Page 30 of Valiant

“My orders are to take you to the pediatric ER so your son can be assessed.” The orderly kept moving. “You’ll be able to get updates about your companion’s condition once he’s assessed. I promise.”

His explanation was rational, but Kelsey was past the point of being able to think clearly or respond calmly. She wanted to launch herself out of the wheelchair and chase after Cole. The only thing that held her back was the certainty that her son needed her first.

They went through the doors to the pediatric wing, which was decorated with bright colors and images of cute animals. The orderly took her to an exam room and a nurse entered seconds later.

“The paramedic thought he was okay,” Kelsey said, rising from the chair, Eddy clutched to her chest. He’d begun crying again, big gut-wrenching sobs.

“We’ll have the doctor take a look just to be sure.” The nurse asked Kelsey about Eddy’s age, birthdate, weight, and vaccination record in a businesslike way before heading to the door. “Someone will be in shortly.”

Kelsey paced the room, gently bouncing Eddy, until a slim, blonde woman entered. “I’m Doctor Vacca,” she introduced herself as she scrubbed her hands. “I understand that your son was exposed to a gunshot at close range.”

“Yes, I…I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t want to fire the gun, but the men were closing in on us, and I couldn’t let them hurt us.” She still felt guilty for what she’d had to do, but she knew there had been no choice. She’d never regret protecting her son—she just wished she’d been able to do so without hurting him in the process.

“The police gave me a brief rundown. That must have been terrifying,” Doctor Vacca said. Kelsey appreciated her sympathetic manner and kind words. “Let’s see how Eddy is.”

Reluctantly, Kelsey placed Eddy on the exam table and took a step back. She’d let the paramedic check Eddy out, but she hadn’t taken her hands from his body. This time, she had to, and it was hard, so hard, to relinquish him to someone, even if it was a doctor.

Doctor Vacca took her time, checking over Eddy, paying particular attention to his eyes and checking his ears. “No damage to his eardrums,” she declared. “That’s excellent news. I don’t see anything else to be concerned about either.”

Kelsey sagged with relief. “Thank you.”

“He might have a headache from the loud noise, and he’s probably frightened and hungry.” The doctor gathered up Eddy and returned him to Kelsey. She could feel her arms trembling, but she was so glad her boy was safe. “Why don’t you sit and give him a bottle? My guess is that he’ll settle and go to sleep then.”

Kelsey nodded as she sank into a chair. “Thank you. Do you know anything about the man I came in with?”

“Sorry.” The doctor gave her a sympathetic smile. “That’s on the other side of the ER. I don’t deal with adults, but I can have the nurse check. In the meantime, do you have a bottle?”

“I do.” Amazingly, the small diaper bag Kelsey had left the house with that morning still hung from her shoulder. Once she’d assured the doctor that she had everything she needed, Dr. Vacca left and Kelsey and Eddy were alone again. While she prepared a bottle, Eddy continued to cry. She put the bottle in his mouth and nestled him close to her. As he drank the formula, the sobs became intermittent hiccups. He seemed better, and with the doctor’s assurance that he hadn’t been physically harmed, Kelsey could almost relax. If she knew how Cole was…she let out a long sigh.

“Today just wasn’t our day, was it, baby?” she said softly. Eddy’s eyes were big and focused on her face. That was good, so she kept talking. “Sometimes, bad things happen to good people. No one knows why, but they do. We’ll be all right, maybe even stronger for it, even if I don’t feel that way now.” Eddy had no idea what she was saying, but she kept talking anyway because it seemed to help both of them.

The nurse came back and peeked in. “Everything okay?”

“Yes, thanks,” Kelsey said, feeling so much better than she had. She was still terribly worried about Cole, but it was a massive relief to know that their son was going to be fine. “Any news on Cole Williams?”

“I’ve got a call in to the charge nurse, and I’m waiting to hear. Try not to worry. He’s in good hands,” the nurse said and went out.

When Kelsey looked back down at Eddy, his eyes were drifting shut, but his fingers were still curled over hers where she held the bottle. The little touch seemed to say that he trusted her, that the connection between them was strong.

Like it has been from the beginning, she thought. As difficult as those early months had been, she and Eddy had worked it out, formed a bond that was loving and stable. They’d been good together on their own. It was a strange thought to have in the middle of all this chaos, but she couldn’t shake it.

Eddy’s eyes were closed now, and he’d stopped sucking on the bottle. She set it aside and just held him, gazing at his chubby cheeks and wispy black hair. All of her protective, motherly impulses kicked in, like they had when he was born, telling her that they didn’t need anyone else. Cole had only brought trouble into their lives. If he’d never shown up at their door, none of this would have happened.

She stopped herself. That was terribly unfair of her. Cole wasn’t the reason why they were in danger, and without his protection, she and Eddy would have been sitting ducks for those men attempting to abduct her. She gave a shudder, remembering how that woman from the San Diego office building looked dumped on the side of the road, frightened and bruised just because she had the misfortune to look like Kelsey. If they actuallyhadmanaged to capture her as they’d planned, they wouldn’t have let Kelsey go. They’d have taken her to “the boss,” whoever that was. And there was no telling what would have happened them.

If she needed to blame someone for the situation she was in, it should be her father, not Cole. Her dad had gotten involved in something. He probably felt he was doing the right thing by going undercover and attempting to investigate whoever was responsible for the treason that had gotten those SEALs killed. That was so like him, and she couldn’t argue with it, but she wished he’d have realized the ramifications of his decision to pursue the case.

At least he’d sent that email to Cole asking him to protect her and Eddy. Without that…she gave an inward shudder. But as grateful as she was to Cole for his protection, she couldn’t quite silence the little voice telling her that everything had been so much easier before he’d come back into the picture. Letting go of him had been hard, but she’d gotten used to it. Now he was back in her life, and she was so tangled up over everything they’d been through that she didn’t know how to feel.

Kelsey sat there with her baby, wading into her emotions. She was coming off the terrible fear she’d felt in front of the grocery store, which again wasn’t Cole’s fault. She fully understood that, but the feelings it had stirred up were still difficult to tackle. The panic when Cole was hit by the car, and her relief when he got up, only to see him collapse again. And now, not knowing how he was. She felt hollow, carved out inside.

After making love with him, everything had seemed so good between them. It had seemed enough to have him, even knowing it was temporary, but now she wasn’t so sure. All this turmoil she was feeling…hadn’t it been simpler before? Wouldn’t it be easier to go back to that, to just focus on her life and her work and her son? Adding Cole into the picture created a lot of confusion that she couldn’t manage to rationalize away, no matter how hard she tried. None of that was any good for her or Eddy, but what could she do now? She’d let him into their lives.

The nurse entered the small room just then. “I got a call back from the ER. They’ve transferred your friend Cole to a room upstairs. You can go see him now. The doctor’s already released Eddy, so you’re free to go.”

“Thank you.” The relief Kelsey expected to feel was tempered by her worries over the future with Cole.

NINETEEN

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