Dylan's Redemption (33 page)

“He will be. Give us Will.
You
can go.” Martha dismissed her.

“No. Dylan doesn’t want you to have Will. I’m not leaving him with you when I don’t know how Dylan is doing, or how long he’ll be in the hospital. Just let me see him.” Her heart pounded. She needed to get into that room and see for herself that he was okay. He needed her. She had to tell him how much she loved him.

Her heart thundered so hard in her chest that it echoed in her ears. The panic rose up and choked her.

Robert flagged down a nurse. “Please call security. This woman isn’t family and refuses to release our grandson to us.”

“Mr. McBride, don’t do this. Dylan would want me here,” she pleaded.

“The way I see it, it’s because of you our son refuses to see us, or allow us to see our grandson. He treats his mother as if she doesn’t exist.”

“That’s her fault, not mine. She kept your granddaughter from you, from Dylan.”

“If she was our granddaughter,” he accused.

His eyes betrayed the lie he just told. Easier to brush aside the truth than believe his wife did something so heinous. She could talk until blue in the face, but he refused to listen. They would never let her see Dylan. They’d moved him into a regular room, not the ICU. She had to believe that was a good sign. She’d come back later. No one would keep her and Will from him.

She turned on her heel and walked away, trying to think what to do next. Maybe she’d call Dylan’s lawyer cousin, Owen. He’d know what to do. If nothing else, he’d get her into the room.

Both Martha and Robert yelled, “Come back here! You can’t take Will.” She ignored them and walked straight into the elevator with Will safe and secure in her arms.

“We’ll come back and see Daddy in a little while,” she assured him, hugging him close.

Will held on to her, his face buried in her neck. She tried to stop thinking all the horrible thoughts she conjured about Dylan lying in that hospital bed. Alone. She never even got a glimpse of him. She didn’t know if he was just resting or seriously hurt. Sick to her stomach, she didn’t want to leave, but she had to think of Will and take care of him. An all-out yelling match with Dylan’s parents in front of Will would only make things worse.

She stepped off the elevator into the lobby. Several security and police officers waited by the double doors leading out of the emergency room. They turned to her, making her extremely nervous. They drew their guns, sending a lightning bolt of fear through her system. She held Will securely to her chest and tried to protect him with her arms.

“Hold it right there!” one of the officers yelled. “Put the boy down and walk toward me.”

“What is this about? This is Sheriff McBride’s son. He left him in my care today.” Nothing but a misunderstanding—they’d check with Dylan, or his office. Everyone would tell him it was okay for Will to be with her.

“Put the boy down and step toward me,” the officer repeated. They meant business. They wouldn’t let her leave with Will. Resigned, brokenhearted, defeated, she knew what she had to do, but she hated feeling helpless to stop this. She hated even more putting Will through this. She loved him and would protect him with her life.

“Mommy, I want to stay with you.” Will clung to her, trembling in her arms, scared of all the men with guns pointed at them.

“I have to put you down.” She’d let him go to keep him safe, but it crushed her heart to do it.

His father was in the hospital, his grandparents made a scene upstairs, and now these officers trained their guns on them. She’d sort this out once the guns were put away.

The McBrides rushed down the hallway right toward the officers. Martha called out, “Stop her. Don’t let her take my grandson.”

“Will, honey, listen to me carefully. I want you to walk to that policeman right there.” She chose the officer closest to her, who didn’t have a weapon drawn. She bent to put Will down and kissed his temple. “I love you, honey. You’ll be okay. They’ll take you to see your Daddy.”

Will went to the officer, but turned back to her, his eyes round, sad, and filled with unshed tears. She’d never forgive the McBrides for doing this to him and her. It broke her heart to see the little boy so sad and confused.

She dropped her purse to the floor and put her arms out from her sides. The officers rushed her, taking hold of her, pulling her arms behind her back and cuffing her. Resignation kicked in. She wouldn’t get to see Dylan. Worse, Will watched them arrest her, tears streaming down his chubby cheeks. The cuffs bit into her wrists and she didn’t feel anything but overwhelming anger and sadness. The officer handed Will over to his grandmother.

