Falling For You (Sapphire Bay Book 1) Page 18

  She slid sideways, trying to put as much space between them as she could. But it didn’t help. The platform was too small, too—something brushed against her neck. Her hand flew to her throat. If it was a big, hairy spider, she swore she’d scream until there was no air left in her lungs. Her fingers swept across her skin. It wasn’t a spider.

  Her heart pounded. It was Gabe’s whistle. She’d made a necklace, threading it through a piece of string so she wouldn’t lose it.

  “You know, I used to wonder what it felt like to be on the receiving end of my attention. But then I decided it didn’t matter.” Leith’s stepbrother circled the tree. “Some things are better left to the imagination.”

  Natalie blew the whistle. Then she blew again, desperately hoping that Sherlock was close.

  A series of short, sharp, barks filled her with hope.

  The manic laughter coming from below the tree turned that hope to dread. Leith’s stepbrother should be running away. If Gabe and Sherlock were here, the police wouldn’t be far behind. She kept the whistle against her lips, blowing it hard every few seconds.

  “Do you really think I’m that naïve? My mother used to say there’s more than one way to skin a cat. I like to apply the same principle to the human form, don’t you?” He pulled out a gun, pointing it straight at Natalie. “It’s time you and I had a different type of discussion.”

  Natalie stared at the determined sneer on his face. With a certainty that made her sick, she knew she wouldn’t be leaving the forest alive. But by God, if she were about to die, she wasn’t doing it silently.

  The whistle dropped out of her mouth. She filled her lungs with air and screamed like it was her last breath on earth.

  She screamed again, and again, letting go of every fear, every hurt, every pain she’d ever felt. She wanted to live, damn it. She wanted to love Gabe. She wanted children, a safe place to call home. She wanted—

  A gun fired. The sting of something sharp hit her arm.

  She looked down. Blood. Oh, God. So much blood.

  “Drop the gun or you’re dead!”

  Gabe.

  A click.

  Silence.

  “Drop the gun, Chapman.”

  “You think I scare that easy? I’m not afraid of dying. There are worst places to be and, believe me, I’ve been to all of them.”

  Natalie didn’t care where he’d been or what he’d done. Her arm was on fire. She needed to stop the bleeding and get out of the tree. She tore at the hem of her dress, used her teeth to hold one end of the cotton while she wound the other around her arm. By the time this was over she’d look like G.I. Jane—bruised, bloody, and beaten.

  The platform tilted sideways. Closing her eyes, she waited for the world to stop spinning.

  “Your girlfriend is an easy target. I could shoot her in the head and you wouldn’t be able to stop me.”

  Didn’t he ever give up? Throwing herself sideways, Natalie protected her head with her arms. Pain ripped through her body.

  A single gunshot echoed across the forest.

  She closed her eyes as darkness became her friend.

  For a split second, Gabe stared in disbelief at the crumpled body of Jaydon Chapman. Blood pooled like a thick, red syrup beneath his back, slowly oozing across the forest floor. Using his foot, he swept Chapman’s gun away and felt for a pulse. Nothing.

  Russell Jameson stepped out of the trees, returning his gun to its holster. “Are you all right?”

  Gabe didn’t have time to think about what had happened. He ignored Russell’s question. There would be plenty of time to go over everything.

  “Natalie?” he yelled. “Are you okay?”

  No answer.

  He rushed toward the twisted treehouse. “Natalie?” Gabe’s voice filled the forest with a desperation bordering on panic. In the background, he heard Russell call for the paramedics and a ladder, but she needed help now, not in ten or fifteen minutes.

  More police arrived.

  He circled the trees, looking for the best handholds he could find. None of them were perfect, but one of them would do.

  Russell stood beside him. “I’ll cup my hands and hoist you up. You should be able to reach the first branch.”

  He didn’t hesitate. When Russell was ready, Gabe leaped into his linked hands and grabbed for the branch above his head. As soon as his hands connected with the rough wood, he pulled himself higher. Once he was over the third branch, the climbing became easier.

