Forever Alexa Part 44

She breathed deep and coughed.

"Couple more."

She did as she was told.

"Here we go." He settled his shirt over her face and hurried to the door, feeling for the k.n.o.b. It was warm but worth the risk.

"Livy. My Livy," Alex mumbled. Then her head sagged against his shoulder.

"No. You stay with me, Alex. Don't you pa.s.s out on me." He opened the door into a plume of smoke and gasped as the toxic air stole his breath. He tripped and stumbled over objects as he made his way to the stairs. The building groaned and large pieces of ceiling crashed around them. He gripped the railing as he clutched Alex against him. The room began to whirl as it grew harder to draw each breath. He moved on instinct, following Abby's screams for her sister as it became impossible to think. They were almost there. The door... There it was...wide open... His arms shook as he reached the threshold and sucked in gasping puffs of fresh air again. Renzo was being loaded onto a stretcher. Tucker came rushing up the stairs before the police officer could stop him, shouting something, but Jackson wasn't sure what he said. His vision blurred, going gray. "Take her."

Jackson struggled to stay upright as Tucker reached out for Alex and grabbed hold. The weight of her body left his arms, and the black came up to swallow him whole.

CHAPTER 25.

He'd been staring at the ceiling for hours, while oxygen hissed into his nose and the EKG monitored his heart. The oxygen saturation thing clipped to his finger, and the blood pressure cuff squeezing his arm every twenty minutes was p.i.s.sing him the h.e.l.l off. His throat was on fire, and his eyes too. Each swallow and blink was pure torture. He'd had blood drawn, two chest x-rays, an IV that had since been removed, and a stream of physicians and nurses in and out of his room. Despite being given a clean bill of health, Jackson's mood sucked. How much longer did he have to lie here?

It was ten-thirty in the morning for G.o.d's sake. Was the doctor coming to release him or what? He needed to see Alex. Tucker had been by to a.s.sure him that she was expected to make a full recovery, but he wouldn't be able to settle until he saw her for himself.

Someone knocked on the door, and he grunted.

His mother peeked in. "Can we come in?"

"Yeah, sure." He winced as his scorched throat protested.

She stepped through the doorway, and he smiled.

"Daddy!" Olivia wiggled to get down.

"No, Livy. Stay with Grammy."

"I want Daddy." Her lip turned down.

Mom walked to the bed and clutched his hand.

He squeezed back, rea.s.suring her he was okay. "You-" He coughed as he looked at Olivia. "You wanna sit with me?" he whispered and patted the spot at his side, desperately wanting his little girl.

Olivia's eyes grew wide. "You're a growly dog, Daddy."

He grinned. "My throat hurts."

"You're eyes are red and very blinky."

"They hurt too. Come sit with me, Liv. I need you." He flicked off the oxygen monitor, held out his arms, and pulled his daughter against him. Holding her tight, he closed his eyes, fighting back tears. He'd thought of Olivia as he struggled to get down the stairs of the burning house, terrified he wouldn't see her again. Now here she was in his arms. "I love you, Liv. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Daddy." She shoved her hands against his chest and pulled back. "You're very stinky. Grammy, Daddy stinks a lot. A lot," she emphasized as she plugged her nose.

Jackson chuckled, then coughed. He took the Styrofoam cup his mother offered and drank deep. The cold liquid was heaven on his parched throat. "They tried to clean me up, but I haven't had a chance to shower off the worst of the stench." He sipped again when he realized the water almost made his voice sound normal.

"I'm just glad you and Alexa are okay. We're going to visit her next, but I wanted to drop off some fresh clothes." She gestured to the bag she set at the foot of the bed. "I spoke to the doctor before we headed down. He said they're planning to release you within the hour."

"What about Alex?"

"They wouldn't tell me, but I talked to Abby. She said the doctor wants to keep Alexa until this evening at least."

He sat up. "Why? Tucker said she's going to be fine."

"She is, sweetie. They just want to keep an eye on her and give her a little more time to rest. She's pretty banged up. She was in the smoke a lot longer than you."

The machine monitoring his heart beeped faster as he thought of Alex trapped. It made him sick to remember. "Her wrist." Her screams of agony as he'd yanked on her echoed through his mind. "I hurt her."

"You saved her, honey." She patted his hand.

"I should've shot the cuff off as soon as I got there. I wasn't thinking." He pressed his hands to his face, b.u.mping the oxygen line. He couldn't forget the way her body had gone limp in his arms. He'd replayed the terrifying moment over and over. "I thought she was-I thought she was... d.a.m.n it."

Olivia gasped and slapped a hand to her mouth. "Daddy said a bad word."

