Page 18 of Forged By Fire (Danger in Destiny #9)

Chapter Seventeen

L eslie tilted her face toward the sky and closed her eyes as she welcomed the warmth of the sun on her skin. She’d truly dreaded going back into that warehouse. But she did it, and they found the evidence they’d gone in for.

Clint had kept a hand against her back all the way out of the warehouse. Now, he lightly bumped her arm with his. “Are you okay?”

“Better now.” She lowered her chin and looked at him with a relieved smile.

“Good.”

The other teams trickled out over the next five minutes until they were all standing together by the group of police cars. The warehouse manager returned and, with Detective Paris’s blessing, closed the door and secured the building again.

Collectively, they made sure all evidence was documented before Paris dismissed the other two teams of officers, leaving just him, Leslie, Clint, and Menendez .

“The lab will go through everything. I’m hoping they’ll be able to pull fingerprints and get DNA samples.” Detective Paris leaned against the bumper of his car. “I’m reading through the list of call-outs that you gave Officer Baker. Thank you for getting those to us, Chief.”

“Absolutely. If there’s anything else I can do, please let me know. I appreciate you keeping me updated.” Menendez reached out and shook Paris’s hand before he turned to Leslie. “If you need additional time off, please let me know. Given the circumstances, I’d be happy to grant the request.”

As much as Leslie appreciated the offer, she couldn’t fathom just sitting around her house waiting for news on the case. She’d much rather be at work doing something useful and keeping her mind occupied.

“Thank you, sir, but I’ll be in for my shift tomorrow.”

If Menendez disagreed with her decision, he kept his thoughts to himself.

“Excellent. I’ll see you then.” He gave her a nod, thanked the officers, and got into his car to leave.

Menendez seemed to be fine with her returning to work tomorrow, but she wasn’t so sure Clint agreed with the surprised look he gave her.

The chief collected the flashlight from Leslie, loaded the hard hats into his car, and left.

Detective Paris addressed Clint. “Carrington and Smith are on their way to pick up Ortiz and bring him by the station. If we head back now, we should get there just in time to question him.”

“Absolutely. I’ll head that way momentarily.”

Paris gave him a nod, thanked Leslie for her part in the warehouse search, and drove away .

Leslie turned to find Clint watching her closely.

“Taking a few days off before you go back to work isn’t a bad idea.”

She flashed a smile that she hoped would put him at ease. “Are you worried about me, Officer Baker?”

“Yes.” He reached up and gently tucked a wayward section of hair behind one ear. “I want to keep you safe.”

The gentle sincerity sent tendrils of warmth through her body until they settled in her chest.

“I know. But I can’t just sit around waiting for something to happen. At least I’ll stay busy and can do some good while I’m at work.” She shrugged. “You and I aren’t that different. I suspect, if our roles were reversed, you would do the same.”

“You’re not wrong.” He sighed and gave her a wry grin. “I can drive you back to your house and make sure it’s clear before I head to the station.”

“I appreciate that, but could you drop me off at the hospital instead? I’d like to go and check on Danny and Becca. Visit a while and see if they need anything.”

“Will you do me a favor and hang out there until we finish questioning Ortiz? I’ll come find you.

Between the security guards and one of our own watching over Danny, you should be safe there, but please don’t hesitate to call me if something seems off.

” He reached over and covered her hand with his. “Keep your eyes open, okay?”

“I’ll be careful.”

Before going up to Danny’s hospital room, Leslie stopped at the gift shop. She’d hoped to find something funny or cheerful to bring up for him. She’d nearly laughed out loud at one mug that was hilarious but probably not the most appropriate.

She finally settled on a bottle of Dr Pepper—his favorite soda—and a pair of humorous socks.

They totally gave off a Dr. Mario vibe with the bright colors and little pills covering the main part of the socks.

On the bottom of the right one, it read, “If you can read this…” and on the bottom of the left sock, it continued, “…give me the good meds.”

Danny probably wouldn’t wear them, but if it brought a smile to his face, then it would be worth it.

She browsed for something to get Becca, then took everything she’d found to the counter to pay for them.

Even if she hadn’t known where Danny’s room was, it was easy to spot it with the officer standing outside. She didn’t think she’d ever met this one, but when she gave her name, he ushered her inside with a smile.

Leslie entered hesitantly. “Hey, guys. You up for some company?”

“Hey, partner. Come on in.” Danny pushed himself up a little higher in the bed. He reached over and used the remote control to mute the TV.

Becca, who was sitting nearby with a crochet project in her lap, placed everything in a canvas bag and stood to give Leslie a hug. “Thanks for coming by. We’d love some company.”

