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Quaid slammed the car into park in front of Lila LaVigne’s tiny clinic that served as the only medical care for miles around. The Papillon Parish Clinic’s lights were all on, a beacon on the darkened street. It was only nine thirty, but Papillon closed early on a night like this. Only places like Guidry’s were still open. The town square was dark, the clinic’s lights punctuating the fact that there was an emergency.
Jayna opened the door and slid out of the passenger seat.
When Remy had first told him the news, he’d thought she would want to stay out of it. He’d done a number on her by trying to keep her out of his family business, and now he realized how dumb an idea that had been. When the chips were suddenly down, he didn’t want her to go back home and leave him to deal with the fallout, no matter how bad it was. The minute he’d heard his brother and mother were in trouble, he’d wanted Jayna to hold his damn hand and come with him.
And that was exactly what she’d done, no questionsasked. No arguments ormaybe I should stay behinds. She’d dressed as quickly as she could and put her hand in his. She’d hustled out of Guidry’s, and now she was moving to get inside the clinic as fast as he needed her to.
“Hey, Quaid.” Armie stood outside the clinic’s automatic doors wearing his uniform and there was...
He couldn’t mistake that brown stain for anything but exactly what it was. Blood. Armie’s shirt was stained with it, and it definitely did not appear to be his.
What was he about to walk into? Anxiety rose hard and fast, making his chest tight. He wasn’t happy with either of the people in that clinic, but he also wasn’t ready for either of them to no longer be here. God, he wasn’t ready for any of this.
Jayna’s hand found his. “What’s happening, Sheriff? Remy didn’t say much.”
Quaid took a long breath, her solid presence beside him giving him the strength he needed. “All we know is a CareFlight is on its way.”
“I’m sorry to scare you like that,” Armie replied, leading them inside. “There wasn’t much time to explain. I couldn’t get your cell, and I don’t know Jayna’s number. I found out you were at Guidry’s earlier so I called Remy on the off chance you were still there.”
The lights inside seemed too bright, the walls a clinical white that bounced that light all around. “What happened?”
“Paul had taken your mom out to dinner at Lucille’s. When they came out after they finished, he was mugged in the parking lot. The attacker used a knife,” Armie explained. “Roxie is still out there trying to find a witness and Landon is checking any and all cameras in the area, but you know how that goes.”
They wouldn’t find much if they didn’t have an eyewitness. Lucille’s was the only fine dining establishment formiles, so it was naturally the one his mother frequented. They had a camera on the entrances and exits but not the parking lot. It was a weeknight so there likely hadn’t been a ton of foot traffic around the area. “Is he okay?”
“He was stabbed but the knife wasn’t long. I would say it was something like a Swiss Army knife. Lila’s already stitched him up and she’s satisfied he’ll be okay in a few days,” Armie said, stopping in front of the intake desk.
A relief he hadn’t expected flooded through him. Paul was okay. He didn’t have to deal with that yet. God, how long had he been waiting for his brother to die? Dreading and almost accepting that it would happen. But deep down that dread was a raging fear that flavored every second of his relationship with his brother and possibly the whole damn world.
“That’s good news,” Jayna said. “So why did Lila call in a CareFlight? It doesn’t sound like Paul needs one.”
Armie turned and the grim set of his expression told Quaid that the worst wasn’t over yet. “I’m afraid your mother is having a heart attack, but Lila thinks she caught it in time and she’s stable for now. The CareFlight is my wife taking every precaution she can.”
His own heart threatened to seize because he wasn’t ready for that, either. He didn’t wait for further explanations, simply started for the exam rooms where Lila would almost certainly have his mother while they waited.
Jayna didn’t miss a beat. “Okay, do we know what hospital they’ll take her to? Can Quaid ride with her and I’ll drive Paul?”
She was asking the right questions while he was panicking. He didn’t even hear Armie’s answer, simply pushed through the closed door, and there his mother was, looking frail on the small bed, her arm hooked to an IV and Lila LaVigne monitoring her vitals. Her free hand was held in Paul’s.
“Quaid,” his mother said, her voice shaky. She held out the hand with the IV and Quaid moved to the right side of the bed, offering her his.
“Mom,” he acknowledged before looking to Lila. “What’s going on?”
“I thought it was a panic attack at first, brought on by the mugging.” Lila had on yoga pants and a T-shirt. She’d likely been pulled from a relaxing evening, but that was what happened when you were the only medical authority for miles. “But I decided to be careful and did a test to make sure. She’s definitely having arrhythmia. I’ve got her stable, but she needs an echo and likely surgery if there’s a blockage the size I suspect.”
“You’re going to be okay, Momma.” Paul brought her hand up and kissed it. “You have to be.”
His brother was white as a sheet, his eyes red. He looked like hell, and Paul never looked less than perfect. He’d gone into damn rehab looking fresh as a daisy.
“I am now that I have my boys here.” His mother looked over to where Jayna stood. “What is she doing here? My family is in a crisis. I need to be alone with my sons.”
He was about to admonish his mother, but Jayna spoke up first.
“What I’m doing here is supporting my boyfriend, who happens to be your son. I’m going to stay here because Quaid needs me. I’ve arranged it with Armie and the CareFlight so he can go with you, and then I’ll drive Paul to the hospital, where I will also stay and be of service to all of you whether you like it or not,” Jayna replied with the no-nonsense tone she used in a courtroom. “I’ll handle the hospital and all the other annoyances so your sons can focus on you and you can focus on recovering. I’ll make calls that need to be made and arrange for you to be comfortable. I’ll be pushy and obnoxious and get you everything you need so you and your sonscan be sweet as pie and have all the staff love you. That’s how it’s going to be, Mrs. Havery. The other option is you fight with me and give your son the kind of grief he doesn’t need right now. So it’s your choice. Let me handle things and make you and your sons happy or tear him apart by making him choose.”
His mother frowned for a moment, blinking as she stared at Jayna. “All right, then. I find this offer of aid acceptable. I’m going to need for you to call our housekeeper and let her know what’s going on.”
Jayna nodded and stepped back, but not before she winked Quaid’s way.
