“I love you, Jason.”
“Love you, too.”
“Text me when you get home.”
“Will do.”
She waited a minute but didn’t hear his car start. “Are you leaving now?”
“Yes, Mom.”
The sarcasm cut through her, as she missed her mom. So much. Mom had known how to reach Jason. How to help him keep hoping as he tried to process his grief. Bridget didn’t have that gift, because she was trapped in her own loss. She was vividly aware of how poorly she’d allowed herself to work through her mom’s death. How could she pretend to help Jason in his?
“Love you.” She hung up, as she tried to swallow around the tears clogging her throat. He didn’t mean to be cruel. She had to focus on that, but as she leaned her head against the wall and tipped up her chin to keep the tears from falling, it was hard to remember.
“That sounded intense.”
She wanted to groan as the male voice intruded her bubble of pain. “Don’t you have anywhere else to be?”
“Right now it looks like you need a friend.” Detective Westmont settled next to her against the wall. “Seriously, everything okay?”
“I’m never sure with my brother, but nothing anyone else can help with.” She blinked a couple of times and then pushed the residual emotion down. She’d have to deal with it later because right now, there was a young girl in the next room who needed her best efforts.
Todd watchedthe mask settle on Bridget’s features. It was eerie watching her settle back into professional mode when a moment before vulnerability had cloaked her in a fragile softness. Should he remind her that they had met before? Could he do that without letting her know she’d intrigued him from the first time he saw her at the cookout at Caleb and Dani’s? No, he’d hold back. Especially, since he could sense the stiff arm as clearly as if she’d thrust her arm out in a stand back gesture.
“I should touch base with the nurses. See if they have any news.”
He let her go.
But as he watched her walk down the hall, he wondered whether she was walking towards something or running away from him.
The thought pulled him up short.
Why would he wonder that?
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out. “Westmont.”
“I thought you were off duty tonight.” Caleb Jamison, his partner, didn’t sound pleased.
“I thought so, too. I didn’t plan to find a kid while I was picking up my dinner.” His stomach grumbled at him. “Huh, I never did pick that up. Think they’ll make me another one?”
“Probably not, but that’s not what I want to know. Why did you take a girl to the hospital, and Dani wants to know if you’re the reason Bridget left dinner without eating?” The man muffled the phone. “You’re in big trouble if you are.”
Todd rubbed his eyes. He’d just wanted to go home. Turn on the TV and veg out. Put in a couple of miles on his treadmill. Lift a few weights. Anything to end the day on an exhausted note. This hadn’t been in the script, but he’d had to stop for dinner. “I need to learn how to cook.”
“Huh?”
“If I cooked better, I wouldn’t have stopped for take-out.”
“And that girl would still be in the alley.”
“Maybe.” Or the kid would have found someone else to help her. He should have made the kid come with him. He had information about the girl, but he had disappeared. “How did you get word of all this? I didn’t tell you.”
“There’s video of you carrying her into the emergency room. You’re going viral.”
“Seriously?” He groaned. “I do not need this.”
“Your nickname might become Superman or something equally ridiculous.”
