Watching Trin by Freya Barker

Chapter 27

Bodhi

“Did you get hold of your aunt yet?”

Tucker is sitting beside me as I break every speed limit trying to get to the hospital.

“Not yet.”

He sounds scared, so I reach over and put my hand on his arm.

“She’s going to be fine,” I tell him, attempting to insert a confidence I don’t feel. “Keep trying Vic.”

The nurse who called was hesitant to give me any information at first, even after an explanation of who I was. Tucker must’ve heard my raised voice because he came running downstairs and came to stand beside me, a worried look on his face. I told the woman I had Katrina Paige’s son with me, which seemed to make her a little more forthcoming.

When emergency services arrived at the scene of a single-car crash, they found Trin pinned in her Jeep. The nurse couldn’t say much more than she was awake and alert, and the ER doctor was examining her now.

I left a message for VanDyken as soon as I got off the phone with the hospital, telling him to meet me there. Then I put my hand on Tuck’s shoulder and told him his mom would be all right, and to get his ass in my truck.

“Hey,” I hear Tuck say. “Mom’s been in an accident.” He’s quiet for a second and in that time, I can hear Vic yelling. The boy has to get loud to get her attention. “Aunt Vic, listen. Bodhi says she’s alert and talking. We’re on our way to the hospital now.” I glance over and meet his eyes while he listens to whatever Vic is saying. “I promise I’ll call you if we find out more before you get there.”

Then he ends the call.

“You okay?” I ask when I notice his mouth getting tight. “You did good.”

“She freaked out.”

“I could hear that, bud, but you stayed calm. Gave her the info she needed. She on her way?”

I could’ve called Vic myself but seeing Tucker’s pale face when I told him to get his ass in the truck, I thought I’d give him something else to focus on.

“She’s leaving now, but she’s coming from Aztec.”

That means she has a forty-minute drive ahead of her. I hope she’s careful. Last thing we need is both sisters getting in an accident on the same day.

A car is just backing out of a spot near the main entrance when we get to the hospital, and I manage to slip the truck in its place ahead of an SUV already waiting for it. I ignore the honking, get out, and start for the doors, Tucker right behind me.

“Hey, asshole!” I hear yelling behind me. I assume the driver of the SUV but I ignore the barrage of swear words that follow. Any other day I might’ve engaged, but right now I don’t give a flying fuck, I have a woman to get to.

We find our way to the emergency department and walk up to the desk in the waiting room. A nurse is on the phone, her back to us. I don’t have the patience to wait for her to acknowledge us, so I rap my knuckles on the desk to get her attention, which comes in the form of an annoyed glare. She mumbles something in the phone before hanging up and turning to us.

“Katrina Paige,” I blurt out, not giving her a chance to speak. “We were told she was in a car accident and brought here.”

“And you are?”

Her icy glance tells me she’s not going to make this easy. Tuck notices as well and steps up beside me.

“I’m her son. We’re her family.”

The nurse manages an empathetic smile for Tucker.

“Let me check with the doctor. Why don’t you take a seat?”

There’s no way I can sit my ass down, so I’m pacing back and forth when VanDyken shows up a couple of minutes later.

“Any news on her condition?”

“They haven’t told us anything yet. Do you know what happened?”

Tuck comes to stand beside me, his attention on Jay.

“Officer on scene says the Jeep was found upside down with Trin pinned inside. He was able to ask the truck driver who called in the accident some questions, while the guys from Station 1 worked to get her out. The guy reported the Jeep was driving erratically and at high speed during a downpour. She narrowly missed hitting the truck before running off the road. According to the trucker, the vehicle rolled a couple of times before landing on its roof.”

“Mom doesn’t speed.” Tucker’s jaw is clenched as he focuses on VanDyken.

“Could be she was in a hurry.”

The boy’s eyes narrow. “Not ever, she drives like a turtle, ask Aunt Vic. She’s never had as much as a fender bender. If she was speeding, something must’ve been wrong.”

Jay’s eyes flit to me before settling back on the kid.

“All right. I’ll make some calls, make sure it’s looked into, but first let’s find out how she’s doing.”

“I agree with Tuck,” I volunteer, putting a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “Something must’ve been wrong, two accidents in one week is a little too much coincidence for me. That’s why I called you.”

Jay pulls his phone from his pocket and dials.

“It’s VanDyken. Go over that Jeep with a fine-tooth comb and collect every piece of scrap at the scene. Check for signs of mechanical tampering, and I want every inch of the vehicle dusted for prints.”

While Jay is on the phone, I notice an Asian woman wearing scrubs walk up to the desk and exchange a few words with the nurse. Then she turns our way.

