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"Someone choked me?" Molly's voice was higher than usual, but that was to be expected at the shock she'd just been given. "Why?"
She looked at Jacob, but her gaze shifted on to Kate's.
"Why would someone do this?"
Walker got up out of his chair and tilted his head toward the open door to the room.
Jacob nodded, telling his friend that it was okay to leave.
Walker wasn't involved in any of this, but later, Jacob would thank him for dragging his ass out of the room earlier. If he'd stayed, he would have looked like death warmed over when Molly regained consciousness.
At least now he looked human enough.
Kate leaned against the side of the hospital bed walking the tightrope between a mild interrogation and a confidant.
"Can you tell me what you were working on today?"
"Sure!" Molly's voice brightened a little too much, but Jacob could understand what it was to need some kind of control in a situation like this. "I was..." She pressed her lips together and her eyes narrowed.
He wasn't sure exactly what her expression was, he couldn't see it from where he sat, but he could see the way her eyes were moving side to side as her mind struggled to answer a question that she would normally rattle off without another thought.
"Kate-"
He knew he shouldn't say anything, but the man inside of him overrode the detective. And he wasn't the least bit sorry when Kate swung a wide-eyed incredulous look in his direction.
"Detective?"
After that single word, she pressed her lips into a thin line and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Jacob?"
There was so much in Molly's voice as she said his name, or perhaps he was just hoping there was. He looked at her and met her gaze.
The strength that he saw there humbled him.
"It's okay. I know why she's asking me these questions." She drew in a shuddering breath. "Or at least I think I do." She turned her attention back to Kate. "I don't remember what I was working on. I know that's not a good answer, but it's the only one I can give you." Molly put her hands against her stomach. "I feel... I feel sick," she explained, "having this... this gap in my head. I've never had anything like this happen before. Never."
He heard the conviction in her voice and felt his own stomach twist in sympathy. As much as he knew about her, there were so many things that he didn't know. The only important thing that was in his head and his heart was helping her through this.
Being attacked wasn't something he wanted her to remember, but the part of her memory that was missing was really upsetting her.
He'd do what he could to help her either get it back or to ease the pain of losing that time.
He wanted to fill in the blanks that he knew. Like his notes from the witnesses that she’d transcribed. Maybe if he mentioned that-
"I see the cogs in your head working overtime, Rafferty." Kate's tone wasn't as hard as it had been on him a few times before. He knew that she was pulling her punches so Molly wouldn't be upset.
He owed Kate for that, even if she didn't know how he felt about Molly.
"I know you can fill in the blanks for her, but I have a feeling that there's more to this than just what happened tonight. And if I know my brother as well as I think I do, he's called in Doctor Webb to consult on this?"
She put a question at the end of her words, but when Jacob looked over at Doctor Ashley, he was holding his cellphone in his hands and giving his sister a long-suffering look that said she was right.
Molly winced and shied away from Jacob. "It can wait, can't it? If he has to come all the way here from home-"
A soft chime from his phone turned the doctor's attention back to the screen. "He’ll come in first thing in the morning. Right now Kay, Doctor Hata’s going to take Molly in for an MRI in a bit. We’ll get a picture of what’s going on and we’ll take it from there."
Jacob felt her sag against him, and she yawned even though he knew she was fighting it. He looked at Roan. “Are you taking her for the test soon?”
