LITMIR.BIZ

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to sleep and smiled. He’d turned over his cases to some of the other detectives and asked for time off. He wanted to be here in case she needed him. She had no family since her aunt had died and he didn’t want her to be alone.

      Of course he knew he had no business being there. She’d made it more than clear when she left him that she no longer wanted him around her. He picked up on the fact that she was less than thrilled to see him there, honestly puzzled, and he couldn’t explain to her what he couldn’t explain to himself.

      He just knew that he had to be there. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. He hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. Now he waited until she woke up again.

      The next time Sherri opened her eyes and saw him, she frowned. “You’re still here.”

      He nodded.

      “I don’t understand. Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

      “I took some time off.”

      “You said you talked to some of the men who were at the scene of the accident. Did they say how badly my car was damaged?”

      “There’s not much left of it, I’m afraid. It’s a miracle you survived. When I saw it, I didn’t know how you could have come out of it alive.”

      “It can’t be repaired?” she asked wistfully.

      “’Fraid not.” He rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. “I’m sorry. I know how much you loved that little car.”

      Tears welled into her eyes. “I’m being silly to cry over a stupid car. It’s just that it was my very first car and I bought it brand-new.”

      “I spoke to your roommate a little while ago while you were asleep. She didn’t know you’d been in an accident until late last night. When she called the hospital this morning to find out how you were, the nurse forwarded the call to your room. I guess the hospital will only give out information to family members.”

      “You’re not family.” Tears continued to slide down her cheeks.

      “But the hospital doesn’t know that. I told them I was your husband.”

      She started to sit up and then grabbed her tummy and winced.

      “Easy. You’ve just had major surgery.”

      “Why would you lie like that?”

      “Like I said,” he began patiently. “The hospital won’t give out information on a patient except to family members. I needed to know how you were doing so I told them we were married. I had this same conversation with Joan. She’d never heard of me.” He cocked his head and looked at her, his brows raised.

      “I never told her your name. All she knows is that I’m divorced.”

      “I think she was surprised to find me here.”

      Sherri almost smiled. “I’m sure she was.” More tears flowed. “I didn’t get a chance to tell her.”

      “Tell her what?”

      “About what happened. I lost my job yesterday.”

      “So that’s why you were on the highway at that time of day.”

      She sighed. “It was definitely a Black Friday for me.”

      She kept wiping away her tears. He took a tissue and wiped her cheeks.

      “The important thing is that you’re alive. You can always get another car and another job.”

      She glanced down at her body. “Right. With my arm and leg in casts, I have a hunch a prospective employer would not be impressed.”

      “You don’t need to find a job next week, you know. You’re going to need time to rest and recuperate.”

      She shook her head. “You don’t understand. I’m obligated to pay half the bills for our apartment. Joan depends on me just as I depend on her.”

      “Joan wondered how you’d be able to climb the stairs to your apartment, which I think is a fair question. You can’t handle crutches until your arm heals and that would be at least six weeks.”

      “Oh, no! I hadn’t gotten around to thinking about that.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe all of this happened in one day.”

      “Did you get a severance check?”

      She nodded toward her purse. “I hope it’s still in there.”

      “May I look?” he asked, reaching for it.

      She closed her eyes. “I suppose. I don’t seem to have any secrets from you.”

      He saw the crumpled envelope just inside the purse. He handed it to her. “Is this it?”

      She opened her eyes and looked first at the envelope and then at him. “With one arm in a sling and the other hooked up to a drip, I can’t even take it.”

      “I’ll put it in the bank for you if you like. I’ll need a deposit slip.”

      “Also in my purse.”

      He found her checkbook and without looking at the balance, tore off a deposit slip and put it back in her purse.

      When he looked back at her she was staring at him. She didn’t say anything, just looked at him. After a lengthy silence, he finally asked, “What?”

      “I still don’t understand why you’re here.”

      “I care about you.”

      She sounded frustrated when she replied, “I don’t understand why.”

      He smiled. “I’ve gotta admit, it surprised me, too.”

      Her eyes drooped.

      “Get some sleep. I’ll come back later.”

      “You don’t have to. I’m okay.”

      “Yes, I know. Just humor me, okay?”

      Her eyes closed and he waited for her to say something, but she didn’t. She’d fallen asleep.

      He stroked her hand as he studied her. He was glad to see she had a little more color in her face.

      Greg stroked her cheek and whispered, “Take care of yourself, little one,” and walked out of the room.

      Four

      Two days later Sherri woke up in a panic. She’d been having a nightmare, or perhaps her subconscious had chosen to relive some of her worst moments. She looked around her room and saw that she was alone.

      She realized she was holding her breath and let it out with a whoosh, her relief overwhelming. The nightmare had probably been the result of knowing that she was being released from the hospital today. Somehow she would have to navigate the stairs to her second-story apartment. Once there, she would be something of a captive until her leg cast came off.

      At the moment, getting to her apartment wasn’t her worst problem. How could she look for work like this? No one in his or her right mind would hire her. She wasn’t even sure she could work full-time right away. She’d been in good shape, relatively speaking, but she was a long way from getting over the wreck. Her little car was gone. Her insurance would only pay a percentage of her hospital bills, which were going to be astronomical. For that matter, she might not have any insurance. Had it been canceled the day she was laid off? She hoped it had been in effect until midnight of that day. She’d paid her part of the insurance premiums for the entire month and, as if all of that wasn’t enough to deal with, she also had Greg to contend with.

      He’d come by to see her for both of the past two days. She didn’t want him here. She’d hoped never to see him again. Why? Because she still turned to mush whenever she was around him. That was the reason she had asked him to leave her alone after the divorce. She could deal with the hurt and the pain of the divorce as long as it was

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