Day Of Reckoning Part 5

Ford swung the SUV into the hospital emergency entrance. Roz closed her eyes tightly for a moment, trying to hold it together. She had to be strong-for her father. She'd deal with Ford later.

Before he had the car parked, she was out and running toward the emergency room door. He caught up with her in time to open the door for her.

She rushed into the small hospital entry with him right behind her. The nurse's station was empty.

Her heart dropped. What if her father had gotten worse? What if- She could make out a steady beep coming from down the dim hallway. She rushed toward the sound, the hurried footfalls of her and Ford echoing on the linoleum floor, as she prayed her father was alive even if still in a coma.

At the open doorway, Roz had a pa.s.sing impression of a nurse and a doctor, both dressed in white beside a hospital bed. The nurse was round and rosy-cheeked with a halo of white hair. The doctor was blond, late forties, nice-looking.

Roz looked past both to the bandaged man lying in the bed, monitors making soft bleating noises, a respirator breathing in and out, in and out.

Her throat constricted at the sight of her father. He looked as white as the sheets and so incredibly frail but he was still alive! Thank G.o.d.

"How is he?" Roz asked, rus.h.i.+ng into the room.

"No change, but he's holding his own," the nurse said. She smiled when she saw Roz as if she knew her. "I'm so glad you're here and I know your father is, too." Her eyes twinkled. "He knows you've come to see him, don't worry about that."

"Thank you," Roz said. "I'm-"

"Rozalyn," she said and smiled more broadly. "You look just like your mother. I'm Kate Clark. I know you don't remember me, but I was at your birth. Don't worry about your father. He's in good hands. I'll be here all night."

"I won't, knowing you're taking care of him," Roz said.

"This is Dr. Harris," the nurse said.

The doctor had been looking at her father's chart. He looked up and frowned. "Who are you?" He sounded irritated.

"I'm his daughter, Rozalyn," she said looking down at her dad. She fought back tears as she whispered, "I'm here, Dad," and squeezed his hand. No response. She glanced up, expecting to see Ford in the doorway. But he was gone. "He's in a coma?"

The doctor nodded. "That's typical with this kind of head injury."

"The sheriff said he fell?" Roz asked.

"Probably slipped. Didn't fall far, I would guess, but struck his head on something," the doctor said.

"Who brought him in?" Roz looked at the nurse, who shook her head, then the doctor.

"They didn't leave names," he said. "Just out-of-towners up here looking for Bigfoot. Your father really needs his rest-" Dr. Harris broke off when he saw Ford reappear in the doorway again. The doctor put down the clipboard and started to leave the room. "Please keep your visit short."

He had reached the doorway when Emily and Drew rushed past Ford and into the room.

"Oh, no!" Emily cried, stopping in the center of the room to cover her face. "How bad is it, Dr. Harris?"

"I'm optimistic and you should be, too, Mrs. Sawyer. He's a strong, stubborn man. He won't give up easily," the doctor said. "I was going to call you with the news but the sheriff insisted on doing it."

"Yes," Emily said and glanced at Roz. "I guess he wanted to tell Liam's daughter first."

Rozalyn hardly noticed the bitterness in the woman's tone. She was too surprised that Emily seemed to know the doctor. But the new Mrs. Sawyer had been in town for over a month. Emily probably knew everyone in Timber Falls by now.

"Oh, Drew," Emily said as he moved to put his arm around her shoulders.

Roz looked up at Ford who was still in the doorway. He motioned for her. "I'll give you a moment alone with Liam," she said as she squeezed her dad's hand, then laid it gently back on the bed beside him and left the room, surprised to find both Mitch and Ford waiting for her out in the hall. She could feel the tension between them, and could only guess what had been going on.

Ford closed the hospital room door but watched through the window as Mitch said, "Lancaster here feels your father needs protection."

Her gaze leaped to Ford. He didn't seem to notice. He was watching the group in the hospital room, looking worried, his jaw tight. He'd said her father was in trouble before before Mitch told her Liam was in the hospital. It was almost as if Ford had been expecting this to happen. Why was that? She remembered his promise to tell her everything as soon as they left here. Mitch told her Liam was in the hospital. It was almost as if Ford had been expecting this to happen. Why was that? She remembered his promise to tell her everything as soon as they left here.