“Mommy! Mommy!” He held his arms out to her, screaming for her. Martha and Robert walked away with him and another officer. She vaguely heard the officer leading her out of the hospital say she was being charged with kidnapping before he read her her rights.

Her thoughts stayed with Will and Dylan.

I love you. Please be okay.

That phrase became her mantra as they drove her to jail and booked her for the kidnapping of Will McBride, the boy who should be her son. She decided then and there, as soon as she saw Dylan again, she’d demand they get married. She’d call Owen and find out how to adopt Will as her own. No one would keep her from Dylan or Will ever again.

Right now, his parents would direct his care. Dylan would want her there. He’d want her to take care of him.

This was the second time she’d been powerless to go up against Martha McBride. She wouldn’t let this happen again.

Chapter Thirty-Four

“S
HERIFF
D
YLAN
. Y
OU
have to wake up, Sheriff.”

Dylan opened his eyes enough to see Lynn beside his bed. His parents had been there earlier. He heard them talking and ignored them. He wanted Jessie. He hadn’t heard her or seen her the few times he’d woken up in the night. Why wasn’t Jessie here with him? He needed to see her face. He hurt everywhere and knew if he could just see her, hold her hand, he’d feel better.

“Sheriff, you have to wake up. They arrested Jessie.”

That terrible news came through the haze loud and clear. He opened his eyes wide. He squinted at the light and pain shot through his head due to the concussion. “What?” he croaked out, sounding funny, even to his own ears.

“Oh, thank God, Sheriff Dylan, you’re awake.”

“What about Jessie? Why isn’t she here?”

“She came last night. No one called her when you got hurt. She called the office looking for you, and I told her what happened. She came down here with Will.”

“Slow down. Where is she? I haven’t seen her.”

“She’s in jail. They arrested her.”

Dylan had trouble following Lynn. His head hurt, but it got better the longer he stayed awake. “Why the hell did they arrest her?”

“For kidnapping Will.”

He sat up and grabbed her wrist with his good hand. The other was strapped into a brace that went nearly to his elbow. “What do you mean, kidnapped Will? Where is Will?”

“He’s with your parents. They had her arrested for kidnapping him. I tried to talk to the officers at the police station, but they won’t budge. Your father has a lot of clout with the people of this town. They said your parents filed charges and insist she took Will against your and their wishes.”

“That’s crazy. You know I left Will with her.”

“They won’t listen to me, and with you lying in this hospital unconscious, they aren’t likely to change their minds. Your parents have been here all night. I couldn’t get to you. Will looks devastated.”

“You saw him? He was here?”

“Your parents just took him away a few minutes ago. I understand Jessie had Will in her arms when they arrested her downstairs at gunpoint. It’s all the hospital staff is talking about.”

“They drew their guns on her and my son.” He threw the covers off his legs and peeled the wires off his chest, setting off squealing alarms. He wore nothing but a hospital gown. “Find my clothes,” he barked, taking a moment to settle his spinning head by pressing the heel of his hand to his left eye just under the stitched cut that ran across his forehead along his hairline.

This can’t be happening.

He remembered Jessie telling him she never wanted to have someone she loved sick or hurt and her unable to do anything about it.

“Does she know what happened to me?”

“I told her you were in a car accident and you’d been hurt. I don’t think she knows the details. I heard a nurse say your parents wouldn’t let her in the room to see you.” She handed him his clothes and turned her back so he could dress. “Are you sure you should leave? I mean, you could just make a call to the police department and get them to drop the charges against her. They’ll let her out, and she can come here to you.”

“She’s been arrested and spent the night in jail. Do you think she’s going to rush down here to see me when my parents are the ones who put her there? Hell, she’s been there all night not knowing if I’m okay. She knows I didn’t want my parents around Will, and she had to give him up to them last night. This is such a fucking mess.” He tried to button his bloodstained shirt, but his swollen fingers didn’t work. He gave up and decided to just leave it half-done.

A nurse came into the room to check on him and why the monitor wasn’t registering his heartbeat any longer. “Sheriff, you have to get back into bed. You can’t leave. You have a concussion.”

“I’m leaving. I have to do something.”

“No. You can’t. I’m getting the doctor,” she said and fled the room.

