“That is not the point! What if it had been a real emergency? Huh? What would you have done then?”
“I don’t believe I would have been enjoying having my mouth over hers quite so much if it had been. I’m sorry, Damon. Sorry if I embarrassed you, but not for kissing her. And if you’re quite through yelling at me, I think I’ll go back to her room and try and blow up another one.”
“She’s asleep. The nurse checked her vitals when she was in there and Detective O’Malley asked for a pain pill. Apparently when they tore you from her, they pulled her arm too and hurt her. Spencer, you know nothing about this girl and she just saved your daughter. Maybe it’s nothing more than that, gratitude.”
Spencer turned on his brother in the next heartbeat. He had never been so angry so quickly in his life. He started stalking toward him and saw his reflection in the mirror behind Damon. That stopped him cold. He didn’t just look angry, but crazy mad. He opened his mouth to say something and knew that whatever spewed from his mouth, most of it he would regret.
“Don’t talk to me right now. I’m going to see O’Malley, and then I’m going home. If you call me before I call you, don’t expect me to answer you. Good night.”
Spencer went to Caitlynne’s room and looked down at her. She was more beautiful every time he saw her and he wanted to see more of her. Grinning, he thought of her saying his name, his first name, and could not wait to get them both to that point of passion. Leaning down, he kissed her gently. Then he reluctantly left her so that he could get some sleep, hoping he could think about her when he did. Oh yeah, he thought, he was really looking forward to her saying his first name. Over and over and over again.
~~~
Cait woke to a semi darkened room. She knew she was in the hospital, so that did not frighten her, but the man in her room did. Very slowly, she reached down for the nurse call button.
“If someone comes in before I’m ready to leave, they’ll be as dead as your partner. I’m here on behalf of a very concerned citizen. You’ll listen, make a wise decision, and then everyone will be happy. Got it?”
“Fuck you. Tell Martinez that I said he’s going down. Now get out of my room before I put you in the morgue.”
He stalked to her bed and reached into his jacket as he went. She had her weapon drawn and centered on his chest before he took two steps. He stopped all movement; including his movement toward what Cait had assumed was a gun.
“Take your hands and put them on your head; lock your fingers. You do anything more than that and I will shoot you, have no doubt.” She pulled the cord to the station and prayed someone was there and would act without asking too many questions. Within seconds, someone answered. “This is Detective O’Malley in room two-seventeen; I need you to call the police immediately. Tell them officer needs assistance, to send help.”
There was no reply right away and Cait had a sudden feeling that her man had not come alone and someone else had taken care of the nurse. She was nearly out of the bed when the nurse came back.
“They are on their way, Detective. They said to hang tight. I’ve called hospital security too and they are on their way as well.”
“Tell them not to enter until they hear from me. I want you to write this down as I give it to you, and then relay it to the police dispatcher.” Cait was near the man now, adrenaline surging through her body. She knew she should have been in pain, and knew that she would pay when this was over. Reaching into the man’s jacket, she pulled out his weapon by her two fingers, and tossed it on the bed just behind her. “Male Caucasian, dark hair, black shirt, black jacket, black pants and shoes, approximate age mid-thirties, height about six-three, weight two-forty, tat on left hand, a tear drop, could be a part of Martinez goon patrol. Got it?”
“Yes, Detective. This line will be open and I will stand by. Please don’t hurt yourself. Doctor Grant will be sorely pissed if you do. He has been notified as well.”
Cait did not answer, but backed two steps away from her man. She was slightly dizzy and her arm was aching. Gripping the footboard, she kept her gun trained on the man standing before her.
“You’ll regret this. You should just quit now while you’re ahead.” He snarled at her. She didn’t tell him that she already was, but she doubted that they were talking about the same thing.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, I have a gun on you. Now, shut up and go down on your knees, a position you should maybe get used to, by the way. I’m not shitting you about a false move. I have no problem killing you.” Guiding him to the floor with her hand gripping his fingers on his head, he didn’t go down gently. She then put her gun to the back of his head and had him lower himself to the floor, face to the side. When his hands were back on his head and fingers locked, she stepped back and heard the first knock at the door.
