Wounded (In My Dreams) (2 page)

“She’s right,” the attendant shouted as she came out the open door. “He just saved us. The bastard who pointed a gun at me is waking up.” She stepped aside and let the two policemen—one who had been holding me—rush past her.

The other policeman let up on my savior, and when I glanced at the soldier, his eyes were focused directly at me.

“It’s going to be okay,” I swore to him. As the police settled the confusion, I finally had a moment to notice more than his eyes. His cammies were tattered and dirty, his hair longer than regulation, and I wasn’t sure the military allowed that much facial hair.

He definitely wasn’t active duty.

“Sorry for the confusion, sir,” the first policeman said to my savior as he came out the door with the gunman, dragging him along in handcuffs. They let the soldier go and I immediately shoved past the cop to the man.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Do you need an ambulance?” I rambled, reaching out to touch the bruise on his cheek. He flinched away and I saw the fear in his eyes. “Hey, it’s okay. You just saved me and probably others. I won’t let them take you away.”

He gave the barest of nods but still didn’t say anything.

“Ma’am, do you know this guy?”

“No,” I snapped, shooting the cop an annoyed look. “If I did, I’d be using his name.”

“I’m just trying to do my job here, ma’am.”

“Then do it and don’t be stupid about it.” I saw anger flash in the man’s eyes and realized it might be time to tone back my annoyance.

“What’s your name, sir?” the policeman asked my hero. The guy glanced at me and then slowly pulled out his wallet, offering it to me. “Sir, are you injured?”

“Jasper Hutson,” I answered for him once I quickly got the wallet open. Then I handed it back to the man and watched him tuck it in his back pocket. “Jasper, are you hurt?”

He shook his head.

The cop walked over to his cruiser and I got the feeling he was running Jasper’s name instead of that being our signal we could leave.

“And then that woman brutally shoved our child and
hurt
her,” someone rambled inside.

“Oh
hell
no,” I drawled as I stepped back into the gas station. “Ask why I would have pushed their kid? Maybe because they weren’t watching her in the middle of an armed robbery and the girl was running
towards
the gunman.” I narrowed my eyes at the bitch. “Nice you went after your own kid. You just sat there and let her draw attention to herself. What kind of parents are you?”

“We would have,” the man argued. “You just got to her first. You didn’t have to hurt her.”

I shook my head and pointed to the back security camera. “Everything that happened will be on there. I didn’t assault a kid.” The cop who’d been taking their statement nodded. By now there were police everywhere. I glanced outside and saw there was an ambulance. I walked the ten feet to it and waved one of the EMTs to me. He gave me a funny look—something I was getting used to that day—and hurried over.

“Are you injured, ma’am?” he asked as he studied me closely.

“No, but in my attempt to keep this little girl out of harm’s way, I apparently savagely injured her when I shoved her back to safety. Can you check her out while I’m here, with witnesses, that she’s
fine
, please?”

He nodded and knelt by the girl, much to the annoyance and complaining of the parents. The young policeman who’d been taking their statement was having trouble keeping his face plain.

“Nice call. They just look like they’re trying to cash in because
nothing
happened to them,” a policewoman muttered to me as she walked by. “You probably just saved yourself a frivolous lawsuit by thinking ahead.”

“They heard me say I was an author. Some people are ignorant and think that automatically makes me a millionaire or some shit. I’ve learned to cover my ass
real
fast.”

She shook her head and jotted down some notes. “I hear ya. You wouldn’t believe the things people try to say we do or accuse us of to get a quick handout from the city to make it all go away.”

“Most people suck.” We both let out a snort, old enough to know that really was true. But then I glanced at Jasper, his eyes studying me. I very graciously blurted out whatever came to my mind next, his staring making me feel unnerved somehow. “Not you. You’re awesome and a hero. I like you.”

I couldn’t tell with all that facial hair, but it almost looked like a half smile crossed his lips for a second.

But just a second. Man, he really,
really
had to be having a rough time to be in this state.

A few moments later, the EMT cleared the girl as being completely fine and healthy—and like a proper understanding gentleman, he even gave that to me in writing.

“By the way, you’re welcome,” I said to the parents, disgust in my tone. “I could have been shot trying to save
your
child. And all you can do is sit here and bitch she’s got a bruised knee. So do I and I wouldn’t have had it if you’d
held onto her
. Go take a parenting class and stop pointing the finger at everyone else because you suck.”

“That’s not—”

“Let’s take a walk,” the nice policewoman suggested as she led me back outside. “I’d really hate to have to lock you up for the pounding you were looking like you were going to give them. Even if they deserved it.”

“No, fighting is wrong,” I snickered, completely tired of all of this and wanting to go home.

“He’s homeless. He’s got some citations for loitering, sleeping in parks, basics like that,” the policeman who’d gone to check up on Jasper admitted, frowning. “Do you want us to take you to a shelter in Omaha?”

Jasper’s eyes bugged out and he looked like he was ready to bolt.

“Hey, you don’t have to,” I quickly told him, holding my hands out in between us. He nodded slightly and seemed to settle down then.

We spent the next twenty minutes being questioned and the whole time Jasper wouldn’t leave my side.

“Sir, we need a number to reach you at,” the policeman sighed as if realizing that was a pointless statement if Jasper was homeless. “A way to get in contact with you if we need more information or for you to testify.”

“You have security footage for that,” I argued, overwhelmingly protective of my rescuer. “You really think he’s able to testify in court?”

Jasper shot me a hurt look and then hung his head. I still don’t know what came over me in that moment—insanity maybe? Psychotic empathy? I might have said instant trust, but I didn’t believe in such a thing.

“Jasper will be at the same number as me,” I told the police officer as I stood up. Jasper’s head shot up and he blinked at me. “Do you want to come stay with me?”

