Page 107 of One Tough Love

“Duh, you idiot.”

They all settled back into their chairs. Wes couldn’t stop smiling. Lou knew he and her sister had had a good talk and she whispered something to Pete who gave her a sweet kiss.

“Coffee anyone?’ Andy asked.

Everyone raised their hand and Andy left the room. Wes took out his iPhone and scrolled through all the documents and pictures that Jace had sent to his phone from Jo’s. He became engrossed at all the information Jo had been able to obtain. He worried for her safety still so when Andy returned he brought him in the hallway and voiced his concerns.

“We can’t leave Jo alone until everyone has been ruled out. Can you call Josh and make sure they go through the list of investors first?”

“Sure thing.” Andy took his coffee and walked down the hallway. Wes stuck his head back in the door to make sure Jo was still asleep.

“Lou I have to make a call, don’t leave her okay?”

Lou smiled at him nodding a yes and loving how concerned he was about her twin. She did not know that Wes’ concerns were not only for Jo and her physical well being, but because he knew there were people still at large that would love to shut her up. Her investigation, once exposed, was going to create havoc in the small city of Summit.

Wes walked towards the family waiting room where Andy had just gone to call Jace. He wanted Jace to run some of the names also. As he walked down the hall a police officer passed him. Wes assumed he was going to relieve Dez. A niggle of apprehension rode down his spine causing him to look back at the officer. Wes watched as Dez and the new officer shook hands and the new officer sat down in Dez’s chair. Wes liked that they had shook hands and that they seemed to know each other.

Wes walked into the waiting room and made the call to Jace. He updated him on Jo’s condition telling him that she’d woken up and they had actually had a good talk before she fell back to sleep.

Lou and Pete walked into the waiting room and Wes stopped talking as he pulled his phone away from his cheek.

“Why did you leave the room?” Wes asked.

Andy hung up with whoever he was talking to, anxiety played across his face.

“A nurse said we had to leave because he was going to be giving her a bath.”

“He?” Wes said.

Lou giggled but when she saw Wes' face she knew something was wrong. Wes ran out of the room with Andy right behind him. He could see down the hallway that Jo’s door was closed and that a blue bundle of police clothing had been wedged into the laundry cart near her door in the hallway.

Wes burst through the door to find a man dressed in scrubs pressing a syringe into the port at the bottom of Jo's IV bag. Wes dove for him knocking him against the foot of the bed. Jo woke up startled. Andy grabbed Jo’s arm pulling off the taped IV needle. He held his hand against her arm trying to staunch the flow of blood that presented where the IV had been. He then pulled Jo to his chest and held her face against him, shielding her from the mayhem that was going on in her room.

Wes was on top of the man and had delivered two hard punches to the man’s face; Andy was yelling for him to stop, the man had been knocked unconscious from Wes' first punch. He was afraid Wes was going to kill him. Pete ran in and when he saw Wes getting ready to strike the already unconscious man again he placed his hand on his thick bicep and held on tight. Wes stopped mid punch and jumped up to go to Jo. Andy released her and Wes gathered her in his arms.

Two nurses came running in followed by a security guard. Jo was shaking but Wes quickly soothed her by holding her against his large frame.

“He was putting a needle in her bag.” Wes said his voice hard. The rotund security guard was talking into his walkie talkie.

Andy picked up the syringe that had flown under the bed and handed it to the nurse. She eyed it. “It looks full. It doesn't look like he had a chance to dispense it.”

“Can you tell what it is?” Wes asked.

“No I’ll have to send it to the lab, but I need to talk to the police first.” She said nervously.

“Jo how do you feel?” Lou asked her.

“I’m fine.” She said but her voice wobbled.

“Call her doctor now.” Wes said with authority sending one nurse scurrying.

Andy had his phone out and Wes assumed he was calling the police. “Check his pockets.” Wes said when Andy got off the phone.

“Don’t we have to tie him up or something?’ Lou asked looking nervously at the man lying on the floor.

“He ain’t going anywhere.” Andy chuckled.

A hospital administrator came to Jo’s room, two detectives, two police officers, and finally Jo’s doctor. Everyone gave their account of what had happened. The two officers handcuffed the man who was just starting to regain consciousness then roughly pulled him to his feet. Andy had been on the receiving end of Wes’ punches when they trained. Wes had never hit him with all his strength, but he knew the man being led out of the room would be feeling those punches for days.

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