"Yes, he did." His mother pulled Olivia from the bed. "But we'll let it slide just this once. Will you be home later?"

"I'm going to stay with Alex if you don't mind keeping an eye on Liv for a while longer."

"Of course I don't." She kissed Olivia's cheek. "My beautiful grandbaby will be heading home with her Mommy and Daddy before too long."

They were going to Los Angeles, but that didn't mean he and Alex would be living together. He averted his gaze from his mother's questioning stare and quickly changed the subject. "How are things working out with Jerrod?"

"Fine. He's waiting right outside the door. So many handsome men in my house these days. You're father's getting jealous."

He grinned. "Jerrod's a h.e.l.l of a guy." Ethan had sent another agent out to help keep an eye on things until they were ready to head back to California. Several of the major players in the Mid-Atlantic s.e.x ring were now in custody, but they weren't taking any chances. Abby and Alex were key witnesses for the federal prosecution, which made his family a target. He was never more eager to get everyone back to LA, where Alex and Abby could lay low for a while and recover.

"Jerrod will take me and Livy home when we're ready-and Abby too. First thing I'm going to do is make that girl something good and fattening to eat. Poor thing is skin and bone and jittery too."

"She's been through h.e.l.l."

"Yes she has, but she's strong. A little time and therapy's what she needs. She'll be a hot ticket again soon enough."

"I hope so."

"She will. Trust your mother." She took a step back before Olivia could press the call b.u.t.ton on the bed. "We should go check on Alexa now. We'll see you soon." She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Whew, you do stink."

He smiled. "Bye, mom. Bye, Liv. See you later." He kissed the pad of his finger the way he'd seen Alex do and pressed it to Olivia's nose. "I love you." He coughed again and sipped at his water.

"I love you too, daddy. I'm going to visit mommy and Auntie Ab. She went away but she came back. I'm so glad."

"Me too. Have fun."

His mother pulled the door open. "I put a couple of extra things in your bag for you-shampoo, your toothbrush and razor. Oh, and Livy packed you one of her princess books-just in case you get bored."

"You two are awesome." Grinning, he leaned back against the pillow.

"And don't you forget it." She winked, and she and Olivia were gone.

Chuckling, he reached for the duffel bag, and the door opened again. The doctor stepped in. "Mr. Matthews, I have some good news."

"Tell me I can take a shower, and we'll be pals for life."

"How about a shower and a discharge?"

"Definitely friends for life." He held out his hand, and the doctor took it, returning the firm handshake.

"The nurse will be by shortly with your instructions for the next couple of days, but first I want to get a final listen to your lungs."

"Can I take this d.a.m.n thing off my face?" He pointed to the oxygen.

"Go for it."

Jackson pulled the tubing from behind his ears and removed the piece from his nose.

The doctor adjusted his stethoscope and pressed the cool metal to Jackson's chest. "Deep breath. Good. Another. Excellent." He took a step back and settled the stethoscope around his neck. "Your lungs sound great, your oxygen saturation is perfect, your blood work is well within normal range-I'm expecting you to make a full recovery. You and Ms. Harris were incredibly lucky. If you hadn't broken the window, I can't be sure the results would've been as favorable. Smoke inhalation is very serious business. The fresh air saved you both."

"Yes." Tucker told him Renzo hadn't faired as well. He was ventilated in ICU, fighting for his life. "How's Christina Detrick doing?"

"She was sent home about an hour ago. We monitored her while she slept off the tranquilizer she was given. Lucky for her, the syringe used on her appeared to be sterile. The last thing she remembers was watching one of the suspects peel the syringe from a package and pull the cap from the needle before they prepared the dosage. Several boxes of disposable needles and three vials of GHB were found in a pa.s.senger van parked in the garage. Someone in the medical field was supplying them with syringes and the medical-grade sedative. She's a bit shaken up, but she's cleared to go back to work as soon as she's ready."

"I'm glad she's going to be okay." He held out his hand for another shake. "Thank you again for everything, Doc."

"It's been a pleasure. Go get that shower. I heard you stink."

Jackson chuckled. "That's the word around town, according to my mother and daughter."

"Your daughter informed me on my way in."

Jackson shook his head, laughed, and coughed. Would he ever get enough of his little girl?

"Take it easy for the next couple days, Mr. Matthews. Drink plenty of fluids."

"Check." He got up and grabbed the side of the bed, surprised to find himself weak and dizzy. "Well, s.h.i.t."

"Your body has been through a lot. As I said, you'll need to rest."

"I guess I'm not used to being down for the count."

"You're strong and healthy. Give yourself about forty-eight hours. Are you comfortable if I leave?"

