her watch told her she had another forty minutes before she needed to disturb Alex again, so she headed to the kitchen in search of food and caffeine. She fed the animals, slung the local paper on the table to browse through later, and set the kettle to boil. By the time she returned with a tray of toast and tea, Alex was awake and attempting to sit up.
“Oh, hey. Here, let me…” Sarah plumped the pillows and arranged them behind Alex. “How’s that?”
Alex didn’t answer straight away. She had closed her eyes and seemed to be deciding whether being upright really was an improvement. After a few seconds, she cracked one eye open and relaxed her white-knuckle grip on the sheets.
“That toast smells amazing,” she said.
Sarah made a skeptical noise. “How about we see if you can keep water down first?”
“Have I not been doing that?”
“Not as such, no.”
“Oh.” Alex looked disappointed and then noticed she was lying on a towel. “Oh,” she repeated, with greater understanding. “Shit, sorry.”
Sarah perched on the mattress. “You look a bit better.”
“Feel a bit better.” Alex tentatively flexed her bandaged arm and then appeared to remember something vitally important. Her face lit up with a grin. “So what’s this I hear about you being some kind of baby-delivering all-round heroine?”
Sarah put her head in her hands. “How the hell did you find out about that?”
“Esther managed to keep it a secret until they got me to the hospital. Then she told Quinn, who told me and the doc and just about anyone else within earshot.”
The Avery grapevine was legendary; Sarah should have known that that piece of gossip would spread around the town in a heartbeat.
“It wasn’t really a big deal.” She laughed as Alex arched a disbelieving eyebrow. “Honestly, I didn’t have to do all that much.”
“Yeah, well, Syd Bair is telling a different story. He thinks you’re amazing.”
“The birth was amazing. It gave me goose bumps.”
Undeterred, Alex continued her original theme. “Your undisputed amazingness calls for a celebration,” she said. She shifted over to make more space in the bed. “Come on, and bring that tray. We can share.”
Relief at Alex’s recovery made Sarah compliant. She pressed closer, positioning the tray so they could both reach it.
“One piece.” She handed Alex the toast. “And you eat it slowly. Then you can take your pain meds.”
“I’m very proud of you, and I love you,” Alex said, nibbling on a corner.
“You love toast.”
“I do also love toast.”
In spite of herself, Sarah started to laugh. “Alex, if you’re going to wink at me, try doing it with the eye that isn’t swollen shut.”
The phone rang, cutting off Alex’s comeback. Recognizing the number on the caller ID, Sarah passed it straight to her with a muttered “Quinn.”
Only privy to one side of the conversation, Sarah watched her slowly put her toast down as Quinn spoke. When she hung up, her face was pale, with no trace of humor left.
“Emerson’s been suspended, pending an investigation,” she said. “He pretty much admitted to only opening the doors of the first two offices. He told us they were clear, but he hadn’t gone inside and searched them properly.”
“Jesus.” Sarah shook her head. “Where was the guy who assaulted you?”
“Came out of the second office.”
“What the fuck was Emerson thinking?” The crockery on the tray rattled as she spoke, and it was only then that she realized she was shaking.
“I’m not sure.” Unlike Sarah, who felt ready to throttle Emerson with her bare hands, Alex sounded more bewildered than angry. “He was scared. Maybe that made him sloppy.”
“He could have got you killed.”
“I know.” She was staring blankly into the darkened bedroom.
For a terrifying moment, paranoia gripped Sarah. “Do you think he meant to?”
“No.” Alex answered quickly, but when she turned to Sarah, she looked
“Oh, hey. Here, let me…” Sarah plumped the pillows and arranged them behind Alex. “How’s that?”
Alex didn’t answer straight away. She had closed her eyes and seemed to be deciding whether being upright really was an improvement. After a few seconds, she cracked one eye open and relaxed her white-knuckle grip on the sheets.
“That toast smells amazing,” she said.
Sarah made a skeptical noise. “How about we see if you can keep water down first?”
“Have I not been doing that?”
“Not as such, no.”
“Oh.” Alex looked disappointed and then noticed she was lying on a towel. “Oh,” she repeated, with greater understanding. “Shit, sorry.”
Sarah perched on the mattress. “You look a bit better.”
“Feel a bit better.” Alex tentatively flexed her bandaged arm and then appeared to remember something vitally important. Her face lit up with a grin. “So what’s this I hear about you being some kind of baby-delivering all-round heroine?”
Sarah put her head in her hands. “How the hell did you find out about that?”
“Esther managed to keep it a secret until they got me to the hospital. Then she told Quinn, who told me and the doc and just about anyone else within earshot.”
The Avery grapevine was legendary; Sarah should have known that that piece of gossip would spread around the town in a heartbeat.
“It wasn’t really a big deal.” She laughed as Alex arched a disbelieving eyebrow. “Honestly, I didn’t have to do all that much.”
“Yeah, well, Syd Bair is telling a different story. He thinks you’re amazing.”
“The birth was amazing. It gave me goose bumps.”
Undeterred, Alex continued her original theme. “Your undisputed amazingness calls for a celebration,” she said. She shifted over to make more space in the bed. “Come on, and bring that tray. We can share.”
Relief at Alex’s recovery made Sarah compliant. She pressed closer, positioning the tray so they could both reach it.
“One piece.” She handed Alex the toast. “And you eat it slowly. Then you can take your pain meds.”
“I’m very proud of you, and I love you,” Alex said, nibbling on a corner.
“You love toast.”
“I do also love toast.”
In spite of herself, Sarah started to laugh. “Alex, if you’re going to wink at me, try doing it with the eye that isn’t swollen shut.”
The phone rang, cutting off Alex’s comeback. Recognizing the number on the caller ID, Sarah passed it straight to her with a muttered “Quinn.”
Only privy to one side of the conversation, Sarah watched her slowly put her toast down as Quinn spoke. When she hung up, her face was pale, with no trace of humor left.
“Emerson’s been suspended, pending an investigation,” she said. “He pretty much admitted to only opening the doors of the first two offices. He told us they were clear, but he hadn’t gone inside and searched them properly.”
“Jesus.” Sarah shook her head. “Where was the guy who assaulted you?”
“Came out of the second office.”
“What the fuck was Emerson thinking?” The crockery on the tray rattled as she spoke, and it was only then that she realized she was shaking.
“I’m not sure.” Unlike Sarah, who felt ready to throttle Emerson with her bare hands, Alex sounded more bewildered than angry. “He was scared. Maybe that made him sloppy.”
“He could have got you killed.”
“I know.” She was staring blankly into the darkened bedroom.
For a terrifying moment, paranoia gripped Sarah. “Do you think he meant to?”
“No.” Alex answered quickly, but when she turned to Sarah, she looked
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