Page 13 of Taming His Honeydoll
Suddenly Emma could see some light ahead of her and she struggled towards it anxious to be out of the dark, but when she burst into it, she was holding onto Chessy’s hands and her husband Ty was kneeling beside her with something evil-smelling in his fingers. She sneezed.
“Welcome back.” Ty said, handing her a pristine white handkerchief from some interior coat pocket.
“What happened?” she asked hoarsely as she looked around.
“You fainted, Emma,” Chessy said, her green eyes shimmering with pity. “I went to get us some pie and was on my way back when you just suddenly fainted.”
“You were on a phone call, Emma,” Ty interjected with a guarded look. “Do you remember?”
And then it all came rushing back and Emma couldn’t help it, she burst into tears. “M-My house is on fire,” she sobbed. “Oh, my Lord—my house is on fire!”
The door to the diner flew open and two emergency service personnel entered the building and hurried to where a group had gathered around them. “Is this the patient?” A kindly-looking older man gazed down at her with sympathy in his eyes.
“Yes, the smelling salts your dispatcher suggested worked,” Ty replied in his deep soothing voice. “The waitress brought us some. She’s recovering now.”
The EMT tech bent over Emma and she shrank back away from him. “Don’t touch me.”
Ty took her hand. “This man is going to check you out, Emma. You fainted and hit your head on the edge of the table.”
He reached up and lightly touched a spot at the edge of her hairline that suddenly started aching now that he had touched it. The pain hadn’t been there before. Her fingers came away wet and she stared at the blood in fascination.
“Can you feel that?” He asked gently. “It’s starting to grow quite a lump there. They need to check you for a concussion.”
Emma sniffled and sat up straighter. “Oh, okay. Yeah, I feel it now. It does hurt and I’m getting a headache again.” Her hand shook as she pressed it into her forehead.
The tech looked her over, shined a light in her eyes, and then said, “I think you need to be admitted. That’s quite a lump and you may have fractured the skull. I can’t tell without an X-ray.”
“No, I don’t want to go in an ambulance, that would cost too much,” Emma protested weakly, the tears squelching down her cheeks again. She sniffled and dragged Ty’s handkerchief across her face and the snot she could feel running out her nose. Her voice wobbled. “I’ll drive myself over if you think it’s necessary. But I really need to get to my house first.”
“No, I will drive you over and Chessy will follow in your car,” Ty announced in a tone that brooked no interference. “Oliver will be meeting you there shortly.”
Her eyes opened wide and teared up again. “You told Oliver?” She accused plaintively.
“I haven’t told Oliver what we were discussing, but of course he needed to know about your house and that you’ve been hurt,” he corrected her. “You and Levi may need a place to stay.”
Emma nodded, relieved. She took that to mean he hadn’t told her brother everything. Yet. It would be difficult to hide the fact that her house was on fire, even as distant as she had made herself from her family. The pounding in her head was increasing and she put her hands to her ears as if that would contain it. “My head hurts,” she whimpered.
***
WHEN A FURIOUS-LOOKINGpoliceman with an over-the-belt bulge and a badge that said Sergeant Cooper came around the corner and addressed the young officer near Sawyer, he wasn’t happy.
“For heaven’s sake, why did you tell Ms. Tremaine that her house was on fire over the phone? I swear you’re an imbecile. The woman fainted and her husband called to complain about your emergency conduct protocol. What the hell’s the matter with you anyway?”
“S-Sorry, Sarge,” the young man muttered. “Is she okay?”
“No, she’s not okay,” he bellowed, his face turning redder. “She hit her head on the table in the restaurant, EMS was called, and she’s being taken to the hospital with a cracked skull! And we’re probably going to end up with a lawsuit, thanks to your incompetence.”
Sawyer was stunned. Emma was hurt and going to the hospital? It was on the tip of his tongue to ask the angry sergeant about the cause of the fire, but then he realized the young man would get into even more trouble. From the looks of it, he was a rookie trying to look important and there was no proof it was arson. The sergeant wouldn’t be telling him if it was either, he was sure of that. He’d have to wait for the announcement from the fire inspector like everyone else. Taking pity on the young rookie, he turned around and sped back to his truck.
His heartrate was elevated and thoughts swirled around in his head as he climbed into the cab. Did the sergeant get that right about Emma’s husband calling? If so, why was she using her maiden name? And how badly was she hurt? And if it was arson, who had it in for Emma?
His mom had said Emma was divorced. Why would she say that if she was remarried? Plus, she’d given his mom her maiden name. Of course, many young professional women did that nowadays.
Making an instant decision, he made a U-turn to head out of the neighborhood and back into the business district. The nearest hospital was Bevier Medical Center. That would be the most likely place they would take his girl.
Stealth was his business and he was good at it. He’d find out if Emma was married and if she wasn’t, then she needed him. And even if she didn’t need him, he needed his son. He really hoped she needed him as much as he needed her though.
At the hospital, he parked and went in through the emergency room doors and nodded at the receptionist as if he belonged there. She was busy with patients and just smiled as he went through. So far, so good.
