“No one. Why are you asking me that?” Danny’s eyes narrowed. “Did you pull my financials?”
“We did. We saw the second mortgage and the credit cards.” Clint gave him an apologetic look. He certainly didn’t relish getting into the other man’s personal business, especially after everything he’d gone through.
When Danny started to pull at the blood pressure cuff, Clint held up his hands. “Look, I’m just trying to help find this guy before he comes after you again, targets your wife, or turns his sights on someone else.”
The other man squeezed his eyes closed and let his head rest against the bed for a moment before refocusing on Clint. He leaned forward, his gaze intent. “We do have a lot of debt. It was a combination of poor decisions when we were younger, covering my father-in-law’s medical bills, and two rounds of IVF. Am I happy about where we are financially right now? Absolutely not. But it’s all above board. I can’t think of a single person who would be targeting me or my family.”
Danny slumped back against the bed with a groan.
“All right. I’m sorry, but I had to ask.” He stood. “We are going to figure out who’s behind this. In the meantime, we’ll have a police officer posted outside your room. I know Becca’s staying here, but we’ll keep an eye on your house.Once you’ve been released from the hospital, we’ll discuss the next steps to keep you and your wife safe.”
Danny gave a nod as the door opened. Becca and Leslie stepped back into the room. Becca looked from Clint to her husband and hurried to his side.
“I brought you some pudding and a few snacks.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his head. “Is everything okay?”
“Officer Baker was assuring me that we’ll continue to have an officer nearby until the shooter is caught. I’ll fill you in on the rest.” He took his wife’s hand in his.
Clint pointed at the door. “Let me get out of your hair. Thank you for your time, and I’ll be praying for your recovery.” He reached over and lightly touched Leslie’s arm. “I’ll be outside talking to Officer Carrington. Take your time, okay?”
When she nodded her agreement, he left the room.
There was no reason for Clint not to believe Danny. The firefighter seemed genuine. Unfortunately, the lack of any new information meant they were no closer to finding the shooter than they were yesterday.
Chapter Nine
Leslie shared a story about something Izzy had told her on the phone and Danny chuckled. The scowl on his face and the way he clutched at his chest showed instant regret. “I can’t laugh right now. There may be a ban on laughing for the next week.”
Becca placed a hand over his and gave it a squeeze. The smile on her face didn’t quite erase the worry in her eyes, and neither of them came close to the love that shone in every action as she cared for her husband.
“I thought laughter was the best medicine,” Leslie teased. “Seriously, though, it’s been great to see you awake and talking.”
All were good signs. However, it was impossible not to worry about the fact that he was far paler than normal, and his eyes were dull from pain and medication. It was also clear that the visit from Clint had worn her friend out. She wanted to know what they’d spoken about but didn’t want to make him or Becca uncomfortable or any more stressed by asking. They’d share if they wanted to.
“The food here isn’t too bad, but if you need any contraband,just say the word.” Leslie held up her purse to show them she had plenty of room to sneak something in. “We’ll try to hold down the fort until you get back.”
The doctor had checked on Danny that morning and said they wanted to keep him for at least a couple more days to make sure everything was healing the way it was supposed to.
The guys from the fire station had already set up a visiting schedule to keep Danny company and give Becca a break so she could go home and take a shower or get some sleep.
Danny’s hospital room was filled with balloons and flowers. Someone had even found a balloon of a fire engine, which made Leslie chuckle.
A nurse pushed a cart in, adjusted Danny’s blood pressure cuff, and typed something into the computer. “Mr. Bracken, physical therapy will be here in about five minutes to help you try to stand. The more we can get you moving, the easier it’ll be to heal.” She rolled her cart back out into the hallway and closed the door behind her.
“I should probably go, too.” Leslie stood from the small hospital chair she’d been perched in. Besides, it’d already been twenty minutes since Clint left. He’d wanted to speak with her, and she didn’t want to keep him waiting too long.
Danny glanced at the door to make sure no one else was coming in, and they were the only three in the room. “Promise to call me or Becca if you hear anything?”
“Of course. You just concentrate on resting and feeling better, okay?
Leslie sent a silent prayer heavenward that Danny would continue to stay strong as his body healed.
Outside of the room, she found Clint and Officer Carrington talking. She waited awkwardlyfor them to finish. When Officer Carrington left with a polite wave, Clint turned to her with a smile. He inclined his head and led her a few paces down the hall. They were still close enough to see Danny’s room, but far enough from the nurses’ station to not be overheard.
“I hope you didn’t feel like you had to rush your visit.”
“No. They’re going to have PT come and work with him. Get him on his feet a little.” She shifted her weight. “What about the break-in at my house? Any luck there?”
“Unfortunately, not. Whoever broke in did everything they could to cover their tracks. No fingerprints on the window they broke, and nothing else happened in the neighborhood that we could tie them to.” He gave her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Leslie. Let’s hope it was just a random burglary attempt that was interrupted when you got home.”
