* * *

Once lunch was over, Sully went upstairs to rest and fell asleep, dreaming about the wreck.

The dream was on a loop in his head—his own kind of eternal hell. In the dream, he knew it was Missy in the car and he had not been able to save her. He was hearing her screams over and over in his head when he woke.

He groaned as he got up, and walked to the windows. The day wasn’t as sunny as it had been earlier, and he wondered if the weather was supposed to change.

His shoulder was aching, and he remembered the mini-fridge was stocked. He opened the cabinet to see what was in it, and then grabbed a Mountain Dew and opened it. He took one drink, then got a couple of over-the-counter pain pills out of his travel bag and washed them down with another swallow.

Sully hadn’t counted on his search for his birth mother being dangerous, but the throb in his shoulder reminded him of how close he and Melissa had come to dying. He wondered how she was right now—whether she was still in the hospital or if she’d gone home.

Then out of the blue, he wondered if she had someone to go home to and was surprised at himself for even going there. He’d come looking for the woman who’d given birth to him, not to renew a teenage crush, even if she had grown into a beautiful woman.

He did smile, though, remembering her defiance of rules. Seeing her walk into his room determined to say thank you, even if she had to get out of bed to do it. Staring down the doctor who chided her for being out of bed was evidence of a woman bent on doing the right thing, and the plus was finding out they knew each other.

He was curious about her and her life. Maybe she’d call and take him up on that cup of coffee. It was something to look forward to—a relaxing break from the tension of his search. He’d meant to go to the local courthouse this afternoon and search the property deeds and marriage licenses. And there was the local paper he intended to research as well, which likely meant a trip to the library. But he’d only arrived today. Thanks to the unexpected drama, he was too sore to do anything but hang out, and there was always tomorrow.

Chapter 3

When Ruby Butterman showed up with an orderly behind her, Melissa was beginning to shake from the shock of what had happened.

“Thank you for doing this,” Melissa said when she saw her walk in.

Ruby patted her cheek. “No thanks are needed, sugar. That’s what friends are for. My car is already at the door, and this fine young man is going to give you a ride in his wheelchair.” Then she glanced up at the orderly and frowned. “Tommy, have you been cutting your own hair again?”