Cold Case Tracker, page 17
He had to be wrong. Amy and Skye had to be okay...
Lord, I need them to be safe, like I need the air that I breathe.
Jackson heard the plaintive sound of a tiny baby wailing. His chest ached and somehow he knew that it was Skye.
The nurse’s footsteps quickened. Jackson’s heart pounded so hard he could feel it in his chest. The nurse reached a closed door, knocked twice and then opened it. “Excuse me, ma’am, but you’ve got the police here to see you.”
The words froze on the nurse’s tongue and a second later Jackson saw why. The bed was empty. Amy was gone. Skye was alone in her crib. Instantly, Gemma slipped past them into the room and swept Skye up into her arms, comforting her and holding her to her chest.
Jackson turned to the nurse. “Where is Amy?”
“I don’t know,” the nurse said, gravely. “But I will find out.”
The nurse ran to the nearest internal phone and called in a missing patient report. Jackson could only hear his side of the conversation, but it was clear the hospital would be going into lockdown until she could be found.
Jackson prayed it wasn’t too late. Hudson whimpered and pressed his snout into Jackson’s hand. Skye had begun to settle down in Gemma’s arms.
His sister’s large, worried eyes met his. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know,” Jackson said.
He stood by Gemma and Skye, as Finnick ran down the hallway, stopping person after person, flashing his badge and asking if anyone knew where the patient in room 812 had gone. The nurse ended his call and turned toward Jackson. His face was so pale it was almost gray.
“Apparently, someone spotted her leaving the maternity ward a few moments ago,” he said. “She was in a wheelchair and being pushed by a balding man who identified himself as her husband and said he was taking her for fresh air.”
“He’s not her husband!” Jackson shouted. A cold, near paralyzing fear filled his gut. “He’s a suspect in a triple homicide.”
“I’ll get to the security office and coordinate the response,” Finnick called. “Jackson, go find Amy.”
“I’ve got Skye!” Gemma added. “I’ll keep her safe. You go!”
Jackson silently thanked God for them, then he looked down at his partner. The dog was standing at attention. Jackson looped the dog’s leash tightly around his hand.
“Hudson,” he ordered, “find Amy!”
His partner barked and then took off running down the hospital hallways, dragging Jackson behind them. They pushed past startled staff and visitors, running as fast as Jackson’s legs would allow, even as he could feel his partner pulling him to go even faster. Hudson led him through a maze of back corridors and service hallways, into the quieter and more isolated areas of the hospital. They ran through a large laundry room and the sound of sheets and towels rolling and tumbling rose around them.
An emergency exit loomed ahead. Hudson’s barks echoed around them as the dog practically threw himself at the door. Jackson pushed it open and they burst through into an alley behind the hospital. It was empty. Hudson’s snout rose. He sniffed the air. Then he barked again, turned and led Jackson down to the end of the alley. An even narrower laneway lay ahead. They turned into it. There was an empty wheelchair lying on its side. One wheel still spun in the air.
Then Jackson saw them. Paul was trying to drag a semiconscious Amy into the back of a white delivery van, while she fought and struggled against him.
Jackson turned to his partner and unclipped Hudson’s leash.
“Go get him!” he called. “Take him down! Save Amy!”
Hudson charged toward Paul, with Jackson running a few steps behind. Startled, the criminal dropped Amy onto the ground, where she crumpled like a rag doll, and took off running. In a moment, Jackson had reached her, lifted her up and cradled her into his arms.
“Jackson?” Her voice was weak. Amy’s head fell against his shoulder. “Is that really you?”
“Yeah, it’s really me,” he whispered. “It’s okay. I’ve got you, and Gemma’s got Skye. You’re safe.”
Paul sprinted down the alley, but he was no match for Hudson’s strength and speed. With a triumphant howl, Hudson launched himself at Paul. His strong paws hit him in the back and knocked him to the pavement, pinning him there. A door clanged open behind them. Jackson looked back to see uniformed security officers and police spilling out into the alleyway.
