The Deputies: 3 Novella Box Set by Olivia Jaymes Page A

as I can.”
    Seth left and Hank settled on the lumpy sofa in the waiting room. Alyssa had been hurt because of his own stubbornness. If he hadn’t been such a jerk this morning, she wouldn’t have been out on the road trying to put together a romantic evening.
    He didn’t deserve anything special. He deserved to be horse whipped and to lose the only woman he would ever love.
    How could he ever make this right?
    For one thing, he could dig the rocking chair out of the garage where he’d shoved it when he was angry with her and put it back in its rightful place. Maybe that would show her he was ready to let go of the past and look to the future.

    Every inch of Alyssa hurt from her toes to the terrible ache in her head. She opened her eyelids slowly, the bright light making her groan. She tried to lift her hand to shield her eyes but it seemed to be trapped by a heavy weight. Grunting with the effort, she lifted herself up but had barely moved when two strong but gentle hands held her down.
    “Easy, Lis. Lie still. You’re hurt.”
    Hank. Her eyes adjusted to the light and she could see his drawn, pale expression as he looked down on her. There were deep grooves on either side of his mouth and dark circles under his eyes. He appeared to have aged ten years since she last saw him. She licked her dry lips and tried to speak but only a croak came out.
    “Here, have a sip of water.”
    Hank poured some water from a pitcher into a glass and held the straw to her lips. She drank greedily, the cool liquid tasted like ambrosia on her parched tongue.
    “Not too much. You don’t want to be sick.”
    Looking around the room, she knew she was in a hospital. An IV was hooked to her right arm and her left sported a heavy cast. She reached up with her free hand and felt a bandage on her forehead.
    Her thoughts were still fuzzy and muddled. Why was she in the hospital?
    “How?”
    Her ribs ached with every breath and it made speaking difficult.
    “You were in a car accident yesterday, sweetheart. Someone ran a red light. You’re okay. You have stitches in your forehead, a couple of cracked ribs and a broken arm. They had to operate on your arm but you’re going to be fine.”
    Alyssa tried to concentrate through the fog of painkillers she was sure they’d administered. Flashes and images floated by but she couldn’t make any sense of them.
    “I was shopping.”
    Hank nodded, his hooded eyes betraying nothing. A thought occurred to her and she grabbed his arm, panicked.
    “Luke! Is Luke okay?”
    “Easy, honey.” Hank patted her hand and smiled. “Luke is fine and with my mom. He wasn’t with you in the car.”
    She settled back onto the pillows in relief. “I want to see him. I need to see my baby, Hank.”
    “They don’t allow visitors under twelve but we’ll get him on the phone for you so you can talk to him.”
    More pictures flashed in front of her eyes. “We had a fight.”
    Hank winced and sat down in the chair beside the bed. “We did. It was all my fault. I’m sorry, Lis.”
    Sorry he didn’t love her or sorry he didn’t say it? She was in too much pain to talk about it and her eyelids were getting very heavy.
    “Can I have some more water?” she asked instead.
    Hank let her sip from the straw. “I need to tell the nurses you’re awake. I’ll be right back, okay?”
    She nodded, knowing she’d be back asleep before he got to the door. Tired and hurting, it was easier to let sleep overtake her than to deal with the issues of the real world. They would all be there when she felt strong enough to take them on.

Chapter Nine

    “D o you want some more orange juice or coffee?” Hank asked Alyssa. It was still early in the morning, the sun barely up. Alyssa had woken up about five-thirty needing another pain pill. By the time she’d taken her medicine, they were both awake and figured they might as well start their day.
    Alyssa was now sitting in her rocking chair, Hershey dozing at her feet, looking