He nodded and slowly got to his feet as if worried I might change my mind if he startled me.

“Okay, well do you have a bag or anything? We can swing by a shelter or whatever you need.”

He shook his head before going back inside the gas station. Which part was he saying
no
to?

“Are you insane?” the cop hissed at me. “You don’t know this man. He’s clearly got issues and—”

“And we all do,” I drawled, rolling my eyes so he could see it. “The guy just saved my
life
. I seriously don’t think hurting me is on his agenda.”

The police office muttered some unkind words about me under his breath, but I ignored him as I waited for Jasper.

“I could use some help around my house,” I told Jasper when he rejoined me, military bag over his shoulder. “If you stay with me, you have to pitch in, okay?”

He nodded and followed after me as I headed to my 2008 G6. I unlocked it with the key, cursing the stupid, broken fob. Once I got in, I hit the locks and cleaned as much of my crap off the passenger seat of as I could. He stowed his bag in the backseat, and before he could get in, I hopped back out.

“Go ahead and get in,” I told him when he looked at me funny. “I forgot I dropped my wallet inside with all the confusion.” I jogged back in, grateful it was behind the condiment rack, and hurried outside again before Jasper bolted. Then I got in my car and started it up. “Are you hungry? I could eat. Maybe not a lot after all of this, but yeah, it’s lunchtime.”

Truth be told, I wasn’t hungry at all, but I figured he had to be starving if he was homeless and hadn’t been staying at a shelter. I waited until he nodded and started the car. There was a strip mall with a bunch of options a few blocks away and I figured that was the best bet.

“How about Taco Bell? Nothing says tacos like a robbery,” I joked, wanting to smack myself. “Sorry, I ramble when I’m nervous.” He nodded and I pulled into the drive-thru. “How about just a variety pack of tacos? Is that okay?” Again, he nodded. I had a feeling communicating with him wasn’t going to be the easiest thing, but for some strange reason, I was more patient with him than I was most people.

I wasn’t really
known
for my patience though.

Deciding to order two family packs just in case, I added a large Baja Blast Mountain Dew. Hey, I never did get my coffee and that was like the best Mountain Dew ever. “You want one?”

He gave me the barest of smiles when he nodded this time. I wasn’t sure why, but at least it wasn’t a frown. I added one to the order for him and pulled up, paying before accepting the food and passing it to him. I figured since his hands were full, I’d put the straws in the drinks.

That
got a reaction. He grabbed one from the cup holder and started slurping it down through the straw.

“I’m an idiot,” I groaned as I pulled around. “Of course you’re thirsty. Sorry. I’m a little out of my depth here. I’ve never befriended someone homeless.”

“Thank you,” he croaked. I almost swerved the car he’d startled me so badly.

I winced and glanced at him at the stoplight. “Jesus, that sounded like it hurt. So you can talk, it’s just it hurts to because you’re dehydrated?”

He nodded as he sighed, almost as if glad we were on the same page. Another thing hit me. I was a total bitch.

“Thank you for saving me,” I whispered, mortified I’d not said it sooner. “Thank you for saving my life. I have more to live and I’m grateful you gave me that.”

“You’re welcome.”

I shot him a smile but then the light turned green. We didn’t say anything the twenty minute ride back to my place which was amazing for me, since I normally couldn’t shut my trap when I was nervous. But
he
didn’t make me nervous, oddly enough. It was figuring out how to help him and worrying I was doing something wrong when we interacted that concerned me.

Totally bizarre.

“So I kind of live out in the middle of nowhere,” I warned him as I turned in the back way to my subdivision. “I mean, it’s not soy farm territory, but you saw the one farm over there and the sod farm on the other side. This is kinda the last civilization
before
middle of nowhere I guess. But it’s definitely rural, and the golf course runs through the subdivision. I wanted some quiet, maybe find some peace, so it seemed like a smart move. The internet sucks though. That’s the one main thing I hate. I mean, it
really
sucks.

“And the company doesn’t care that it sucks. It’s the only option out here and they know it, so they’re really big assholes when it goes out and you call to complain. As if they’re doing you a favor by letting us have
any
internet.” I sighed as I turned onto my street. “And I’m rambling again. Sorry. Just really annoys.”

I pulled into my driveway and put my car in park. We got out and he shook his drink when he saw the garbage cans.

It was empty. Wow, he really had been thirsty.

I lifted the lid, and he tossed it in, giving me a nod. Then I took the food from him and my drink, while he grabbed his bag. Okay, the polite thing to do would have been to offer him my Baja Blast as well… But I really wanted it. And I had tons of drinks inside. I kinda thought tea might be better for a crazy sore voice box or whatever it was called anyways.

And I really wanted my Baja Blast.

We went in through the garage, Jasper glancing around at everything. “It’s nice.”

“Thanks. I live alone so there’s shit pretty much everywhere. I’ve not even finished unpacking yet and furnishing the whole house.”

“You moved recently?”

“Um, no, almost a year ago,” I chuckled, shaking my head as I locked up behind us. “Just a lot going on and a lot to do by myself. I’ve not been feeling well, run-down and exhausted for months. I gained a bunch of weight, and I’m having trouble getting motivated. It just all seems like so much to take on alone, that I end up taking a nap instead. I was at the doctor’s trying to figure out if it’s my thyroid or what when I stopped on the way home for gas.”

“I’m glad you did.” I slowly turned to him with a raised eyebrow. His eyes went wide as he realized how that sounded. “Because we met. Not so you’d get hurt.”

“Right, gotcha,” I accepted, laughing it off. I guess it was understandable from his perspective. If I hadn’t been there and he hadn’t saved me, he’d probably be sleeping on the ground in a park that night. I internally winced. Yeah, I’d be happy to have met me too.