the wreck,” the nurse said, smiling as she drew closer. “Let’s get you looked over.”

  I lapsed into silence as she bent over the bed. She listened to me breathing and then had me ready to throttle her when she shown a small penlight in my eyes. Even though it was only for a few seconds, that bright flicker had my head screaming.

  After that, she checked the bruising across my chest. I suspected that was one of the big reasons behind my misery. When she listened to my lungs, just breathing deeply had hurt.

  “I can give you something for the pain,” she said as she straightened. “Because of your concussion, we can only give you ibuprofen, but it will help.”

  I nodded. “Please.”

  She left and returned a few minutes later. I’d dragged myself upright and now sat on the side of the bed.

  My head was still spinning from just that simple movement. I curled my hands into the mattress to steady myself.

  The nurse poured some water for me, and I took the small paper cup from her. I washed the pills down and put the paper cup and water down on the table.

  “How long have I been here?” I asked. I couldn’t stop thinking about Natanael.

  “A few hours. You were in the emergency department first. Do you remember that?”

  I blinked, foggy memories drifting through my mind. “I think so.”

  “Good. The doctor will be in to see you in a little while,” she told me. “I believe they plan on keeping you for observation overnight.”

  I made a face, then winced as it had my face aching. I reached up and probed my nose which was unbelievably sore.

  “The airbag caught you in the face,” the nurse told me. “You’re lucky. Nothing is broken.”

  “I don’t feel very lucky,” I said. I was feeling something though, and I squirmed. “I need to use the bathroom.”

  She nodded. “Do you think you can make it there by yourself?”

  I blushed. “I think I can make it,” I told her after taking a minute to evaluate.

  She nodded and moved off, watching as I got up and slowly made my way to the nearby bathroom, clearly ready to leap in to help if I needed her. Once I finished up in there, I opened the door and started the long, painful trek back to the bed. A sigh shuddered out of me, and I flinched as pain slammed into me, emanating from the injury across my chest.

  It hurt just to breathe.

  As I sat down, another knock sounded at the door. I knew better than to move to quickly and carefully swung my legs up into the bed. As I resettled back in the bed, I looked over at the door.

  A cop stood there. He looked vaguely familiar. It wasn’t until he spoke that I recognized him though. “Think you’re up to giving a statement, Ms. Parrino?”

  “You were there,” I said, my voice rough. “When I had the wreck.”

  “Yes.” He came inside and exchanged nods with the nurse. “I need to get your statement if you feel up to it.”

  I swallowed, trying to think past the pain in my head. “I think I’m okay,” I told him. I wiggled in the bed, trying to sit up.

  The nurse moved closer and showed me the controls, so I could raise the head of the bed.

  I shifted around until I was as comfortable as I was going to get and then nodded at the chair next to the bed. “If you want to sit down, you can.”

  He nodded and took the chair, studying me. “You were very lucky, you know.”

  “I don’t feel very lucky,” I said for the second time in a few minutes.

  “You’ve got bumps and bruises. It could have been much worse.” He gave me a steady smile. “I’ve talked to Mr. Wesson.”

  At the mention of Ryder, I took a deep breath.

  “Is he…” I licked my lips. “Is he here? Is he with Natanael.”

  The cop nodded. “He is. And the baby is fine.”

  Relief gripped me, turning everything in me loose. “Thank God.” Tears pricked my eyes.

  “Here,” the cop offered.

  I looked down and saw the box of tissues he held out. Taking one, I dabbed at my eyes. More tears tried to choke me, and I sniffed. “I’m sorry. I can’t…”

  “It’s okay,” he said gently. “You’ve had a rough day. Things could have gone very badly.”

  “The guy we were running from…” I went to shake my head but stopped when pain flared up. Pressing my fingertips to my temples, I asked, “I’m sorry. I don’t know your name.”

  “Officer Matthews.” He tapped his name badge, although I wouldn’t have been able to see it in the dim light. “The man who was chasing you will be taken to the station and charged once the doctors give him the okay.”

  “Will…” I stopped, uncertain of what I wanted to ask. “Is it safe? Will he stay there?”

  “For a while. He’s not from the U.S. – he flew in a few weeks ago, and I have no doubt that the judge who sees him for his preliminary hearing will view him as a flight risk. We also found a gun – unregistered – in his car, and he won’t tell us much of anything. So, he’ll be in jail for a while.”

  Another wave of relief rushed through me, and I closed my eyes. Although the pain still swamped me, I breathed easier. “So Natanael is safe,” I said, needing to hear it again.

  “Yes. He’s with his father. Now…about your statement…” He took a notepad from a pocket.

  He asked me what happened and as I started to talk, he took notes.

&
nbsp; Once he was finished, he told me I could get a copy of the report at the station in a few days. I didn’t want a copy of the report. I wanted to forget this entire thing had happened.

  He left me alone, and I closed my eyes. Maybe if I was very still and didn’t move – or breathe – I wouldn’t hurt so much.

  I must have drifted off. I roused at the sound of a baby babbling and blinked my eyes open. A smile split my face as I saw the people hovering in the door, and despite the pain in my head, I pushed myself upright.

  Ryder came inside, his eyes intent. “You’re awake.”

  “I keep drifting off,” I said. My gaze fell to the baby in his arms, and I closed my eyes. “Natanael. I’ve been so worried.”

  Another movement at the door had me looking over. DeLaria shifted on her feet, offering me a tentative smile.

  “Come on in,” I said.

  She came in, and Ryder moved closer, settling in the chair next to the bed. I moved my feet over and gestured to the foot of the bed. “DeLaria, do you want to sit down?”

  She nodded. “If you don’t mind,” she said, settling near my feet. “I’m tired. It’s been…” She hesitated. “I’m sorry. After everything that happened to you today…”

  “I think it’s been a rough day for all of us,” I said. “Are you doing okay?”

  She nodded but she looked pale and drained of all energy. “How are you?”

  “I hurt.” I gingerly touched the area on my chest. Between that and my head, I thought that was the worst of the pain.

  I looked over at Ryder. He hadn’t said anything, and I bit my lip as I met his gaze. “I’m so sorry,” I said, looking at him. He held Natanael cuddled in his lap and I swallowed nervously as I looked at the baby. Natanael gave me a big smile.

  Tears burned my eyes, and I closed them.

  “If anything had happened to him…”

  Ryder covered my hand.

  I opened my eyes and found him leaning closer. “You saved my son,” Ryder said softly. “Thank you.”

  “If I had–”

  “Don’t.” He squeezed my fingers. “I don’t even want to think about what could have happened. Not to either of you.”