Page 17 of Caught in the Crossfire

“Hallelujah. Maybe I’ll survive the next hour.”

He chuckled and a moment later the nurse wheeled in a cart.

“I have the pain medicine Dr. Anderson prescribed for you, Ms. Copeland.”

Nicole squinted at her, flinching at the bright light from the hallway. “I groom your poodle, Misty. You don’t need to be so formal. Call me Nicole.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

After she swallowed the capsules, she thanked the nurse. “Isn’t it about time for me to see Candy?” The standard poodle, a favorite customer, was a sweet girl with beautiful dark eyes and chocolate-colored fur.

“She’s overdue for a haircut and bath. I’ll call tomorrow to make an appointment.” Her gaze drifted to the side of Nicole’s head. “How were you hurt?”

“A guy whacked me with a hard object.”

“Oh, wow. Do you know who it was?”

“No clue.” Even if she did, Ethan and Rod wouldn’t appreciate her spreading details about an ongoing investigation. She’d heard through the grapevine that they were prickly about such matters and didn’t want to be on their bad side.

Misty looked troubled. “Are you sure you didn’t recognize the man?”

Nicole stared at the nurse. “If you’re wondering if Mason is to blame, the answer is a definite no.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you, but we see a lot of domestic abuse patients in the ER.”

She shoved aside her irritation. “I appreciate your concern, Misty. Rest assured, my assailant wasn’t Mason.”

“You’ll tell someone if he ever hurts you?”

Seriously? She understood people were concerned and wasn’t immune to the stares and whispers, but Mason was a good man. Why wouldn’t people take him at face value instead of assuming he was a hardened criminal who had zero regard for human life or the people he loved? “Absolutely.”

Misty relaxed. “Good. If you want anything, press the call button. I’ll bring whatever you need.”

“She needs another ice pack,” Matt said as he handed her the warm one, his tone cool.

The nurse dropped her gaze. “Yes, sir. I’ll bring a fresh one in a few minutes.” A moment later, she was gone.

“You have to teach me how to intimidate with a stare. I have a feeling I’ll need the skill before Ethan and Rod catch the real killer.”

The medic moved a chair to the foot of Nicole’s bed. “She won’t be the only one to assume Mason is guilty and that you’re covering for him.”

“It’s not fair. Why won’t people give him a chance?”

“He’s winning Otter Creek over. People who know him won’t automatically think the worst.”

“You didn’t.”

“Because I know him. Delilah and I also spend a lot of time with you both plus he’s remodeled part of our home.”

Unfortunately, not enough people had overcome their preconceived notions to see Mason as the man he’d become instead of the college graduate who made a poor decision to drink and drive, and paid for it by spending years of his life behind bars.

“The pain medicine should kick in soon. When it does, you’ll be sleepy. Don’t fight it. You’ll heal faster if you rest.”

Easy for him to say. He didn’t have a nuclear bomb threatening to explode in his head. “Yes, Doctor.”

Matt chuckled. “Still have the attitude, I see. Guess that means you’ll live.”

She snuggled deeper into the pillow. As the pain medicine kicked in, she let herself drift, registering muted conversations and the squeak of Misty’s medicine cart, yet not focusing on anything. Although the headache still nagged at her, the nausea had subsided to a manageable level. Nicole hoped she made enough progress for Dr. Anderson to release her as promised.

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