A Rescued Heart (Rescued Heart Romance) (18 page)

Matt parked his cruiser in front of Ava’s apartment and broke out into a full sprint toward the entrance. The phone call from Ava’s dad scared him to his core. He had been held up at a deadly car accident and this was the first he could get away.

It made him sick knowing that Ray had been in her apartment, threatening her, touching her. Ray Connors didn’t realize who he was messing with.

Rushing through Ava’s unlocked door he found her family had already arrived. Her mom perched on the couch holding an ice pack to Ava’s jaw. Her dad stood in the kitchen on the phone while Lucy fidgeted with the coffee maker. Her brothers paced the floor, like tigers ready to pounce.

He reached Ava and placed a kiss on the top of her head. Kneeling down in front of her he let himself soak in the damage. Her jaw was swollen and the left side of her face had a bruise the size of a plum. Thankfully nothing looked broken.

His anger boiled over. “I’m going to get this guy, Ava!”

“Matt, don’t get him for me. Get him for Kim. I’m so worried about her. I can’t get ahold of her. What if Ray has already gotten to her?”

Ava’s mom rubbed her shoulder in attempts to keep her calm. Matt couldn’t believe how under control she seemed after being attacked. It was just like Ava to put others before herself.

“I can send an officer to her house, but I’m not leaving you.”

Tears filled her eyes as he reached up to stroke her cheek with his thumb. Lightly tracing the bruise he swiped a tear that escaped down the outside of her face.

“Please, Matt. Do everything you can to help her. I’m fine, really.” A slight grin lightened her eyes in hopes to convince him. “Kim needs you.”

Matt stood, stretching his aching muscles from his workout earlier in the day. They were both too stubborn to have this conversation right now. Did she not understand the depth of the danger she had been in?

He figured Ray just wanted to scare her enough to back off. But he could have, without much effort, done so much more damage than a bruise and a sore jaw.

Matt suppressed a humorless chuckle to himself. Ava was a spitfire. Ray probably realized as he jumped in blindly that Ava was a force to be reckoned with. She stood up for what was right, for those she loved. Pity the fool that tried to butt heads with her.

Which brought him back to the conversation at hand.
The one he would lose if he didn’t think a little faster on his feet.

“I know you think you are fine, babe, but the shock will wear off.”

Ava stood and pulled him into the short hallway that split the bedrooms to keep their conversation semiprivate … or so he could save face. She reached up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, placing the good side of her face against his.

“Thank you for loving me so deeply and always wanting to protect me.” Her words trickled out, barely above a whisper. She leaned back and he took a moment to savor the love her eyes radiated toward him. “But I am fine. Plus, my family is here and I’m pretty sure my brothers could take on an army right about now.”

He was still in disbelief that she was okay. That the drama she experienced didn’t rattle her more. Matt was sure her fear for Kim ranked higher than her own. Defeat exhaled out with his sigh while he nodded his agreement. In his heart he wanted to be here with Ava, but it was his job, his duty, to check on Kim.

“Okay. I’ll go. But you have to promise to call if you need me.”

“Deal.” She brushed his lips with hers as she repositioned back into hugging him tightly. “Thank you,” her breath tickled his ear as she spoke.

After a quick conversation with her family and his pointed recommendation that someone stay with her until he could return, he left, reassuring them that he would call with an update.

Once inside his squad car he decided to call dispatch and get a cruiser to Kim’s house just to be safe since traffic was heavy at this time of day.

His heart sank when dispatch replied that an officer had been called to that address fifteen minutes earlier. He should go back inside and let Ava know, but he didn’t want to add anymore unneeded stress to her day. He would go and check out Kim’s house first, find out why they had been called, and then let Ava in the loop.

Matt prayed for Kim as he merged into traffic. At this moment it was the best and only thing he could do for her. “Lord, help us not to be too late. Keep Kim safe. Protect her.” His prayer bounced around in the empty space of his interior.

Matt pulled into Kim’s driveway fifteen minutes later. An ambulance parked in front of her house along with two other squad cars. As he rushed up to the front door he noticed an officer talking to the next door neighbor. He made a mental note to find out what information she gave in her statement. The front door hung open and Matt rushed in. The EMTs had just loaded Kim onto a gurney and were strapping her down.

