while. She wasn’t a complete stranger to psychology, after all.
Izzie kept thinking about him.
She’d had a lot of time lately to lay there and think.
“He’s got some weird, misplaced big brother thing going on today. He actually threatened to call Caine on me.”
He’d stopped in and visited with her for five or ten minutes each day. Izzie hadn’t known what to say to him other than thank you. It had felt beyond awkward.
As if she’d conjured him up by thinking about him, he knocked on the door jam.
He barely waited for them to invite him in.
Izzie’s breath caught. He was a man on a mission.
Nikkie Jean.
“Ok, two choices. Load yourself in your car and take yourself home. Or…I’m calling Caine to come get you.” He held up a hand when Nikkie Jean protested. “No buts. I’m your boss. You have to do what I say.”
“Technically, I’m your boss now,” Nikkie Jean practically grumbled. “Bet you didn’t know that, did you, Lieutenant?”
Izzie looked at her, as Allen took the other chair in the room. “What?”
“Daddy dearest bought the place yesterday. In my name. Surprise, surprise. Guess he’s making up for all the birthday presents he didn’t buy me when I was a kid.”
Well, that was something nobody could have expected. By the expression on her face, Nikkie Jean wasn’t the least bit happy about it.
She half understood where her friend was coming from—if her own father suddenly showed up, Izzie wouldn’t want anything to do with him, either. Too little, too late, in her opinion. She doubted her father would ever buy a hospital, either. So how was she to know what she would do in Nikkie Jean’s place?
Izzie was looking better today. Allen shot her a quick look, biting back a smile when he saw the wild pajamas, tie-dyed with big green alien heads printed all over the fleece, footed one-piece.
They were Nikkie Jean’s doing. She’d taken it on herself to take excellent care of her buddy. He somehow didn’t see Nurse Izzie picking out something so outlandish for herself.
Izzie looked back at him. “Dr.…Allen. How are you today?”
“I’m…good. Looking for the escapee. And…I’m glad I found her here. I wanted to let you know that the district attorney will most likely be sending someone to interview you soon.” Both women flinched. Allen understood.
“What more can we say?” Izzie asked tightly. “Everything is on video.”
“Except what he said that day,” Nikkie Jean said in a weak voice.
“The first court hearing has been scheduled.”
Both women flinched.
“I’m not going!” Nikkie Jean said.
As Allen looked at her, she bolted toward the small bathroom next to the far wall. He knew she was getting sick, and guilt filled him. He should have told her when she was feeling better. He stood.
“No, let her alone. She’ll not want you seeing,” Izzie said softly. One small hand wrapped around his wrist.
“I’m going to take her home. Drive her there myself.”
“She won’t get in the car with you. You being…a man.”
“No. Probably not.” Allen suspected he knew why, but he had never asked Nikkie Jean. He never would.
Allen would respect her boundaries.
“Jillian gets off in an hour. Nik can hide out in here until then.”
“I’ll find her. See if she can take her home. She probably shouldn’t drive herself home, as ill as she’s been today.”
“You’re a good friend to her. Thank you.”
“I’m the lucky one. She…she’s the first woman I’ve cared about since…well…she’s a good friend to me, too. I’ll…go. Find Jillian.”
“Thanks…Allen. For what you did. Do. I mean that. Especially for her. I don’t think she’s let a male doctor close to her until you—and Caine, of course.”
“I did what anyone would have done, Izzie. I’m no hero. I will never claim to be.”
That was the last thing he was. If he had been any kind of hero, he would have realized Wallace was falling off a cliff and would have found a way to stop him before he had hurt them both.
29
Jake MacNamara was going to become a problem. Jennifer knew it with one look at the dark-haired man who sat in the middle aisle of the courtroom.
Damned bastard. He hadn’t stopped asking questions. She knew that he was the one behind it, even if it was those buddies of his who were doing the actual work.
He held a grudge against her family. Because of that little slut niece of his.
There was no one on this planet that Jennifer hated more than that girl. She’d ruined everything. For all of them.
If Wallace had been