She stared at Ford, reminding herself of all the reasons she shouldn't trust the man. And yet something in his worried expression- "I think that's a good idea, Mitch," she said, making the decision not only to keep quiet about what Ford had told her-but to trust that he had his reasons for wanting her father protected.

Mitch was staring at her in obvious surprise. "Why?"

"Is there someone I can hire to stay with him, not let him out of sight even for a moment?" Ford asked, finally looking at the sheriff. "Is there someone in town who would be reliable and willing to take the job? Someone you trust?"

But Mitch was still looking at Roz. "You think your father is in danger?" he asked.

She nodded. "I can't explain it, but I do, Mitch."

He let out a long sigh and looked at Ford. "I know someone. My brother, Jesse Tanner. No one will get past Jesse to Liam. But I need to know why you feel Liam needs that kind of protection."

"Let's just say I have a bad feeling that his fall wasn't an accident," Ford said.

Roz must have looked as shocked as Mitch.

"You have any proof of that?" the sheriff asked.

"Not yet," Ford said. "But if you want to keep him alive, then I suggest you call your brother and get him up here. If you're sure he can be trusted."

"I'd trust him with my life and Liam's," Mitch said.

Ford looked to Roz, then nodded. "Call him." He glanced back through the hospital room window as if he wasn't moving an inch until Jesse Tanner arrived to take over.

"Can I have a word with you?" Mitch asked Roz as he stepped down the hall, pulled out his cell and punched in a series of numbers. When the line answered, he said, "It's me," and briefly explained the situation. A few seconds later, he disconnected. "Jesse's on his way. I've deputized him so there won't be any question as to his authority for being here."

"Thanks, Mitch."

"Look, Roz, I don't know what the deal is with you and Lancaster-"

"There's nothing between us. I just don't want to take any chances with my dad, that's all," she said.

He nodded, but she could tell he wasn't buying it for a minute.

"It just isn't like him to fall off a cliff," she said and shuddered at the thought of how long he'd lain there before he'd been found. She couldn't bear the thought that he'd been in pain, worse that he may have been pushed, may have even seen his a.s.sailant.

"No, it's not like Liam, but accidents do happen," Mitch said. "What's odd is that I was up Maple Creek Road earlier tonight and I didn't see his pickup and camper. Is it possible someone dropped him off at the trailhead?"

That was was odd. "I don't know. His truck isn't at the house. Emily said he took it when he left two weeks ago." odd. "I don't know. His truck isn't at the house. Emily said he took it when he left two weeks ago."

"I'm sure it will turn up," Mitch a.s.sured her. "And don't worry. Your dad's going to pull through. You know how tough he is. Then he'll tell us just what happened."

She nodded and smiled through her tears. She was counting on it, she thought as she looked down the hall at Ford standing outside her father's hospital room. In the meantime, any answers were going to have to come from Ford Lancaster.

She balked at the idea but still couldn't wait until Jesse Tanner arrived so she could find out why the man who'd tried to destroy Liam in print years ago was now trying to save him.

"How long have you been sheriff?" she asked Mitch, not wanting to go back down to her father's room until Emily and Drew were finished.

"Pretty much since Sheriff Hudson retired."

She knew the sheriff had retired shortly after her mother's death. She tried not to think about that right now and looked into Mitch's handsome face instead, then at his ring finger.

He laughed. "No, Charity hasn't la.s.soed me yet-but not for lack of trying."

When she and Charity used to play house, Charity was always married to Mitch Tanner while Roz's pretend husband was not only nameless but also faceless.

"Have you seen Charity?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Not for a while."

"I know she'd love to see you. She has breakfast every morning at Betty's."

Roz nodded. "I'd love to see her, too."

Mitch pulled out a small notebook and pen. "Why don't we go over what you saw at Lost Creek Falls while we're waiting."

Roz hugged herself against the memory as she told him.

"What made you think it was a woman?" he asked, taking notes.

