“She is. Everyone is.” Meg choked up. “I called your cell on Saturday. When Rick answered, I was all laughing . . . happy that you two hooked up. Then he told me what happened. God, Judy. I’m so sorry.”
Though her friend cried, Judy couldn’t feel the tears. She knew if she started to shed them, she’d never stop. “I’m OK, Meg.”
Meg swiped at the tears under her eyes, a pathetic smile followed. “I told the nurse I’d let her know when you woke.”
Judy stopped her before she left the room. “Meg. What day is it?”
“Monday. Almost four in the afternoon.”
The bastard took more than twenty minutes. He took two days of my life.
A slow, steady stream of people visited her once the nurse managed a few tasks. Her parents were first, both had swollen eyes and heaps of remorse. She assured them she was going to be fine. Her dad never wanted her to go to LA, wanted her home in nowhere, Utah, where she could find the right man, settle down, and raise a few kids. She couldn’t offer her dad anything other than a repeated statement of, “I’m fine.” The lie came to her lips freely.
When Mike walked in the door, she met him with a frown. “What? Aren’t you supposed to be making all the women happy in another country?”
Mike offered a smile, even though his eyes told her he didn’t feel it. “You’re the only woman I’m thinking about right now.”
She accepted his hug. “I’m OK, Mike.”
“Really? Yesterday you were doing an Exorcist remake. I’d have made a YouTube video if I needed the money.” His eyes were smiling a little now.
When Judy laughed, her skin stretched over the swelling on her face. “It hurts to laugh. Stop.”
“I was born to entertain, sis. Can’t help it.”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I needed that.”
“What, the snarky Exorcist comment? I’m serious. You kept telling me to put the toilet seat down. Scared the crap out of me. To which the toilet seat was down.”
She laughed and pain rattled her entire body. “Stop.”
“How are you feeling?”
The lie was there. “I’m fine. Only hurts when I laugh.”
Zach and Karen made their way in with her younger sister, Hannah, at their heels. There were equal parts happiness to see her awake and to find her comprehending their words and concern.
At some point, the doctor made an appearance and asked that everyone leave. Her lack of appetite told him she still wasn’t ready to leave the observation of the ICU. She might be making sense but they wanted to keep her another night at a higher intensity of care until they saw a clear CAT scan and a return of her desire to eat.
Karen and Meg returned to the room after the doctor left. “You don’t need to stay,” she told them.
Meg snuggled into her chair and flipped on the TV. “I told Rick I was going to be here until he returned.”
“And I’m Meg’s ride,” Karen offered.
“Where is Rick?”
Karen and Meg exchanged glances. “He and Neil are investigating the guy who did this to you.”
No one had even mentioned the assault since she woke. It was as if an act of God had placed her in the hospital.
“Do they have anyone yet?”
Karen shook her head. “No. The videos didn’t show anything.”
“Videos of what?”
“The garage had some surveillance videos. Not a lot, but some. The man who found you didn’t see anyone running away,” Meg said.
“They’ll find him,” Karen told her. “Gwen told me they’ve mobilized a small task force. They’ll find him.”
She couldn’t think about any of that right now. Her body hurt too much, her head was ready to explode with every brain cell used on the man who did this to her.
“I assume someone told my boss where I am.”
“Are you kidding? The police have talked with just about everyone in your building who might have been there Friday night,” Meg told her.
“No one was in the office when I left.”
“Well, the police closed the parking lot all weekend and have questioned everyone from the security guards in the lobby to your boss.”
“I’m not complaining,” Judy said, “but I’d imagine women are abused in a city this size every day. Why are they working so hard on this for me?”
Karen twisted the blinds to curb the direct light of the setting sun. “There is the Neil and Rick factor.”
“What factor is that?”
“Marines. Those two aren’t going to rest until the man who did this is behind bars.”
Even in pain, Judy felt her insides warm to know Rick cared enough to work hard to find the man behind her pain.
“Then there is the Eliza factor.”
“I hardly know Eliza.” They’d met a couple of times. Yeah, it was impressive to meet the governor and his wife. To know that Karen and Eliza were good friends was a nice perk.
“But I do know Eliza. She and Carter take it personally when someone in their circle is hurt.”
“I’m not in their circle.”
Karen offered a small smile. “You are, hon. Sometimes family isn’t about the people you’re born to, but those who care enough about you to support you . . . or pull a few favors to help right a wrong for someone you know. What happened to you was beyond wrong. Getting this dirtbag off the street is a public safety concern for everyone. The fact that the governor has a direct line to you makes this a priority.”
“Don’t question it,” Meg told her. “You just need to get better so we can both move back into Michael’s house.”
“Wait . . . you’re not there? Where are you staying?”
Meg bit her bottom lip. “Oh, well . . . either with Karen and Zach or at the Tarzana house. Everyone thought it was best.”
“Why?”
“They never found your purse. We changed the key codes and locks, but we thought it was best that no one was there alone until after this guy is caught. There are two extra rooms at the Tarzana house.”
“Not that you need to think about that,” Karen said. “You’ll stay with us when they let you out of here.”
“That’s crazy. The commute to work would take hours.”
Karen and Meg just stared at her.
“What?”
“You’re thinking about work?”
She wiggled up in the bed and frowned. “Well, maybe not today.”