In the time we’ve been here breathing gross antiseptic air—which in reality has probably only been forty-five minutes or so—it seems like half the town has shown up and been turned away from our small hospital’s waiting room. The head nurse said we had to limit guests for fire safety reasons. The good part is, she’s left the choice of who stays and goes up to me. I guess because most everyone in town knows Dylan and I are a package deal too.
Madge and the Admiral are sitting on either side of me, silent with worry for Dylan, and Ben is pacing back and forth in front of us, taking calls from the station. My father is practicing disappearing coins and handkerchief tricks while pretending he’s not concerned. Gage and Renee have gone to get coffee for everyone from the diner. We’re just missing Brittany. It makes me sad.
I’ll add a call to Brittany to the mental to-do list in my head. I’ve had a niggling feeling that I’m forgetting something on the list, but I can’t put my finger on it. Something about food…
“Oh, man. I have jambalaya on the stove. I need to go turn it off.” I jump from my chair and grab my purse. “Can I borrow your car, Dad?”
He stands too. “Let me do that, Jellybean. You need to make things right with Dylan.” My father grabs his keys. “What do I do with the pot, exactly?” Asks a man who could literally starve to death if it weren’t for frozen food and microwaves.
“Thanks. Just turn the fire off under the pot. I’ll deal with it later. And can you feed Cooper too, please? Extra. He was the one who solved the crime.”
My father smiles. “I can handle that!” He starts to leave but stops. “Can I eat what’s in the pot? I’m kind of hungry.”
“Sure.” So much for John’s jambalaya. I’ll have to make it up to him.
After my dad’s gone, the Admiral asks, “How exactly did Cooper solve the crime, Sawyer?”
“Purely by accident.” I tell everyone about the textbook and the frogs in Emily’s classroom.
Ben stops pacing and sits across from us to listen. When I finish, he says, “Emily’s spilling her guts in lockup too. Full confession because she thought she’d figured out how to pull off the perfect crime.”
Madge pipes in, “And we all know there isn’t one of those. But this one is a doozy. So, start from the beginning, Sawyer. How did Emily pull this off?”
I’m just about to dive in when the doctor’s voice rings out.
“Sawyer? Can I speak to you, please?” He motions me toward the swinging doors that lead to the back.
“Stay tuned.” I stand and hurry toward the doctor.
Madge calls out, “And you complain about my pregnant pauses?”
“I’ll be right back.” Smiling, I follow the doctor down a hallway. “How is he?”
The doc stops. “Tired, dizzy, nauseated when he speaks, and he has an erratic heart rate. Typical for significant blood loss. So you can only stay for ten minutes.” He starts walking again. “And can you please take your sister with you when you go?”
“Yep. No problem.” Meg is a force to be reckoned with when she’s in doctor mode.
I walk into Dylan’s room and pull up short. What the doctor hadn’t said was that Dylan is on oxygen and very pale. It makes my heart hurt.
My sister, who’s hovering by the machinery Dylan is hooked up to, glances my way and whispers, “He just fell asleep.”
I move closer to get a better look at the patient. They shaved part of his head for the huge bandage, and there’s an IV sticking out of his arm. I’ll be careful not to disturb it.
For the first time ever, he seems fragile.
My worry must be written all over my face because Meg says gently, “He’s better than he looks. They’ll keep him overnight and, if his numbers are good, let him go home tomorrow. But he might be dizzy for a few days, so he’ll need some help.”
“I’ll take care of him.” I move to Dylan’s side and gingerly take his hand. It’s cool and clammy.
Dylan’s eyes pop open, and he smiles. “How’s my favorite detective?”
I sit on the side of the bed. “Worried about you. How’s the head?”
“Fine. Can you tell Ben to get the science textbook from Emily’s classroom for evidence? They won’t let me talk to him.”
Always the cop. “I’ll tell him. But first, there’s something I need to tell you—”
“And could you also please…” Dylan tries to sit up but stops. “Give me a second. The bed’s spinning.” He shuts his eyes. “Meg, can you give me something to make it stop?”
My sister laughs. “It’s called rest, Dylan. And if your brains weren’t so shaken up, you’d realize my sister is trying to tell you something important. I’ll be outside if you need me.” Meg winks at me as she heads for the door.
Dylan slowly opens his eyes again. “I need to get that textbook into evidence.”
He’s clearly not thinking straight. “There are probably seventy-five of those at the school, Dylan. But I’ll be sure to tell Ben. He’s right outside.”
“Thanks.” Dylan closes his eyes again.
Is it the right time to tell him I love him? Or should I wait until he feels better?
The doctor sticks his head inside. “Wrap it up, Sawyer. Dylan needs to rest. You can see him tomorrow.”
“Okay.” I turn back to Dylan. I missed my chance to tell him before. I won’t do it again. “So…um…what I wanted to tell you is…I love you, Dylan. I realize now, I never stopped.” I don’t know what to do with all the nervous energy flowing through me, so I stand to pace. “After you broke my heart at the altar that day, I tried to tell myself I didn’t really love you. We were young, and it’d all just been a big
