be failing, and Charlie wasn’t talking about it.
“I’ll call her, then catch up on email and billing. Are you available for another case?”
“I’ll let you know,” he said, then left the office.
Wyrick sighed, then stopped at the coffee bar to get a cheese Danish and a cold Pepsi, taking them to her desk.
She ate about half the Danish, then pulled up Trish Caldwell’s phone number and made the call.
* * *
Trish was in her room, sitting by the window in her favorite chair, staring off into space. The house was quiet. Her mother was at work, and she was supposed to be doing homework, but she couldn’t focus.
She’d said so many prayers to God, and made so many deals with Him over what she’d do and what she’d give up if He’d only let Tony live, that she didn’t remember what she’d offered up last.
When her phone suddenly rang, she jumped. Then when she saw who was calling, she was almost afraid to answer. But the need to know...good or bad...was stronger than her fear.
“Hello?”
“Trish, this is Wyrick. Charlie found Tony alive.”
Trish cried out, then slid out of the chair onto the floor, sobbing.
“Trish! I need you to listen to me,” Wyrick said.
“Yes, yes, I’m listening,” she said. “Is he okay?”
“No. He’s far from okay. His injuries are severe. He’s in ICU in Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, Texas.”
“Odessa?”
“He was airlifted there. Broken bones. Infection. Concussion, and the list goes on, but the surgeon was hopeful. What you need to know is that Randall and Justin were complicit in the injuries. They caused him to fall. They thought he was dead and left him where he fell.”
“Oh my God! Why? Why?”
“It’s not pretty,” Wyrick said, “but you have to know the whole truth. Randall and Justin planned the trip to ‘teach him a lesson,’ they said. Randall did it out of jealousy, and Justin went along with it.”
“I should have told him. It’s my fault. I should have told him,” Trish said.
“They blindsided him with the news. Randall bragged you were his girl first, and Justin lied and alluded to the fact that you slept around.”
“Oh my God! He will hate me forever,” Trish wailed.
“His parents are at the hospital. You can keep up with the updates on his healing from them. After that, the rest of it is up to the two of you.”
“Where was he?” Trish said. “Why couldn’t they find him?”
“He still hasn’t regained consciousness, so we don’t know all the details, but we know for sure what Randall and Justin admitted. And Charlie found Tony in a cave. He probably crawled in there as protection from predators and the elements.”
Trish was sobbing again. “I don’t care if he hates me for the rest of his life. I’m grateful he’s alive.”
“Do you know how to contact his parents?”
“Yes, I have their number,” Trish said.
“So, the rest of this is up to you.”
“What happens to Randall and Justin?” she asked.
“They were arrested this morning by the FBI. I don’t know what they’ll be charged with, but they’re both in big trouble.”
“Thank you for letting me know,” Trish said.
“Of course. And don’t give up on the relationship. Give it time. If it’s meant to be, it will happen,” Wyrick said, and then rolled her eyes after she hung up. “What the hell, Wyrick? You are such an expert in the romance department that you’re giving out advice?”
She took a drink of her Pepsi and then finished off the Danish before she went back to sorting through the emails from prospective clients.
* * *
Charlie’s gut was in a knot all the way back to Morning Light.
Please give me one more Christmas with her.
But the prayer was silent desperation. And why did it matter? She hadn’t known him or anyone else for months. His Annie was already gone. All that was left was the shell of her—a taunting reminder of the beautiful, vital woman she’d been.
Charlie had always been good at seeing past people’s public facades, but love had made him blind to what was becoming painfully obvious. All he could do for Annie now was make sure she was safe and comfortable, and be grateful she was ever in his life.
By the time he parked and got out, he’d shifted into quiet mode.
Pinkie, the receptionist, was on the phone when he walked into the lobby at Morning Light. He paused to sign in, then walked to the inner door for her to buzz him in. She was still talking when