“Family for Katrina Paige?”

“I’ve gotta go,” Jay mumbles before ending the call.

“That’s us,” I announce.

She has a smile for Tucker and a nod of acknowledgment for me before she turns to Jay.

“Detective VanDyken.”

“Dr. Tam.”

I’m not surprised they know each other. I imagine a detective and an ER physician have more occasion than they care to have to bump into each other.

“So, Katrina was very lucky, thanks to her seat belt and the airbags protecting her. We’re just doing a CT scan to make sure there’s nothing we’ve missed, but it looks like a few cuts from flying glass and what I’m sure will be some colorful bruising may be the extent of her injuries.”

The feeling of relief is huge. I feel Tucker’s shoulder slump under my hand and I slip my arm around him, pulling his weight into me.

“As soon as she’s back from radiology, we’ll let you see her,” she directs at the boy before looking at me. “If all is well, I don’t see any reason to keep her here.”

When she disappears through the double doors, I feel Tucker find his feet and I remove my arm. Jay walks off with his phone already at his ear and I sink down on a chair. The boy does the same across from me.

By the time the doctor returns and confirms there are no serious injuries, Vic has arrived. Since they only allow two at a time, I volunteer to wait for them to bring her out, although it costs me.

“I’m going to run down the road to the site of the accident,” Jay announces. “But I may pop by the house later to ask her a few questions.”

I use the time alone to make a few phone calls, one to my captain to give him a heads-up. I’m going to have to talk to Vic first—it would be a problem if neither of us showed for our shift tomorrow—but I want to stick close to Trin.

I don’t believe in coincidence.

Fifteen long minutes later, Tuck pushes a wheelchair holding his mom through the doors Vic holds open.

Her face still wears the scrapes from her encounter with the parking lot pavement at the grocery store, but with the addition of some new damage. The worst of it is a cut bisecting her eyebrow that required some stitches, the rest are superficial. Her nose is a little swollen and is starting to bruise along the bridge. I suspect she’ll have a couple of shiners by tomorrow, courtesy of the airbag.

It’s still the most beautiful face I know.

* * *

Trin

“I’m okay.”

I repeat it for the fourth or fifth time and it has as little impact as the other ones. Bodhi still looks concerned as he crouches in front of me.

“Like hell you are,” he rumbles, leaning in to press a soft kiss to my lips.

The only part of my face that doesn’t hurt like a son of a bitch. Even less so with him kissing me. The rest of my face feels like someone got a little too enthusiastic with the dermabrasion wand.

“Do you know how my Jeep is?” I find myself asking when Bodhi gets back on his feet.

“Mom, you flipped it twice. I’m guessing it’s totaled,” my son observes dryly.

Shucks. I really like my Jeep, but it’s not exactly new and I don’t think any insurance payout will cover a replacement.

“We’ll worry about that later,” Bodhi announces. “Let’s get you home first.”

He lets Tucker do the honors pushing me through the hospital, even though he walks right beside me, his hand loosely curved around the base of my neck.

“Why don’t I go ahead and pick us up some dinner?” Vic proposes. “Don’t think anyone is in the mood to cook. Anybody have any requests?”

I shake my head.

“I’ll eat whatever,” is Bodhi’s answer.

“No sushi,” Tuck announces. “Or Chinese,” he adds. “I kind of feel like pizza, or maybe burgers.”

Vic stops with her hands on her hips.

“You know what? You come with me. Maybe by the time we get to town you’ll have figured it out.”

She grabs him by the neck and marches him through the doors and outside.

“Bodhi?”

I turn my head in the direction of the voice and see a familiar woman heading our way.

“Hey, Jeannie.”

Right, I remember her now from the Pickled Egg. Her eyes stop on me and narrow ever so slightly, like she’s trying to place me as well. Then she turns them on Bodhi and her face crumples. I can feel his fingers tense on the back of my neck.

“It’s my dad…”

“Oh, no,” I mumble under my breath.

“What happened?” Bodhi asks, putting a hand on the woman’s shoulder.

“He’s gone,” she sobs and my heart breaks for her.

She steps into Bodhi, who puts his arm around her, patting her on the back before he lets her go again.

“I’m so sorry, Jeannie. Where’s your mother?”

“She’s at home, resting. I have to go tell her.”

“Can I call someone for you? Family? A friend?”

She shakes her head.

“No, I’ll be okay.”

I nudge Bodhi who turns to me. “Maybe you should drive her home,” I suggest softly, feeling for the woman.

“I’m not leaving your side, Beautiful,” he mumbles. “Besides, I should be getting you home.”

“It’s fine.” Jeannie forces a smile as she takes a step back. “I’ll be fine, but thanks.”

