Home. Once she was there, once he knew nothing else could happen to her, he could think this whole thing through. The light over the E.R. door made a bright pool of illumination, surrounded by shadows. And he was jumping at those shadows, scanning the shrubbery as if someone lurked there. The doors slid silently open, and he jumped out of the truck as a nurse pushed a wheelchair through. Jessica, pale in the artificial light, looked as if it took an effort to hold her head up. His mother and Leo emerged behind them, Mom still talking. Nerves, probably. She’d always been a pillar of strength when any of them damaged themselves, saving her reaction for afterward. “You go along to the motel, Mom. We’ll see you back at the house.” Leo, meeting his eyes for an instant, took her by the arm. “Come on, Geneva. Jessica will want her things so she can get settled comfortably for the night.” Jessica rose, the nurse steadying her. “I can—” Before she could insist that she could climb into the cab by herself, he picked her up, sliding her into the passenger seat without a word.
