Deadline (Sandra Brown)

had absolved her of any and all responsibility, had Headly died, she would have borne that regret for the remainder of her days.
    For Dawson’s sake, she was especially happy that Headly had survived.
    In celebration of the good news, the three had hugged, laughing and crying in equal measure. Dawson was the first to pull himself together. He resorted to the masculine mechanism of dealing with a traumatic event by pretending he hadn’t been sorely affected by it. He cracked jokes. “He’s too stubborn to die. He wouldn’t go without giving me one final lecture.”
    Eva saw through his ruse as clearly as Amelia did, but she didn’t call him on it, knowing that he was coping with his emotions in a manner that was comfortable for him. Eva placed a call to their daughter, who’d been standing by in London to learn her father’s fate. Soon after that they were told they could see Headly in recovery. Eva insisted that Dawson be allowed to go with her. He, in turn, refused to go without Amelia.
    The three of them were shown into the curtained cubicle where Headly lay tethered to machines and roped in tubes. Surprisingly his eyes were open. As Eva approached the bed, he asked groggily, “Where’d you come from?”
    She clasped his inert hand, and there were tears in her eyes when she bent down and kissed his lips gently. But she answered in a breezy tone. “They called to tell me that you’d been shot. I checked my calendar and it was clear. Having nothing else to do, I flew down.”
    His eyes were suspiciously moist as he gazed up at her. “Just as well flush the Viagra. I can’t move my hands. Foreplay’s out.”
    She laughed softly. “The paralysis is temporary.”
    His unfocused eyes roved over to Dawson. “She lying?”
    “No. You’ll live to screw another day.”
    “Really, you two!” Eva said in mock outrage. “What will Amelia think of us?”
    Headly turned his head toward her. She expressed how sorry she was for what he was suffering.
    “I’m glad it wasn’t you he hit.”
    “He tried,” Dawson said.
    Headly closed his eyes. “Jesus.”
    “Dawson saved my life.”
    Headly whispered, “Are they in custody?”
    “Don’t think about any of that right now, Gary.”
    Despite Eva’s admonishment, he forced his eyes open and looked to Dawson, who said, “Still at large.”
    “Shit.”
    Eva said, “Gary, if you continue to torture yourself, I’m going to leave. I swear I will.”
    No one believed her, especially not her husband, who smiled at her drowsily. “I’m damn glad your calendar was clear. Wish I could hug you.”
    Dawson glanced over his shoulder at the flimsy curtain that enclosed them but provided only a modicum of privacy. “Listen, Amelia and I should split, let you two have a minute alone before they run us all out.”
    “What’s your rush?” Headly asked.
    “I just said.”
    Headly grunted. “What’s going on?”
    “Okay, if you must know, I’m hungry. On account of you, I haven’t had anything to eat today except for those crummy doughnuts at breakfast.”
    “I apologize for the inconvenience.”
    Even though Headly garbled some of the syllables of the last word, Dawson smiled across at Eva. “Pissy is a good sign. He’s gonna be fine.” But when he looked down at Headly, his expression turned serious. “You had me scared.” Being careful of the IV shunt taped to the back of Headly’s hand, Dawson gripped it. Huskily, he said, “Rest. Cooperate with the nurses. Take care of yourself, hear?”
    The long look the two men shared was rife with unspoken meaning.
    “See you in the morning.” Dawson returned Headly’s hand to his side and, after winking at Eva, turned, held the curtain aside, and motioned Amelia through.
    They didn’t speak until they were out of the recovery area and walking swiftly down the corridor. “In here.” He pushed open the door leading to the stairwell. Once the door had closed behind them, he said, “He’s too smart for his own good.”
    “He knew you were lying when you told him you were hungry.”
    “I guess my technique needs work.”
    “So what is going on?”
    “I’m due to meet Tucker and Wills downstairs in a few minutes.”
    “What for?”
    “Glenda’s been doing some research today. She unearthed something hinky they should know about.”
    “Hinky how?”
    He shook his head. “Not that I’m brimming with admiration for the two, especially Tucker, but I really should share this with them