Page 14 of Fatal Vision

I’m sorry, Colton. Shelby wished she could say the words out loud. To clear the air. But she’d tried that many times over the years and it had never worked. There was too much pain and disappointment between them. Sorry just didn’t cut it anymore.

“I sure am glad you’re up and about,” he said.

“I’m grateful to be alive, but to be honest, my progress has been frustratingly slow.”

“Why did you tell Martha you wanted to see me?”

“I’m hoping you can shed some light on what happened that night. Why did I ask you to meet me at the house?”

He hesitated. Gave her a blank look.

“Don’t tell me you have no idea why I wanted to talk to you that night.”

His hand absently caressed her braid. “You never told me.”

Damn.

“But if there’s anything you want me to look into, or you want me to do, I’ll do it. No questions asked.”

He wanted to help. So did everyone. The only thing Shelby needed, though, seemed to be the one thing no one could give her.

Answers about that night.

If she could just get her brain back online, everything would make sense again.

Since Colton would do anything for her, she wassotaking advantage of that. “There is one thing,” she said.

“Name it. Anything you want.”

I’d lie a thousand times over…

Colton Bells…loyal to a fault.

What she was about to ask him would put that loyalty to the test once again. “Get me out of here.”

Time paused for a moment. He sensed the offer included joining her in some trouble. “Have the doctors released you?”

“Hell, no.” Shelby’s blood pulsed in her ears as she waited for him to agree to go against everyone—her family, friends, doctors—and become her cohort in misbehaving.

It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.

“Shelby,” he started, then clamped his jaws shut.

Wait. Was he really going to turn her down?

Confusion filled his eyes. A struggle between doing what he knew was right and what he knew would make her happy.

“Look,” she said, “I know that I…I’ve made mistakes. My mind and body are a little mixed up right now, and I need to go home—our home—to see if I can figure things out. Will you help me?”

“What about your therapy?”

“Colton, I can’t think straight in here, and I can still take therapy a couple times a week. You can bring me.”

“I don’t know, Shel.”

She licked her lips and saw the effect it had on him. Ever so slowly, she leaned forward and kissed him.

Her daddy always talked about heaven as a state of bliss. Total peace. Immense, bone-deep joy.