Dare to Trust Read online

  “Yeah, he’s a cop. Homicide detective. And really sexy.” Thinking about Jason left a smile on Mia’s face.

  “He must have been something. You haven’t given a man a second glance in months. It’s been over two years since you broke up with…what was his name?”

  “Paul. I can’t believe I even dated him.” Paul had been attractive, successful and a mistake. Mia had spent several weeks with him. She had realized Paul cared only about Paul and she had broken it off. Until meeting Jason, Mia hadn’t met a man she wanted to spare a second glance, let alone think about dating.

  “Well, you are due for a good guy to take care of you, Mia. Keep me posted. I’ve gotta run.”

  They had seen each other sooner than either had anticipated. Jason and his partner, Keith Grimes, had gotten a break in one of their cases; they had driven to an apartment in the North of Boston to apprehend the suspect. Instead, Jason had ended up in the emergency room.

  Their suspect had a long, violent arrest record. Both Jason and Grimes were prepared with their weapons drawn and bulletproof vests strapped to their chests. “Police! Open the door!” Grimes barked while pounding on the door of the twelfth story apartment. After a moment of silence, Jason kicked in the door. From the corner of his eye, he saw the suspect jump through an open window, out onto the fire escape. Jason silently motioned to Grimes, pointing to the window and then followed.

  As the suspect raced down the fire escape, he eyed the detective in pursuit. He had to get rid of the tail to escape---no way was he going back to prison! He raised his gun and shot off a few rounds in Jason’s direction thinking it would be a deterrent. He didn’t bother to check to see if any of the bullets had hit the intended target as he leaped down onto the pavement of the alleyway. Jason had not been hit but his adrenaline was pumping after being fired at.

  “Son of a bitch,” Jason growled as he jumped down from the fire escape the remaining ten feet, aiming to tackle his suspect. He didn’t wait for the back-up of the units on their way, even though the noise of the sirens cut through the serenity of the neighborhood.

  Jason landed on top of him, both men feeling the jolt and pain of hitting against the unforgiving cement sidewalk. “Drop the gun!” Jason ordered the suspect, catching his breath as he started to get up, hauling the guy up with him.

  Instead of complying, the suspect resisted and kicked out at Jason’s legs, sending the detective sprawling. He glanced up and saw Grimes almost to the bottom of the fire escape now; realizing his window of opportunity to escape was slim. As Jason got up onto his knees, the suspect slammed the butt of his pistol into the side of Jason’s temple. Jason felt the sudden burst of pain in his skull and everything went black. He slumped against the pavement.

  “Jason! Open your eyes.” Grimes knelt at his partner’s side, checking for a pulse. He found one as he looked up and watched their suspect run away. “Officer down, need medical assist,” he yelled into his radio. As the additional units arrived and uniform officers descended on the scene, Grimes barked at them to follow down the alleyway after the suspect. “Buddy, can you hear me?” He was staying with his partner.

  Grimes’ booming voice cut through the pain and confusion in Jason’s brain. He tried to raise his head up but couldn’t coordinate the effort. He couldn’t even flicker open his eyes, all he managed was a groan.

  “Don’t move,” Grimes told him. “Shit, you’re bleeding a lot.” Jason had an inch, deep jagged laceration to his right temple that was oozing at a good clip. He felt Grimes put pressure on the wound, slowing the sticky flow. He tried to get up again without success, his limbs heavy and a sharp pain zinging through his head. “Stay still! Ambulance is coming.” Jason had heard Grimes say something but couldn’t decipher the words before blacking out again.

  Mia could barely hide her surprise as she met the stretcher rolling through the ambulance bay, when she realized her next patient was Detective Howard. She quickly swept her eyes up and down the stretcher, assessing his condition. He was breathing but pale. His eyes were closed and she noted the bleeding laceration that would definitely need to be sutured. She also noticed his bullet proof vest, still on, and wondered if he had been shot. An IV was dripping normal saline into his left hand.

  One of the paramedics gave Mia a quick report. “Thirty-one year old cop, struck in the head with blunt object. Unconscious at the scene for a few minutes. Pupils round, equal and reactive to light. He’s lethargic but arouses to verbal stimuli, alert to person, but not to time or place. His partner is on his way.”

