Page 12 of Valor (Long Hot Summer: Christian Romantic Suspense #2)
CHAPTER TWELVE
Pain reverberated through his body. A strange sense of urgency had Owen pushing through the pain to open his eyes. He couldn’t just lie there; he had to make sure everything was okay. He struggled to see. His surroundings were blurry at first, but then an angel’s face hovered over him.
Not an angel, but Emily. He stared up at her for a moment, wondering if he was dead. Wait, no, that didn’t make sense. Dead men didn’t feel pain.
And if Emily was there, he couldn’t possibly be in hell either. He swallowed hard, his dry throat scratchy. “What happened?”
“You’re awake!” Emily’s smile warmed his heart. “I was getting worried because you slept for such a long time. You had abdominal surgery. Dr. Scofield did a wash out of your wound with antibiotics, then sutured it closed while leaving a drain in place. They did a CT scan afterward and confirmed you had a liver laceration. You lost a lot of blood, so they gave you two units of packed red blood cells. You’ll need IV antibiotics for the next twenty-four hours or so before you can be switched to oral medications.” She flushed and patted his arm. “I guess that was more than you needed to know, sorry. I’m so relieved that you’re awake.”
She was so cute when she rattled off medical stuff. “What happened?” he repeated. The last thing he remembered was running toward Doug and Emily, when he was pushed sideways as gunfire rang out. “Was Granger dirty?”
“Yes, Doug is dealing with that now.” Emily’s expression turned somber. “Doug shot and killed Granger after he attempted to kill you. Doug was here at the hospital with me for about an hour but then headed back out to the ranger station. I’m sure he’s going to be tied up at the scene for a while.”
It bothered him to know Doug had shot and killed Colin Granger. What if he was wrong about the guy? His chest squeezed with fear and dread, but then he remembered how Granger had fired at him. Just as someone had pushed him.
He frowned. That didn’t make sense because no one had been close enough to push him. Maybe he’d imagined the feeling of being shoved. It could be that he tripped over a rock on the parking lot.
Yeah, that had to be it.
A wet nose pressed against his arm. He turned his head to see Bear lying beside him in the bed. The pup was snuggled against him with his eyes closed. “I can’t believe the nurses let you bring Bear in.”
Emily waved a hand. “What they don’t know won’t hurt them. Besides, I wasn’t going to leave. And Doug couldn’t keep Bear with him while working the crime scene.”
With a grimace, he shifted on the bed. Throbbing pain along his right side made it difficult to find a comfortable position. But he was alive, and that was all that mattered.
Unless... he lifted both of his wrists to make sure he wasn’t handcuffed to the bed. He wasn’t, but that fact alone might not mean much. It wasn’t like he was going to get very far in his current condition.
“Would you like some ice chips?” Emily held up a plastic cup and spoon. “You can’t eat or drink anything until your stomach starts working again. Tomorrow morning, they’ll start you on clear liquids.”
Feeling foolish, he opened his mouth for the ice chips. As the ice melted down his throat, he let out a sigh. That felt much better. “Thanks. Ah, did Doug say anything else?” He wasn’t sure how to ask the question. “Like what he plans to do with me?”
“No, but I know that Doug feels bad about Granger. Doug told me he was in contact with Granger this whole time, which is how we kept getting found.” Her brow furrowed. “I know Doug wants to interview you, but he explained that he’d have to wait for that until you’re no longer on pain medication.”
He nodded, realizing this was a temporary reprieve. There was still a very real possibility he could go to jail. Gazing up at Emily, he wished he could tell her how much he loved her. How much she’d changed his life over the past few months.
But he couldn’t say anything yet. Not until he knew what his future held. The last thing he wanted was for her to wait for him to get out of prison.
She deserved better than that.
Bear shifted beside him, making him smile. He’d miss the pup. But he’d miss Emily more.
“Well, thanks for sticking around.” He wanted more ice chips, but he would prefer to get them himself. Emily had done more than enough for him. She’d saved his life as much or more than he’d saved hers. He gazed down at the puppy. “You should probably get Bear out of here before you get caught.”
“I’ll take him outside for a bit, but then I’ll be back.” She frowned. “I’m not leaving you, Owen.”
Her words shouldn’t have given him a secret thrill. No matter how much he’d like nothing more than to spend time with her, he refused to let her throw her life away for him.
Forcing her to move on with her life was the best thing he could do for her.
“Don’t come back.” The words sounded harsher than he’d intended. “I stayed with you because I needed to keep you safe. The danger is over now, so it’s time for you to go home. Be with your family. I’ll be fine here on my own.”
