He held me for a few long moments and I closed my eyes, letting him be my strength. At the rattle of an IV pole’s wheels, I pulled away. A man in a hospital gown and robe emerged from his room next door in slippered feet.
“Want to say hi to Pops?” I asked.
“Definitely.” He clamped my hand in his, holding it tight, like he had last night. Like he knew I needed it.
When we’d arrived, Pops had been in the emergency room. After the doctors had felt confident that the heart attack had passed, they’d whisked him away for a series of tests. It had taken hours, and Griffin had stayed by my side in the waiting room, holding my hand through every minute.
Frank had stayed too, and whatever animosity the two of them had for each other, they’d put away for the night. Clearly, the truce had ended sometime after they’d settled Pops into an overnight room and I’d insisted Griffin go home.
“Hey, Covie.” Griffin didn’t let go of my hand as we walked into the room. He just used his other one to shake Pops’s hand. “How are you feeling today?”
“Better. I’m in good hands with your sister as my doctor.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Griff said.
I moved to sit on the edge of the bed by my grandfather’s feet, but the minute my butt touched the white blanket, Pops pointed to the door.
“Out. Go. Now.” He snapped his fingers.
“After you eat your breakfast.”
He scowled, and when I didn’t budge, he knew I wasn’t going to be swayed. I wanted to stick around to help with his meal and hopefully Frank would come back. I wanted to find out why he was so opposed to Talia. It didn’t make sense and I didn’t want him putting unnecessary doubts in Pops’s head either.
“You guys need me to bring you anything?” Griffin asked.
“No.” I yawned again.
“Go home, Winnie,” Pops pleaded. “I’m fine.”
“I will soon,” I promised.
“I’m going to get out of the way so you can get some rest, Covie.” Griffin clapped a hand on my grandpa’s shoulder. “Glad you’re doing okay.”
“Me too,” Pops said.
“I’ll walk you out.” I stood from the bed on heavy legs and went with Griffin to the hallway.
“Don’t stay too long.” He touched the freckles on my nose.
“I won’t. I’m going to head home and shower and take a power nap.”
“Then you’re going to work before coming back here.”
I cocked my head. “Am I really that predictable?”
“Yes.” He bent to kiss my forehead. “Call me later.”
“I will.” I waited as he walked down the hallway, disappearing through the same door where Frank had bolted earlier. When it closed behind him, I gave myself a moment to feel worn down.
Three heartbeats. Four. Then the sound of footsteps forced me to turn around.
“Hey, Frank.” I didn’t force cheer into my voice because well . . . he’d irritated me. I was grateful that he’d found Pops on the couch. That when Pops had told him he was having chest pains, he hadn’t delayed or waited to see if they’d pass. He’d simply loaded my grandfather into his car and driven him to the hospital.
But did he have to cause drama? Today?
He read the irritation on my face—I was too tired to do a decent job disguising it. “Griffin told you I asked for another doctor besides Talia, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he did. Why? We met with her and she seems quite capable.”
“She’s not a real doctor.”
“She’s a resident.”
“Which is basically an intern. Don’t you want him to have the best?”
“Of course I do.” But I was also trusting the hospital to know how to appropriately handle staffing. It was the same respect I appreciated with my own position.
“Then don’t let the Edens fool you. I don’t know what you’ve got going on with Griffin.” Frank spat his name. “Just . . . be careful. Stay on guard.”
I blinked. “On guard. Against what?”
Frank glanced over his shoulder, making sure we were alone. Then he inched closer and lowered his voice. “Griffin’s worked his way through plenty of women in this town. And outside.”
I frowned. This was not something I needed to think about today. Or ever. But before I could tell Frank that was my problem, not his, he kept talking.
“Briggs beat his wife. That’s why she left him.”
The wheels of my mind screeched to a stop. “What?”
“She was Rain’s best friend. It took her a long time to confess that he was abusive. She came over one night crying. Told Rain everything. The next day, she was gone.”
“Gone? Where?”
“I don’t know, Winnie. She left. It was a long time ago, but that’s why I’m telling you to be careful. Maybe she left him and needed to sever all connections to Quincy. But Rain was devastated. She lost her best friend. And there was nothing she could do to Briggs.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Anything else?”
“Other than the fact that he’s losing his damn mind and no one seems to care that he drives around town with rifles in his truck window? No.”
So Griffin and his family weren’t the only ones who’d noticed Briggs’s dementia. I kept my mouth shut because it wasn’t my business.
Frank put his hand on my shoulder. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m all right. Tired.”
“How about you head on home? I’ll stick with Covie for a while.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. But maybe charge your phone so I can actually get ahold of you if something happens.”
I nodded. As of last night, I vowed to never let that phone go dead again.
The two of us walked into Pops’s room, and after a long hug goodbye, I left him with Frank and headed for the parking lot.
Except the moment I slid behind the wheel, my brain decided to go into hyperdrive. There’d be no napping, not after what Frank had just told me.
Was Frank just out to create drama today? Or had Briggs abused his wife? Griff had been so forthcoming about Briggs’s dementia. Why wouldn’t he mention anything about Briggs’s ex-wife? Unless maybe Griff didn’t know. Depending on when Briggs had been married, that might have been when Griffin was a little kid.
But Briggs was the only person who lived anywhere near Indigo Ridge. His mental health was deteriorating, and if he had a history of violence, well . . . that changed everything.
I pulled out of the parking lot and drove to the station. Word around Quincy had traveled fast and I was inundated with questions about Pops when I walked through the door. Janice was practically in a panic.
After assuring everyone that he was fine, I retreated to my office, where I closed the door and logged on to my computer.
Pulling a background check on Briggs Eden felt like a betrayal. My skin crawled as it loaded and I squirmed in my seat. But the moment the report appeared on my screen, I began sifting through the information.
Birthdate. Addresses. Phone numbers. Known relations. And then the criminal record.
It was empty. No domestic abuse. No speeding tickets. Not even a parking ticket in the past ten years.