Healed (The Found Book 3) Read online

  ****

  He held Sarah a little longer than necessary but must have realized it, so released her. He looked into her eyes and smiled. Sarah looked at her friend who had helped plan her escape and smiled back at him.

  “Let’s get your bags.”

  “What you see, is what you get, Ramone” He groaned, and Sarah winced, realizing how her words could be interpreted.

  “Does that mean I get you?” he asked.

  “You’re still a flirt, I see.” She raised her eyebrows and looked at him.

  “Okay, okay. Let’s get to my car.”

  Ramone held out his hand and she took it, following the throng of people towards baggage claim leading to the exit of the Atlanta-Hartsfield Airport.

  Twice Sarah caught him glancing at her.

  She couldn’t believe he was the same boy who had eaten paste at Daniel Bagley Elementary. Even harder to believe he was the same young man she had treated in the ER for a gunshot wound when she’d been on rotations as an intern. He had been on his way to a life of crime—angry, sullen, and downright scary.

  She’d met his mother and sister that night so long ago, and thought for sure they were going to lose him to a gang. Instead he visited the hospital months later to thank her for saving him. They’d reestablished their friendship.

  “A Prius?” Sarah shouted with laughter, it was the first time she laughed in the last forty-eight hours.

  “Do not make fun of a man’s wheels. Especially when they are taking you where you need to go.”

  “You are Ramone Sands, right?”

  “That’s Reverend Ramone Sands,” he said as he opened her door. He lifted his hand and she knew he was going to stroke her cheek. She caught it before he could.

  “I don’t think there are security cameras here. We can stop now.”

  “Damn, I’ve been liking this. A lot. Haven’t you? Just a little?” There was only a gentle question, which made her pause rather than shake her head. But the reverend was nothing if not astute.

  “Is there someone?”

  “That’s the problem. I don’t know if there is or not.” She thought about Nate, but then again, when didn’t she think about him? It had to stop. His life was somewhere else. He wasn’t like Noah. He hadn’t asked to be transferred to California, instead he was still out of the country most of the time. Obviously there was never going to be anything between them.

  “Sarah, are you listening to me?”

  “What?” she asked, distracted.

  “Never mind.” His hand cupped her cheek and he smiled gently. He lowered his head and gave her the sweetest of kisses, and then settled her into the car and shut the door.

  Damn he was smooth. It didn’t matter though, he wasn’t Nate.

  ****

  Nate didn’t know how he was supposed to eat the food Mrs. Johnson put in front of him, considering he no longer had any back teeth. He’d ground them to dust when he saw the kiss Sarah shared with the man in the parking garage.

  “Don’t you like lasagna?”

  “Yes I do Lila, I’m sorry, I was preoccupied.” Nate realized he better pull his head out of his ass. He didn’t want to hurt Sarah’s mom’s feelings. He really liked the woman, and she’d gone to a lot of trouble making such a great meal.

  “I can understand why you’re worried, but while we’re waiting for Kyle to get off shift, we might as well have dinner. I’m sure he’ll have the information you need from the license plate number. Now, give me a couple of minutes and I’ll be back with the garlic bread.”

  Nate looked at the beautiful woman, who looked a little bit like Sarah, which amazed him, considering Sarah was her adopted daughter. Hell, calling her adopted wasn’t doing the whole thing justice, since she showed up in the Johnson’s backyard one day when she was five years old.

  “It’s something else, isn’t it?” Frank Johnson nudged him.

  “Hmmm?”

  “My two beauties.” Lila went into the kitchen and Frank spoke. Two of his other son’s heads popped up and grinned at their father. It looked as if this was a well beloved topic. Nate didn’t know if he was up for it, considering one of the beauties in question was gallivanting around Atlanta with some pretty boy and putting her life in danger.

  The front door opened, and finally Kyle came in and sat down at the dinner table. He grinned at Nate.

  “I’ve got the name of your guy.” He started spooning lasagna onto a plate.

  “Well?”

