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“Always knew you should be together,” the older man said in a thin, gravelly voice.
“Daddy,” Caroline protested, embarrassed. “We don’t need to talk about this right now.”
The door opened, and a doctor and two nurses entered, rolling a tray of equipment with them. The doctor looked at Caroline and gave her a quick smile.
“I told you he’d progress quickly,” he said to her. “You’re welcome to stay in the room while we examine him.”
Caroline looked at her father, but he had closed his eyes again. “No,” she demurred. “We’ll let you do your job. We’ll be right back, Dad.”
Jason and Caroline stepped out into the corridor, where Deputy Mitchell and the other guards stood. She sagged against Jason, feeling a little weak from the force of her relief.
“He’s going to be okay,” she said, looking at him. “He’s really going to be okay.”
Jason supported her, letting her lean against him, with a strong arm around her shoulders. “I hope you’re right.”
In that moment, Caroline knew she wouldn’t be returning to Virginia. She’d call Arthur MacInness, and let him know that she was leaving the law firm. He’d understand. Then she’d let Patrick Dougherty know that she wouldn’t be coming back. She only hoped that the lawyer who had taken over her cases was working out. She knew from firsthand experience how difficult it was not to get involved with the kids once you’d heard their stories.
But her life was here now, in California. Her father needed her. And she needed Jason.
“I’m staying here,” she murmured.
He nodded. “Absolutely. I’ll have one of the men grab us something to eat from the cafeteria.”
“No,” she said, looking up at him. “I’m staying here, in California. I’m not returning to the East Coast.”
For a moment he just stared at her, uncomprehending. Then his whole expression changed. “Caroline, your father won’t be in the hospital forever. Eventually, he’ll be well enough to return home, maybe even go back to his job.”
“I know. Even if he does decide to go back to work, I’m not returning to Richmond.”
“What changed your mind?”
“I have too much for me here,” she said softly. “Everything I care about is here in California.”
He tilted his head, waiting. “Not just in San Francisco?”
“In San Francisco, and in San Diego.”
He bent toward her and lowered his voice. “If we weren’t being watched by every man in this hallway, I’d kiss you right now.”
Without looking at the other men, Caroline raised herself on tiptoe and planted a kiss directly on his mouth.
“Consider that a down payment,” she said, smiling into his eyes. “That’s the first thing I’m looking forward to, once this whole thing is over.”
“What is?”
“The right to kiss you whenever I want, without anyone passing judgment.”
The door to her father’s room opened, and the doctor stepped out. “He’s in a considerable amount of pain, so I’ve increased his morphine,” he said. “But I’m really pleased with his progress, and we’ll be moving him out of ICU within the next day or so.” He looked at Jason. “He has no memory of what happened to him. He said the last thing he remembers is going to bed the night before. That’s pretty common with a traumatic event.”
“Will he regain those memories?” Jason asked.
The doctor shrugged. “It’s hard to say. He might, but I’ve seen cases where the patient never recalls the incident.”
“You’re not making my job any easier, doc,” Jason said.
The doctor gave him a sympathetic smile and slapped him lightly on the back. “The judge says you always get your man, so I have no doubt you’ll catch who did this to him.”
“Can I see him?” Caroline asked.
“Of course, but we just sedated him.” He gave Jason a sympathetic look. “You’ll have to save your questioning for later, Marshal.”
Jason nodded.
In his room, Caroline stood by her father’s bed and watched him sleep. “I remember when my mother died, and I refused to leave my bedroom for six days,” she said thickly. “I was just a toddler. I wouldn’t even go to her funeral. I thought maybe if I didn’t leave my room, I could still believe she was somewhere in the house.”
Jason stroked her back. “The judge said you had a pretty tough time after she died.”
“He left me just long enough to go to her service, but otherwise he never left my side. Even after the funeral, when we had a house filled with people, he stayed in my room with me. He never lost his patience with me or tried to force me to come downstairs or tell me that I had to face the truth.” She turned and looked at Jason. “He was just there, ready to give me whatever it was that I needed.”
