Page 92 of Last Chance Christmas
Cole shook his head. “First, a real friend would communicate with you, not keep you guessing. Second, I’m so sorry you were treated that flippantly.” Cole’s brown eyes stared into hers, and he leaned closer. “You deserve better. To be cherished. Protected.” His Adam’s apple bobbed.
Kianna couldn’t break eye contact with Cole. Not while his eyes searched hers. Her heart fluttered, and the nerves tingled in the tips of her fingers. She waited in case he was going to say more. Like maybe he would cherish her. That he could be someone who’d prove godly and respectful men still existed.
Kianna blinked, and the moment was lost.
Cole cleared his throat and leaned back in his seat.
“Thank you,” she mustered. While her heart longed for a glimmer of possibility, she couldn’t entertain the idea further.
Not when deep down she’d be advocating for the exact thing she despised about this season. Finding the perfect person in the perfect set of circumstances to make the perfect holiday.
She could trust the Lord with her heart’s desire and rest in the hope He brought—no matter what circumstances followed her.
“Thanks for sharing that with me.” Cole broke the silence. He took her trash and put it in the bag that had held the sandwiches.
“Thanks for trusting me with your dad’s story.” She smiled. “It means a lot.”
Cole pulled in a breath. “While neither of us can change the reality that Christmas is coming whether we like it or not, with everything that’s going on right now, we can at least focus on something else for a little while.” He stood up and pushed in his chair, and Kianna did the same. “Ready to go see if Rainy is awake?”
“It would be a Christmas miracle if she is.”
They headed to the nurses’ station, and Cole approached the desk. “Is Rainy Athers out of surgery?”
Charlotte glanced at the computer. “Indeed. And she’s awake.”
Kianna and Cole followed the directions Charlotte gave them to Rainy’s room.
Kianna just hoped the woman remembered everything from before she’d blacked out and would be willing to share information that could lead to Mackey’s arrest.
Seven
Kianna’s presence next to Cole kept him from barging in and demanding answers. Instead, he rapped on the door. The situation that had brought them here was sobering. The woman had almost lost her life. If he wanted Rainy’s cooperation, he needed to be tactful in his questions, not put her under duress.
No response came.
He jiggled the doorknob, then pushed the door open. The smell of alcohol and commercial-grade cleaner wafted to his nostrils. The bland beige walls added to the sterile feeling in the space.
In a moment, Cole was no longer here as a detective on a case. Instead, he was here as a son, unsure what to say to his dad, who lay in the bed. His father. His role model, unable to move his left side or speak complete thoughts.
Lights flashed in his vision, and Cole turned his focus to a TV on in the room, playing a home remodeling show. Rainy Athers muted the show and turned her attention to the two of them.
She sat up in the bed, an IV attached to her left arm and a blanket covering up to her torso. Her appearance now, in her hospital gown, was a far cry from how she’d looked bundled up in a jacket in the snow. She was thin, but her arm muscles were toned. Her upper right arm was wrapped in a bandage. Her face was pale, but at least there was more red in her lips now.
“Ms. Athers?” Cole stepped forward and pulled out his badge. “I’m Cole Stuart, K-9 officer, and this is paramedic Kianna Russell.” He extended his hand, and Kianna moved next to him and nodded.
Rainy’s brow furrowed, and she blinked several times.
“We’re the ones who found you on the mountain.” Kianna smiled at the woman.
Cole opened his mouth to ask his first question, but Kianna beat him to it. “How’re you feeling?” Her gaze turned to the monitor that tracked Rainy’s vitals.
Leave it to Kianna to make the woman feel seen and comfortable.
Right. He didn’t need to jump into the interrogation. Compassion would go a long way.
Rainy was probably still groggy from the surgery and pain meds. Which meant they couldn’t take too long to talk.
Lord, please guide this conversation. Give us direction on Mackey’s whereabouts so no more people get hurt. And bring healing to Rainy. Help her see how You spared her life.
