Shot of Silence (Justice Again Book 3) by M Comley (best contemporary novels txt) 📗

“I don’t think so. As soon as you’re well enough to leave the hospital, I’ll personally take you to the safe house.”

“You’d do that for me?”

Katy rose from her chair and rubbed Camilla’s arm. “I would. Do you need me to send the nurse in to help you get more comfortable?”

“No. I’ll be fine. Thank you for caring about me. It means a lot.”

“No problem. Wishing you a speedy recovery. I’ll keep in touch with the nursing staff. As soon as the doctor gives you the all clear to leave, I’ll drop by and pick you up, how’s that?”

“Thank you.” She was gone, drifted off to sleep like an innocent baby.

Katy left the room and walked up to the nurses’ station. “She’s asleep. I’ve left my card should she need me. You’re aware of what’s happened today, I take it?”

The two nurses on duty both nodded.

“I’m going to place a uniformed officer outside her door, if that’s okay with you?”

“I was about to suggest the same,” the nurse who’d visited Camilla’s room earlier said.

“Here’s my card. Should you need me, just shout.”

“We’ll do that.”

Katy bade them farewell and made her way through the endless winding corridors back to her vehicle. En route, she rang the station and requested the desk sergeant to send one of his team to stand guard outside Camilla’s room, something, had her mind been fully on the job, she should have arranged a couple of hours earlier. Never mind, it’s done now, finally! Time to call it a day.

She arrived home, with the flow of traffic in her favour for a change, to find AJ in the kitchen. He was at the table, going over some paperwork. She kissed the top of his head, startling him.

“Damn, I was so engrossed I didn’t hear you come in.”

He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her, long and hard. Enough for all her troubles and woes to vanish momentarily.

“That’s a nice welcome, thank you. How’s the little one? I need to go and see her.” She struggled to get off his lap.

But he clung to her. “Five minutes won’t hurt. She’s fine. I checked on her a few minutes ago.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You truly are the best dad ever. What are you up to?”

“I thought I’d make a start on keeping my accounts in order right from the word go. It makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“Too right it does, especially as your main role is looking after Georgie. Anything you can do to keep things organised has to be a bonus.”

“Yep, that’s what I thought, too. Mmm…however, it’s kind of got in the way of me cooking dinner.”

“No problem. We’ll rustle up something together. What’s in the fridge?” She leapt off his lap and wandered across the room and pulled open the door. Staring back at her were all the makings of a frittata. “I know. If you give me a hand preparing the ingredients, we could be eating within half an hour.”

He crept up behind her and nuzzled into her neck. “Teamwork, always a bonus in my book.”

Within ten minutes they had all the ingredients chopped, and Katy placed the onions in the frying pan to sweat a little before throwing in the diced peppers and chopped-up bacon pieces. She sprinkled in a few herbs and then whisked up five eggs, added a dash of Worcester sauce and a splash of milk and poured it over the rest. AJ lit the grill, and after a couple of minutes Katy shoved the pan under it and went to the cutlery drawer.

She handed AJ the knives and forks, and he laid the table and opened a bottle of red wine. “Naughty during the week, but it won’t hurt us once in a while.” She smiled and took a sip of the fruity wine. “Lovely. Just what I needed after today.”

“Want to share?”

“Not really. I’d rather forget all about it and concentrate on us. Can you watch the frittata doesn’t burn? I need to get changed and I’ll pop in and see Georgie at the same time.”

“Go. I’ll turn it down if it gets too hot.”

Katy tiptoed up the stairs, she wasn’t sure why. Once Georgie was asleep, an erupting volcano couldn’t wake her. She crept across the room. The nightlight was on beside her bed. Her daughter was sleeping peacefully. She kissed her on the cheek and brushed the hair back from her face. Georgie’s skin was clammy, hot and sticky. She placed a hand on her forehead, and her heart sank and her blood ran cold. Her legs shaking, she ran to the top of the stairs and called AJ.

He bounded into the room.

By this time, Katy was kneeling beside her daughter. “I don’t like what I’m seeing, love. Did you take her temperature before she went to bed?”

“No. I didn’t think to. Is she hot?” He felt her head and stared at Katy. “I swear she wasn’t that bad earlier. Oh God! What have I done?”

“Hush now. You haven’t done anything wrong. It could be nothing. Get a small towel from the airing cupboard and run it under the cold tap. We’ll try and bring her temperature down that way, wake her up and give her Calpol.”

AJ darted out of the room. Katy threw the bedclothes back and checked her daughter over from head to foot. She found it weird that Georgie’s hands and feet were as cold as ice and yet the rest of her was burning up. Katy scrambled for her phone and Googled the symptoms. She gasped when the results came back. AJ entered the room and placed the towel over Georgie’s forehead. Katy read on. Shit! No way, this can’t be… She undid Georgie’s PJ top and discovered a rash on her daughter’s tummy. Katy grabbed the glass of water on the side table and ran out of the room. She emptied the contents in the bathroom sink and sprinted back to join