Page 80 of Rescuer
“What on earth?” Jackson pivoted to face the woman. She was in her mid-forties, and her face wore the pinched look of someone who perpetually complained. She was pointing directly at Mia, yelling at the police.
“They should take her license! That tree’s almost a hundred years old. She did serious damage to it. She?—”
“Ma’am! She was shot at. She is not at fault,” the younger officer tried to explain. He raised his hands in a calming gesture.
The woman glared at him. “Not at fault? Not at fault my eye! What did she do to make someone shoot at her! I’m sure that Jezebel is to blame!”
Jackson slowly pivoted until his gaze fused with Mia’s. The corners of her brown eyes creased as she held in her laughter. At least she found it amusing that a complete stranger was calling her Jezebel because she’d crashed into a tree.
“Mia, you’re cleared,” the officer said quietly.
Chase came and stood next to Jackson. Jackson raised his eyebrows. “Were you on call next?”
“Moses and Amber were on call, but Amber had to leave early. She had an appointment.”
Jackson switched his focus back to Mia. “Moses said you’d declined care?”
Mia nodded. “I did.”
“Are you sure? I can take you to the hospital.”
She held up a hand to stop him. “Thanks. I’m fine.”
“Can I at least give you a ride home?” Jackson asked her.
“That would be nice.” She smiled at the officer and Chase. “Thanks for your care.”
Jackson waited for her to join him. Without thinking about it, he caught her hand. Then he decided that since she didn’t complain, he was going to keep holding it. He needed the reassurance that she was really fine.
He opened the door for her and helped her hop up into the passenger seat. She winced and leaned back against the leather.
“What hurts?”
“I understand your concern, but if I go to the hospital, what if they want to keep me overnight? I can’t leave Gus alone like that again.”
He wanted to drive her to the emergency room, but he understood her reasoning. Gus meant so much to her. She wasn’t just an obligation. Mia loved the woman like a second mother.
“I’m worried about you, Mia.”
She glanced over at him. “I know. I’m worried about me too. I was so scared, Jackson. I really thought I was going to die. But I can’t focus on that now. Because if I do, I might fall to pieces. I have so much going on in my life.”
Where was God in that mix? And where was he?
He nodded his head slowly and started the truck. “I understand that. Believe me. But Mia, don’t forget, it’s important to take care of yourself. If you’re really hurt, you need to know. That’s not selfish.”
He pulled away from the curb, taking care not to drive over the glass that still littered the street when he passed where her car had crashed an hour ago.
“I’ll make you a deal,” she finally said. “Drive me home now. If I have any problems, either tonight or tomorrow, I’ll go to the hospital and get checked out.”
He let out his breath slowly. It wasn’t what he wanted, but he knew it was the best he’d get. And if Mia said she’d go to the hospital, he trusted her to keep her word. “That sounds fair.”
A few minutes later, he pulled up into her driveway. Putting the truck in Park, he shut off the engine. “Hold on. I’m coming to help you.” He opened his door before she could argue, then hopped down.
Mia smiled. It felt good to have someone taking care of her for a change.
Then her smile faltered. She didn’t know if she could take any more today. It had been so hard going into her classroom, having Beth treat her like a villain, and knowing that others were watching her, judging. For those few minutes, the hallway had become a gauntlet. Part of her wondered how she’d go back there, even if—she changed that thought in her mind—when the district reinstated her.
“Mia?”
