Page 36 of Too Much Heat

Ordinarily, Joe would have avoided the minister. Not this time. He said, “I’ll go out there. I’m not leaving the hospital until Jackson wakes up.”

“Thanks.”

Joe took one last look at Jackson, then he headed to the waiting room. Caleb Shepherd stood when he walked into it. “Joe.”

“Caleb.”

“How is he?”

“The same.”

“Sit.” The rest of the room was empty. It was a small area, with a couple of private smaller rooms off it. It smelled like coffee. “I know you and Jackson are like brothers.” Caleb’s gaze was piercing. “And I know you lost your brother three years ago.”

“Yeah.” He couldn’t talk about that. “Do you know how Jackson got hurt?”

“Maisy told me. He was participating in the Adventure Couse at Pathways. He was doing a rope swing and the rope snapped. He fell hard and hit his head.”

“He loves to play with those kids.”

“Yeah.” Caleb studied him. “I want to talk about you. How are you feeling?”

He glanced away, then back to Caleb. “I’m feeling helpless. I can’t lose him…” His throat clogged.

Caleb squeezed his arm and left his hand there. “Don’t buy trouble before it happens, Joe.”

“He could be like this forever.”

“Don’t go there. Have hope.”

Joe bit his lip. He wanted to have hope. But you couldn’t make yourself feel that emotion. Besides, he’d had hope before Jimmy died.

Not now, though. Not now.

* * *

His phone rang. He checked the ID. “I have to take this, Caleb.”

“Go ahead.”

“Romano.”

“Joe, it’s Lara. I-I’m not sure how to say this, but I got a bad feeling about you. That something’s wrong. Is it?”

The words came out jumbled. “I’m at the hospital…no no, not me, Jackson…hurt, not waking up.”

“Oh, Joe, I’m so sorry. I know what he means to you.”

He blurted out, “I—is there any way you can come? To the hospital?”

“Yes. My brother-in-law stopped in and told me to go out. He won’t take any shit from Sam. I’m already driving. I’ll be there in a bit.”

When Joe disconnected, Caleb smiled. “Help’s on the way?”

“Yeah, a woman I have no right having feelings for.”

“Love is love, no matter what the circumstances.”

* * *

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