“How about I call Scott and make arrangements to get Callie’s car,” Heather suggested then reached for the extra keys Callie kept hanging on a hook by the back door. “Callie, you need to give Jack a little first aid. We’ll be back with your car in a few hours.” After asking which exit the car was at, she headed out the back door and was gone.
Callie slipped the jacket off her shoulders and hung it on a chair then walked toward him. “Let me see what happened.”
He shook her off. “Jonathan first.”
Scowling at him, she took his hand and pulled him along after her. “We’ll both go and check on our son then I’ll fix you up. The first aid kit is in the upstairs bathroom anyway.”
Jonathan was sleeping peacefully, his thumb hanging out of his mouth. Pushing past the gate he, knelt by the bed, gazing at the boy he hadn’t seen in a few weeks, the reason he was taking these chances. He pushed a few strands of hair from the boy’s forehead, making sure not to wake him. Not that he didn’t want to see him awake, but Jonathan needed his nap. A nap sounded great about now. His side was aching.
As if she read his mind, Callie patted his back and nodded in the direction of the bathroom. Placing a soft kiss on Jonathan’s head, he followed her from the room. She made him sit on the closed toilet seat and dug in the closet for a basket filled with first aid materials.
“Jonathan is at that age where he falls down and scrapes a knee or gets hurt in a million other ways so I need things here for every occasion. Take your shirt off.”
“I haven’t heard those words from you in a while.”
The look she sent was meant to chastise him. But as he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it from his pants, her breath hitched. She wasn’t as unaffected as she wanted him to think. He slid the shirt from his shoulders then dropped it on the floor, trying not to wince. Her eyes were glued to his torso and they gleamed with admiration. When she noticed him looking at her, she dropped her eyes and blushed.God, I love when she does that.
“When did this happen? My arms were around you the whole time we were on the motorcycle.” Confusion crossed her face as she wet a soft washcloth with hydrogen peroxide. When she touched it to his wound, sharp pain pierced through the injury and he sucked in a breath.
“One of the shots in the park grazed my side. But it’s a flesh wound, nothing more. I knew it wasn’t anything to worry about.”
Continuing her ministrations, she then bandaged the damaged skin. As she examined her work, her eyes fell on the long thin scar on his stomach. Her fingers moved to trace the path and she looked up, a question in her eyes.
“What happened here? You didn’t have this three years ago.”
He stilled her wandering fingers with his own. “This was my parting gift from Angelo.”
“You said he tried to kill you. Not how. This doesn’t look like a minor injury.”
“He got the jump on me but he wasn’t expecting an injured man to attack back. Too bad for him.”
Too bad for me. It ended any hopes and dreams I’d had for a life with Callie.But he couldn’t allow him to hurt Callie or their child. Not that he’d tell her Angelo’s plans. She didn’t need to know.
Tears filled Callie’s eyes as she stared at the mottled skin. The guilt she carried was obvious in her eyes.
“Don’t you dare even say this was your fault.”
“But it was. He did this because of me.”
“You weren’t alone in that relationship. I could have controlled my urges better. I was as much, if not more, to blame. I should never have gotten involved with you. It wasn’t professional but I couldn’t help myself. You’re too irresistible.”
“How did you manage to stab him after he did this to you?”
“He came over to gloat, a little too close and I pulled the knife out and stabbed him with it. I still don’t understand how I made it through and he didn’t. He must have had medical care long before I got any.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Tony Pascucci came running as Angelo fell. He never came after me so I assume he stayed to get Angelo help.”
She traced her fingers over the scar again, then pressed the edges of the new bandage to make sure they stayed down. Her lips pressed together and her face was tight. “I think that should do it but you want to make sure to change the bandage every few hours. It’s still bleeding a little. But you’re right. I don’t think it’s too bad. You’ll probably live.”
With that, she stood, turned around, and made a show of putting away the first aid materials, but Jack could tell she was upset. Her voice cracking on the last few words was a definite giveaway.
When she’d put the basket in the closet, he stood and took her hand. “Now it’s time for you to lie down and get some rest. Jonathan should be asleep for a few hours, use that time to relax and recoup from what happened.”
She walked with him to her room then turned around at the door. Apprehension covered her features. “You should rest too. You just got shot. Maybe a short nap would be good. The Man Club wouldn’t be opposed to that, would they?”
He chuckled. Leave it to Callie to find a way to let him regain some of his lost energy and still retain his dignity. “Sure, I think it’d be acceptable if I took a little rest. I can use the recliner downstairs.”