She heads to the doors when Bodhi calls after her.

“Are you sure I can’t call anyone for you?”

“Positive,” she says over her shoulder before pushing her way outside.

By the time we get to the parking lot she’s already gone.

* * *

VanDyken is waiting on the doorstep when we get home.

Bodhi comes around to my side and slides an arm under my knees.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m carrying you inside.”

“Bodhi, stop. I can walk inside.”

If my face didn’t hurt so much I’d have grinned at him.

On the drive here his protective side raised its angry head, after I told him what happened, and he announced I wouldn’t be going anywhere alone. Normally I would’ve told him where to get off, but I put a hand on his knee instead.

I’ll never forget the fear still lingering in his eyes when he crouched down in front of me earlier. Tuck already told me how Bodhi tried to downplay how scared he was for my son’s sake, but he hadn’t fooled my kid. He’d also let my sister and Tucker see me first, although I’m sure it must’ve cost him.

I get it. I understand the feeling of wanting to roll someone you care for in Bubble Wrap and lock them up for their own safety. I’m willing to indulge him, and that’s only because I care for him too.

But I draw the line at being carried.

He gives me a hard look, but lets go of my legs, keeping his other arm around me as we walk up the steps.

“How are you feeling?” the detective asks when we get inside.

I’m sitting on the couch, where Bodhi firmly led me, and look up at him.

“Not winning any beauty contests any time soon, but otherwise still intact,” I joke.

Bodhi grunts from behind me but VanDyken smiles.

“Brought you your purse. One of the officers found it in the brush, it somehow got tossed from the car.”

He hands me my bag and I automatically check inside, finding the most important things accounted for. Then the weight of what he said hits me and I sag back in the couch.

“I was lucky.”

“That’s an understatement,” Jay says, taking a seat in the club chair we moved there to take the place of Pops’s recliner. “Looks like your brakes were tampered with. Brake lines were cut. I saw what was left of the Jeep and I can’t believe you’re sitting here talking to me.”

I already explained to the officer on scene my brakes weren’t working, but having it confirmed is still a shock to the system.

“Fuck me. I need a drink,” Bodhi grumbles. “Trin?”

I twist my head around so I can see him.

“I could do with a hefty shot of something but I’d better stick with water.”

He steps closer and bends down to brush a kiss on my lips.

“Coming up, Beautiful. Jay? Beer?”

“Sure. I’m heading home after this.” He glances at me. “That is, if you’re up for a few questions.”

“Ask away.”

By the time Bodhi is back with drinks and takes a seat beside me, I’m halfway through describing my day leading up to the accident.

“You went to see Anika?”

I look at Bodhi.

“I invited her to Tuck’s party and wanted to ask her if she remembered anything from the party at your house,” I explain.

“Did she?”

That question came from the detective.

“She never got a chance to answer that, but it turns out she remembers Cherry. Remembers her dating JD Hawkins. Said the guy was a player.”

“Talking about JD,” Bodhi says with a sharp look my way. “Maybe you should tell Jay what you told me this morning. Especially in light of what happened today.”

I can’t say the thought hasn’t already crossed my mind.

“You lost me,” VanDyken states.

“Trin went to the college last night to confront Hawkins.”

“Actually,” I correct him with a side glance at the detective, who suddenly wears the same admonishing look Bodhi does. “I wanted to have a look at the kid with the truck, Jacob Kendrick. He saw me and I swear he knew who I was.” I focus on my hands clenched in my lap. “Then I spotted Hawkins and confronted him.”

“And today you almost got killed because someone cut your brake lines,” Bodhi points out. To VanDyken he says, “You may want to look into JD Hawkins’ whereabouts.”

“On it.”

The detective is on his feet, his phone already to his ear as he stalks to the door. The moment it closes behind him, Bodhi gets to his feet and starts pacing in front of me.

“You’re angry.”

He stops in front of me with his hands on his hips and a storm in his eyes.

“Damn right I’m angry. You’re taking stupid risks.”

“Stupid risks? I have to ask the difficult questions or there won’t be a story, Bodhi. It’s my job.”

“Is it worth it?” he fires back. “Your job could get you killed, Katrina. Fuck, it almost did.”

Part of me knows it’s his fear talking with today’s events fresh in his mind, but my hackles are up.

“What about your job? You go out every call, putting your own life on the line. You run into burning buildings for fuck’s sake. Don’t you think—”

I never get to finish my sentence because the front door flings open and Tuck comes barreling in with bags from my favorite Mexican restaurant.

“We got enchiladas from Los Amigos.”

Pushing myself off the couch, I send my son a forced smile.

“Perfect. I’m starving.”