“Hospital security here, Detective O’Malley. May we come in?”
“Hang on a sec,” she shouted at the closed door. Then to the man on the floor, she continued with her search. “Take your left foot and cross it to the back of your right leg at your knee, then lift you right foot up and stay that way.” Once he had complied, she knelt down and put all her weight against his upright leg, holding him into a pretzel like position.
From this position on the floor, not only could he not move, but he couldn’t throw her off either. Putting her gun in his back, she lifted his jacket and took out another gun and three extra clips. There was also a wallet, which only had cash inside and a knife in a sheath on his right leg. She couldn’t reach his pant pockets like this, but she knew he couldn’t either.
“When you come in, come in one at a time or I’ll shoot whoever comes in behind you, you understand?” Cait shouted to the door. While she didn’t take her eyes off her would-be murderer, she could see who or what came in the door in the mirror.
“Yes, ma’am, one at a time. I’m coming in now.” Cait watched as the man came in slowly, his hands over his head, showing her he had nothing in them.
She almost laughed; poor kid looked ready to wet his pants.
“You armed?” He nodded. “Good. How many others are out there with you?”
“Two, ma’am. You know you’re not supposed to have a gun while in the hospital, right? It’s against company policy and you can get into real trouble for it.”
“If I didn’t have it, I’d be dead right now. This guy wasn’t coming in to wish me a speedy recovery. And stop calling me ma’am. Its Detective or Cait, but not ma’am. I’m not your flipping mother. Hand me those cuffs, please. And then let one of your cohorts in. One! Understand?”
“Yes, ma...Okay, Detective.” He went to the door and let the next guy in and Cait did chuckle. She knew she was only twenty-nine, but this kid looked fresh out of middle school. Once he was clear of the door, the third guy was let in.
“I’m going to step off this man and I want you three to move back. If he moves, I don’t want to accidently shoot one of you if I don’t have to. It would be a real shame if that happened.”
“Yeah, I like that plan. I’d just soon not be dead if it’s all the same to you, Detective.” The second guy nodded sagely. She decided that she needed a break at that moment. Maybe a long vacation where people were not trying to kill her, she thought, would be nice.
The police sirens could be heard getting closer. Within three minutes, four police entered her room and took charge of her man. Her uncle Paddy arrived within five minutes of the police. Uncle Paddy looked at her, but said nothing.
She could see the terror and relief on his face.
She was back in bed when Damon arrived and was being examined by him when Spencer rushed in. Her room resembled a squad room, including bad coffee and filthy jokes. She was laughing at one when Spencer walked over to her bed. She noticed that he did not look like a happy man. Well, neither was she.
She had been having a nice nap when this idiot had walked in.
“Hey guys, why don’t we take this up later? I think you have all you need, right? I’m thinking I need to rest up before the doc blows a gasket,” Cait suggested to the room.
“Course, O’Malley. Why don’t you all go on home? I gotta ask the pretty little detective here a few questions.” When the room cleared, the captain turned to her again. “Wanna tell me where you got that piece first? When you do, I’ll be happy to go on my merry way too,” Captain Donald Tucker asked her as he leaned at the foot of her bed.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I handed my gun over to your chief a few hours ago. I believe you were here when I did,” she told him with all innocence.
“Man with the hospital security said that when he came in, you had a Glock pointed at the perp’s head and that you had him in a pretty lock down pose. You don’t ‘spect me to believe that he just dropped down like that ‘cause you batted your pretty violet eyes at him, do you?”
“Are you saying that I’m not charming enough to have a man do anything I asked him to? Captain Tucker, you wound me. And here I thought you and I had a special moment there.”
Captain Tucker looked over at her uncle, then back at her. She did not need to look at Uncle Paddy to know that he gave nothing away. They both knew that if anyone found out he had given her another gun not ten minutes after she came out of surgery, he would be in hot water. But she also knew that he could look as innocent as she could—she had learned the trick from him. He was another one she did not play poker with.