“You found her?” a man in a dark blue uniform shouted at Jackson.
“Yup, she’s safe!” Jackson called. “I’ve got her.”
Officers ran past him. Jackson ordered Hudson to release Paul as the officers stepped in to arrest him. Hudson returned to Jackson’s side, leaned his paws against Jackson’s leg and licked Amy’s fingers. She ran her hand over the dog’s head.
“It’s all over,” Jackson said. “Paul’s being taken into custody right now. Hudson took him down.”
Amy smiled. Her eyes fluttered open and then closed again. “Good dog.”
“Very good dog,” he said.
But it seemed he’d spoken too soon as a flurry of shouting and activity rose from the end of the alley behind him. He turned. Somehow Paul had managed to wriggle free from his arresting officer. Paul had taken off running again down another alley in the direction of the parking lot, with a half dozen people on his trail shouting at him to stop.
“They underestimated him,” Amy said weakly. “Like I did.”
“Don’t worry,” Jackson said. “He won’t get away this time.”
A gunshot sounded somewhere out of view. More shouts rose and Amy pushed herself closer into Jackson’s chest. Hudson growled toward the departing group and glanced up at Jackson. He could read the question in his partner’s eyes.
“No, buddy,” Jackson told Hudson, and his voice sounded gruff to his ears. “Not this time. We’re going to let somebody else deal with bringing the bad guy to justice right now. Our job is protecting Amy.”
He turned and walked back toward the open hospital door, with Amy in his arms and Hudson by his side. As he stepped through the doorway, a nurse offered to take Amy, but Jackson shook his head. “It’s okay, I’ve got her.”
Jackson carried Amy in his arms all the way back to her hospital room where Gemma waited, still holding the sleeping infant. A soft cry escaped Amy’s beautiful lips as her eyes alighted on her baby girl.
“Skye’s safe,” Gemma said. Happy tears filled her eyes. Hudson’s ears perked as he sniffed in the direction of the tiny, sleeping child as if memorizing her scent. Gemma laid the baby back to rest in her cot. “She’s perfect, Amy.”
Gently and tenderly, Jackson set Amy down on the bed.
“It’s all going to be okay now,” he whispered. He eased his arms out from under her. “I won’t let anything happen to you or Skye, I promise.”
A fleet of medical staff in uniform filled the doorway. Gemma slipped past them and out of the room. Jackson turned to follow.
But Amy grabbed his hand. “Stay with me. Please.”
He swallowed hard.
“I’m going to have to give the doctors and nurses some space to do their thing,” he said. “But I’ll be right outside the door and I’ll come back in as soon as they give me permission. Okay?”
Amy nodded weakly. “Okay.”
He signaled Hudson to his side. They stepped out of Amy’s room. The nurse they’d spoken to before nodded to Jackson and closed the door behind them.
Gemma was standing a few feet away in the hallway.
“You okay?” Gemma asked. “You look exhausted. You want to go grab a quick bite or even just a drink of water?”
“No, I’m staying,” Jackson said. He wasn’t surprised he looked tired, and he was sure fatigue would hit him like a ton of bricks later. But for now, he stood up straight and crossed his arms. Hudson sat at attention by his side. “Amy asked me to stay and I promised her I wouldn’t leave.”
His sister’s green eyes searched his face for a long moment, as if Gemma was seeing him for the first time. Finally she nodded.
“Well, I’m going to go get a drink of water for you and one for Hudson too,” she said. Gemma turned as if to go, then she hesitated, turned back and gave him a hug. “I’m really proud of you, brother.”
He opened his mouth to thank her, only to find a lump in his throat so large he couldn’t get the words out. Instead, he nodded to his sister, she nodded back, then Gemma turned and started down the hallway.
Time ticked by slowly, punctuated only by the round clock on the wall and his own worried thoughts. After a few minutes, Finnick and Nippy appeared around the corner and started down the hallway toward them.
