“Just take it easy, beautiful. Give yourself a break and relax, okay? I know it’s not ideal, but—”
“Will you stay with me?” Jami asks, and the aggressive tone she’d had moments ago is gone, replaced now with a kind of vulnerability that I’ve barely seen in the time I’ve known her.
“If you think for one second that I’d leave this hospital without you, you’re fooling yourself, sweetheart,” I say, and Jami smiles the best she can with a broken nose and split lip. “Now, I imagine you’re starving. I’m going to go raid the cafeteria for breakfast, okay?”
28
JAMI
Ely is barely gone for ten minutes before there’s a slight knock on the door, and Renee pokes her head in.
“You’re awake,” she says, her eyes lighting with elation. “God, James, I was so worried. We all were.” She steps into the room and crosses over, taking my hand in hers.
“You should see the other guy,” I joke, and Renee smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. Not this time.
“Is Maddy still here?” I ask. “Did Kasper take her home?” I almost choke on the words, and we both know why, but I’m surprised when Renee nods her head.
“She’s actually still asleep in the staff room.”
“Where’s Kasper?”
“He’s been around,” Jami says. “Between here and the precinct all morning.
“Yeah, I bet,” I mutter. “It will probably take a lot of work to cover his steps.”
“You think he was involved?” Renee asks quietly, and I nod to the best of my ability without almost reinjuring myself.
“It wasn’t him who attacked me. I would have known. But …”
“But what?”
“But I’d bet my life that he was in on this.”
“That’s a big accusation, James, and dangerous, too.”
“Don’t I know it.” I gratefully accept the glass of water Renee offers me and take a sip, but it doesn’t help the sandpaper sensation in the back of my throat. Before Renee or I can say anything else, there’s a second knock on the door, and this time it’s the person I least expect in the world.
“Detective Hill.” The words tumble from my mouth like poison, and Renee wheels around, hands on her hips.
“This is a private room,” she says shrilly. “Please leave.”
“I was hoping to speak to Jami,” Kasper says, stepping uninvited into my room. He’s not even looking at Renee, just at me, but Renee laughs like he’s just said something funny.
“Cute,” she says. “Now get out.”
Kasper looks at me, and I don’t know what exactly it is that makes me do what I’m about to do, but it comes out anyway.
“It’s okay, Ren,” I tell her. “I’d like to hear what he has to say.”
“Jami,” Renee wheels on me now, and I almost cower down. My friend has never been one for tactfulness. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
“Please, Renee,” I insist. “It’s alright.”
Renee looks like she’s about to argue further, but instead, she purses her lips, shakes her head, and shoulders past Kasper on the way out the door. “I’ll be right outside,” she calls over her shoulder, and a rush of affection for my best friend washes over me.
Once Renee has closed the door behind her, Kasper takes a step forward towards my bed, and I lift a hand to stop him. “Stay where you are and say what you think you need to say. I’m really not interested.”
“I just wanted to say thank you.” Kasper’s eyes meet mine, and despite the forced smile on his face, wariness crawls up my spine. “Thank you for going to see Tara and Madison that night. You could have saved their lives.”
