He took an unsteady breath, trying to hold back from crying. He still had to hear it from his own ears. “Tell me what’s going on first, and I’ll let you know what we’re going to do about it.”
Nodding, Mary wiped the moisture out of her eyes. “Mr. Remington—”
“Call me Mick.”
“Mick, this is Nurse Caroline. She lives next door to James Adkins.”
Mick nodded stiffly to the nurse.
“She just told me the terrible news.” Mary’s voice broke again. “James died a couple of hours ago.”
Mick gasped. “James died? Not Nicole?”
Caroline shook her head. “Nikki is still in the ICU. She regained consciousness, but when the doctor suspected swelling on her brain, he gave her medication. She’s resting now. It’ll still be a few days before we know for sure what’s going on with her.”
He breathed slower as relief swept over him. The tears he tried to hide were stinging his eyes.Thank you, Lord.At least she was all right – for now – but... James was dead? Mick’s heart wrenched. If only he’d been able to talk to him one last time.
“Does Nicole know about her grandfather?” he asked the nurse.
“No.”
“Perhaps it’s best to wait until she’s recovering.”
“Yes, of course.” The nurse turned to Mary. “I’ll let you know more when I hear it.”
“Thanks, Caroline.” Mary gave the other woman a hug.
On shaky legs, Mick moved back to the chairs in the waiting room. Mary and the cowboy joined him.
“Mick? What happened tonight?”
“I wish I knew. Our meeting with the shareholders ran late. Nicole and I were the last ones to leave. She got in her car and left first. I was only a few minutes behind.” He rubbed his throbbing head. “What I think happened was that there was a speeding truck on the road and Nicole swerved her car to keep him from hitting her – which is what happened to me when the jerk drove by my car. But then she went down the ravine.”
“She’s so lucky that you were there to help.” Mary touched his arm and smiled.
“I... I’m glad I was there, too.” Mick glanced at the cowboy who seemed to be concerned over Nicole. Mick arched an eyebrow at the other man. “You’re the one who stepped on Nicole’s foot.”
The man’s face turned red. “Yes, sir. That was me.”
“And you’re Mary’s boyfriend.”
The man nodded.
“Mick?” Mary said. “This is Kent.”
Mick shook hands with the other guy but pierced him with a glare. “And next time you try to help your friend, don’t step on her foot so hard. You almost broke it.”
Kent smiled sheepishly. “Yes, sir.”
Mick leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. Waiting to hear about Nicole’s condition would probably take all night and maybe into the morning. He didn’t want to camp out at the hospital, but he didn’t want to leave, either. If she woke up, he wanted to see her.
“What happened to your arms?” Mary asked.
He looked at her. “Nicole’s car was turned upside down, and it was leaking gas. I knew I had to get her out of there. I couldn’t get the driver’s door to open, so I crawled through the passenger’s side.” He motioned to his bandaged arms. “I cut myself on the shattered glass.”
Tears filled Mary’s eyes and her lips quivered. “You are truly an amazing man, Mick Remington. You must really care about Nikki.”
“I do. Very much.”
