“I’m okay.”
“You aren’t.” The words were certain. “But you will be.”
“How do you know?” Gah. She hated the desperation she couldn’t keep from bleeding through.
“It’s the only option. I found you. I’ll find out what’s going on. I’ll keep you safe.”
She turned at that. Gil had always been intense and unafraid of saying what was on his mind and in his heart. Clearly that hadn’t changed. His blue eyes burned with a ferocity that conveyed his fury at what had happened to her and his confidence that he could solve the mystery.
“Okay.”
He stepped back, face wrinkling in surprise. “That’s it? No argument? No detailed explanation of the obvious logical fallacies in my statements?”
He might be right. He might be wrong. But for tonight, she was prepared to go with it. “I’ll argue with you tomorrow. It won’t take me long to dismantle your assertions and detail how ridiculous it is for you to think you can swoop in and solve all my problems.”
Gil reached for her good hand. He tucked it in the crook of his arm and whispered, “I can’t wait.”
He led her out of the hospital and to his car, a Ford sedan with government plates, conveniently parked in a space reserved for law enforcement.
“Not what I would have expected.” She waved her hand at the car. Gil opened her door, then put one hand on her right elbow, the other behind her, and helped her lower into the seat without one bump to her tender hand or shoulder.
He didn’t respond to her remark about his car, and her heart sank at the possibility that he didn’t get the joke. He closed her door and jogged to the driver’s side. After he buckled up, he flashed her a mischievous grin. “Sorry I don’t have the Porsche I promised you.”
Hedidremember. Was it possible he remembered all the same things she did? She tried to cover her delight with a dramatic sigh. “I guess this means I shouldn’t expect a sprawling ranch with horses, goats, and a helicopter pad.”
Gil’s laughter filled the space around them, but there was an unexpected edge to it. “That’s a no. I live in a fixer-upper in a part of town trying hard to come back from the edge. I also don’t have a pool or a bowling alley.”
“Thatisdisappointing.” She gave another overdone sigh.
“For me as well. The good news is, I have great neighbors who seem to like having me around despite the fact that I got shot in my front yard earlier this year and ruined our neighborhood crime statistics.”
Ivy couldn’t stop the shiver that rippled through her at his words. He’d been shot in his front yard. She’d seen the news reports and then scoured the internet for every scrap of news about his shooting. She hadn’t slept well for weeks afterward. She should have reached out to him then. But years of avoidance had built a wall she didn’t think they could scale. She’d been terrified to try.
Tonight, for better or worse, they faced that wall. What they would be a day, a week, a month from now, she had no idea. But whatever they wound up as, it wouldn’t be what it was yesterday.
Gil pulled into the drive-through of a fast-food joint and they munched on fries, which were blissfully hot and salty, burgers, and milkshakes. Chocolate for him. Vanilla for her.
And for ten minutes, she was a little girl again. A little girl whose future made perfect sense. Then Gil parked the car, and she looked up.
The police station.
Gil cleared his throat. “When we get in there, it’s up to you if you want me to stay with you. I’ll understand if you don’t.” Without waiting for her to respond, he grabbed their trash and climbed from the car. He tossed the garbage into a nearby can, then opened her door. He reached in and gently wrapped one hand around her right forearm. He helped her out of the car, taking great care not to allow her to bump her shoulder or hand against anything, and then he waited until she was steady on her feet to release her. But once he closed her door, he didn’t touch her again until they reached the door. Then his hand hovered at her lower back, and he directed her to the front desk.
Before he could speak, a booming voice pulled Ivy’s attention, and undoubtedly everyone’s in the room, to a door to the left. “Dixon. What part of ‘as soon as possible’ wasn’t clear to you?”
Gil muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like,“I hate this guy.” “Morris, good to see you. Feel free to file your timeliness complaints with Dr. Steele, that’s Steele with threee’s, at Wake Med. I’m sure he’ll be delighted to give you a breakdown of how he spent his evening.”
“Stand down, Dixon.”
“You’re the one who wanted another statement from Dr. Collins tonight. She’s had a brutal day, and Dr. Steele made it clear she needs rest. You’ll have to pardon me for not being in the mood to spar with you tonight.”
“Sheesh. You were a lot more fun before you got shot.”
Ivy didn’t miss the way Gil bristled beside her, but he didn’t respond to the taunt. Morris brought his gaze back to hers. “Dr. Collins, if you’ll come with me, we’ll get this taken care of as quickly as possible.” He gestured toward the door.
But she couldn’t get her feet to move. He was a police officer. He wanted to talk to her about her case. But he wanted her to go back there, behind the desk, into the maze of halls and offices, alone, with him?
Earlier today, she would have gone without a second of hesitation. But not tonight. She wasn’t going anywhere with a stranger. Not alone. Without conscious thought, she grabbed Gil’s arm. His forearm flexed under her grip, and he turned to her with one quirked eyebrow.