“And if I tossed that bed of yours, what would I find?” Captain Tucker asked as he pointed to the sheet now draped over her feet. He was careful not to touch her or the bed.
Instead of answering him, she moved to the side and slid out of the bed even as Doctor Grant hissed his disapproval. She moved over a foot, far enough away to let him search, but not far enough to let go of the bed. She was dizzy, but not stupid.
Captain Tucker started toward the head of the bed without breaking eye contact with her. He stopped just short of touching it. She knew what he was doing; first to blink lost.
“I toss that bed and find a gun; there’ll be hell to pay. I toss that bed and there ain’t anything, there’ll be hell to pay. Why don’t you tell me that you are going to behave yourself until you get out of here and I’ll give us both a break?”
“The only thing I can honestly tell you, Captain, is that I will try to behave while I’m here. As soon as arrangements can be made, I’m heading back to Chicago anyway. I kind of think I’ve worn out my welcome.”
“They gonna protect you there, or they gonna lead you to the wolves?” he asked after a few seconds.
Cait didn’t answer. They both knew the answer to that. If Martinez could get her here, then what was to stop him from getting to her in his own town?
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. You stay here, kid. If’n you want to transfer here, then I’ll take you. Can always use a good detective, even if you are a female and a pain in my ass already. You maybe should take care of this boyfriend of yours too. He looks ready to bust a gut.”
“Thanks, Captain. I’ll keep that in mind. And this isn’t high school and he’s not my anything. Get out before I tell your wife you had a Tommy’s sub for dinner.” With a quick wink, he turned on his heel and left. She was so relieved that she took several breaths before getting back into the bed.
“You know that most patients of mine who just get out of surgery listen to my advice and stay in bed and rest. I can see that you need a lesson in that.
Detective O’Malley, you’re just lucky that I don’t have to put you back under again. You need to stay in bed or I’ll have to sedate you until such time that you can heal.”
“Hummm, maybe. But you do that and I’ll be dead. I’m in the middle of a few things that require me to be alert and aware. If you’d like, I can find myself a new doc.”
He looked at her for a few seconds, then at his brother. Cait knew what he was thinking. Maybe he should let her, but in the end, he just shook his head.
“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll hang around until you’re on the mend. But we do need to have at least some sort of working relationship. I ask you to say in bed and you try to do it. What do you think?”
“Sure. I’ll try. Thanks, doc. You might want to turn your head, I have to...my uncle needs to retrieve something.”
“Shit, girly, I thought for sure the gig was up when he walked to the bed.
Good thinking, you, getting outa the bed like that. Did you take the piece out with you?” Uncle Paddy asked, relief in his voice too.
“Uncle Paddy, what was the point of my telling them to turn their heads if you’re going to...never mind. Just take it and put it in your coat. If someone else comes in now, I’ll have to take my chances.” She tossed the pillow to the end of the bed and showed him where the gun was hidden. She didn’t even look at either of the Grants as she got into the bed.
~CHAPTER 4~
Spencer watched as Paddy picked up the gun and put it in the back of his pants as if it was an everyday thing. Maybe it was to him, but not to Spencer. He was dizzy with the implications of what her needing the gun had meant. And what she needed it for.
He knew Caitlynne was a cop, and he knew that the police carried guns, but he had never thought about them actually using them, or being shot by them. He looked at her. She had been shot and had she not had the weapon tonight—one she was not supposed to have—she would more than likely be dead.
“Leave her the gun.”
“What! Are you insane? I won’t have a gun in my hospital. Just knowing that she had one is bad enough. What if it had gone off and killed an innocent bystander? What then? No, no gun.” Damon crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the three of them.
“If she didn’t have the gun, he would have killed her and anyone else that would have gotten in his way while he was coming in or out of this building. Do you know how many people he could have taken out? You said he had extra clips, how many bullets is that?” Spencer turned to Cait and asked her suddenly.
“There are fifteen in each clip; he had three of them. So forty-five give or take.”
She slid into the bed and waited to see where this was going. She wanted the gun. Spencer was right; she would have been killed if she had not had it.