piece.
'Wow,” Harriet said.
The young woman at the counter looked up from the forms she was studying.
'It's a good picture,” Harriet explained sheepishly and looked back at the computer screen. She pressed the print button and, when asked, selected eight copies-she knew the Loose Threads would each want a copy to study.
When the printing began, she forwarded the e-mail to each of them.
She looked at her watch. Aiden would be back by in about five minutes. She shut the computer off and went to the register to pick up and pay for her prints. The rain, which had let up when she'd entered the store, had begun falling in earnest again. She reached into her sweatshirt pocket for her purple hat and realized she'd left it in Aiden's truck, so she stood under the store awning to wait.
Five minutes passed. She felt the crumpled, germ-encrusted five-dollar bill in her pocket and remembered her aspirin mission. She looked at the other stores in the block and spotted a convenience store three doors down. She was back in front of the UPS Store in seven minutes, but there was no sign of Aiden.
If it hadn't been raining, she would have set out, but she waited another fifteen minutes, hoping for either Aiden or a break in the weather. She had just decided she was going to have to walk home in the rain when Darcy pulled into the parking lot in her county car.
She rolled down her window. “You better get in.'
Harriet pulled the door open. “I'm glad to see-'
'I'm not here by chance,” Darcy interrupted.
'What's wrong,” Harriet asked, feeling the blood drain from her face. “Is it Aunt Beth?'
'No, Beth is fine, but there's been an accident.'
'Who? What happened?” she said in a rush, instantly feeling guilty at her relief that it wasn't Aunt Beth.
'Aiden,” Darcy said, and rested her hand on Harriet's arm. “He's okay. He's bruised and shaken, but he was up walking when I found him. He asked me to find you.'
'Take me to him.” Ice gripped her heart as memories of Steve's death came flooding back. It must have shown on her face.
'He's going to be fine,” Darcy assured her.
'But?” She turned to face her.
'His passenger didn't fare as well.'
'His passenger?” Harriet said in a wooden voice.
'Apparently, he picked up an assistant from the animal hospital where he picked up the drugs and was giving her a ride back to the spay-neuter clinic.'
'What happened?'
'His truck went off the road and rolled. The passenger side door was down when they hit a rock outcrop. Bad news for the passenger.'
'But why did he go off the road?'
'Well, that's where it gets interesting. According to Aiden-and understand, I only spoke to him briefly before they took him to the hospital-he was run off the road. He says someone actually bumped him and forced him over the hillside.'
'Why?'
'Everyone would like an answer to that one,” Darcy said, and pulled out of the parking lot and pointed the car toward the hospital.
Chapter Fifteen
Darcy filled in the details as she drove. She had gotten a call from the Angel Harbor PD about a preliminary toxicology report, and she was on her way to pick it up when she'd come across Aiden stumbling along on the shoulder of the road. She'd called an ambulance, but he would only agree to treatment if she would go pick up Harriet.
'They were still extracting the girl when I left to go get you,” she finished.
'How bad is it?'
'She wasn't conscious, and her leg was pinned. They were cutting the side of the truck apart to free her.'
'That's horrible.” Harriet wondered if it was the blonde.
Darcy drove up to the walk-in door of the emergency room. “I'll park the car and come find you,” she said.
Harriet went to the information desk and was directed to cubicle three. Aiden sat in the bed holding an ice bag against his left temple. His eyes were closed, and he jumped when Harriet gently touched his shoulder. He dropped the ice bag and opened his eyes. The left was surrounded by red, giving his exotic white-blue iris an eerie look. His cheekbone was scarlet, and he was going to have a nasty shiner by morning.
He didn't say anything. Harriet put her arms around him, and he leaned into her. They were still in their silent embrace when the doctor came in.
'You're a lucky man, Dr. Jalbert,” he said-he had introduced himself as Dr. King. He was a tall, white-haired man with kind blue eyes and an easy smile. “Your cheekbone isn't broken.'
'Good. Can I get out of here now?'
Harriet stepped back as he stood up.
'Not quite so quick there, young man,” Dr. King said. “Your cheekbone is okay, but I've called a specialist to come look at your eye.” He pulled a small white penlight from his coat pocket and shined it into the injured eye. “Look at the wall over there… It's probably fine, but I'd like the eye guy to look at it and say he agrees.
'You do know that when we release you, we expect you to go home and rest for a few days,” Dr. King continued. “I know your patients can't follow that advice, but I expect you to hear me and follow my instructions.” He patted Aiden's shoulder and guided him back onto the bed. “Let your young lady here pamper you for a few days. I predict by this time next week this will all be just a memory.'
'I don't know if I feel insulted that he spoke to me like I'm a possession or flattered that he called me young,” Harriet commented when the doctor was out of earshot.
'I liked the sound of both.” Aiden grabbed her hand as he leaned back on the bed. “I'm just going to close my eyes for a minute,” he mumbled. “Promise me you won't leave.'
She pulled a chair over beside his bed and sat, holding his hand all the while. In a few minutes, his regular breathing told her he had escaped into sleep. She couldn't blame him. She'd had some recent experience with head injuries and knew sleep was the only thing that truly relieved the pain.
A full two hours passed before the specialist declared Aiden fit to be released. He'd taken extra time to convince himself Aiden didn't have any of the common congenital problems that were frequently associated with white-blue eyes. He'd also sent for two of his medical students to observe the rare eye color. Aiden finally offered to come back for a full eye study when his injuries had healed if they would let him go now.
'I need to stop and see how Cammie is on the way out,” he told the nurse who was pushing his wheelchair toward the exit.
The triage nurse overheard his request and answered. “She's in surgery. You might as well go get some rest. She's got hours yet to go.'
Aiden buried his face in his hands.
'Hey,” Harriet said. She put her hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him. “Darcy will be here in a minute. Where are you staying?'
'We're at a bed and breakfast on Eighth Avenue. It's called Helen's House.'
'Will you be okay there by yourself?” she asked, and swept a strand of hair out of his face.
'I could stay with you.” He looked up with a ghost of his usual impishness crossing his face. “I'm kidding,” he said before she could react. “Helen will take good care of me.” His face turned serious. “Besides,” he continued, “I've got a job for you.'
'Sure, what do you need?'
He pulled her closer. “The police talked to me before you got here. I told them someone had hit my truck and
