“All right, honey. I’m going to get the meds for your headache. Be right back.” She gave Hannah’s foot a squeeze and left.
“Hey, Hannah,” said the hot guy named Jake.
“I’m sorry I don’t recognize you. I had an accident and don’t remember much. The nurse said we’re friends?”
“Yeah, we are. Mind if I sit down?”
She gestured to the chair with her good arm and asked, “How do we know each other?”
“I’m a trooper for the State Patrol, and you’re a barista at the coffee shop where I go for breaks. We’ve known each other for about a year.”
“There was some guy here this morning claiming to be my husband. Am I married?”
“No. You’re not. Look, I know you’re not feeling well and that this may not be the best time, but I’ve got to tell you some stuff.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“It is, actually. Do you want to wait until the nurse gives you something for your headache?”
“No, just tell me.”
“Well, first off, your accident wasn’t an accident. I was sitting in traffic near where it happened and watched a man push you in front of the SUV that hit you. It was deliberate. He was trying to hurt you, if not kill you.”
“What?” Her eyes went wide. Someone had tried to bloody kill her? She willed herself to remember something. Anything. But that only intensified the throbbing in her head.
“There’s more,” he continued. “It’s possible that the man who came here this morning saying he was your husband was the same man who pushed you into traffic. That’s why the nurse wouldn’t leave you alone with him. She’ll call the police if he shows up again.”
Nurse Kate came back holding a syringe. “Sorry to interrupt. I’m going to put this in your IV bag, Hannah. You should feel better in a few minutes.”
“Thank you. I was just telling Jake about ‘Bob’—doubt that’s his real name—and how shifty he acted. He couldn’t answer simple questions, like why I didn’t have a wedding ring. He hemmed and hawed and finally said it must have fallen off in the accident. Also, Kate told me yesterday that it looked like I’d gotten a tattoo recently—it’s still healing—and when I asked him about it, he couldn’t tell me what it was. It seems like a husband would know that.”
“It’s the word ‘love,’ and it’s on the right-side of your rib cage. You told me about it over coffee yesterday morning and said it was new.”
Hannah turned to Kate, who nodded and smiled. It was a test, and he’d passed. Hannah relaxed a little. Maybe she did have someone she could trust. The nurse gave a silent wave and left.
“I’m going to call a guy I know to get an officer stationed outside your room to make sure ‘Bob’ doesn’t try to contact you again, but you’ve got to make some decisions about what to do once they release you from here.”
“Do I really not have anyone to call? No family?”
“You do have family, but from what you’ve told me, you had some sort of falling out several years ago and haven’t spoken to them since.”
“Where do I live?”
“In an apartment over on 110th Ave. That’s another thing. I stopped by there to pick up some clothes for you, and when I got there, it was obvious someone had broken in and searched the place. I don’t think it would be safe for you to go back there. Especially alone.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“I’m willing to take you to my place to recuperate. If you want that is. You have a friend named Holly who lives in Spokane. She’s offered to take care of you if we can get you over there, but she has two young kids and can’t come here.”
“How far away is Spokane?” she asked hopefully.
“About three hundred miles.”
“Shit.” That didn’t sound convenient for anyone.
“The only other thing I can think of would be to get you a hotel room and hire a nurse to stay with you.”
“That sounds expensive. Can I afford that?”
