bit back a snarl at the word victim.
He stood when addressed. “Izzie. My niece, Izadora MacNamara. That’s her name, Your Honor. We call her Izzie. She’s a trauma nurse at FCGH. She saves lives. The last thing she deserves is to be fighting for her life in the very hospital that she loves so much.”
Jake turned and stared at Wallace Henedy. At the man’s wife and son behind him.
They needed to see Izzie for who she was. Not just a victim.
31
She was going home. Three weeks to the day after Wallace Henedy had almost killed her, Izzie gathered her bag of belongings on the now made bed.
It was time. Regardless of what Nikkie Jean had wanted—she’d wanted a six-week stay for Izzie—it was time. For one thing, she suspected how much this was going to cost.
Her health insurance wouldn’t pay for more than the basic amount of care. Especially since Fin had agreed that Izzie could go home a week ago.
Nikkie Jean had offered to talk to Billing and have the bill stricken from the records, if that would keep Izzie there.
That wasn’t going to happen. She wasn’t going to let Nikkie Jean use her new position as owner of the hospital to give Izzie charity. Especially since Nikkie Jean kept vowing that she wasn’t the owner and wasn’t going to be.
Well, Nikkie Jean couldn’t have it both ways. She couldn’t claim not to want the power, then try to use the power in Izzie’s favor.
Instead, they’d agreed that Izzie would go home with Nikkie Jean and Caine.
The two of them would keep an eye on her when they were home. When they weren’t, Caine’s uncle Henry would be there. Caine’s younger sister, Pen, had agreed to spend a week or two with them, helping Henry with the kids. It worked out well for Pen, too. There had been a visiting lecturer at the main campus for Finley Creek University that Pen had wanted to hear, about paranormal activity.
“All set?” a male voice asked behind her. Jake stood there, looking tall, strong, and gorgeous. Cranky. He’d been on Nikkie Jean’s side—he’d wanted her to stay put another week or so. Well, that wasn’t happening.
Her best friend was being forced out of her home today. Izzie was going to be right there next to Annie while it happened. That was all the real motivation she needed to get her rear out of bed and back to living.
Annie needed her there. So that’s where Izzie was going to be.
“I think so. Let’s get out of here.”
“You know the rules,” Fin said from right next to him. She had a wheelchair all ready. Izzie wouldn’t admit it, but the sight of the chair was a blessing. She’d been on her feet a bit too long already. “Let’s do this.”
Annie had made a special trip in on her day off, even though she should have been finishing up at her house, just to see Izzie get paroled. She firmly took the chair from Fin and shot Izzie a look.
It mattered. Like being there for Annie when she lost her home was pretty damned important, too.
Izzie settled into the chair, her bag on her lap. She held it lightly, gingerly, away from the worst wound on her stomach.
It would be a while before she was fully back to her old self again.
If she would ever be.
What Wallace Henedy had done had changed her forever.
Allen was in the lobby of the temporary ER when everyone paused for a moment. Wild clapping ensued around him.
He was tall enough to look over the heads of Felicity and Gwyn, two of the day-shift nurses he’d worked with many times before.
A small parade of people was coming down the hall from the elevator.
A dark-haired woman was in a wheelchair at the front of the crowd, being pushed by Annie—who was dressed in street clothes. Nikkie Jean and Fin walked on either side of them.
He smiled, mood lifting immediately.
Izzie looked great. From the looks of things, she was being discharged.
Into Nikkie Jean’s care, as Nikkie Jean had penciled herself off the schedule for a few days. For some reason, seeing the four women gave him an immense rush of hope.
Despite the odds, Izzie was going to be fine.
Hopefully, she’d be able to heal from the ghosts this would have caused. Nikkie Jean would make sure of it.
Allen joined the little procession in time to reach out and open the rear seat of Caine’s truck.
He leaned down until his eyes met dark