“Did the detectives tell her why they were here? I just spoke with them but forgot to ask.”
“You mean that someone tried to kill her? No. I was also in the room for that conversation. I think they didn’t want to upset her or scare her, so they made it sound like she’d had an accident, and they were looking into it. Once they realized she couldn’t help with anything, they just wished her well and left.”
“Okay. I stopped by her apartment to get some clothes, and someone had broken in and searched the place.”
Kate gasped. “She’s not safe, Jake. Someone is after her. I can do my best to keep people out of her room, but we can’t protect her from any real danger.” As she said it, the doctor emerged from Hannah’s room.
“I know. I’m working on a solution for that, and I’ll stay here until I figure something out.” Jake had a buddy that ran a business providing off-duty officers for various security gigs. They worked through an outside contract and were paid at an overtime rate. Jake was thinking of hiring one to sit outside Hannah’s room. If the man returned, seeing a uniformed officer guarding the door should be enough to scare him off. It would be pricey but worth it. He just wasn’t sure how fast he could set it up.
“How much longer do you think she should stay here, doc?” Jake asked.
“At least until tomorrow. The brain swelling wasn’t all that bad, but I want to wait and make sure it’s completely back to normal before releasing her. I could possibly drag out her stay another day or two, but I’m thinking she’d be safer with you in a non-public place. Are you still planning on taking care of her?”
“If she agrees to it, yes. Until she can decide whether she wants to get a hold of her family, there’s not anyone else that has the room or time to take care of her properly. I’ve got a bajillion hours of vacation leave saved up and have already arranged for some time off from work. I’ll get a bedroom ready for her tonight or tomorrow morning.”
“I’m glad you’re here for her, Jake,” said Kate. “She’d be in a dangerous situation without you.”
He nodded. “Can I see her now?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Her head hurt like a son of a bitch, the arm covered in plaster was throbbing in pain, and the incessant beeping of the monitor at her side was driving her batshit crazy. But worse than all that was the emptiness upstairs, the not being able to remember anything. She felt weak and helpless and didn’t like it one bit.
Apparently, her name was Hannah. She might or might not be married to some creepy guy who didn’t know his ass from a hole in the wall. And she had no family or friends she could call in an emergency. Life didn’t seem so great for “Hannah.” Maybe that’s why she’d chosen to block it all out.
She prayed to God that the man who’d come in claiming to be her husband was just some weirdo. But why would he want to claim her if she wasn’t his to claim? Some police detectives had also stopped by to see her. They didn’t have much information to give, and she was sure she was even less helpful to them. After realizing she didn’t remember anything about the accident, they left in a hurry.
The nurse was very kind and seemed protective of her. She wouldn’t let “Bob” out of her sight and was openly distrustful of him. Hannah could see why. She might not remember anything, but she recognized a liar when she saw one. What husband wouldn’t know where they lived, for God’s sake?
She’d only been awake a few minutes when the doctor came in to check on her.
“Hannah, how are you feeling?” he greeted.
“My head feels like it’s splitting in two. Can I have some Tylenol or something?”
“We’ll get you something better than that,” he said. “I’ll make a note for the nurse. Still nothing on the memories?” he asked.
“I wish. Still a blank slate all up in here,” she said dryly, pointing to her head with her good arm.
“All right. Well, we’re keeping a close eye on the brain swelling, but it’s coming down nicely and looks good for now. We’re about out of the woods on that. I’ll keep you posted. Any questions?”
“How long will this last?”
“That’s hard to say,” the doctor said, furrowing his brows. “Could be a day, could be a year. I do think it’s temporary, so you will eventually get your memories back. I just can’t say when.”
“Okay,” she mumbled.
“I’m going to check in with the nurse. Let her know if you need anything, and I’ll come back to check on you before I go home tonight.” He left with a soft smile.
Not long later, the nurse came in with a man at her side. A very handsome man. He was tall and muscular and had short, dirty blond hair. His eyes reminded her of the inside of a kiwi. She’d have to ask the doctor how it was she knew the color of a kiwi, but not her own name. And how did she know what Tylenol was?Later, Hannah.She shook her head and focused.
It was the same man from the day before, but Hannah had been so out of it then she hadn’t registered what a hunk he was. Tempted to smooth her hair, she decided the pain involved wouldn’t be worth the effort.
“Hannah,” the nurse said softly, “this is Jake MacDonald. He’s a friend of yours. Do you mind if I leave him here to talk to you for a while?”
Friend of hers? Hey, things were looking up for this Hannah chick. Hot dude friend. The fact that the nurse was willing to leave him here alone with her spoke volumes. That morning when her “husband” came in, the nurse refused to leave even after he asked her to. Something fishy was going on, but she didn’t have the brainpower to figure out what.
“That’s fine,” Hannah said. If the nurse trusted him, so would she.