The flash of hurt in her brown eyes stabbed deep. Without saying anything, she picked up Bear and walked to the door.
A moment later, she was gone. He squeezed his eyes shut, reminding himself this was for the best. He loved Emily too much to hold her back.
A minute later, he heard his door open.
“Good evening, how are you feeling?” A cheerful nurse entered his room. “Do you need more pain medication?”
“Yes, please.” He shifted on the bed again and reached for the ice chips. He took a big spoonful, allowing them to melt in his mouth.
“Take it easy on those,” the nurse warned as she injected something into his IV. “It will not feel good to throw up.”
That was enough for him to ignore the urge to empty the cup and to quickly set it aside.
“Time to get you up on your feet.” The nurse finished with his IV. “Walking is good, and I’m sure you could use a trip to the bathroom.”
He nodded, determined to get to the bathroom under his own power. The nurse was nice enough, but he couldn’t help remembering how Emily had cared for him back in January. Ignoring the shaft of pain spreading over his belly, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and slid to his feet.
When he swayed, the nurse grabbed his arm. “Whoa, don’t fall. Slow and steady wins the race.”
Her cheerfulness annoyed him, but he knew that was because he would have rather had Emily helping him. Gritting his teeth, he walked the length of the room, dragging his IV pole along as he went.
By the time he’d finished in the bathroom, he felt as if he’d run a marathon. Emily had mentioned he’d slept for hours, which might have been true, but he still felt exhausted.
It occurred to him that he should get as much sleep as possible while he was in the hospital. He doubted the cots in jail would be comfortable. And from what he’d heard, jail was rarely quiet.
He couldn’t bear to think about living the rest of his life in a cage, so he did his best to push those thoughts aside. He closed his eyes and found himself reliving those moments he’d run toward Emily and Doug, shouting that Granger was involved.
The sensation of being pushed was just as clear now as it had been back then.
He opened his eyes, turned, and looked out the window. The sun was low in the sky, and he remembered how he’d tried to pray.
Had God answered his prayer? It didn’t seem possible.
He wanted to talk to Emily about that, to see what she thought about what he’d experienced a second before he’d been shot, but it was suddenly too hard to keep his eyes open.
The image of Jesus on the cross flashed through his mind before his eyes closed, and he fell asleep.
When he awoke next, early rays of daylight flitted through the window. He blinked, then looked at the clock, shocked to see that it was six in the morning.
How he’d slept all night was a mystery. The pain in his side remained a dull throb, but he decided against taking anything. The sooner he got this interview with Doug over, the better.
Not knowing what his future held was killing him. Especially because he wanted so much more than he deserved.
He took more ice chips, then headed into the bathroom without asking for help. When he came out a few minutes later, he was startled to see Doug standing there.
“Owen.” Doug gave him a nod. “How are you feeling?”
“Uh, fine.” He shoved the IV pole forward to make his way to the bed. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Doug waited until he got back into bed before pulling the chair up next to him. “I heard from the nurses that you haven’t taken any pain meds for several hours. I figured we should talk now so that you can get back on schedule.”
“I’m fine.” He waved that off. “I’m hoping to get out of here.”
“Why don’t you start at the beginning?” Doug suggested.
It was a long story, but he did his best to give Doug the shortened version. “My younger brother, Oliver, got mixed up with Domingo Hernandez’s drug operation to get money to help support our mom who was dying of cancer. After she passed away, I convinced Oliver to get out of the business, but as it turns out, Hernandez doesn’t take kindly to men leaving his organization. He had Oliver shot in the back of the head execution style and left my brother’s body on the front porch of my mother’s house. From that point forward, I was on a mission to find Hernandez to make him pay.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your brother,” Doug said. “What happened then?”
He explained how he began infiltrating the drug organization. “It wasn’t easy because Hernandez was super cautious and kept several bodyguards around him at all times. Still, I was doing my best to work my way up, hoping to meet with him.” Owen sighed. “At some point, I realized I needed to let the police know what was going on. I talked to a Colorado cop by the name of William Minor. And he agreed to be a liaison with the DEA, specifically Agent Colin Granger.”
“I see.” Doug’s expression turned grim. “How did you get shot the first time? Back in January when your guys kidnapped Emily?”
Owen winced. “I was coordinating a big drug buy. The guy who was supposed to pay me decided to pull a gun instead. I backed off, but he shot me in the shoulder. I managed to get the drugs back, and the rest of my team came to the rescue. I mentioned needing a nurse to care for my wound, and that’s what led us to kidnapping Emily. I didn’t pick her intentionally. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Where did you go after you left the cabin on the snowmobile?” Doug asked.