  Once Jason was situated on a gurney, she started her exam. “Detective Howard, do you know where you are?” Her voice was soft and low.

  His eyes fluttered open and Jason was surprised how much fluorescent lighting could induce such a headache. His eyes adjusted and he focused on the figure beside the stretcher peering down at him. He was supine and on a hard, unforgiving surface. And he couldn’t move his neck. What the hell? He started to feel panic overtake him. And then he recognized Mia. Was he in the emergency room? What the hell had happened? He had no recollection of how he had gotten here. Jason wished he could remember. “Mia,” he whispered, not sure if he had said it out loud or not.

  Mia saw the confusion in his eyes. She couldn’t deny the relief that had washed over her when Jason had recognized her. “You were hurt and you’re in the emergency room, detective. We have you on a back board and a collar on your neck to keep you still until we check you out for spinal injuries.” She smiled at him with an attempt to put him at ease. It hadn’t worked. Jason was confused and his anxiety was coming back. He didn’t remember anything after entering the suspect’s apartment. His jaw muscles tightened and his breath hitched in his chest. He couldn’t make any sense of what was going on. He didn’t recall chasing the suspect or getting hit over the head. And he didn’t like his movements being restrained, even if she had told him it was a precaution.

  “Grimes?” Jason croaked, wondering if his partner was alright. Had his partner been hurt, too? He had some vague recollection of a chase and then a struggle.

  “Right here,” a male voice answered. Grimes had arrived a few minutes prior. He stood on the outskirts of the exam room, giving Mia and the nurse plenty of room to take care of their patient.

  “Okay, Jason,” Mia used his first name in a second attempt to help him start to relax. “I’m going to check your extremities. Does anything hurt?”

  “No. Yes. Just my head.” He glanced up at the doctor from his supine position, remembering taking her to coffee; he knew he had wanted to see her again, but not like this. Jason felt like he had been run over by a Mac truck.

  “Okay, then tell me if anything hurts.” Mia palpated down Jason’s right arm and then the left. She couldn’t help but notice the defined muscles of his biceps. She started to repeat the same exam of both of his legs, starting with his hip joints and pelvis. Jason sucked in his breath when he felt her gentle palpation near his groin. His pants started to feel tight and he prayed she didn’t notice. “Good,” she told him. If Mia had noticed, she ignored it. “Can you move your arms?” He did so. “Legs?” He flexed both his knees and moved his legs. “Any pain?”

  “No, not there.”

  “Good. Jason, we’re going to roll you and try to get you off this board. Don’t move, let us do the work,” Mia instructed. Two nurses assisted.

  “What about this collar thing?” Jason asked once the backboard had been removed. Jesus, even talking hurt.

  “You’re going to get a head and neck CT,” Mia told him as she shined a penlight into his eyes, glad to see his pupils equal and responsive. “Once we get the collar off, you need sutures for your head.” Mia had bent down so Jason could see her. He was still lying flat on his back. “You’re doing okay. Just a little longer. I know the collar isn’t comfortable.”

  “No, it isn’t,” he told her. “But at least you got me off that damn board.” Jason attempted a smile.

  When he saw Mia again,
Jason had finished with the CAT scan, his neck had been cleared, and the collar removed. He was sitting upright, leaning against the stretcher. His nurse had helped remove the Kevlar vest, as well as undress his upper torso. Once Mia had learned from Detective Grimes how Jason had tackled the suspect, she wanted to be sure he hadn’t injured anything else.

  When Mia re-entered the curtained off bay where Jason was, she momentarily found herself distracted by his bare, muscled chest. Her eyes following the dark hair that peppered his chest and trailed down his taut abdomen, disappearing into the waistband of the pants he still wore. “Feel better sitting up?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” he lied. “But the room keeps spinning.”

  “That’s the concussion,” Mia told him as she placed her stethoscope on his chest. Her warm fingers scraped against his skin. “Take a deep breath for me.” He did so. “Again.” He did. “Good.” She replaced the stethoscope back around her neck. “Can you lean forward for me so I can look at your back?”

