Page 135 of Traces Of You

“I’ll be there to take care of you,” she said. “Just as well as you’ve taken care of me. I promise.”

His mother put a bag down. “I’ve got some clothes for you, Reenie. Blaze told me they’d get you a room to stay here. I hope you don’t mind I grabbed them.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I can’t wait to burn the ones I’ve got on.”

“We stopped at Ford’s and got him some clothes too,” his father said. “I know there is no way you want to be in a hospital gown any more than me.”

“I hope it’s shorts,” he said.

“Of course it is,” his mother said. “Once they get you in a room, the nurses can help get you dressed.”

“I can get myself dressed.”

Good lord, he wasn’t incapable of something that simple.

He wanted to fight to be released, but the truth was, he wanted Reenie looked over too, and if she stayed here with him, then they’d both feel more comfortable.

“No arguing,” she said, poking her finger lightly into his side, then cuddled in some more.

When she yawned, he said, “Close your eyes and nap.”

“What time is it?” she asked. “I didn’t even know how long I was gone.”

“It’s six now,” his mother said.

“At noon I noticed you’d been gone about three hours and had heard nothing,” Ford said. “I panicked and called Clay. You didn’t answer your phone so I checked your location and my radar went up.”

“I know how you found me,” she said. “But I’m not sure where I was. Bobby knocked me out, and they didn’t tell me how long I was unconscious.”

“You were about thirty minutes outside of Lake George. My guess is you weren’t out long. I had to find you on camera to see who you might be with. We found the rental van and who rented it. All we knew was Randy was involved but not how many people.”

Randy had rented the vehicle. The object of showing up was to try for a head count.

“Oh,” she said, sitting up. “Officer Stiles. He’s their dealer. Randy had to come after me because Stiles needed the pills back. From what I could put together, someone was onto him stealing them from work and he was being watched. They had to be returned rather than sold.”

“That makes more sense,” Ford said. “I’ll have someone reach out to Gainesville Police and let them know everything.”

“Clay took care of it,” his father said.

“What?”

“Well, you deputized him and since he was there, he and some of your other men made the call.”

Ford nodded his head and yawned.

“You need your rest,” his mother said. “Your father and I will be back in a bit, but I wanted to see you for myself.”

“Can’t trust Blaze, can you?” he asked, trying to smirk.

“I trust all my children,” Brooke said. “But a mother always worries. Reenie, do you need help changing?”

She swung her legs over the side. “No, I can do it. Thanks.”

When his parents left, Reenie got the bag and opened it. “Do you want me to help you get some clothes on?”

“Please,” he said. “You don’t mind helping me?”

He realized he was free balling it under the gown. He was more embarrassed over that than the fact his mother was in his underwear drawer.