Matt turned his head away at the sight of Kim. It wasn’t often that a domestic abuse made him nauseous, but the surprise of seeing Kim’s battered body made him want to fall to his knees and lose his lunch. At least she wasn’t zipped up in a black body bag, but by the looks of things, she wasn’t far from it.

Matt caught the attention of the middle-aged EMT woman whose skin turned paler by the minute. “How is she?”

“Critical. Many broken bones, low blood pressure, probably internal bleeding.” She secured the last strap and looked up at her partner. “All set. Let’s roll.”

Matt backed out of their way as they wheeled Kim out to the ambulance. As they closed the doors, he made his way outside and walked around to the side to jump in on the neighbor’s statement. The elderly woman had a plump figure that reminded him of his belated grandma. The woman wrung her hands together as she spoke.

Matt walked into the conversation mid-sentence, “… and then I saw him run out the back door and into the street behind our houses and leave in his truck.”

“How long ago did that happen?” the officer asked.

“Right about the time I heard the sirens.”

“What color was the attacker’s truck?”

“A rusty red color, I believe. It was too far away for me to give you a make or license plate number.”

“That’s okay. Can you tell us what he was wearing?”

She paused, taking a moment to remember. “I think he had on jeans and a gray T-shirt, with a navy blue or black baseball hat on. I’m sorry, it all just happened so fast.”

Matt looked down at the officer’s tablet, cheating by taking a peek at her name. “Mrs.
Marron, I’m Sergeant Thompson.” He stuck out his hand for her to shake. “You are doing a great job and we appreciate any information you can give us. Can you tell me if the man you saw running away from here was the same guy who’d been currently living here, or was it someone different?”

“I … um … can’t say for sure. I didn’t get a good look at his face because of the hat. But the truck looked like the man’s that lived here. I never met him. Only saw him from a distance.” Tears pooled in her eyes. “I knew that poor girl was in trouble, I should have called for help sooner than today. I didn’t want to be a nosy neighbor.”

Matt wondered how many other situations could have been stopped if someone had stood up and said something. How many lives would be changed right now if someone had the courage to speak up? Domestic abuse usually stayed a hidden lifestyle. Many people could cover the secret with finesse while neighbors, family members, and friends were left in the dark. Some may have an idea, but not enough to approach. It was a fine line that many people never crossed.

The other officer spoke up, “Mrs.
Marron, you have done great. You probably saved Miss Davis’s life by calling the police when you heard her screaming. Today you were her hero.”

Matt excused himself to take a walk around the outskirts of Kim’s property. After rounding the house twice to look for anything out of place and also to blow off some steam, he ventured back into the house to see how things progressed inside. The technicians had started their search for fingerprints and any fibers that would testify as to who was here. Their prime suspect would be Ray, but in case Kim didn’t make it or was unable to tell them her attacker, they needed evidence to insure he would be punished for his crime.

Matt needed to call and check up on Ava. But if he called to get an update on her, she would want one on Kim. A lump grew in his throat as he envisioned having to share this news with her. She would be crushed.

Matt stroked his face, debating on the best plan of action. He wasn’t needed here. There wasn’t much more he could add that someone else wasn’t doing. He would just be in the way. Plus, his procrastination wasn’t going to make the blow any less painful for Ava. Making his way outside, he took a few minutes to regroup with the officer that had taken the neighbor’s statement. An alert had gone out for the arrest of Ray as a suspect. The search for him was already set in motion.

As he climbed into his car he decided to run to the hospital to get an update on Kim before he faced the dreaded task of telling Ava what horror had befallen her friend.

Matt and Ava walked the halls at the hospital, waiting to hear a report about Kim’s surgery. The ER had been unexpectedly busy for the early morning hours and Ava jumped at the chance to get some space and finally move to a private waiting room near the surgical floor.

When Matt had told her about Kim, she’d broken down and cried while he held her. In his line of work he oftentimes had to be the bearer of bad news to people, but to give it to someone he loved and cherished was an emotion he had yet to encounter.

When her door swung open he had tried to ignore how vulnerable Ava looked, engulfed in an oversized robe with fuzzy slippers peeking out from underneath. Being the first time he’d seen her without makeup or her hair done, she was still a breath of fresh air.