  “Sure.” Jason spoke before he attempted the task. When he slowly leaned forward, bile rose in his throat and dizziness struck. He shut his eyes, concentrating on his breathing. He was not going to vomit in front of her.

  “Easy,” Mia told him gently. She quickly assessed his back and spine. Happy with her findings, she placed her hand on his shoulder and eased him back into the stretcher. “Do you want something for the headache or nausea?”

  “No.” The throbbing in his head was worsening, and he could feel aches in his lower back. Any other time, a touch on his bare skin from this woman would have sent his mind thinking about taking her to bed. But not now. He figured he would feel ten times worse in the morning. As much as he would love for the pain to go away, Jason didn’t like feeling out of control; he already had a memory deficit and felt woozy---he didn’t need narcotics to worsen things. “Just need some sleep, I think.” He opened his eyes and looked at Mia. “This wasn’t how I envisioned our next encounter,” he joked with her. “I had a much better time planned in my mind.”

  Mia laughed. “I’m sure next time will be great.” She pulled up a stool and sat. “I’m going to inject some Lidocaine to numb your laceration, okay?”

  “Be gentle with that needle,” Jason retorted. He hated needles. He hated being a patient.

  “Of course. No allergies, right?” He nodded, immediately regretting it as the room spun. “I promise it won’t hurt,” Mia assured him.

  Mia was quiet while she sutured up his wound. Jason had wanted to banter with her, display his usual charming personality, but it was taking all of his efforts to stay awake and not throw up all over the gorgeous doctor.

  “There’s going to be a scar, unfortunately,” she told him as she finished. Mia didn’t think that would affect his good looks what so ever.

  “MMhhmm.” Jason had his eyes closed and was fighting sleep. He felt Mia’s soft hand touch his and he opened his eyes. Had he drifted off? “Hey.” His eyelids were heavy.

  “You’re going to be drowsy for a few days.” Mia took out her pen light and assessed his pupils again. She was happy with the results. “Do you know when you last had a Tetanus shot?”

  “Nope.” He had closed his eyes again and couldn’t fight the drowsiness.

  “Well, we will make sure you get one before you leave, detective.” She avoided his name, not liking the unfamiliarity of the feelings for him she was experiencing. It was more than difficult to keep the interaction on a professional level; she had been more than nervous when Jason had first been brought in. Scared he was seriously injured. She stood and stared for a moment, knowing he was asleep. Mia was very glad he was going to be okay. Sore but okay.

  An hour later, Jason was ready for discharge. Grimes agreed to take him home and stay with him, watching for the signs of a worsening concussion: vomiting, confusion, dizziness. If Grimes hadn’t offered, Jason would have had to be admitted to the hospital for observation. Mia had warned that Jason would feel sleepy and that Grimes should wake him every few hours to check for any symptoms. Mia had also provided her cell number and encouraged Jason or Grimes to call with any issues.

  “When I call you, it’s going to be for a date, not medical advice,” Jason told her as he left. His speech was thick with sleep. He was walking slowly, determined to prove he was okay. He had flatly refused a wheelchair and his partner knew arguing with Jason was pointless. It took all of his strength and concentration but Jason made it to Grimes’ car. The adrenaline rush had long left his sore body and he just needed to get to his bed.

  “You don’t have to act so macho,” Grimes told his partner as he shook his head. “We all know how much you’re hurting. I don’t know why you didn’t let them give you something for the pain.”

  “I’m fine,” Jason insisted as he slowly got into the car. He slumped his head against the head rest and closed his eyes.

  “Sure buddy. Whatever.”

  Jason crawled into bed as soon as he got home. Grimes hit the couch. Several times through the afternoon and night, Grimes woke him up as directed, checking for any signs of a worsening head injury.

  “I’m not dying, Grimes. Give it a rest,” Jason barked at his partner the next morning after being woken up…again. His head throbbed and his neck and back were tight. He wanted to be alone and rest. “Go home to your wife. I am fine.” He closed his eyes and carefully rolled over in bed to assure the nausea stayed at bay. “You know you’re way out,” he told his partner.

  “You’re a pain in the ass, Howard.” Grimes let out an exasperated breath.

  “I know,” Jason told him. “Thanks for staying last night.”