Leslie smiled at her, then walked over to the bed to give Danny’s arm a squeeze. “How are you doing?”

He shrugged. “Honestly? I’m drained. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so tired in my life. And then I get tired of sleeping.” He chuckled and immediately grimaced.

“Have you seen the doctor yet today? ”

“No, not yet.”

Becca reclaimed her seat. “The nurse said it’ll likely be this evening.” She pulled her crochet project back out of the bag and held it up. “With all the waiting around here, I just might have this baby blanket done by tomorrow.”

The combination of dark green, lighter green, and brown looked really good together. “It’s beautiful. Maybe the doctor will give you some good news when he does finally stop by.”

“I sure hope so.” Danny lowered his voice. “It’s impossible to get much rest in the hospital. I’ll probably recover quicker once I get home.”

“No doubt.” Except that, if the doctor wasn’t ready to send him home, then it was for a good reason. “Well, I wanted to bring you a little something to brighten your day.”

Leslie made a big show of fishing around in the small bag and pulled out the Dr Pepper. “I don’t know if they’re allowing soda or not, but I figured you could use the caffeine and sugar boost anyway.”

Danny reached for the bottle. “Oh, it’s even cold.” With that, he twisted the cap off and took a long swig. “Thank you.”

“Of course. But that’s not all. I found something everyone in the hospital needs.” The socks she’d purchased came in a small box similar to one a tie might be packaged in. It was nice because you could easily see what was written on the soles.

She handed them to him, and he immediately laughed with a groan and turned them around to show Becca. “You’ll have to help me put these on later.”

She grinned. “Definitely. Those are fabulous.”

Leslie closed her hand around the third item in the bag. “One last thing for you, Becca, because I figured you could probably use a little pampering.” She handed over a pair of fuzzy rose-colored socks that, according to the tag, contained soothing aloe.

Becca ran her thumbs over the soft fabric. “Absolutely. So thoughtful of you. Thank you.” She motioned to the chair on the other side of the room. “Bring that over and have a seat for a bit.”

They talked about the cooler weather that was rolling in overnight, hospital food, and the lack of quality television shows.

Leslie was trying to think of a way to turn the conversation to an update on the case, but she needn’t have worried because Danny brought it up first.

“Do you have any news on the investigation front?” He took another drink of his soda and put the lid back on.

“Actually, I do.” She told them an abbreviated version about finding the casing, the possibility of getting DNA or fingerprints, and how Paris and Clint were probably questioning Ortiz right now. “With any luck, we’ll have some answers soon.”

“From your mouth to God’s ears.” Danny lay his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes for a moment. “Leslie, will you do me a favor?”

“Of course.”

“Will you take my stubborn wife down to the cafeteria and make her buy some lunch? She needs to eat something else besides granola bars.” He pinned his wife with a serious look.

Becca rolled her eyes. “I’m eating more than granola bars. I just feel bad bringing anything big in here when he’s not up to eating much. ”

“Honey, I told you it won’t bother me. I promise. I just need you to take good care of yourself and the baby. Okay?”

“How can you argue with that?” Leslie extended a hand to Becca, who welcomed the assistance to stand. “I’ll have her back soon.”

“Good deal.” Danny closed his eyes again, and Leslie was pretty sure he was asleep before they left the room.

The women chit-chatted about the baby as they walked to the cafeteria. Becca was pleased to see they were offering sweet and sour chicken with rice so she had a bowl put together and even agreed to eat in the cafeteria so that Danny could get some rest.

Leslie chose a cup of chicken tortilla soup so that Becca wouldn’t be eating alone.

Halfway through her meal, Becca set her fork down, her expression becoming serious.

“I’m worried about Danny. I know he’s recovering and that’s going to take a while, but he seems so tired today. More tired than he was yesterday evening, even after coming out of surgery. I don’t know, I can’t explain it. His eyes don’t look right.” She sighed. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

Leslie reached across the table and gave her friend’s hand a squeeze. “You know Danny better than anyone else here. Ask the doctor when he comes by. It doesn’t hurt to be cautious, and that’s a far cry from being paranoid.”

She tried to distract Becca by asking about her baby shower, which Becca told her all about.

When they were done eating, they made their way back to Danny’s hospital room where he was still sleeping soundly. With a whispered goodbye, she left so that he could rest and Becca could maintain her vigil.

Since she’d promised she’d wait for Clint, she decided to claim a chair at the end of the hall from Danny’s room and read for a while.

Or at least try. Every time she made herself focus on the words, her mind either drifted back to Becca’s worries, the kiss she’d shared with Clint, or the fact that the man who’d put Danny in the hospital was still out there somewhere.