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“I could take him,” Bella offered. “He feels safer with me.”
The doctor glanced toward her, and something lit in his gaze. “You must be the officer who brought in Mr. Shaw.”
She nodded, holding her hand out to Nick, who slipped past the nurse and accepted her offering. “He called me when he realized…”
Her eyes dipped to Nick and she closed her mouth quickly.
The doctor seemed to understand her hesitancy to speak in front of the kid. Thankfully, both of them had the right presence of mind to keep Nick out of the loop. The last thing Grant needed was for his son to start worrying about him. They’d already struggled with a short-term bout of separation anxiety after his mother died.
Bella moved toward the door with a fleeting look in Grant’s direction, but the doctor’s voice stopped her. “Actually, I’d like to have a word with both of you—while the boy gets his snacks.” He winked at Nick, who didn’t smile back. “There are a few things I want to clear up, if that’s alright.”
The nurse moved toward Nick again. “It’s okay, sweetie. I promise we won’t go far. Your dad just got a little sick and we need to make sure he’s going to get all better before he goes home.”
Nick shot one more look toward Grant.
“It’s okay, buddy.” He lifted his gaze to the nurse while still speaking to his son. “Maybe you can get me a candy bar or something.”
The nurse nodded, taking Nick’s hand, and they both disappeared into the hall.
As soon as they were gone, Bella jumped in. She didn’t give the doctor a chance to ask anything. “I hope you’re running his blood for poison. Or drugs.”
“Drugs?” Grant snapped. “Like I told the doctor. I don’t drink and I most certainly would never do drugs.”
Bella shot a look over her shoulder at him. “Not on purpose. Maybe even against your will.”
Grant’s eyes widened. “You think someone drugged me?”
She turned back to the doctor. “You won’t find any alcohol in his system, I can almost guarantee it. I think we’re dealing with a controlled substance, though. Can you make sure they run those tests?”
“Bella—” Grant started, but the doctor cut him off.
“That’s what I was going to ask. But I suppose now I have my answer.” He flashed another smile at Grant. “It would appear that you have a good fighter in your corner. Usually, law enforcement is quick to make rash judgments until I can prove otherwise.” He offered his hand to Bella, and they shook. “If Mr. Shaw signs the proper paperwork, I’ll have my people send over the test results as soon as we get them.”
Grant jumped, only now aware that the second nurse had finished her prepping and had jabbed his arm a little harder than necessary. She smiled, but it wasn’t one that reached her eyes. The doctor took his leave and the room fell silent as Bella stood near the foot of Grant’s bed.
When the nurse was done, she left as well and Bella shut the door behind them.
“You know what this is, don’t you?” she said under her breath, leaning over the bed.
“What?” Grant asked. “I made a dumb decision and took a drink that was meant for someone who could hold their liquor?”
She shook her head, coming around the bed beside him. “What would happen if someone caught you with liquor while on the job? While driving? What would happen if you got a DUI?”
Grant grabbed the button for his bed and lifted the head so he could rest against it. “I’d get fired. Eli doesn’t tolerate drinking on the premises. Technically, he can’t tell his men not to partake, but everyone knows he has a zero tolerance for that kind of behavior…” Then the realization hit him. “You can’t be serious. You don’t think someone at the ranch would try to frame me like that, do you? Who would hate me enough to want me to get fired? Even if I made someone mad enough to do something like that, none of them would. They’re good people.”
Bella crossed her arms and lifted a brow, disbelief in her gaze. “Yeah… uh-huh.”
“I mean it. Usually, they keep to themselves, anyway—well, except Bo. Lately he’s been pretty ornery about me hanging around.”
“Well, tell me this. Are you taking any meds that would do this to you if mixed with something else? Do you have any health issues that might explain what happened? Is there anything you can think of that would lead to you passing out?”
“Of course not. I take care of myself.”
“Any addictions? Think really hard, Grant. I need to know everything. And you’d better hurry because Nick will be back any second.”
Hot anger flooded his already tight chest, and he gripped the sheets at his sides. “Nothing.” He spit the word out like it was poison. “Even if that sort of thing was in my past, I’d never bring anything like that around Nick. He’s all I have.”
She studied him, her eyes narrowed. Finally, she lifted her chin, her features softening. “At least we can agree on that much.”