  “Watch the next branch,” Russell yelled from the ground. “It doesn’t look as sturdy as the others.”

  Gabe pulled hard on the branch. It swayed under his weight.

  He studied the tree. The point where all four trees converged was at least twelve feet away. He wouldn’t get there using this side of the tree. Holding the trunk for support, he turned his back on the branch and lunged for another one. Time passed in a blur. He moved on autopilot, reaching the bough of the tree out of breath and worried about Natalie.

  When he saw her, his legs gave way. Her face was a bruised and bloody mess, and the makeshift bandages on her arm and leg were soaked with blood. Her eyes were closed, and it didn’t look as though she was breathing.

  With tears in his eyes, he carefully rolled her onto her back and checked for a pulse. “She’s unconscious but alive,” he choked out.

  “The fire department is nearly here,” Russell yelled back. “Is there a ladder somewhere?”

  Gabe wiped his face and searched the narrow platform. When he saw the rope ladder hidden in some branches, he caught his breath. They must be more than forty feet in the air. If one of the moss-covered rungs had broken, Natalie would have plunged to the ground.

  “I’m throwing it down, but it doesn’t look safe.”

  “You’re not kidding,” came Russell’s dry reply. “We’ll rig some ropes together and use a stretcher to get Natalie down. Hold tight. The fire crew has arrived.”

  Gabe turned to Natalie, cupping the side of her face with his hand. “You’re safe now. We’ll take you to the hospital and before you know it, you’ll be walking Sherlock around the lake.”

  He wanted her eyes to open, to hear her voice tell him that everything would be okay. But her lids remained closed, and her breathing slow and shallow.

  With trembling fingers, he pushed her hair away from face and rechecked her pulse.

  Fear threatened to pull him under a heavy black cloud. After today, he didn’t know if their lives would ever be the same again.

  Natalie heard voices, smelled the sharp sting of antiseptic. This wasn’t heaven. She wasn’t dead. But if she was alive, why did she feel so drowsy?

  Slowly, she opened her eyelids, then squinted against the glare of the overhead lights. She turned toward the voices, tried to focus on what they were saying.

  “Natalie?” Gabe’s face appeared above her.

  She started to smile but ended up groaning.

  “It’s okay. Your face is bruised. The doctors said it could take a few days for the swelling to go down.”

  “I’m in the hospital?”

  “We arrived three hours ago. You were unconscious when I found you.”

  She tried to remember what had happened. “Did you find Leith’s stepbrother?”

  Gabe nodded. “He’s dead.”

  Natalie closed her eyes. She should feel some kind of sympathy for him or at least his family. But all she felt was relief that he wouldn’t be back to finish what he’d started. Did that make her a bad person?

  She looked at the pillows propping up her right arm. A large bandage covered most of her skin.

  “You were shot, but the bullet didn’t shatter any bones. The doctor said you should make a full recovery.” Gabe swallowed. He looked exhausted. “The pillows are there to help reduce the swelling. Your leg has eleven stitches. Most of them are internal so the scarring will be minimal.”

  “Why do I feel so drowsy?”

  “The doctors gave you a general anesthetic
while they were operating on your arm.”

  Natalie nodded. Even that made her head ache.

  “Would you like a sip of water?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Gabe’s gentle smile made her sigh.

  “I’ll raise the top of the bed.” He pushed a button, then held a straw to her mouth. “Don’t drink too much. The nurse said a little at a time is all you need.”

  The cool water felt like nectar on her dry throat. She reluctantly let go of the straw and studied Gabe. “Thanks. How are you?”

  “I’m better now that I know you’re on the mend. I was worried about you.”

  “I was worried, too. Leith’s stepbrother told me he was an FBI special agent. I called a number he gave me and they said he worked from their office.” Tears filled her eyes. “I thought I was going to die.”

  Gabe squeezed her hand. “It’s okay. You’re safe and that’s all that matters.”

  Natalie bit her bottom lip to stop her mouth from trembling. Gabe didn’t need to see her fall apart, not when he looked as though he was about to collapse.