Owen filled him in on how Doc and Dee had taken him in and nursed him back to health. “Doc was a retired veterinarian and gave me antibiotics. Still, they were oral pills, and it took a long time for me to kick that infection and get my strength back. I ended up staying at the ranch longer than I should have, doing as many of the physical chores as possible to pay them back for their help.”
Owen took a break to swallow more ice chips.
“Emily filled me in on what happened to Doc and Dee, as well as the multiple attempts to kill the two of you.” Doug held his gaze. “Thank you for keeping her safe.”
Hope flared in his heart. Maybe Doug wouldn’t throw him in jail.
“I reached out to Will Minor after I left the Double D Ranch. He told me he’d spoken to Granger about how to get me back in with the Hernandez operation. The next day, he told me to meet with a contact by the name of Juan Sanchez at a specific location. I knew Juan from before, so I went to the meeting. Only the contact who showed up to the meeting wasn’t Juan Sanchez and he tried to kill me. Oh, and I took a picture of him with my phone, but then had to ditch the device.” He sighed. “That’s when I went to find Emily. I was concerned someone would show up there, hoping to find me. And they did. I shot and killed the man who assaulted her. We went on the run and barely managed to escape several more attempts until we reached the ranger station.”
“I will need more details about those attempts,” Doug said. “But I appreciate you providing the overview.”
“I honestly thought Will Minor was the leak. But when I saw Granger’s bearded face behind the wheel, I realized it must have been him.”
“It was Granger.” Doug’s gaze hardened. “We’re in the process of going through his phone records in more detail, but the fact that he had a burner cell with calls that corresponded to the dates and times matching the attempts to kill you and Emily has convinced me he was involved. Now that I know you took a picture of the shooter, we can try to link him to Granger. As well.”
Owen was glad to know that Doug hadn’t killed an innocent man. He took another ice chip. “I’ll gladly give you all the details I knew about the Hernandez organization. I’m not sure how much help it will be considering so many months have passed since I was directly involved.”
“It can’t hurt, but that can wait.” Doug rose to his feet, and for a horrible moment, Owen thought he was pulling handcuffs out. But it was only his phone. “Emily? You can come up now.”
Owen frowned. “Why would you encourage her to come up to see me?”
An ironic smile tugged at the corner of Doug’s mouth. “Because emotions are rarely logical. And you’re not under arrest. I think you’ve more than paid your debt to society.”
He had? Owen couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Thank you,” he managed just as Doug headed for the door.
“Treat her right, Owen,” Doug warned. Then disappeared.
Owen wasn’t sure what to think. He was elated he wouldn’t spend the rest of his life in jail, but he also knew Emily deserved someone better than him.
He gazed out the window, lifted his heart, and thanked God for saving him.
* * *
“How did it go?” Emily asked as she hurried into Owen’s room cradling Bear in her arms. Doug hadn’t said much other than he was satisfied with the way Owen had handled things over the past two days.
“Ah, good.” Owen appeared dazed. “He was nicer than I probably deserved.”
“That’s not true. You’re a good man, Owen. I knew it back when I first met you in January.” She set Bear on the bed. The pup climbed up onto Owen’s chest. “I’m glad you worked things out.”
“Me too.” Owen smiled as he stroked his hand over Bear’s soft fur. “Thanks for whatever you told Doug. I know you swayed his opinion of me.”
“I only told him the truth.” She pulled up the chair to sit close. “I knew Doug would do the right thing.”
“The right thing,” Owen repeated. His smile faded. “I need to do that too. I want you to go back with Doug. Maybe spend some time on the Sullivan ranch. You need to recover from all of this.”
She narrowed her gaze, sensing a brush-off. “Doug asked me to stay at the Sullivan ranch, and I agreed as long as you come with us.”
“Me?” Owen’s gaze shot to hers. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
She barely resisted rolling her eyes. “Where else are you going to recover from your second gunshot wound in five months? Staying at the K9 ranch is the best plan. We can start training Bear while you get well.”
A hint of wistfulness brightened his blue eyes. But then he shook his head. “Emily, you need to move on with your life.”
“I plan to do exactly that,” she said firmly. “With you, Owen.” She softened when Bear licked his chin. “Please, Owen. Come back to the Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue Ranch with me and Bear.”
“Emily.” Her name was a sigh. “I want nothing more than to do that. But I don’t have much to offer you. I haven’t worked a legitimate job in over eighteen months. I liked doing construction, but that was back in Colorado where there were a lot of jobs. I’m not sure there are similar opportunities in Cody. And if there are, I’m not sure anyone will want to hire me.”
“I believe in you, Owen.” She reached over to take his hand. “I believe in us. I know God brought us back together for a reason.” She hesitated, then added, “I love you, Owen.”