She shook her head. "All I really saw was the bright yellow raincoat but at one point I thought I saw long blond hair. It was too dark to make out much." She hesitated. "And it happened so fast."

"Lancaster says he didn't see anything."

She shook her head ruefully. "He thought I was going to jump and tried to save me. He almost killed me instead."

Mitch didn't look pleased to hear this. "Where is he staying?"

"Our guest house. Emily invited him. Says she didn't know who he was, thought he was a friend of Liam's." Obviously Ford had led her to believe that.

Mitch raised a brow. "What is Lancaster doing in town?"

She shook her head, watching Ford. She wished she knew.

The sheriff put his notebook away. "I'll drive up to the falls and take a look tonight but doubt there is anything I can do until morning." They both knew that at this point he would just be retrieving the body. She shuddered at the thought. If there really was a body to retrieve. And shuddered again.

"Lancaster say how long he's staying?" Mitch asked following her gaze down the hall to Ford.

"No." He hadn't told her anything. Yet.

Mitch pulled off his hat and raked a hand through his dark hair. "Come on, Roz, you drove all the way up here from Seattle because you were worried about your father. Why?"

She told him about the message her dad had left on her answering machine. "He sounded upset. I tried to call him back but couldn't reach him. No one had heard from him at the house. Of course I was worried."

Mitch put his hat back on. "Emily have any idea why Liam might have been upset?"

"I didn't tell her about the call." She could feel the sheriff's gaze on her. "But I asked her if they'd had an argument. She denied it. I think she's lying. I think something happened between the two of them before he left."

Mitch was looking down the hall again. Emily came out of Liam's room with Drew at her side. Dr. Harris came out of another room and led Emily and Drew down the hallway in the opposite direction. They disappeared into one of the offices.

"Be careful, okay?" Mitch said quietly, watching after them.

Roz looked over at him in surprise. "You think I'm right?"

"I don't know what to think," Mitch said. "But I'd watch Lancaster." He smiled over at her. "You're too smart to fall for any line he might try to give you, right?"

Right. She turned as the front door of the hospital opened and a dark broad-shouldered man with a ponytail and a black biker jacket came through the door. It had been years since she'd seen Jesse Tanner. Mitch's older brother had been in reform school most of the time. This was the man Mitch had guarding her father?

"Hey, Rozie," Jesse said coming toward her. He had the Tanner black hair and eyes and those deep dimples. Only Jesse was handsome in a dangerous way. He also appeared very capable of keeping her father safe.

"Sorry about your papa. But don't worry. I'll see that no one does him any harm as long as I'm around."

She trusted Mitch's judgment. "I believe you," she said. "Thank you, Jesse."

"My pleasure." He gave her a grin. There was a rakishness about Jesse, a raw s.e.xuality. This man was a danger to women. Just like another man she'd recently met, she thought, looking down the hall to where Ford lounged against the wall, eyes hooded, his body looking deceptively relaxed.

She had the feeling that he could spring like a big cat at a moment's notice. He was watching her father's room. But she knew he was also aware of her. Just as she was him.

"I WANT SOME ANSWERS," Rozalyn demanded the moment they walked out of the hospital.

Ford was surprised she'd been able to hold her tongue that long. He opened the pa.s.senger side door of her SUV for her. She got in without seeming to notice he intended to drive. Without a word, he slid behind the wheel, started the car and headed down the street.

"You really think someone purposely tried to kill my father?"

"I just feel better with a guard in his room, all right? Just until we find out what happened," Ford said. "Like I said-"

"You have a bad feeling. I heard. Why didn't you tell the sheriff what you told me?"

He pulled up in front of Betty's Cafe. It was early enough the place was still open but late enough there were only a few people inside still eating.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he shut off the engine and started to get out.

"Getting something to eat. I'm still hungry. You might remember I didn't get any dinner." As he got out, he heard her open her door and follow him.

"How can you even think about food at a time like this?" she demanded, catching up with him before he opened the cafe door for her.

"I'm sorry about your dad but we both need to eat if we're going to keep up our strength so we can find out what happened to him." He held open the door. "After you."