Her Kind Of Hero. Carol Steward

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СКАЧАТЬ looking for a witness. Thought she may have been the one. Thanks anyway, Teddy.” Luke waited for his food, then paid and left.

      Walking into Calli’s hospital room, he felt helpless. Before him was a woman who was totally vulnerable. She lay on her side, her left arm propped on a pillow. Her short black hair was a mess, her thin lips pale and dry and her delicate features were mottled with bruises. What in tarnation am I doing here? Just as he considered turning and walking away, she moved.

      “Mmm…Teddy’s breakfast burritos.” Her voice was soft.

      “That’s quite a nose.” He wanted to elaborate, but figured he was pushing the boundaries by coming back at all. After all, he had met her in the line of duty. He’d consoled his conscience with the knowledge that he wasn’t the primary officer on her case, and, since completing the statement, was now officially “off” the case.

      “Sergeant Northrup…”

      “Just Luke. I’m off duty.” He opened the paper sack and unloaded two foil-wrapped packages.

      “Oh,” she said, her voice unable to conceal her puzzlement. She fumbled with the pillow, then the bed controls, obviously uncomfortable with his return. “Did you need me to answer more questions?”

      He cleared her untouched breakfast tray from the bed table, glad she couldn’t see the guilt-laden grin across his face. “No, I uh, wanted to check on the kid, and thought I’d stop in to see how you’re feeling…. As long as I’m here. I have an extra burrito if you’d like one. I see you don’t think much of the food here.”

      There was a long pause, then the corner of her mouth lifted. “I plead the Fifth. But I never turn down Teddy’s burritos. Thanks. You’re off duty, and you’re here? Aren’t you tired?”

      “Takes me a few hours to wind down after a crazy shift like last night’s.” Luke unwrapped the burrito and placed it in her long fingers. She was enchanting—even in this state. Visiting her was not the best way to unwind, he reflected.

      “How is your other patient?”

      Here she lay uncertain of her own future, and she seemed more concerned about a total stranger’s condition. Luke wished he could brush her worries away. “Still in a coma.”

      “I’m sorry.”

      She didn’t ask for the details, for which he was eternally grateful. He didn’t know how he could’ve politely told her he couldn’t discuss an open case. Especially when one witness lay in a coma and the other had left without a trace.

      It seemed like forever since there’d been anyone he’d been remotely interested in. Which made it even more difficult that Calandre Giovanni’s case had to involve him. “I understand you get to go home today.” Ingenious, Northrup. You’d think this is the first woman you’d talked to.

      “I guess so. The doctor says there’s no need to hang around here. The bandages make it look worse than it is. I think they’re trying to slow me down.” She ran her fingers over her head. Or what little hair was exposed anyway. She tentatively explored the gauze and slipped a finger under the edge and scratched her temple. “My things…from my truck. Are they here?”

      “Just your clothes and purse. Whatever else you had, you can pick up at the salvage yard where your car was towed.”

      “Salvage yard?” She nibbled her lower lip.

      “That’s where vehicles are taken until the damage has been determined.” He wondered if she had someone who could take her to get her belongings. “If you’d like, I could take you to clean it out.”

      Again, the silence was ominous. Her tone changed from the friendly exchange they’d established to one of total skepticism. “Thank you for offering, but I’ll manage. My cousin is on her way with clean clothes.”

      “Okay. If you need anything, feel free to call me. Here’s a card with your case number, the responding officer’s name and my number if you have any questions.” After visiting for a while longer, he placed his business card in her hand and left.

      At home two days later, Calli found the switch to turn on the radio, and rocked in the antique chair. Music was the only thing she could enjoy without her sight. Running her fingers over the card in her hand, Calli wondered why Sergeant Luke Northrup had really returned. She inhaled, flustered as much by the fading aroma as she had been the man.

      At first she thought he’d discovered a connection to the apartments when filling out the remainder of the report, but later she began to wonder if the personal interest was mutual. Yet she still couldn’t allow herself to call, even to thank him for his kindness. He was a cop.

      It didn’t matter that he had a soothing voice that made her forget her past. Or manners that her grandmother would applaud. Or enough compassion to rewrite her personal definition of law enforcement officer. He was still a cop.

      Until she met with the doctor to get the bandages removed, Calli could do little besides rest and wonder if Luke Northrup was really as wonderful as first impressions left her believing. Even if the nurse was exaggerating about Luke’s appearance, it wouldn’t matter. Looks weren’t at the top of her list. But then again, cops weren’t, either. In fact, they were no longer anywhere on her list. For more than one reason she reminded herself.

      From the little she’d talked with Luke, her instincts said he wasn’t a typical police officer. When he left her hospital room, Calli felt a longing to be someone she wasn’t. An innocent bystander instead of a silent witness. Suddenly she wished she’d been born to a washer repairman instead of to an army officer. She longed to know Luke better, if only circumstances were different. If only she was different.

      She’d tried to change. Even her grandmother had tried to help. Tried to teach her to crochet baby blankets and bake angel food cakes. Had tried to instill in her the more “delicate” aspects of women’s traditional roles. Calli had almost succeeded in dousing the embers of her fiery temperament. Until that night three years ago.

      The shrill ring of the telephone startled her from the unsettling walk down memory lane. She fumbled for the receiver and answered.

      “I see from the newspaper that you’re still patrolling.”

      The gruff tone caught her off guard, but it didn’t take more than a second to recognize his voice. It had been months since she heard from him, yet she immediately felt herself cowering to his authority. With a blind search for her glass, she took a drink of water to smooth her vocal cords. “Yes.”

      “I worry about you, Calli.” His voice softened.

      Her hand moved to the bandages on her head. She couldn’t even argue that point with him today. So how could she ever make them understand? Patrolling wasn’t something she wanted to do. She had to. Someone had to care enough to stand up against the criminals who were tainting the city. Yet she said nothing.

      “It’s too late to help Mike. It’s not too late to help yourself,” he added.

      Calli took a deep breath, then swallowed. “You taught me to be careful. I know how to protect myself.”

      “Your best protection is to stop. It’s not your job,” he insisted. “Let the police clean up the streets.”

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