Blind Faith - Sharon Sala Page 0,86
safe.
The sound of his voice was enough.
And so the days passed, while Wyrick healed faster than her doctor could believe, and neither she nor Charlie saw fit to tell him why. She wanted to go home. She was vulnerable here, and the sooner she got home, the sooner she could bring all of this to an end. It was going to cost every bit of privacy and anonymity she had, but Cyrus Parks was going down.
* * *
Wyrick was sitting up in bed with the tray table across her lap, poking at what passed for her lunch. Meat loaf with ketchup, scalloped potatoes cooked without salt and a little salad in a plastic bowl with one cherry tomato on top. The tomato made her think of Merlin and his greenhouse, which made her want out even more.
“This stuff is awful,” she muttered.
“It’s not so bad,” Charlie said, happily eating the food from his tray.
“You’ll eat anything,” Wyrick said.
Charlie popped the tomato from his salad in his mouth and chewed.
“You’re just pissy because they don’t serve Snickers and Pepsi,” Charlie said.
It was the truth, but she glared at him, just the same.
“I’m not pissy, and they’re releasing me tomorrow,” she said. “I want to go home.”
“They’re letting you go tomorrow if you have someone to stay with you until you’re more mobile, which means hiring a nurse for a while,” he said.
Wyrick frowned. “No nurses. I don’t trust anyone. Cyrus will find out I’m alive, and some nurse who’s supposed to take care of me will poison me instead. I’m going home and that’s final, and if I have to, I’ll check myself out against doctor’s orders. I have to get home. I have something I have to do.”
Charlie pointed at her meat loaf.
“You gonna eat that?”
Wyrick rolled her eyes. “No, I’m not going to eat it. Help yourself.”
He raked it onto his plate and kept eating, talking around the bite he was chewing.
“Calm down, woman. Nobody’s going to do anything to you again.”
“Oh! What...now you turned psychic, too?” she muttered.
“I know because I’m taking you home, and I’ll stay with you in your home, until you feel like kicking ass again.”
Breath caught in the back of her throat, and for the second time in her life, she was speechless.
Merlin had cared enough for her to make her his heir, and Charlie, in the middle of his grief, cared enough about her to keep her safe.
“Well?” Charlie asked.
“Thank you,” she said.
He nodded. “You’re welcome. Uh...are you going to eat your pudding?”
“Yes.”
“Oh. Well, that’s okay. Just thought I’d—”
“Kidding,” she said, and handed it to him.
He poked a spoon into the pudding. “At least the smart-ass part of you is back,” he said, and took a bite.
* * *
It was a beautiful day in Houston, but there was a storm heading to Dallas. It wasn’t due to arrive before midafternoon, and they were due to fly out at 9:00 a.m., giving them plenty of time to get back and settle in before it hit.
Charlie had gotten special permission for Billy Wright to land on the hospital helipad to get her home, and they were checked out and waiting in her room when a nurse came hurrying in, pushing a wheelchair.
“Your ride just radioed that he’s inbound with a fifteen-minute ETA. Hop into this hot rod, Miss Jade, so we can get you up to the roof,” she said.
Wyrick was wearing scrubs and a zip-up hoodie that belonged to Charlie. She slid off the bed, balancing on her good leg, and hobbled to the wheelchair. She couldn’t use crutches or a walker because of her injured arm and shoulder, but Merlin’s motorized wheelchair was still in his room. Once she got home, she would manage.
Charlie shouldered his bag and walked beside her, judging every curious look they got as a possible threat. They rode the elevator up, and then were in the shelter waiting for the chopper to arrive.
To Charlie’s relief, Billy Wright was early. He landed, then jumped out and opened the door as they approached.
The sound of the rotors and the whipping wind put a knot in Wyrick’s gut. This was going to be a tense flight back, trying not to relive the crash.
Billy gave Charlie a quick pat on the shoulder. “I see that was a successful search.” And then he smiled at Wyrick. “Ma’am, if you would rather lie down on the flight back, I have a new sleeping bag, or we’ll buckle you up in a seat. It’s your