His chin jerked up and he growled as he glared at something. “What is wrong with her?”
“She’s higher than a kite,” a male voice answered. “They gave her the good shit. It’s normal. She’ll be dopey for a while. My wife laughed like a loon when she broke her leg and they gave her a shot for pain after she came out of surgery. You’d have thought she was drunk.”
Joy turned her head to peer at the cop leaning against the wall next to her bed. He winked. She figured he was there to take her statement. That didn’t seem so funny. Poor Douglas. He might be beyond help. She felt guilty for not realizing how unstable he’d grown. She’d actually believed he was starting to become a more adjusted individual. Moon brushed her hair off her cheek and she looked up at him.
Moon leaned in closer to peer into her eyes. “I am glad you’re feeling good enough to find humor in something. I can’t.”
She reached up and cupped his face. She realized her fingers must be cold against his very warm skin. She hoped he didn’t mind. “You look like hell.” His hair was messy, as if he hadn’t combed it in a while and the whites of his eyes were a little red. “What are you doing here?”
“Did you think I’d allow them to take you away without going to the hospital with you? I haven’t left your side.”
She didn’t doubt it. Moon was honorable and protective of women. Two of the many traits she admired about him. “I meant here. Why did you leave Homeland?”
“You left me again but this time I wasn’t unable to do something about it. I know how to read a map and looked up your address.”
He’d come to find her. He had either been so angry he needed to yell at her because she’d left or he cared enough to come after her. “I went home to pack my clothes. I was coming back. I didn’t even have a phone number to call you. Didn’t you read the note?”
“What note?”
“I left it taped on the door in case you came back tonight. Isn’t that how you found out I’d left Homeland?”
“No. I didn’t go back to human housing. You were planning to come back?”
“I’d say so. Those suitcases on her bed were heavy.”
They both glanced at the cop who’d spoken. He smiled.
“I left a message too. I was planning to leave a message at the gate but there was a doctor there who said he was on his way to your home. I talked to him while they were searching my car. He offered to relay my message.”
“Kregkor,” Moon mumbled then growled. He had to suppress the urge to hunt down and beat on the shrink.
Joy turned Moon’s face toward hers so she could see his eyes again. “You thought I took off on you again, didn’t you? Did you come to my place to yell at me or to ask me to go back with you?”
He licked his lips, hesitating.
It hurt when she decided it had been anger that had driven him to seek her out. “I see. I know you have reason not to trust me but I was called away by my boss on an emergency. I had to go to my office. Someone broke into our file cabinets. Douglas admitted doing it but we didn’t know that at the time.”
“Why did he do it? Did he say? Why was he at your condo with a gun?”
She turned her head to answer the cop’s questions. “He’s a client of mine with emotional problems. I can’t tell you too much more. It’s a matter of confidentiality. I will highly recommend he be held on a seventy-two-hour observation though. I’m assuming he’s been admitted to the hospital too?”
“He is. I’m guessing he’s lucky to be alive.”
“It wasn’t luck.” Moon growled the words. “She didn’t want him hurt and begged me to tie him up. The bastard is here, Joy. The police have him in the emergency room restrained with handcuffs and he’s being watched closely by them. I was promised he would be sent to jail after the doctors are done giving him treatment.”
The cop cast a knowing look at Moon. “The perp is still breathing. I’m not sure of how severely he’s hurt but it looked damn painful when I entered the residence. The—” He paused and gripped the mic attached to his arm. “Understood.” He released it and pushed away from the wall. “The NSO has arrived. They just landed.”
“Damn,” Moon grumbled.
“What’s wrong?” Joy hated the way he pulled away from her touch to straighten, stepping out of her reach.
“Will you do me a favor, John? Stay with her.”
“Sure thing. I won’t leave her side until you get back.”
Moon quickly left the room and closed the door behind him. She tried to sit up. The officer gently slid a hand behind her back to give her a boost while using the control for the bed to lift up the back so she had support.
“What is going on?” she asked him.
He took a seat in the chair. “My guess? It is a guess. I don’t think the NSO knew where he was until you were hurt. I’ve been listening to the chatter.” He pointed to his ear. “Moon came alone. Some bigwig from there called our station after the 9-1-1 call was placed from your residence to demand immediate and full police protection for their New Species. They were frantic to make sure we got as many available officers on scene as soon as possible.”
He leaned in a little, lowering his voice. “We were asked to lock down your entire building and clear it of everyone except you and him because we were told he was in danger without an escort. If they wanted to make sure he was safe they wouldn’t have let him go anywhere without adequate security in the first place, right? It took them almost an hour to arrive.”