  “I called your mom,” he said softly. “Her flight arrives tomorrow morning. She’ll be glad to know you’ve woken up.”

  Natalie yawned. “I’ll call her soon.” Her eyelids felt as though sacks of cement were lying on top of them.

  “Have another sleep. I’ll be here when you wake.”

  She closed her eyes and didn’t hear another thing.

  Gabe stared at the monitor beside Natalie’s bed. Yesterday had been a long day and the night hadn’t been much better. The nurses had come into Natalie’s room every half hour. They adjusted her pain relief and checked the fluids that were being pumped into her body.

  At one o’clock in the morning, her temperature had spiked. A doctor was called and she was given more antibiotics. She’d tossed and turned, groaning in her sleep.

  Guilt tore Gabe’s heart in two. If it weren’t for him, Natalie wouldn’t be here. Her arm and leg wouldn’t be covered in stitches and she wouldn’t be having nightmares. No one should have to go through the horror she’d experienced. Ever.

  “Mr. Lanigan?”

  He looked at the nurse who’d walked into the room.

  “Caleb Andrews is waiting for you by the nurses’ station.”

  Gabe looked at his watch and frowned. It was five-thirty in the morning. “Thanks.” He pulled himself out of the chair and quickly made his way down the corridor. For Caleb to be in Polson at this time of the morning, something must have happened.

  He rounded the corner and stopped. His friend stood beside the desk with a pink helium balloon in one hand, and two takeout bags in the other.

  Gabe read the message on the balloon. Welcome to the world. “Natalie hasn’t had a baby.”

  Caleb smiled. “It’s the best the drug store could manage at this time of the morning. I thought she’d appreciate the sentiment better than, ‘Get well soon’. The nurses will look after the balloon while we have breakfast.”

  “I’m staying with Natalie.”

  “We won’t go far.” He held the two bags in the air. “I’ve got pancakes, hash browns, breakfast muffins, and coffee.”

  Gabe swallowed the knot of emotion clogging his throat. He’d cried so much last night that he didn’t think he had another tear left, but he was wrong.

  Caleb handed the nurse the balloon and wrapped his arm around Gabe. “I know I’m a great guy, but I wouldn’t get too excited about the quality of the food.”

  A watery smile pulled at Gabe’s mouth. “It can’t be that bad.”

  “We’ll see. Let’s go to the family room. The nurse said she’d call me if anything changes.”

  “Natalie had a rough night. I should be there when she—”

  “She’ll be okay. Come on,” Caleb urged. “The eggs will turn to rubber if we don’t eat them soon.”

  Gabe walked with Caleb along the corridor. Most of the rooms they were passing had their doors closed. He hoped those patients had slept better than Natalie.

  “Brooke’s bringing Natalie some clean clothes. She should be here by eight o’clock.”

  “Thanks. I didn’t think about what Natalie would wear today.”

  “I’ve got a change of clothes in the truck for you, too. I can’t guarantee they’ll all fit, but you’re welcome to try them. The kennel texted me last night. Sherlock is okay. He ate all his dinner.”

  More tears filled Gabe’s eyes. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Caleb held open the family room door. “You don’t need to say anything. You’d do the same for me if the situation were reversed.”

  Thankfully, the large room was empty. Gabe’s tired gaze traveled across the navy blue sofas and chairs. Last night, a handful of people had been here, waiting for news about their friends and family. Everyone’s voices had been hushed, talking in whispers as they’d tried to console each other. In the end, when he needed to call Natalie’s mom or reply to a message from the police, he’d taken refuge outside the ward. Sitting on the hard, plastic chairs in the corridor was better than adding another family’s stress to what he already felt.

  Caleb emptied the bags of food onto one of the tables. “You’d better sit down before you collapse. Did you get any sleep last night?”

  “I don’t think so. What about you?”

  “I went home for a couple of hours, then came back. I booked into a hotel not far from here. Sit.”