  “Ma,” he yelled out. Lila came into the dining room.

  “Hi Baby Boy. What did you find out?”

  “Don’t call me that. Sarah’s the youngest.”

  “I’m sorry Kyle.” Lila rolled her eyes to the rest of the table and everyone laughed.

  “Ma, do you know a preacher named Ramone Sands?” Everyone waited as she thought for a moment.

  “He’s the assistant pastor over at the Union Church on Third and Jakes Street. Your sister treated him for a GSW her first year at the hospital. They were in the same grade in elementary school for a few years before his dad passed. Then he and his mama moved away.” She sat next to her husband. “I remember your sister telling me he was on his way to being part of a gang, but he turned his life around. I never met the man, but your sister spoke highly of him. Reverend Hughly wouldn’t have taken him as an assistant if he wasn’t of strong character. Ramone is in charge of the youth ministry, if I’m not mistaken.”

  “You’re not. I called to talk to him. He’s conveniently unavailable, meeting with a group of boy scouts at Lake Winfield to hike and camp in the Chattahoochee National Forest.”

  “Call his cell phone,” Nate barked. Every one of the Johnson’s laughed.

  “I did. He asked if this was an official investigation, and if Sarah had done anything wrong. Basically he gave me the runaround. He knew I was her brother.”

  “Bring him in for questioning,” Nate shot back.

  “On what grounds?” Kyle reached for the garlic bread.

  “On the grounds she could be in danger and he will be in danger if he doesn’t immediately tell us everything he knows.”

  “I tried, he laughed.”

  “Fine, we go to him.” Nate was having a tough time with Kyle’s lackadaisical attitude.

  “I can’t go. I’m on duty. You’re stuck with the slacker who doesn’t work.”

  “Ignore my brother,” the second youngest Johnson brother, Brayson, said. “He’s just jealous how the shifts work at the Fire Department. I have a lot of experience camping in Chattahoochee. We’ll go corner the good reverend and find out where he stashed Sarah. This is total bullshit.”

  “When can we leave?”

  “After dinner, we’ll stop at my apartment and pick up the camping gear and supplies we’re going to need.”

  Chapter Two

  Sarah and Amy were still standing looking at one another after Ramone left. Her school friend looked like she was hit by a truck. She looked awful.

  “Well?”

  “Where’s Jeremy?” Sarah asked, as she looked around the small cabin.

  “He’s asleep in the other room.” Amy pointed to the closed door and Sarah let herself in. Quietly she stood over the bed and watched the peaceful sleep of the small boy. Leaving the room, she closed the door.

  Sarah looked at the woman standing in the middle of the room.

  “You’re going to need to strip.” Sarah saw the look of wounded bafflement on her friend’s face and immediately backtracked.

  “Oh honey, that came out wrong.” Sarah went over to Amy and wanted to put her arms around her, but there didn’t look like anyplace that wouldn’t hurt.

  “So do you believe me?” Amy asked. Sarah hesitated.

  “Please believe me Sarah, please.” Sarah settled on grasping Amy’s hands and looking into her eyes.

  “I’m here, aren’t I? I really do need you out of those clothes.”

  Sarah shrugged off the backpack, and picked up the small case she
had left by the cabin door, and walked towards Amy.

  “Naked, or can I keep my underwear on?”

  “Underwear is fine for now. Let me help you.” Sarah bent to unlace Amy’s sneakers. When Amy was finally in nothing but her underwear and socks, Sarah’s first thought was to wonder how Amy had been able to hook her bra. Then she took in the damage.

  “Dammit, no wonder they only took real close-up pictures, if they did any kind of span outs, it would have been obvious you were beaten. I was pretty sure the hospital report was bogus.” Sarah hated that Amy was shivering but she needed a couple of more minutes.

  “Amy, can I take a couple of pictures.”

  “Will you be able to prove it was Chris?”

  “I’ll be able to prove it wasn’t a car accident like he was saying. I’ll be able to show that you were beaten.” Why had Ed Jarrolson, a doctor that Sarah had worked with, so obviously covered this up?