“I hear you’ve got our girl safe and sound,” Finnick said, but Jackson couldn’t help but notice he was frowning. “Well done.”
Jackson felt his spine straighten even further.
“Yes, sir,” he said. “Doctors are just checking her over now.”
“That’s good,” Finnick said. The frown lines in his forehead grew even deeper. “It looks like we’ve lost our main suspect.”
Jackson blinked. “Paul got away?”
“No, he’s dead.” Finnick ran his hand over the back of his head. “It was a stupid, senseless death. He ran into the parking lot, with cops barely three feet behind him, tried to pull a gun on a motorist and hijack her vehicle. She grabbed the gun in self-defense, they fought for it and it went off. They tried to rush him into surgery, but it was too late. He’s gone.”
Jackson sucked in a breath. “How’s the woman?”
“In shock,” Finnick said. “But thankfully she’s fine.” He shook his head. “This whole situation is so infuriating. If he is the man behind the Pine Crest murders, and investigators had done their job in the first place, so much pain and suffering could’ve been avoided.”
The hospital door opened behind him, and medical staff filed out again. A nurse informed Jackson that Amy was ready for him to come back in. She was groggy and would probably sleep for a while, due to the large dose of meds that Paul had hit her with, but that thankfully she’d be okay.
Jackson thanked him, and Finnick excused himself. Then Jackson took Hudson back into Amy’s room, closing the door behind them. She was sitting up in bed. The pink had already begun to return to her cheeks and her face was a little less pale than it had been when he’d left her. But her eyes widened as she clocked his expression.
“What happened?” she asked. “Is everything okay?”
“Am I that transparent?” Jackson asked.
“To me you are.”
He crossed the room and crouched down beside her bed.
“I don’t know how to tell you this,” he said. “But Paul has died.”
A sob choked in her throat as he filled Amy in on everything that Finnick had told him. He reached for her and hugged her tightly as she buried her face in his shoulder for a long moment. When she pulled back and he let her go, he noticed that while tears filled her beautiful eyes, they’d stopped before they could even fall.
“Such a waste of a life,” she said, bitterly. “He was so talented, smart and charming. But he used those talents to lie, cheat, steal, con, swindle and even kill. Up until the very last moments of his life, he was trying to take advantage of some poor woman.” She closed her eyes and prayed. “Thank You, God, that he’s finally been stopped.”
“Amen.”
They talked about the case for a few more minutes, but soon Amy’s eyelids fluttered and then closed. So, Jackson settled himself down in a chair opposite the bed, with Hudson by his feet. And that’s where he stayed for the next few hours, as Amy slept. Gemma came back with water and some snacks for him and Hudson. She sat with them in silence for a while, and then after an hour told him she was going to get hotel rooms for them both in the area in case Amy and Skye needed to stay a few days. Finnick popped back in too, to let Jackson know he was heading back to the city. Medical staff came in and out to check vitals on the machine by Amy’s bed. Skye woke briefly and fussed but settled back into sleep when Jackson scooped the tiny baby into his arms and rocked her gently.
Still Amy slept and Jackson stayed. He wasn’t about to leave her side or risk her waking up to find he’d left her.
He was going to be there for Amy as long as she needed him. And then when Amy no longer needed him and could stand on her own two feet again, then what? He didn’t know. All he knew was that what had started as a youthful crush so many years ago had grown into something so much deeper and stronger than he ever could’ve possibly imagined.
He loved Amy Scout and her newborn baby. He wanted to be there for them always, take care of them and keep them safe, in whatever way Amy wanted, for the rest of their lives.
He hadn’t even realized he’d dozed off while sitting in the uncomfortable chair until he heard Amy calling his name and looked up to see the rising sun filtering through the windows.
“Jackson?” She whispered his name like music.
He looked over. She was sitting up in bed, with Skye tucked peacefully in the crook of her arm fast asleep.
