Evans Creek Book 2: In Good Hands

Chapter 29

Rowdy watched as Suz slept in the passenger seat of the cruiser. She was excited to be released this morning, which was understandable after spending four nights in the hospital. Her bruises were grisly looking and the combination of yellows, greens and dark bruises left him aching inside.

She looked like a walking corpse.

She could very well have been a corpse.

He had failed to keep her safe.

The thoughts ran through his head like an old vinyl record, stuck in a repeating loop. He wished he could bump the player and break the loop, or better yet, turn it off entirely. Unfortunately for him, even when he managed to divert such thoughts, he had only to look at the broken, battered woman riding next to him and it all started again.

It took a great deal of self-discipline to keep his eyes forward, or at least to keep them from wandering so frequently to check on her. The condition of the roads in Evans Creek were a favorite bone of contention among the complainers, although, Mayor Morgan did as well as he could with the budget he was given.

Still, it was no great secret that the city, like the rest of the county, suffered the misery of driving roads that, while often repaired, were always in need of further repair. Truth be told, it would be best to resurface entirely, but that was very costly. So, the patches would last a season or two before rain and ice found their way into a crack. Inevitably, the potholes returned.

Rowdy drove as slowly as he dared, trying to avoid the worst of the potholes. He rarely thought of the roads, except that they served to get him from point A to point B. His truck was a comfortable ride and he rarely felt any sort of bumps. Even in the cruiser he'd never given bumps much thought, except to the extent they might damage a tire.

He wished, for the hundredth time this trip, that they were already home so that he could get her settled as comfortably as possible in a soft bed. His eyes flicked forward again and he drove around another pothole. He was careful, but he knew from her whimpers that poor Suz was miserable.

This morning, the clever nurse that helped him get Suz in the car wrapped a couple of towels around the seatbelt to offer a little extra padding against the torturous contact against her injuries. In theory at least, it made sense. In truth, the belt pressed against the black lines of her bruised muscles and ribs with a steady pressure that jolted her with every bump, no matter how small.

Rowdy frowned when they reached home and almost stopped the cruiser before turning slowly to creep the cruiser up the gravel drive of Baker House. The cruiser rocked gently and Suz stirred beside him.

"We're home." He said softly, wishing the drive were shorter. They were about half-way.

"Thank God."

Rowdy dared a glance. Her bruises seemed so much darker, or maybe it was that her skin was so much paler.

"Doc said you could take a second pain pill when you got home. I know that you don't—"

"Gladly." She hissed as she unfastened her seatbelt.

"Stay put. There isn't a wheelchair so I'll carry you in. I'll get you settled, then I'll get the pain medicine and Brody."

"He might be napping. And that's probably best. I need a few minutes before I can see him—I won't be able to see him and not hold him—" tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. "I just need a few minutes."

"I know hon." Rowdy sighed as he parked near the back porch.

A few minutes later, he had Suz settled in his bed. His room looked a little different, but it was best for Suz. Ebony moved her bedding down and used spare blankets and pillows so she could recline, since they didn't have a hospital bed. The nightstand was moved so she could reach it and he saw that Ebony moved her romance novels down. He noticed the TV remote and smiled.