His eyes widened. “Love?”
“Yes.” She tightened her grip on his hand. “I loved you even when I thought you were an outlaw. Although even back then, I knew you were a good and decent man. And I was right.” She smiled encouragingly. “I believe you can do anything you set your mind to. If you want to go back to working construction, then great. If you want to learn to do something else, that’s fine too. I’ll support you in every way.”
“Ah, Emily.” He lifted her hand to kiss it. Bear took that as an invitation to lick her hand, making Owen chuckle. The sound was rusty, as if he hadn’t laughed in a long time. “You are an amazing woman. And I want you to know that I love you too.”
“Really?” She searched his gaze, hoping he was being truthful. “You’re not just saying that because you don’t have any place to go?”
“I promise I’m being honest. I tried to push you away because I know you deserve better than a schmuck like me.” He sighed. “Truth is, I can’t stay away from you. I’ve never felt this way for anyone else.”
“Oh, Owen.” She smiled widely. “I’m so glad. Because I never felt this way for anyone else either.”
“I do have a question, though.” Owen’s gaze turned thoughtful. “Do you remember when I was running toward you and Doug shouting about Granger being dirty?”
“Very well,” she admitted. “I was scared and worried sick that something bad was going to happen to you. And it did. That idiot shot you.”
“Yeah, but just before that, did you notice me tripping over a rock?” He held her gaze for a moment.
She frowned, thinking back. “I don’t remember seeing a rock on the ground. But I do remember you jutting to the left just as Granger fired at you. I remember thinking you must have sensed he was going to shoot.”
“I didn’t know he was going to shoot, but it felt as if someone shoved me out of the way.” Owen’s voice was low. “I know that sounds crazy because nobody was there. Nobody was close enough to push me out of the way.”
A chill snaked down her spine. “Maybe you were touched by the Holy Spirit.”
“I’m not sure what that means, but shortly before I came back to warn you about Granger, I tried praying for the first time.” His cheeks flushed as if he was embarrassed to admit it. “I’m sure I made a mess of the prayer, but then I was running toward you and felt as if someone pushed me to the side as Granger fired. I guess I wondered if God was watching over me. Not just me, but watching over all of us.” He shrugged. “Maybe I’m exaggerating what happened, and I really did trip over a rock, but the truth is, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I want to learn more. I want to discover God and Jesus. I long to experience your level of faith. Will you teach me?”
“Yes, Owen.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I would love that.”
“Me too.” He shifted Bear to the side and drew her closer. “Kiss me, Emily.”
She bent over and captured his mouth in hers. Just like their earlier kisses, she felt weak in the knees yet strong in heart.
Being with Owen was right. The other men she’d tried to date were nothing compared to Owen.
A knock at the door drew them apart. Flustered, Emily tucked her hair behind her ear as a nurse entered the room. The woman’s eyes widened when she saw Bear. “Oh my! You can’t have dogs in here.”
“If you make Bear leave, then you’d better write my discharge papers too,” Owen said.
Emily hid a smile. “I knew Bear would cheer Owen up. He won’t cause any trouble, I promise.”
“He’s cute, but he can’t stay,” the nurse repeated firmly. “The doctor will be making rounds soon. You can bring up the issue of your discharge with him.”
Emily scooped Bear off Owen’s chest, then lowered her head to whisper, “I’ll be back soon.”
She hurried out of the room, nearly bumping smack into Doug outside the door. She narrowed her gaze. “I hope you weren’t eavesdropping on our personal conversation.”
“Yep.” Doug didn’t look the least bit guilty over his actions. “I’ll take Bear. I know you’ll want to stay with Owen until the doctor swings by.”
“I do.” She kissed Bear’s head, then passed the puppy to her brother. “Thanks for not arresting him, Doug.”
“To be fair, I should arrest him for the men he’d shot and killed,” Doug admitted. “I know those actions were taken in self-defense, but that would need to be proven in a court of law. The truth is I have Granger’s disposable cell phone calls that correspond with those incidents. I’m determined to work things out with the local police.” He grimaced, and added, “The guy loves you, Em. He risked his life for you, and for that, I’ll be forever grateful.”
“He does love me.” She still had trouble believing it herself. “And I love him too. Thanks.” She kissed her brother on the cheek. “I’ll call when we know if Owen is being sprung from this place.”
“Okay.” Doug gave her a hug, then turned away. She heard him telling Bear he was going to be a great addition to the search and rescue team.
Emily hurried back into Owen’s room. The hope and love on Owen’s face reflected her own. They were a team.
And she silently thanked God for bringing them back together.