Page 57 of Heal

"Shit, cops just pulled up behind me." Beau tried to remain calm.

"Leave your phone on so I can hear," Carter told him.

Beau stuck his phone on the hood of the car, face down, hoping Carter could still hear. He smiled as the officer got out and walked to him.

"What are you doing out in the middle of the night?" The officer shined his flashlight through Beau's window before stepping to meet him at the front of the car where he'd been leaning.

"Sorry, didn't mean to bother anyone. I just took a drive to clear my head and ended up here." Beau waved his hand toward the lake.

"You have ID?"

"Sure." Beau pulled out his wallet and handed his driver's license to the officer. He could see the cop recognized his name the moment he read it.

"I'm just going to run this really quick, Mr. Maddington." The officer walked back to his car.

Beau waited patiently in the silence for him to return and hand him back his license.

"Here ya go. Sorry to bother you tonight. We usually find couples up here making out." The officer shrugged.

Beau smiled. "Just a rough day at the hospital. Bad news about a patient. Needed the fresh air." He had no issues lying to the officer.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You stay safe, and be careful when you drive home." The officer nodded to him before heading back to his car.

Beau waited until the police car was out of sight before picking the phone back up. "You hear all that?"

"Yeah, you're good. Police scanner is saying they have no leads to follow on the sting. You did a good job, but I'm not saving you when Bry finds out."

"I wouldn't expect you to. Thank you for helping me tonight. Tell Trenton the same. I couldn't have done it without you guys."

"That's the only reason we did help. You would have had your ass in jail. This is the last time." Carter didn't sound as mad as his words probably should have been.

"I know. Once was enough." Beau didn't want to do it again. He'd had more than enough. The other guys could handle it from here on.

"Go home and get some sleep. You have to work in four hours," Carter told him.

"Yes, Dad." He smiled. "Talk to you tomorrow."

"Night, Beau." Carter disconnected the call.

With only a few hours before he had to be to work, Beau got back in the car and headed home. He'd have enough time to shower, change, and grab something to eat before he had to be at the hospital. It was going to be a very long day, but it was worth it. One less man hurting children was worth a night of no sleep.

CHAPTER TWENTY

The emergency room was slow, and that made the day even longer. Coffee was keeping his eyes open, but it would only be a matter of time before the caffeine didn't cut it anymore. He tried to focus on anything to keep his mind busy.

Any other time, a slow shift was a blessing, but right now, he was jumping at the chance to cast an arm or give someone a few stitches.

He hadn't heard from Parson yet, but it was barely noon. It would probably take time to get the paperwork organized and ready. As long as there were no problems, he would be taking Lisa and Jeff home with him the next morning.

That thought helped to lift his spirits as he continued to think about all the things he would buy them. Living alone, he'd never really bothered buying much. He wasn't home enough to need things, but with the kids there, he wanted to change that. He wanted to barbeque in the backyard, play video games with them, and in time, he wanted to travel. He doubted the kids had ever been outside of California. There was a whole world out there that he'd be able to show them. Maybe he could get Parson to join them on a trip to Boston.

He was sitting at the nurses' station when his phone rang. Hopeful it was Parson, he pulled it out, then wished he hadn't.

Seeing Bryon's name, he hesitantly answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Get your fucking ass to the house now!" Bryon yelled.

"I'm at work."