  Gabe did as he was told—he was too exhausted to do anything else. The smell of bacon and eggs made his stomach rumble.

  “Did you eat anything after I brought you dinner last night?”

  He shook his head. “I wasn’t hungry.”

  “It sounds like you are, now.” Caleb bit into his muffin and sighed. “I’m happy to report that breakfast is delicious.”

  Gabe lifted the muffin to his mouth and took a bite. Caleb was right. “Thanks for being here.” He wiped his face with the back of his hand as more tears fell. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “It’s stress,” Caleb said softly. “Can I ask you something?”

  Gabe swallowed what he was eating and nodded.

  “When Michelle died, did you go to any counseling?”

  He knew where this conversation was going and it would be hard. “I saw a police psychiatrist for a while.”

  “And?”

  Gabe placed his muffin in its box. “I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.”

  Caleb didn’t seem surprised. “How are you feeling today?”

  “Right at this minute?”

  “If you like.”

  Gabe studied the expression on his friend’s face. Unlike his psychiatrist, he wasn’t asking out of professional curiosity. He was asking because he cared. “I feel like I’m drowning and I can’t find anything to keep me afloat.”

  “What would keep you afloat?”

  He rubbed his hands across his eyes. “Knowing that Natalie is all right. Going to sleep and waking up to find this was all a bad dream.”

  “We can get you help with some sleep, but nothing will change what happened.”

  Gabe looked down at his hands. “Two days after we found Natalie in the cave, I drove into Polson to look for an engagement ring. I love her.” He searched Caleb’s face, expecting him to be shocked. “Is there nothing that surprises you?”

  “You’d have to be blind not to see how much you care about each other. Does what happened yesterday change anything?”

  Gabe crossed his arms in front of his chest to stop them shaking. “I can’t do it.”

  “What can’t you do?”

  “I can’t marry her. I can’t have a relationship with her. What if someone else makes my life a living hell? Natalie could have died.”

  Caleb leaned forward. “You’re the reason she lived. You found Natalie and stopped Chapman from killing her. Then you climbed the tree to make sure she was okay. Without your help she would have died before the police fo
und her.”

  “She wouldn’t have met Chapman if it weren’t for me.”

  “Perhaps, but no one knows what the future holds. She could have been hurt when her apartment in Italy was broken into. She could have bought a ticket to Montana on a plane that crashed, or she could have choked on a piece of apple. Our lives aren’t full of signposts telling us where to go. We make the best decisions we can, then move on from there.” Caleb’s eyes never left Gabe’s face. “Promise me three things.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “You’ll come with me to see a doctor, then go back to my hotel to sleep for a few hours.” He held up his hand when Gabe started to interrupt. “That’s two things. You won’t need to worry about Natalie. I’ll stay with her while you sleep. The third promise is that you won’t make any big decisions until you find what you need to keep afloat.”

  “That could take months.”

  “It doesn’t matter. If you love Natalie, those feelings will still be there when you’re ready to do something about them.”

  Gabe breathed deeply. “How did you get to be so wise?”

  “I’ll tell you about it another day.” He held up his muffin and smiled. “Bon appétit.”

  Chapter 16

  “You don’t have to babysit me,” Natalie said to Caleb. “The nurses will help me with anything I need.”

  “I told Gabe I’d stay with you while he slept.”

  Natalie sighed. Apart from when the nurse had helped her shower and she’d gone to the bathroom, Caleb hadn’t left her room. “Why are you and Gabe so stubborn?”

  “Comes with being a male.” He looked at the crossword puzzle in front of him. “What’s a five-letter word that means dangerous?”

  Brooke stood in the doorway. “Risky.”

  Caleb’s eyebrows rose. “You’re right. What about an eleven-letter word that means premeditated?”

  Brooke frowned. “What does it start with?”

  “I don’t know. But the third letter is a ‘T’.”

  “Intentional.” She grinned at Caleb’s disbelieving face. “You’re looking at the winner of the Queen Bee Spelling Competition at Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School. Three years in a row.”