Page 62 of James

Breathless, James reached Jake's crumpled form, sprawled on the unforgiving asphalt. Jake stared straight up, blinking rapidly, a mix of fear and pain filling his eyes.

No longer an enemy, but a man in need, Jake’s hand twitched and James carefully took it.

“Don’t move,” James told him. “The cops are coming. Can you hear me? Help is on the way.”

Jake’s mouth worked, and one word finally broke through the blood bubbling up in his throat: “Laura?”

James's throat tightened. “Don’t try to talk, just stay still and keep breathing.”

Jake’s eyes rolled in their swelling sockets, as if looking for him. “Laura,” he choked. “I fell… down. Help… me. I want… I want to… lie down.”

James took off his shirt and used it to put pressure on the worst of the visible injuries, Jake’s broken leg. He wrapped the shirt around the protruding bone and used his belt to tie the shirt in place, but even when he cinched it tight, Jake did not react, did not even seem to know he was there.

Laura skidded to a halt beside him, and she let out a strangled sob as she knelt next to Jake's motionless body. Jake didn’t react to her either. His rolling eyes rolled right over her. His moving mouth made no more words. Together, they waited in agonizing anticipation for the distant sound of sirens and the arrival of the police and emergency services.

Each moment felt like an eternity, their restlessness growing as they yearned to do something, anything, to alleviate Jake's pain. But as they stared down at his unconscious form, the reality set in — there was little more they could do for him in this moment.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

The police arrived an eternity later, and then there were paramedics and more police, even a fire truck for reasons Laura couldn’t understand. EMTs transferred Jake to a stiff board and then to a gurney. They loaded him into an ambulance and took him away, lights flashing and sirens wailing. A good sign, Laura told herself.

Signs and guesses were all she had. No one would tell them anything about Jake except ‘they’re working on him.’ In contrast, they had to tell their story too many times to count and were finally told to sit with the firefighters to wait and wait and wait.

At last, a new policeman came to go over it one more time, but with a few different questions. “What can you tell me about the vehicle, ma’am? Did you get a look at the license number of the vehicle? What about the driver?”

Laura's mind raced, trying to recall every detail amidst the whirlwind of emotions. “It was a dark blue SUV. I don’t know what make or model. I didn’t see the license plate,” Laura said with a sinking heart, “but I have everything on video.”

“Well, that was lucky,” the cop said with a raised eyebrow.

“He’s my ex-husband,” Laura said bleakly, staring over at the bloody stain on the road. “We have a restraining order against him, so when we saw him across the street, I started recording the whole thing.”

“I see. That will help,” he remarked appreciatively. “With luck, the license number will be on the video. We’ll have to have the phone as evidence, ma’am.”

Laura handed it over as she gave James a sideways glance.Let him do the arguing this time.

“I hate to be insensitive, but how long will you need my phone?” James inquired.

“With luck, you should be able to get it back tomorrow once our techs go over the recording. Who’s handling your case with the restraining order?”

“Det. Stone and Det. Christopher,” Laura answered for James.

“I’ll bring them up to speed. Why don’t you come by the station tomorrow morning to give a written statement and we’ll see what we can do about your phone?”

There were a few more questions after that, but the process wrapped up relatively quickly and they were released. Almost immediately, the full weight of the situation settled on her and she was more exhausted than she’d ever been in her life.

Mustering a faint smile, she turned to James “Well, at least I can be home again.”

Concern etched James’s face as he studied her. “What’s wrong with the condo? Things have been going so well. Why don’t you stay?” he queried, his tone tinged with genuine confusion. “You were sleeping over three nights a week before all this happened.”

Laura's exhaustion mingled with her own internal conflicts, making it difficult to articulate her emotions. She sighed, and a blend of apology and frustration made her voice toneless. “I’m sorry, James," she replied. “I’m too tired to talk about this right now. I told you before, I’m not comfortable imposing on you like this, and now that the danger’s gone, why shouldn’t I stay in my own home?”

Understanding flickered in James' eyes. “Okay, if that’s what you need, but come back with me tonight, at least. We’re both exhausted and we can talk about this better in the morning.”

“James —”

“Laura,” he said quietly, “I don’t want to be alone tonight. Do you? Really?”

Reluctantly, Laura admitted she did not, and they returned to his condo. That night, they slept, both too exhausted for anything else. Laura woke around 4:00 am to find herself curled up in James’s arms. She would be glad to get back to her own bed. This was too close for comfort.

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