Over the last couple of hours determination had replaced Ava’s earlier sadness. A new strength sprouted from her as she prepared to support her new friend.

They passed a coffee stand just outside the cafeteria. “Can I get you another cup of coffee?” Matt asked while he wrapped his hand around her icy fingers.

“Sure. My first cup is wearing off.” He caught her yawning as he filled her cup. The coffee had a burnt aftertaste, but the caffeine would do its job and bring her back to life. The steam whirled from the top as he handed her the Styrofoam cup filled with rejuvenation.

“How are you holding up?” Matt rubbed her arm, fighting the urge to wrap her in his arms, but this was not the place or time.

“I just can’t believe this is happening, Matt. Kim was finally getting her life together.”

“I know.” They stepped to the side to allow two nurses to pass through the hallway. He still wore his uniform and picked up on the looks it created.

“Any news on Ray yet?” With Ray still on the run, yet to be caught, Matt felt unsettled by the fact that he could be anywhere. Especially since he had already gone after Ava once.

“Not yet. Will you please reconsider getting a restraining order and lying low until he is caught? It would keep a few gray hairs away from me.”

She smirked while running her fingers through his hair. “I don’t think Ray cares about me. He just wanted to scare me. He is probably more concerned about getting out of town than coming after me.”

“Ava, that man is crazy. We can’t predict what he will do.”

She blew lightly across the top of her coffee and took a small sip. She took a deep breath, taking her time to answer. He couldn’t tell if her delay came as a good sign or not. Ava had a stubborn streak in her.

“Okay, I will file the restraining order, keep a low profile, and see if one of my brothers will move in to my apartment with me until Ray is found.”

He breathed his first sigh of relief since the moment he heard what Ray had done to her. “Thank you.”

“I figure that’s the advice I would give Kim, so I should probably take it myself.” Her eyes began to mist at the mention of Kim’s name.

“Hey.” He lifted her chin with his finger, careful not to touch the bruise staring back at him, reminding him, haunting him, that he hadn’t been there to protect her. “Kim is a strong woman and she can still turn this around.” He threw all caution to the wind and leaned into her, invading her space. “I happen to know an incredible woman who took the broken pieces of her life and built a stronger one in its place.”

He kissed her with a gentle touch and yet
long enough for her to get the point. Ava cleared her throat. “This woman must have had an amazing, good looking, and supportive man to help her along the way.”

“Ah, he was just along for the ride.”

“You’re being very modest, Sergeant Thompson.” Her eyes sparkled while they flirted. She traced her fingers over the detail in his uniform.

“No, I’m just in love.”

“Oh Matthew.” She spoke his name with a tenderness that gripped his heart. He had so much he wanted to share with her, but a sterile hallway with an audience didn’t seem very romantic. He put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her head while leading them down toward the elevators. “Come on, let’s go check on Kim.”

They arrived at the waiting room and met Kim’s sister, Stephanie
, who had just gotten into town and informed them that she was taking Tessa back with her until Ray was caught. Once things settled down she would bring Tessa back and help out while Kim recuperated.

The doctor walked in briskly after 4:00 a.m. and said the surgery went well and that they were able to stop the internal bleeding. Kim would be in pain for a while because of her broken ribs, arm and leg, and until the swelling went down around her right eye, they wouldn’t know how much vision she’d lost from the blows. The doctor seemed optimistic about sending her home in the next few days. They had Kim in recovery and a nurse said she’d come and get them when she was awake and ready for visitors.

That time came just before the sun started to rise. They stood outside Kim’s door while Stephanie took the first visit so she could get back to Kim’s house and clean up the remains of the horrendous night before Tessa got home.

Now that Kim was out of surgery and coherent, they were able to get her statement to confirm what they already knew. Ray had attacked her. An officer took up post guarding the door until Ray was
in custody. They would not take any chances of Ray coming back to finish the job. He hoped that Ava understood the precautions they took for Kim and wouldn’t give him grief when he encouraged those precautions for her also. She seemed on board … for now.