  “Call if you need something, man.” Jason heard his front door close as he fell back asleep.

  Jason rested over the next few days. He slept more than usual, and moved about his place with slow, deliberate movements to ward off the dizziness. He hadn’t filled the scripts for pain medicine and on the second day, wished he had listened to Mia and done so. There wasn’t one part of his body that didn’t hurt. By the fourth day, he was ready to be cleared to go back to duty. At the end of the week, he dropped by the emergency room looking for Mia.

  “Hey,” she greeted him when she saw him walk through the ambulance bay.

  “Hi.” Jason smiled widely at her as he closed the distance between them, his blue eyes sparkling; unlike they had when he had been her patient. “I wanted to stop by and thank you for taking care of me.”

  She nodded. “Feeling better?” Mia couldn’t help but assess his sutured wound on his right temple. It looked fine. She had thought about him frequently the past few days, wondering if he had been okay. She had hoped he would call and had been a bit disappointed when he hadn’t. Mia was happy and relieved he had stopped in for a visit.

  “Much. But I don’t remember much about the first day,” he told her. “I hope I was a compliant patient,” he said with an uncomfortable grin, trying to make light of his hospital visit. The lack of memory bothered him.

  Mia laughed and he felt a tug in his gut. He loved that sound. “You were the best patient of the day,” she teased.

  “I have no doubt. Does that mean I can take you to dinner? Tomorrow night?” His hand brushed against hers, causing a sharp intake of breath from Mia.

  “That sounds great,” Mia told him, “but I have to go out of town for a conference. I won’t be back until the week-end.”

  “Oh.” Jason frowned. “Can I call you when you get back?” He really wanted to spend some more time with her. At home, when he was recuperating, she was all he had thought of.

  “Sure.” She offered him a wide smile. “I get back from Chicago on Saturday night. I’m back at work Monday morning.”

  Jason had intended to take her out Sunday. A murder investigation got in the way on Sunday. Mia had shifts scheduled the rest of the week. They had difficulty being able to line up a time when they were both available; Jason never knew when he would be called out to a murder scene and Mia’s hospital sch
edule was more than intense. They talked on the phone almost every day. Jason couldn’t wait to spend time alone with Mia, in person.

  Early Friday evening, it was not unheard of for the detectives to let off steam at the local watering hole. Most Friday’s, Jason participated. This Friday, although he was there, his mind was on other things---namely Mia and when he would see her again.

  “Hey, Howard, don’t you see that pretty little blonde over there, checking you out?” Billings, a fellow detective ribbed his colleague. “Why aren’t you priming her to go home with you?” Jason had picked up an attractive woman more than once from this bar.

  “Not interested,” Jason answered, checking his phone. He had hoped Mia had listened to his voicemail and had called back. She hadn’t. He took a long drink of beer and sighed.

  “Since when are you not interested in some easy tail?” Billings asked with surprise. “Are you sick?”

  Grimes smiled, rapping his partner on the shoulder. “He’s got it bad for a certain doctor he met a few weeks ago.” Jason’s head snapped up, his attention no longer on his phone. He shot Grimes a warning glance to drop the conversation. He hated that his partner was right.

  “Howard’s got a girlfriend?” Billings exclaimed, smirking at him. “Is she that good in bed, Howard?”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Jason snarled as he popped up from the chair and simultaneously grabbed the front of Billing’s shirt. “I suggest you change the subject.”

  Raising his hands in the air in a show of surrender, Billings grinned at the other guys seated at the table. “You win. I’m dropping it.” He sat back down at the bar. “She must be something to take you off the market, Howard.”

  It was a few weeks before they connected for a real ‘date’, and it had felt like an eternity to Jason. Mia was in his thoughts constantly; the kiss they had shared haunted him. It was a cool spring day and Jason had told her to dress casual. Mia had no idea what to expect but she put on jeans, a light weight sweater and pulled her hair back. She finished off with a gauze scarf lightly draped around her neck. When she answered her door, Jason quickly scanned her body, loving the way the denim molded to her curves. He was done for. It took all his self-control not to push Mia back into her apartment and ravage her. He had wondered countless times how he would her lips would taste, how she would feel in his arms, how it would feel to be inside her.