“She’s higher than a kite,” a male voice answered. “They gave her the good shit. It’s normal. She’ll be dopey for a while. My wife laughed like a loon when she broke her leg and they gave her a shot for pain after she came out of surgery. You’d have thought she was drunk.”
Joy turned her head to peer at the cop leaning against the wall next to her bed. He winked. She figured he was there to take her statement. That didn’t seem so funny. Poor Douglas. He might be beyond help. She felt guilty for not realizing how unstable he’d grown. She’d actually believed he was starting to become a more adjusted individual. Moon brushed her hair off her cheek and she looked up at him.
Moon leaned in closer to peer into her eyes. “I am glad you’re feeling good enough to find humor in something. I can’t.”
She reached up and cupped his face. She realized her fingers must be cold against his very warm skin. She hoped he didn’t mind. “You look like hell.” His hair was messy, as if he hadn’t combed it in a while and the whites of his eyes were a little red. “What are you doing here?”
“Did you think I’d allow them to take you away without going to the hospital with you? I haven’t left your side.”
She didn’t doubt it. Moon was honorable and protective of women. Two of the many traits she admired about him. “I meant here. Why did you leave Homeland?”
“You left me again but this time I wasn’t unable to do something about it. I know how to read a map and looked up your address.”
He’d come to find her. He had either been so angry he needed to yell at her because she’d left or he cared enough to come after her. “I went home to pack my clothes. I was coming back. I didn’t even have a phone number to call you. Didn’t you read the note?”
“What note?”
“I left it taped on the door in case you came back tonight. Isn’t that how you found out I’d left Homeland?”
“No. I didn’t go back to human housing. You were planning to come back?”
“I’d say so. Those suitcases on her bed were heavy.”
They both glanced at the cop who’d spoken. He smiled.
“I left a message too. I was planning to leave a message at the gate but there was a doctor there who said he was on his way to your home. I talked to him while they were searching my car. He offered to relay my message.”
“Kregkor,” Moon mumbled then growled. He had to suppress the urge to hunt down and beat on the shrink.
Joy turned Moon’s face toward hers so she could see his eyes again. “You thought I took off on you again, didn’t you? Did you come to my place to yell at me or to ask me to go back with you?”
He licked his lips, hesitating.
It hurt when she decided it had been anger that had driven him to seek her out. “I see. I know you have reason not to trust me but I was called away by my boss on an emergency. I had to go to my office. Someone broke into our file cabinets. Douglas admitted doing it but we didn’t know that at the time.”
“Why did he do it? Did he say? Why was he at your condo with a gun?”
She turned her head to answer the cop’s questions. “He’s a client of mine with emotional problems. I can’t tell you too much more. It’s a matter of confidentiality. I will highly recommend he be held on a seventy-two-hour observation though. I’m assuming he’s been admitted to the hospital too?”
“He is. I’m guessing he’s lucky to be alive.”
“It wasn’t luck.” Moon growled the words. “She didn’t want him hurt and begged me to tie him up. The bastard is here, Joy. The police have him in the emergency room restrained with handcuffs and he’s being watched closely by them. I was promised he would be sent to jail after the doctors are done giving him treatment.”
The cop cast a knowing look at Moon. “The perp is still breathing. I’m not sure of how severely he’s hurt but it looked damn painful when I entered the residence. The—” He paused and gripped the mic attached to his arm. “Understood.” He released it and pushed away from the wall. “The NSO has arrived. They just landed.”
“Damn,” Moon grumbled.
“What’s wrong?” Joy hated the way he pulled away from her touch to straighten, stepping out of her reach.
“Will you do me a favor, John? Stay with her.”
“Sure thing. I won’t leave her side until you get back.”
Moon quickly left the room and closed the door behind him. She tried to sit up. The officer gently slid a hand behind her back to give her a boost while using the control for the bed to lift up the back so she had support.
“What is going on?” she asked him.
He took a seat in the chair. “My guess? It is a guess. I don’t think the NSO knew where he was until you were hurt. I’ve been listening to the chatter.” He pointed to his ear. “Moon came alone. Some bigwig from there called our station after the 9-1-1 call was placed from your residence to demand immediate and full police protection for their New Species. They were frantic to make sure we got as many available officers on scene as soon as possible.”
He leaned in a little, lowering his voice. “We were asked to lock down your entire building and clear it of everyone except you and him because we were told he was in danger without an escort. If they wanted to make sure he was safe they wouldn’t have let him go anywhere without adequate security in the first place, right? It took them almost an hour to arrive.”