  Sarah took out a camera and got some wide angle shots of Amy’s entire torso including her face, showing the boot print at her ribcage. The hospital report said her cracked ribs were caused when she hit her steering wheel because she hadn’t worn her seatbelt.

  “Why are you using a camera and not your phone?”

  “I took the battery out of my phone. My friends would trace me otherwise. Can you lift your arms?”

  Amy tried to lift her arms and groaned.

  “Stop. That’s enough.” Amy lowered her arms.

  “I need to do this. I don’t know if it shows, but he hit me with his ring. I saw an imprint three days ago. Do you still see it Sarah?”

  “I see it.” Sarah snapped four more pictures.

  “Did you get pictures of the ring marks?”

  Sarah swallowed. “I did.” The bastard’s class ring had left perfect imprints. She took close-ups as well as pictures showing Amy’s face and the marks.

  “I don’t get it, why did Dr. Jarrolson report this as a car accident?”

  “Chris was in the room with us the entire time I was examined. The doctor was mad at Chris, but scared of him too.” Amy paused and looked down then looked back up again. “Chris kept saying, you don’t want to lose your license do you? He obviously had something hanging over his head. I really thought the doctor was going to report it anyway, and that’s when Chris started to cry. He said how much he loved me. How I was his world, and this was the first and only time.”

  “It’s Ed’s job to report this. He couldn’t have believed Chris’s bullshit.”

  “He didn’t, you could tell he didn’t Sarah.” Amy’s shoulders slumped.

  “I just don’t understand. I can’t wrap my head around it Amy. I know this man, I know this doctor.”

  “It’s Chris. He manipulates people. I’ve seen him do it for years. I’ve seen him find out one little thing about people, like they’re having an affair, and holds it over them. He has something on the doctor, I just know it.”

  “Then why cry?”

  Amy turned to her with a look of amazed horror. “For me, that was almost the worst part of being in the ER that night after the doctor agreed with Chris. It was listening to Chris be so remorseful and realizing he believed it.” Amy clutched Sarah’s hand. “Something is so wrong with him. He really believes he utterly loves me, and it would never happen it again.” Tears fell freely, dripping off Amy’s chin. “He scares me so much, I just didn’t know what to do.”

  “Why did he beat you in the first place if he loves you so much?”

  “The reason Chris lost control is that I told him I was pregnant.”

  Sarah just stared at Amy, at a loss for words.

  “Sarah, Chris’s obsessed. He wants all of my attention. He hates it when I spend the least amount of time with Jeremy when he’s home from work. It’s been better as Jeremy got older, because he can go to his room and play video games. Chris wants my entire focus to be on him. I’m not allowed to spend any time with Jeremy when Chris’s around.” Sarah’s hand hurt where Amy gripped it. “He hated when Jeremy was a baby because he took up so much of my time. After he shoved me to the floor he lost all control, and I could see it in his eyes. He wanted to kill our baby. Two days after the beating I told him I’d miscarried.”

  “Jesus.” Sarah thought she might throw up.

  “But I don’t think I did. I’ve been so worried he hurt my baby.” Amy sank down on the couch and Sarah watched as her face crumpled and tears started to flow. She wrapped her arms around her middle.

  “I was so careful, I knew I could never risk having another child, but I was on antibiotics and my birth control failed.” She rocked back and forth. “Sarah, I have to protect my children.”

  Sarah sat down beside Amy and put her arm around her shoulder, knowing she had to help her. Help not just Amy, but her baby as well.

  “It’s going to be all right.”

  “You’re a doctor, is there any way you can check that my baby is okay?”

  “A mother’s body naturally protects her baby. You know the fluid surrounding your child acts as a barrier to care for the fetus. As soon as it’s safe, we can get you somewhere to do an ultrasound. In the meantime, we need to get you more comfortable for your sake and your baby’s sake.” Amy bent to pick up her clothes from the couch.

