“No.” Her fingers curled around his arm with unexpected strength, detaining him when he would have risen. “No ambulance. I’m okay.”
“Emily, you took a nasty blow to the head. You’re going to have it x-rayed, and I’m afraid I’m giving you no choice on that.”
She sighed. “I’ll go, but not in an ambulance. Please. You take me.”
“All right,” he agreed, hoping he was doing the right thing. “But let me call this in first.”
“Someone was in my house. My things...”
“You must have interrupted another break-in. We’ll find out exactly what’s missing, if anything, after we make sure you’re all right, okay?”
She started to nod, then bit back a groan and lifted a trembling hand to her forehead. “My head hurts.”
“I know, honey. Just lie still and I’ll be right back.”
When he found out who did this, he thought as he punched buttons on her telephone, he’d better make sure that someone else made the arrest. He couldn’t guarantee that he could control himself...and he wasn’t going to risk losing a conviction because of a police-brutality charge.
A few minutes later, he hung up the phone and turned back to Emily, knowing that a patrol car was on the way. He’d explained that he would be leaving for the hospital and would return as soon as he’d made sure that Emily was all right.
Emily was sitting up, her head on her raised knees.
“I told you to lie still,” he fussed, kneeling beside her again.
“It hurts too badly to be still.”
“All right. Let’s get you to the hospital.”
He placed one arm behind her back, and slid the other beneath her knees.
Emily lifted her head, apparently making a massive effort to do so. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to carry you.”
“I can walk.”
“You can’t even hold your head upright Be still.”
She didn’t seem to have the strength to argue with him. Her head fell weakly onto his shoulder when he rose with her held securely in his arms. She felt light and heartbreakingly fragile as he carried her out to his Jeep. And he thought it would almost be worth risking a lawsuit if he could just get his hands on the scum who had hurt her.
EMILY WAS DIAGNOSED with a mild concussion. No skull fractures. After giving her something for pain, the doctor released her into Wade’s care.
Wade wanted to take her to his house, where he and Cecilia could take care of her. Or, if she wasn’t comfortable with that, he offered to drive her to her aunt and uncle’s house.
Feeling stronger now that her pain had been brought down to a manageable level, Emily refused both options.
“I want to see what’s missing from my house,” she insisted.
“And who’s going to stay with you tonight? You heard the doctor say you should have someone check on you a couple of times.”
“I’ll call Aunt Bobbie. She’ll come,” Emily replied confidently. “Please, Wade. Take me home.”
For all that she’d been in such a hurry to move, she was suddenly almost overwhelmed with the desire to be in her own home.
She almost changed her mind when she walked into her living room, leaning on Wade’s arm for support. She groaned, taking in the mess that someone had made. “Who could have done this?”
“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Wade answered grimly. He glanced at one of the two uniformed officers who’d filled out a report on the break-in. “What have you found, Marley?”
“The back door into the kitchen was kicked in. The bedroom has been trashed. Drawers all through the house ransacked—probably looking for cash. A jewelry box was overturned on the bed. Some costume pieces scattered around. If there was anything valuable in it, it’s probably gone. Maybe Ms. McBride can tell us. A TV and a VCR are stacked on the bedroom floor. The perps must have bolted without taking everything when Ms. McBride walked in on them.”