"Yeah. Sure." He took a deep breath, coughed again, grabbed his bag, and made his way to the bathroom, refusing to give in to his need to sit back down. He didn't have time to be shaky on his pins. He twisted on the shower and pulled off the pale blue hospital gown, then he unzipped his bag and took the shampoo from the small travel case. After testing the water temperature, he stepped under the warm spray and groaned. "G.o.d, this feels good." Not wasting any time, he peeled the paper from the bar of soap and began lathering up.

Several minutes later, Jackson sniffed at his arms, relieved that the smoky smell was finally gone from his skin. He'd scrubbed himself three times. Refreshed and feeling like a new person, he shut off the stream of hot water and took a final deep breath of the soothing steam. Then he stepped from the stall and toweled dry.

He glanced in the mirror and rubbed a hand over the rough stubble on his jaw and chin, debating whether or not to shave. His eyes were an angry red and his hair a mess of wild tufts sticking up here and there. He sure as h.e.l.l did look like a growly dog. Grinning, shaking his head as he thought of Olivia, he reached in the travel case in search of his razor and shaving cream and felt a thin, rectangular box. "What the h.e.l.l?" He frowned as he pulled the mystery item free, opened the lid, and stared at the shiny gold of Alex's repaired necklace. He sighed as he rubbed his thumb over the triangular pendant, fully understanding his mother's gesture. "It's not that easy, mom," he muttered. "I can't just hand it back."

His light mood faded, and depression loomed as he touched his thumb to the cool gold once more, then replaced the lid. Alex didn't want it; she'd made that perfectly clear. She loved him, and he her, but she wasn't sure about their future. He swore as he shoved the box back in the case and brushed his fingers across a folded piece of paper. "You've got to be kidding me." He opened the floral stationary and shook his head, recognizing his mother's pretty handwriting.

I saw this on your dresser and figured Alexa would want it back. I know you're too smart to make the same stupid mistake twice. It's been nice seeing that handsome smile of yours again. Don't let her get away this time, Jackson.

Love, Your wise and meddling mother Heaving out a weary breath, he folded the sheet and rubbed at his temple. He didn't want Alex to get away. Over the last two months, he'd done everything in his power to win her back-and it had worked...for a while. He and Alex had laughed again and held each other close. They'd flirted and made love. They'd spent the summer raising their daughter together, taking Olivia to the park, teaching her to fish, reading her endless stories. A glimpse of their future had been right there for them both to see-until Ethan discovered the profiles on Baltimore Dates. Everything had gone straight to h.e.l.l after that.

They needed to get back to where they'd been not even a week before. He had to find a way to show Alex that what he felt for her at this moment had little to do with their college days and everything to do with the woman she was right now. But 'how' was the question? He reached for his deodorant and stopped as he spotted the light pink edge of Olivia's princess book. "That's it." He grabbed the prettily decorated hardback and held it in his hand knowing exactly what he had to do. He moved quickly now as he brushed, shaved, and dressed. He had to catch Olivia, Abby, and his mother before they left.

Someone knocked on the door, and Alexa set down her magazine. "Come in."

"Hey." Jack peeked in the guest room and smiled.

"Hi." She smiled back as a surge of b.u.t.terflies took flight in her stomach. He was so handsome. "When did you get home?" She struggled to sit up with one wrist splinted and her casted foot elevated on a mound of pillows.

"Don't try to get up." He rushed to her side, adjusting the pillows back the way Abby had fixed them, and stared down, studying her as he stood straight again. "I've been here for a couple hours. I didn't want to bother you. I thought you might be sleeping."

"No, I'm wide awake."

"I'm sorry I missed your homecoming. I checked in on you before I left the hospital to run a few errands. The nurse said the doctor wasn't going to spring you until late tonight or early tomorrow."

That's what they'd told her too, but she'd insisted they release her. She hadn't been able to stand the thought of being away from Livy and her sister for another minute. "They changed their minds."

He grinned. "So I heard."

She shrugged. "There was no point in keeping me. I'm perfectly fine." She coughed as she'd done off and on since she came to in the ambulance several hours before.

"Here." He handed her the gla.s.s of water, and she sipped. "You should've stayed until they were ready to let you go, Alex."

She handed him back the gla.s.s. "I'm sore, and my throat hurts. It's no big deal. I wanted to be here. Every now and again I can hear Livy and Abby laughing. That's all the medicine I need to get better." She sniffed at the heavenly aroma hanging in the air. "And some of whatever your mother's cooking."

"Mom's preparing a summer feast."

"I should be helping." She tried to sit up again, but Jack pressed a firm hand to her shoulder.