Page 100 of One More Chance
Her breathing deepened and she nodded, slow and weary, eyes already beginning to close again.
“Then we start over,” she murmured. “I’m ready.”
“I’ll wait. It's no rush. We have all the time now,” I promised.
And as she drifted back into the heavy haze of exhaustion, I sat there, still holding her hand.
Chapter 34
Sloane would need to stay overnight and I intended to stay with her. But, I had to figure out what to do with the kids and Rufus.
Thank fucking god Dawn is one of those weirdos who actually answers her phone whenever anybody calls.
I knew Sloane would be sleeping for the next couple of hours. As much as I didn't want to leave her, I had to take care of the dog, the kids, call Dawn, and call Detective Harlan.
I kissed her forehead, whispered a fevered combination of, "I'm so sorry," and, "I love you," a dozen times into her hair, and left.
As soon as I stepped out of the hospital, I called Harlan. By now, he would have received the hospital notes I'd asked the nurse to fax him.
"Detective," I said, my voice raw.
"Mr. Shaw," Harlan said, grave but steady. "I got the report from the hospital and Charlie's statement. I'm sorry. I am really sorry this happened."
I swallowed hard. "You told me you had a warrant. That she'd be found. Now my wife's in the hospital with stitches and bruises, and we almost lost the baby."
"I know. I know, and I won't feed you excuses. We've been short-staffed. We didn't prioritize the threat she posed. That was a mistake, and it's mine to own."
"She walked right into the fucking clinic," I said, teeth clenched. "No disguise. No hesitation. That's not someone unraveling. She's intentional. She's escalating."
"You're right," Harlan said. "And that escalation gives us leverage with the judge now. Attempted assault with a deadly weapon, premeditation, violating no-contact orders... we have what we didn't before."
"So what now?" I asked, heading to my truck. "You going to tell me she's disappeared again?"
"She can't stay hidden for long," he said firmly. "We've flagged her ID, plates, everything. There's an interstate warrant, and we're coordinating with surrounding counties."
I exhaled slowly. It didn't help. "She's already done enough damage."
"I know. And saying we're trying isn't enough. So here's what Icansay: we've assigned units to watch the clinic and your home. If she shows up again, we'll be there."
I said nothing. My jaw throbbed from clenching.
"Listen… I've got a daughter," Harlan said quietly. "She's a nurse. Pregnant. When I read the report, Levi… it hit hard. I can't undo what happened. But I'll do everything to make sure she can't hurt anybody else."
The sincerity in his voice cut through my anger. "Just find her," I said, voice thick. "Before she finishes what she started."
"We'll stop her. You have my word."
We hung up, and I climbed into my truck, fists clenched the entire drive back home.
When I stepped through the front door, the day's weight crushed me. My clothes reeked of antiseptic and hospital cold. The house was quiet. Liam peered around the hallway, eyes wide with worry. Violet curled on the couch, clutching her stuffed fox like she already knew something was wrong.
I took a breath and crouched beside them. "Hey," I said gently, my voice breaking.
"Where's Mom?" Violet asked, sitting straighter.
"She's okay," I said quickly, taking her hand. "She's safe, and so is the baby. But something happened today. She got hurt at work."
Liam stiffened, connecting dots. "It was her, wasn't it? Angie."
