Lynn Huggins Blackburn - Hidden Legacy

“Hi, Caroline. I’m Lucy.”

Caroline tried to wipe away the worst of the spots.

“Vomiting is a good sign,” Lucy said. “It means your exposure level isn’t so bad that it’s started to affect your brain function.”

Caroline appreciated Lucy’s effort to make her feel better.

“It may be a good sign, but I’d really like some clean clothes,” she said.

Lucy adjusted the oxygen mask on Henry’s face. “I’m sure that cute cop will bring you some. Is he your boyfriend?”

Lucy’s words unleashed a new horror.

Jason. She’d thrown up in front of Jason. Why had she called Jason?

She knew why.

He’d programmed his number into her phone last night. Tested it before he left so it was the last number dialed and the first one to pop up when she’d frantically grabbed it.

But that wasn’t really why.

She’d called him because she knew he would take care of it. Take care of her. That despite the past thirteen years of awkwardness, he would come when she called.

He’d come.

And found her covered in vomit.

She glanced at her clothes again. Correction. Pajamas. The Duke pajamas she’d gotten for Christmas her senior year of high school, right after she was accepted.

She dropped her head into her free hand.

“You okay, Caroline?” Lucy’s concern popped her head back up.

“I threw up in front of him,” she said.

Lucy smirked. “He didn’t seem to mind.”

Caroline groaned.

“Don’t worry,” Lucy said. “We’ll get you some scrubs to put on when we get to the hospital.”

“Thanks.”

Caroline tried to pull her mind back to more pressing issues. Like how had this happened? Why?

What kind of sick person would be willing to kill a baby?

Because there was one thing she was sure of.

This hadn’t been an accident.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Caroline rested on the hospital bed in the small emergency department room. Lucy had come through with the scrubs. Henry was curled beside her wrapped in a tiny hospital gown. Both of them still wore their oxygen masks, but their CO levels had dropped significantly. The doctor had indicated he would run a few tests, but they’d probably be able to go home in a few hours.

“Knock, knock,” Jason’s soft voice preceded his head peering around the door. A smile lit his features. “You look so much better,” he said.

“Thanks a lot.”

His face fell. “No, I didn’t mean... I mean—”

“I’m just giving you a hard time.” Which she shouldn’t do. He’d been amazing today. “I’m sorry. I can’t thank you enough. I’m sorry about your clothes.”

His smile was tender. “You can throw up on me anytime, Ms. Harrison.”

She groaned.

“I’m afraid your phone didn’t survive.”

His words pulled the unpleasant memory to the surface. “I’ll get another one. I was thinking about an upgrade anyway.”

He smiled. “Well, it isn’t a new phone, but maybe this will cheer you up.” He placed a small bag beside her on the bed. “I hope you won’t get mad.”

She peered into the bag. “You brought me clothes?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry if I upset you.”

Poor guy was meeting himself coming and going.

“I was just trying—”

“I could kiss you!”

Jason’s head flew up, his eyes meeting hers, his eyebrows arched in that quizzical look she remembered so well, his lips shockingly close to her own.

“I mean—”

He laughed. “I know what you mean.”

Did he?

Did she?

A nurse bustled in, laptop in hand, to check vitals and O2 sats. Jason stepped outside to give them some privacy and she was thankful for the interruption.

What was going on with her? He’d left. He didn’t want to stay in North Carolina forever and she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. And while she understood his reasons, she had to admit she’d harbored the hope that maybe she would be enough of a reason to stay.

But she hadn’t been.

Just because he was home now didn’t mean he was home for good. He would be busy for the next several years helping care for his dad. When the inevitable came and duty wasn’t tying him down anymore, would he bolt?

History said yes.

The nurse left and Jason returned. Henry had dozed off by her side, and everyone had agreed to let him sleep.

“We need to talk.”

“Okay.” Could he tell how his presence messed with her?

“Your CO detectors didn’t go off.”

Oh. He wanted to talk about that. Of course he did. It was his job. So why had her heart sunk at his words?

“I noticed that.”

“Your water heater was tampered with. The level of CO in the house was significantly higher than it should have been.”

Her heart sank further. “Not an accident.”

He shrugged. “If you hadn’t caught the intruder, it would have looked like an accident. The tampering isn’t obvious. Just a loose vent. The gas company guys apologized all over themselves. Said they couldn’t understand how it happened.”

“But they don’t know about my visitor.”

“Exactly.”

“So what happens now? Can I go home? Should I go home?”

Jason couldn’t meet her gaze.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

He shifted from one foot to the other and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Don’t get mad, but I called your brother.”

“Great. He’s probably already called Mom and Dad.” Caroline exhaled. “I didn’t want them to worry.”

“Like they wouldn’t want to know?”

She glared at him, hoping he could feel her displeasure burning from her retinas. “What did Blake say?”

“He tracked down Heidi.”

“That didn’t take long.”

“I gather they have a system of some sort.” He frowned at her. “Speaking of which, why did you call me?”

Heat flooded her cheeks. “I knew you were minutes away.”

“Why not go to your front porch and yell at the officers sitting in your driveway?”

He wasn’t going to let this go, was he? She didn’t have a good answer.

“I wasn’t thinking clearly,” she said. “I was afraid to leave Henry and I was afraid to get too far away from the bathroom.”

He studied her longer than was comfortable, and she knew he hadn’t fully accepted her response. Time to change the subject.

“So you spoke to Heidi?”

“Yeah. She said she’d call a friend. He’s not far from here and he’s going to come give your place a once-over. She doesn’t want you to stay there until he’s done.”

Awesome. Heidi’s definition of once-over probably meant pulling up the floors and tearing out the walls.

“I was able to convince her that we have things under control, but I won’t be surprised if we wind up with some random FBI agents popping in and out.”

Caroline blew out a breath. “I guess I should thank you again.”

He winked, and her breath caught. “You may not be thanking me when you hear the rest of our plan.”

“The plan?”

“I thought you could hang out with my mom and dad while you’re waiting for your house to be cleared.”

Caroline fidgeted. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? It looks like someone is trying to kill me. I should probably go to a deserted island, not hang out with your parents.”

“Nonsense.” Jason didn’t seem as worried as he should be.

“I can’t put your parents at risk. If anything happened to them—”

His hand on hers stopped her. “I’ve already talked to them. They understand what’s going on, and they want you to come. Mom says she hasn’t seen Henry in far too long.”

“But—”

“Caroline. Dad’s still a good shot.”

She dropped her head in defeat. “I wasn’t thinking that at all.” Jason’s dad had been a sniper. ALS would eventually rob him of the ability to hold a rifle, but at this point, he could probably outshoot 98 percent of the population.