Quinn - Iris Johansen [70]
Gallo.
He was dominating her thoughts, and it was natural she would imagine him lying in this bed in the cabin that belonged to him.
But it was closer to feeling. She could almost smell the scent of him. The mattress was hard against her body, and she wondered if that was the way he liked it.
She had promised herself that she was going to be as close to Gallo as a lover.
Was this the way it started…?
St. Joseph’s Hospital
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
“I JUST SPOKE TO CATHERINE,” Eve said as she sat down beside Joe’s bed in ICU. “She said to tend to your business of getting out of this hospital and not to nag her. Or words to that effect.”
“She’s on Gallo’s property?”
Eve nodded. “She’s at the cabin.” She added quietly, “She’ll find him, Joe. I know how you’re feeling. I want to be out there hunting Gallo, too. It’s my job, not Catherine’s. But we have to wait until you’re better.”
“I am better. They’re moving me out of ICU in a few hours,” he said impatiently. “What would it hurt to give me a little more time?”
“It would be more than a little. You almost died, Joe.”
“Yeah, I know.” He was silent. “But I’m going to heal fast. She won’t have to wait long.”
“Tell that to the doctors. Their most optimistic prediction is four weeks.”
“Then they’d better go back to the drawing board. I’m not going to be here that long.”
“Joe…” Her lips tightened. “Dammit, stop this. Do you want to scare me? You can’t jump out of bed just because you want to do it. Let yourself heal.”
“You think I’m just being bullheaded.” He didn’t speak for a moment, looking down at their clasped hands. “And considering the fact that I’m usually the most stubborn ass on the planet, you have a right. But I’m not about to get out of this bed until I’m strong enough to function. I’m just telling you that time is coming very soon.”
“That’s not what—” There was something in his expression that caused her to stop the protest she was about to make. Her gaze searched his face. “How can you know that?”
“We’re coming to the end,” Joe said simply. “She says I have to be there for it.”
She stiffened. “Catherine?”
He shook his head.
She whispered, “Bonnie?”
“She brought me back. She took my hand and told me it wasn’t time for me to go.” He looked up and met her gaze. “She said you were going to need me.”
“I always need you.”
“No, this is different.” He paused. “We’re coming to the end, Eve.”
She laughed shakily. “Does that mean we’re going to be called to the great beyond?”
“Maybe. I don’t think so.” His hand tightened. “But if it did, I wouldn’t mind if you were there with me. That was my only regret when I was in that darkness. I didn’t want to leave you. I wanted you to live, but I wanted to be there to make sure you were happy.”
“Joe, you’ve spent most of our years together trying to make me happy.”
“And that was my privilege.” He lifted her hand to his lips. “I don’t think that a love like this happens every day. I couldn’t believe that it happened to me. And then I realized there had to be a reason that I had to nurture that love and the gifts it was bringing me.”
“Yeah, some gifts.” She stroked his cheek. “Dealing with my obsession for finding Bonnie, being put on the back burner whenever I was doing a reconstruction.”
“And the gift of your honesty … and your love.”
“Oh, I do love you, Joe,” she said softly. “It’s a wonder you were patient enough to put up with me until I saw it. Talk about gifts.” She could feel the tears welling, but she had to get the words out. “When Bonnie was taken from me, I couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. Everything was dark. But then you were there, and I knew something was … different. I didn’t know what it was, but I felt as if I might be able to make it through.” She drew a deep shaky breath. “And then later,