Lost and Found

Chapter 47

Enjoy!

Alex paced in the din hallway outside Jo's room. He should be still in there, but he felt so confused. It didn't make sense. What did Jo mean, she can't marry him? He knew it could just be the anesthesia messing with her, it wasn't uncommon... it was just...

Didn't she love him? They bought a place together after all...

He really thought...

He'd never felt so right about anyone before in his life. And now...

He wasn't sure what he felt anymore.

Instead, Alex stared through the window at Jo. He hadn't left her completely alone... Stephanie was with her, and he was grateful.

He'd paged Mere, but she hadn't responded. He imagined she was either in surgery or sleeping in an on-call room. So, he was left to figure this thing out for himself.

He stared back through the window at Jo. She was asleep still, had been waking up on and off the last couple hours, which was normal.

He wanted the thing that always eluded him... someone sane enough and strong enough to stay with him though he was an ass sometimes. Jo was that person. Or so he thought.

His reflection in the glass at the sight of someone approaching.

The cop. Pruitt.

"Whaddya want?" Alex growled. He couldn't handle anymore complications today.

"How is she?" Pruitt asked, nodding at Jo.

"Alive," he muttered.

"I'm just checking in, okay?" said Pruitt. "I haven't laid any charges against your sister yet, I mean, there was an earthquake, it's hard to know which way is up, if you know what I mean."

Alex turned to the man. "Look, I don't know what happened. I don't know what Amber did, or if she was gonna do anything. I just know... that if it was my kid, someone I loved, I'd wanna protect 'em."

Pruitt nodded. "I know," he said. "How long have you known Jo?"

Alex got a strange feeling in his gut. Why was he asking about Jo? "A couple years. Why?"

"Because... Jo wilson's real name is Brooke Stadler."

"What?" It was a blow to the head, a blindside he never, ever saw coming.

"Yeah," Pruitt said, "It came up on a background check we did. She married a Paul Stadler, but then changed her name and came here. Know anything about that?"

I can't marry you, Jo had said, barely an hour ago. Was that why? Because of this Paul guy? Alex shook his head, still trying to recover from this mental left hook, "I just know her as Jo."

He turned back to the window. Jo was still asleep and unaware of the earthquake that just shook her personal life.

"Look, I would like to speak to Jo when she's ready," Pruitt said. "I'll be around... I'm going to check in on Danielle."

xxx

The field ambulance hit another rut in the road, and Nathan and Owen simoultaneously bounced in their seats. Nathan clutched the crash handle for some stabilisation as the roar of engines, including a Blackhawk thundering above them, drowned out all fear... for the moment.

He glanced at his friend, Owen. Even now, with this rift between them, he would say...

Owen was his best friend, his brother, since college. When they met, they'd been rivals, competitors. Always wrestling and jockeying for the position ahead of the other. Nathan was the smarter one... but Owen busted his butt. If Nathan had the lead in anything, Owen was only a point or two behind, making him work harder to be the first to cross the finish line. He never let up.