He swallowed hard, as an unfamiliar lump formed in his throat.
“I’m here,” he said, softly. He walked over and knelt beside the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m good.” Her free hand reached for his. He looped his fingers through hers. She held his hand tightly.
“She’s amazing, isn’t she?” Amy whispered.
Love filled her hazel eyes as she looked down at the baby in her arms. Something fierce and protective moved through his core.
“She’s incredible,” he said.
He looked from the tiny sleeping child to Amy’s radiant face and knew that he’d never seen anything more beautiful in his life.
“You’re incredible, Amy,” Jackson said softly. “You’re brilliant, brave and incredibly strong. I meant every word I said yesterday about being there for you and Skye. Whatever you need and whatever comes next, you can count on me. I promise, because—”
I love you, Amy.
The words crossed his heart, but before he could speak them, Amy pulled her hand from his and pressed her fingers against his lips.
“Don’t say it,” she said. “I know what you’re going to say. And I feel it too. You’re the most incredible man I’ve ever met. You’re amazing and kind. You apologize for your mistakes and you’re committed to growth... But we can’t say those words to each other. Not yet. Not now.”
He nodded to tell her he understood. She took his hand again.
“All my life I’ve been impulsive,” she said. “I’ve rushed headlong into things without considering the consequences. And you deserve better than that. We both do. So I can’t let myself rush into this. Not until I know for certain that I’m ready.”
Jackson swallowed hard.
But what if she was never ready? What if the time never came?
Lord, please give me the strength I need to wait for her and be patient.
“Okay,” he said.
“Thank you.”
Amy leaned toward him, he bent down toward her, and their lips met in a kiss that was sweet and tender. Yet somehow it also felt as if they were both glancing through an open door before closing it again.
Then Amy leaned back against the pillow and fell asleep, holding his hand.
FIFTEEN
The early November air was crisp with the promise of winter, as Amy stepped through the sliding doors of the South River Medical Center following Skye’s checkup. She moved across the parking lot, with a diaper bag slung over her shoulder and her daughter nestled safely on her hip. On the other side of the road, she could see forest stretched out to the horizon in a maze of orange, red and gold leaves.
She scanned the lot. Where was Gemma?
“Anybody need a taxi?” Jackson’s warm voice rang out from among the parked cars.
A moment later she saw him striding toward her. A lopsided grin crossed his handsome face. Joy shone in his eyes. Amy felt her heart skip a beat. Skye squealed and waved her chubby arms in greeting.
“What are you doing here?” She rushed toward him. “I thought Gemma was coming to get me.”
“She had to rush back to the cottage for an unexpected thing,” he said. “And I had an errand up here anyway, so it all worked out. I hope this is an okay surprise. Gemma said there was no cell phone reception inside the clinic.”
“It’s a great surprise.”
He opened his arms for her, and she stepped into the warmth of his chest. She felt his beard brush against her cheek.
Jackson had become like a part of the family in the months since Skye had been born. He’d taken a two-week vacation from work immediately after her birth to help Amy, Gemma and the baby get settled in the cottage. And then he’d come up to visit almost every weekend since, to bring groceries, help with Skye, cook, clean, babysit and rebuild his friendship with his sister. Not to mention the countless hours Amy and Jackson had spent together walking, talking, reading, boating, doing the dishes or just being together in comfortable silence.
They pulled apart again.
“What kind of errand and what kind of thing?” she asked.
“My errand is at Pine Crest,” he said, “and I’ll let Gemma tell you her own thing back at the cottage. It’s nothing bad, I promise.”
“Okay.” She smiled and said, “I trust you.”
And she did. He stretched out his hand for the diaper bag and she let him take it. Then he reached for Skye, and the little girl practically launched herself into his arms.
Jackson chuckled and wrapped his arms around Skye, and she reached up and patted his face.
“Hello, princess,” he said. Then he glanced at Amy. “How did her checkup go? It’s her six-month one, right?”