Ava looked up at Matt through bloodshot eyes. Exhaustion laced her movements. She would need a day to recuperate from being up all night. He didn’t weather as rough from sleepless nights like she did. It wasn’t uncommon for him to miss a night of sleep. And he wouldn’t sleep well until they found Ray and had him locked away.

“Would it be okay if I went in by myself to talk with Kim?” Ava asked. Her determination had returned and he wasn’t up for an argument. The sight of Kim would be terrible, but it wasn’t his decision as to whether Ava could handle the sight alone.

“Sure. I need to make a few calls anyway. I’ll be down at the end of the hall if you need me.” He brushed his thumb along her cheek and reluctantly left her side.

Ava watched Matt walk away and wondered if she was crazy to do this alone. Stephanie came out of the room and stopped her from calling Matt back. Kim was awake and asking for her. With a final glance at Matt, deep in discussion on his cell phone, she made her way into the room and took the empty chair by the bed.

Kim’s right eye was matted shut by the swelling. Her face was also swollen with bruises and cuts, concealing the beauty she once held. A blanket covered her battered body. Ava sighed in relief. It was hard enough to see her face. She couldn’t imagine what her body looked like.

“Ava?” Kim mumbled, only able to open her swollen mouth a small amount from the left side. She opened her good eye with effort and fixed her gaze on Ava.

“Right here, Kim.”

“I’m sorry Ray came after you. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“I do. This is all my fault.” Her voice caught.

“I would do it all over again to help you, Kim. Please don’t blame yourself.”

“I’ve made a horrible mess of my life. Is God punishing me?”

“Oh Kim, that’s not how God works. He loves you and out of that love gives us all the freedom to make our own choices. Sometimes bad consequences come from poor choices and sometimes bad things happen to make us work at becoming a better person.”

“I’ve made so many bad choices in my life and it seems even my good choices turn against me.” A monitor went off which sent a nurse rushing in to check her vitals. Ava took the moment to collect her thoughts.

Ava waited until the nurse left to keep their conversation private. “You’re a strong woman,
Kim, you can turn your life around.” Matt’s words echoed in her thoughts.

“Where do I go from here?” She coughed and groaned from the pain. Ava fed her ice chips to help with her dry mouth.

“You take time to heal and then face one day at a time. You no longer have to live in fear, and that’s a great place to start.”

Rebuilding her life would not be easy and many obstacles would be in her way, but Matt told her that once they found Ray he would be locked up for a long time. Without him around, Kim would be able to rest and get back on her feet quickly. She was finally free from a life of bondage.

“Can I still come to the abuse support group at your church?”

“Yes, that would be great. You can continue your counseling that will help you through this transition and they will work with you to find a new job.”

The group had a good success rate for helping woman rebuild their lives. It took a lot of work, but watching the women walk away with their heads held high made it all worthwhile.

Ava already expected to spend some time with Tessa, working through these last few months and helping her cope with the fear she experienced.

Kim turned her head away from Ava. Her soft sobs caused her body to shake under the blanket. The tortured woman was in pain, physically and emotionally.

“Will I ever find someone that will truly love me for me? My father left me, my husband left me, and now I can add Ray to my pile of pitiful men,” Kim cried out miserably.

Ava’s heart ached for Kim. On a much lesser scale, she understood her pain of rejection. Thankfully she had her family and friends to help her through the darkest time of her life. She also served a God of comfort who loved her without end. She wished Kim could understand how much the Lord really loved her.

“Kim, you’re going to find a great man someday who will deserve all you have to offer. There is someone, however, that already loves you unconditionally until the end of time, without any strings attached.”

Ava wasn’t swift on her feet with witnessing. She usually took the path of becoming a friend first and then sharing who God was to her. Someday she would share about her journey with Tim and how God had given her another chance at love with Matt, but that day was not today.

“God?”

“Yes.”

“You really think He could love someone like me?”

“Absolutely, and if you allow Him, He will show you how wonderful you are. He made you, Kim, and He’s a very proud Father of His children.”

God’s love was hard to fathom at times and Ava had to work through a lot in the last two years to understand herself how much worth she really held.

“Can you tell me a little more about God?”

Kim’s interest in God excited Ava. This was the best path she could take to turn her life around. She set her purse down on the floor and settled back against the chair for the long haul. She’d spend all day here if that’s what it took.