Page 39 of Unexpected Danger
“Yeah, especially in that condition. She probably has a concussion. I’m hoping they’ll call me back soon and apprise me of her injuries.” He took a deep breath. “I'm just grateful that guy had called it in and was there to help. The sight of her vehicle and then not knowing whether…” he cleared his throat. “Anyway, God is good, and she'll be all right, so I will be there assoon as they get her settled. I'm going to assume they'll keep her overnight.”
“That sounds fine. You get here when you can, and if not, I will save the spaghetti for you for tomorrow.”
“Depending on Londyn’s prognosis, I may just head home or even spend the night in the hospital.”
We'll be praying,” said Mom. “Oh, Roarke would like to say something to you before we hang up.”
“Hey, Bro, I overheard what happened. Do you need me to come to the hospital?”
“No, I think I'm good. The roads are pretty bad, and there's talk of some flash flooding, but thank you for the offer.”
“Anytime. Any idea why she's in town?”
“No idea at all. Her texts have been pretty vague since she left. I was surprised she hadn’t mentioned something to Mom.”
“Maybe the choice was sudden.”
“Could be.”
“Well, let me know if you need me.”
“Thanks, Roarke. Will do.” Brodie disconnected and attempted to distract his myriad of thoughts by watching a game show rerun from the 1980s on the flat-screen TV in front of him.
An hour later, Londyn was moved to a private room. Seeing Kayla Dwyer, one of his deputies’ wives, offered an extra layer of reassurance.
Chapter 11
Londyn awoke with a startle. Where was she? And why did her head ache and her entire body feel as though she’d been run over?
She had a dream that Brodie was carrying her through the rain. Her head rested against his chest, and he’d stumbled and nearly fallen as he tramped through tall weeds. The downpour pelted her, and whatever she was wearing was not enough to keep out the chill of the brisk winds. She recognized the familiar scent of his cologne and the safe, reassuring feel of his arms.
Brodie.
Would he ever speak to her again after what she’d done?
She kept her eyes closed and took a deep breath. The odor of antiseptic flooded her nostrils, and the sound of something beeping, muffled voices, and obnoxious snoring at extremely high decibels garnered her attention. Londyn strained her eyes open and stared at the ceiling before allowing her gaze to wander to the thin white blanket covering her. A glance to the right revealed a man sleeping in a chair near the window.
Brodie?
Londyn attempted to sit up and winced with pain when a pinch surged from her hand up her arm. She reflexively jerked, causing even more of the stinging sensation to again shoot through her hand from the IV. “Brodie?” she croaked.
Londyn recognized the snoring. When they rode in the church van during a mission trip in high school, Brodie had fallen asleep on the return ride home. He’d never lived down the teasing from the other passengers about his thundering snores. Snores that lived in perpetuity and had been recorded more than once.
She blinked as her vision cleared. Brodie’s head lolled to one side, his mouth was open, and his shoulders far too broad for the narrow chair. A surge in her chest reminded her of the reality that she still loved him.
And always would.
He wore his sheriff’s uniform—a tan shirt and brown pants. The poor guy was folded so awkwardly in the chair that he’d likely be unable to move once he awakened. It was just like him to sacrifice whatever was needed to care for another. In this case, that must have had something to do with her being in a hospital bed. But why?
The door creaked open, and Kayla Dwyer, her friend since junior high, entered. “How are you doing, Londyn?” Kayla asked, her voice low, likely to avoid awakening Brodie.
“I think I’m fine. What happened?”
Kayla took her vitals. “You were in a car wreck. Brodie found you, rescued you, and brought you to the ER.”
“A car accident? He brought me here?” The latter question shouldn’t surprise her. Brodie had always been her hero.
“The doctor will likely release you today after he stops by on his morning rounds. He wanted to keep you overnight for observation, especially with the bad concussion and severebruising you experienced. Praise God, it wasn’t worse. From what Brodie said…” Kayla’s voice trailed.
