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so much more .
    “Be careful,” Eddie warned. “This case is liable to get sticky enough without you becoming involved with the key witness.”
    “Don’t worry. There is zero danger of that happening.” No matter how bad he might want her, she would never forgive him. That ship had sailed and he’d blown it out of the water. He’d regret that for the rest of his life, but Eddie didn’t need to know that. If anything, that whole situation proved once again that he was better off alone. Toni couldn’t count on him.
    * * *
    Brian found Toni in the cafeteria, sipping a coffee, and reading an e-book. He bought a coffee and walked up to her table. “Can I join you?”
    She glanced up with a wary look in her eye that tore at his soul. “If you’re finished with Nathan, I need to go back to his room.”
    “It will just take a little bit. I need to tell you something.”
    “Okay.” She gave a reluctant nod. “But it needs to be quick because I don’t want to leave him alone for very long.”
    “Good book?”
    “Yeah, it is, but I don’t think you really want to talk about literature do you, Detective?”
    “No, I don’t. Nathan mentioned that he might be able to go home tonight.”
    “Maybe. It depends on what his doctor says.” She frowned and tilted her head at him in question. “Why do I get the feeling you’re worried about that?”
    “Because you’ve always been too damn perceptive.”
    “Aw, Detective, you’re such a sweet-talker.”
    He rolled his eyes at her. “Toni, this is serious. We had to let those guys out today.”
    Her entire body stilled and tightened. “What? I don’t understand. Why? Why would you let out the guys who hurt him? Don’t you have the evidence to put them away?”
    “We’re getting it, Toni, but one of them is well-connected. I don’t think they will mess with Nathan again, but take him back to your place. Keep him with you, if you can.”
    Worry filled her eyes, but more than a little anger simmered there, too. “No worries, Detective. That was the plan anyway. I’ll keep him safe, since he’s obviously not a priority to anyone else.”
    “He couldn’t ask for a better nurse.” And suddenly, the force pressing on his chest was too much. Memories of her holding his hand through the pain-filled nights after his surgery and the resulting infection overwhelmed him. He couldn’t stay here with her anymore or he’d be on his knees asking her forgiveness. He ignored her widened eyes as he jumped up to leave.
    “I have to get back to the station.” He took a step away from the table before he remembered one other thing and turned back around. “Does Nathan have health insurance?”
    She glanced away. “It’s fine. It’s all worked out.”
    That’s what he figured. She planned to cover it for Nathan and she didn’t have that kind of money either. So he just gave her a quick nod and said, “Okay, I’ll be in touch. Call me if you need anything.”
    Then he stopped by the financial department on the way out. It wasn’t much, but he could take care of that for her. He owed her so much more. 
     

Chapter 3
    It took twenty-four hours longer than expected to get Nathan checked out of the hospital. His blood pressure was fluctuating too much for his doctor to feel comfortable letting him go with all the bruising to his torso. They kept him an extra day for observation and to make sure something else wasn’t going on internally, but thankfully, nothing ever presented.
    Toni sat with him in his hospital room, waiting to leave as soon as they received the final paperwork from the nurse. For the last several hours, Nathan had grown increasingly quiet and Toni couldn’t leave it alone anymore.
    “What’s bothering you?”
    He glanced around the hospital room before whispering, “How much do you think all this is going to cost?” A nurse walked in so he lowered his voice even more. “I don’t have very much saved. I’m sure it’s not enough to even cover