  “Before we get you into your clothes I want to put some antibiotic ointment on you.”

  “It’s okay, I’ve been doing that. A nurse gave me some at the hospital.” Amy reached for her shirt again and squeaked in pain.

  “You probably haven’t been putting any on the marks on your back.” Sarah pulled the shirt away from Amy and eased her down so she was resting over the arm of the sofa. She grabbed a tube of ointment from the bag Ramone had given her. She was still amazed Ramone actually had a complete doctor’s bag to give to her. When she had questioned him about it, he said that one of his parishioners was a doctor.

  She smoothed some of the salve onto one of the deeper bruises.

  “Don’t you need to put it onto the cut instead?”

  “I was hoping just a warm hand over your bruising might feel good.” Sarah held her hand on top of Amy’s flesh watching as some of the discoloration faded. Even though she had healed before, she was always amazed when she used her found ability to help others feel better.

  “I don’t know what you’re doing but keep doing it,” Amy sighed. Sarah pressed down again, spreading her fingers wider and watched as even more of the bruising dissipated. For long minutes Sarah continued the process, squeezing out ointment and then smoothing it onto the angry welts and contusions. She moved her hand to the front of Amy’s torso, under her breast, where there was another boot print. Healing someone always felt good while she was doing it, but the after effects were a killer.

  God, she wanted to get her hands on Chris Jeffries and kill the son of a bitch. Actually she wanted Nate to get his hands on the fucker. Or she wanted her brothers to gang up on him and beat him into a bloody pulp. Sarah didn’t realize she was crying until a tear dripped off her chin. Nobody should ever have to go through this kind of pain and suffering, especially at the hands of someone who was supposed to love and protect them. Sarah’s heart lurched. She felt the heartbeat of the baby under her fingers. Thank God.

  She reached out, concentrating. A flutter of life, a heartbeat, just the beginning, but so strong, so determined. Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. There was nothing wrong with the baby. It was just as she told Amy, the baby had been protected, now she could continue working on Amy’s injuries, especially knitting the cracked ribs. She remembered doing the same thing for Noah almost a year ago. She was going to be so sick when she was done with this healing, but it would be worth it.

  She continued to gently smooth the cream into Amy’s sore body for almost an hour, until she was sure the ribs were finally healed.

  “You’re a miracle worker, I feel so much better,” Amy’s voice slurred. “I think I’ll go lie down with Jeremy.” Sarah helped Amy into her clothes, and watched her go i
nto the bedroom, then she rushed to the bathroom. Sarah threw up until there was nothing left in her stomach, then propped herself up against the bathtub and rested her head against her bent legs, shivering and sweating profusely. She didn’t have enough strength to get up and turn off the light in the bathroom even though it was sending shards of pain through her closed eyelids.

  Something pushed inside her head, one more symptom of the healing, one more sensation swirling amongst the pain. Sarah tried to ignore the pushing, but it pushed stronger and it didn’t hurt, actually it was kind of soothing…, it felt familiar. Finally she recognized it. It had the warm protective feeling of Nate. It was as if his arms were around her. He had to be close, otherwise his presence wouldn’t be this strong without talking to him.

  She didn’t want him to find her, so she pushed back, but he was immovable. She tried again, but he was just a solid, warm and steady presence. Finally she gave up and smiled in relief. She eased towards the floor, or was he the one taking her down, curling behind her, enveloping her in his strong arms, offering succor. His big hands massaged the flesh of her tummy, helping to relax the rigid muscles. Finally her stomach settled and she could breathe evenly.

  She tried one last time to push him away.

  No, I’m here with you, get used to it. I’m not leaving you alone, not ever.

  She nudged back with her shoulder into his big chest, and she felt him give a weary chuckle. She closed her eyes and dreamed of the first time she healed someone.

  ****

  She heard Kota complaining about his healed knife wound itching, but it was like it was coming from a long way off. She focused on making it to the hotel room bathroom. One foot in front of the other.

  “Sarah, are you okay?” Was that Kali talking? “Sarah?”