He stomped his feet into his boots and took his hat from Lynn. “Let’s go.”

Lynn took his arm and helped him to the elevator and her car. Unsteady on his feet, he leaned heavily on the older woman.

“This is too much,” she said for the tenth time during the short drive to the police station. “I should take you back to the hospital. You look terrible.”

“Drive,” he ordered, refusing to let her turn around.

Dylan got out of the car and staggered before righting himself. Lynn held him around the waist. “Dylan, maybe this isn’t such a good idea. You should be in bed.”

“I agree. I’ll get Jessie and she can take me to bed.”

He managed to wink at her, even though he felt lightheaded and groggy.

“You’re fooling around now? Stop messing with me,” Lynn scoffed.

“Better that than tearing a hole in someone.” If his parents thought having Jessie arrested and taking Will would make him come around to their way of thinking, they had another think coming. Why would they do something this stupid and sure to piss him off?

“Well, you just keep your temper when we go in there, or they’ll arrest you too.”

“I’ll be good. I just want her back.”

“Well, let’s go get her.”

They walked up to the desk. “Where is Jessie Thompson being held?” he asked the Sergeant.

“You mean Langley?” At Dylan’s nod, the officer said, “She’s downstairs in a holding cell. You’ll want to check with the lieutenant in charge of the case.” The sergeant pointed to an office.

Dylan needed to get that Langley changed to McBride—fast.

He burst into the lieutenant’s office, shoving the door open and letting it bounce off the wall.

“I’ll have to call you back,” the lieutenant told the person on the phone. He hung up and stared up at Dylan standing over his desk. “I planned to come and see you today. How’re you feeling, Sheriff?”

“Like shit and getting worse the longer you hold my fiancée in a cell.”

“Well, now. I had a hunch something didn’t add up about her arrest. Your parents insisted the two of you weren’t seeing each other and she took Will to get back at you for the baby she lost several years ago.”

“That’s a load of bullshit. She and I have been seeing each other for months. We lost our baby about eight years ago, but she doesn’t have any hard feelings toward me. It’s my mother we’re both pissed at. My parents are just trying to keep us apart.” God, he felt like a teenager again, having to explain every damn thing he did. “I’ve denied them access to Will over the last few months. They’re angry at her because of it.” He hated having to explain himself and his life to a fellow officer, but he didn’t have a choice. He wanted Jessie out of jail. Now.

His mind didn’t work as fast as he’d like, but something occurred to him. “Why didn’t she call a lawyer and have him get her out of here?”

“She didn’t ask for a lawyer, just wanted to know if you’re all right. She said if you weren’t here today to call Owen McBride. After that, she exercised her right to remain silent, and we took her to a holding cell downstairs. We checked with the hospital and gave her an update on you last night. After that, she said you’d clear everything up when you were able and she’d wait.”

“She’s just going to sit in a cell and wait for me?”

“That’s what she said. I called the hospital this morning. They said you were still unconscious. I went down to see if she wanted to change her mind about the lawyer and told her you were still out cold. She hasn’t slept. She’s worried about you. She begged me to call and check on Will. I tried your parents earlier, but didn’t get an answer.”

“You need to let her out. Now. She didn’t kidnap my son. I left him with her yesterday.”

“He did,” Lynn confirmed, trying to help. “She came to the station and picked Will up. The sheriff knew she had him. They’ve been seeing each other for months now.”

Dylan wanted this to be over. He leaned heavily on the desk and got angrier by the minute. His head hurt, but his heart ached even more thinking of Jessie locked up and worried about him and Will.

The lieutenant picked up his phone and dialed. “This is Lieutenant Stowe. I’m sending Sheriff McBride downstairs to see Jessie Langley. We’ll release her as soon as I get the paperwork together.”

Dylan let out the breath he’d been holding and stood up to his full height. He extended his hand to the lieutenant and they shook. “I can’t thank you enough for not making this difficult.”

“I couldn’t imagine that woman stealing anyone’s child. She was more concerned about him than herself. I’m sorry your boy had to see the officers arrest her. I understand your son screamed for her all the way down the hall when your parents took him away. He yelled for his mommy. The officers suspected something wasn’t right when they heard him calling her that.”