Audra and her team rode back to the B&B in complete silence. There was nothing to say that would have made any of the information they had gained before dinner could be served make any more sense. Audra thought about Abigail, a young girl forced to grow up in poverty and shame, while her father was the most respected member of the town. How Abigail had managed to search for happiness after the hand life dealt her was a mystery to Audra, who had to admit that, while being the one to find Kendra choking was horribly disturbing, nothing terrible had ever happened to her personally.
She'd grown up in a warm and loving environment. It may not have been the opulence of the Shelleys', but what they had, even with Kendra in a coma, money simply couldn't buy. In honor of Abigail's bravery against all odds, Audra resolved to give hope to Kendra once again. As unlikely as it was, her sister could wake up. Audra realized a hope like that, hope that Abigail had, is what had made her life a triumph over her circumstances.
They passed the cemetery again on their way back and Audra nodded in respect to those who had also hoped beyond their circumstances and though they had not been able to see the evidence of that hope, their children, like Marcus and Mackenzie Knox, had and would continue to.
When Eric pulled into the B&B parking lot he and Joshua got out of the car and opened the doors for Audra and Yolanda. Each carried their take-away trays, three stacks high, into the hotel. Eric saw Audra to her door as Joshua continued down the hall with Yolanda.
"So, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to dance with you tonight," Eric began.
"No, problem." Audra waved his unnecessary apology away. "The next undercover dinner operation we'll coordinate a dance break. So long as it isn't interrupted by angry specters."
"Right." Eric smiled and his electric blue eyes danced as they caught the light just right. "I wanted to sit next to you but Margret had that Southern hospitality thing, so polite when cornering me to take a seat next to her."
"I can imagine," Audra said, feeling the atmosphere around them shift.
"Anyway, you looked stunning tonight. I had to force myself to look away on more than one occasion," Eric continued. Audra realized that Eric had the kind of looks that didn't stand for rejection very often.
"I see it coming a mile away." He smiled as the space of silence grew between them. "But, just know, I'm here for you."
"Thanks, Eric," Audra said before turning and opening her door.
She placed the food in the mini fridge without looking at it before kicking off her shoes, lifting off her dress, peeling off her under garments, and letting down her hair. It wasn't quite eight o'clock, but Audra was ready to call it a day.
Having only napped a few hours before heading to The Scoop the previous night, and not getting any sleep when Margret came visiting afterwards, then having her early morning nap interrupted due to Raj Kapure's call, Audra was certain that she would be useless to everyone until she got a full eight hours of sleep and could operate without trying to fight off exhaustion at the same time.
She slid into the bed fully naked, thankful for the crispness of the freshly laundered sheets and pillowcases. That was her final thought before a quiet and peaceful sleep claimed her.
She awoke to a cellphone call at three o'clock in the morning.
"Hello?" she answered, fully awake.
"Audra," Ethan's voice was upset.
"Yes."
"Margret Shelley called me last night to tell me that she was one of the Shelley boys' biological daughter."
"Yes." Audra was a little annoyed that he'd called her about his ex-girlfriend. .
"She told me she was very upset. She asked to stay here last night."
"Okay." Audra was not sure if she wanted to hear the rest.
"I picked her up from the mansion and put her in the guest room. There was a little bit of a scene with Principal Shelley. Anyway, about half an hour ago Sheriff Miller woke me up because she'd taken a bottle of aspirin. By the time I got to her, she was passed out in the guest bathroom. Her head was bleeding."
"Shit!" Audra was out of bed and to her dresser in the next second. "I'll meet you at the hospital."
"Thank you."
Audra heard a true flood of relief in Ethan's voice before she hung up. She dialed Yolanda next.
"Yeah?" the young agent answered, as if expecting her call.
"Margret Shelley attempted suicide at Ethan's house," Audra said. "You feel up to riding with me to the hospital?"
"You got it."
Audra jumped into a new pair of jeans and t-shirt, and slipped into a pair of sandals. She slapped on her specter shield and for the first time in days put on her gun belt with both her specter zapper and handgun ready to go. After that scene with Gwyn the night before she didn't want to take any chances.
Yolanda opted to drive and managed to get through town and to the hospital in record time. A night guard who let them in and gave them directions to Margret's room on the third floor met them.
They stepped off of the elevator and spotted Ethan in the waiting room across the way sitting with his head in his hands. Audra was not sure what she felt in that moment as Yolanda led the way to the waiting room.
"Sheriff Cole," Yolanda said.
Ethan lifted his head and looked at them. It seemed as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He stood up to greet them just as Principal Shelley and Mrs. Shelley stepped off of the elevator.
"Oh, goodness," Audra couldn't help but let that pass over her lips and looked apologetically towards Ethan.
Principal Shelley wobbled to the waiting room as Mrs. Shelley headed directly for Margret's room. Audra braced for impact.
"Haven't you done enough, Agent Wheeler, Sheriff Cole? Nobody in this town needed either one of you to come here and stick your noses where they didn't belong. Poor Margret. You stay the hell away from her, both of you."
With that, Ethan sat back down. Audra and Yolanda took the seats on either side of him.
"I didn't realize she was suicidal." Ethan looked into his hands as if they held a crystal ball with the images of what had happened. "I just thought she needed some space to think. She asked if I would stay the night in the guest room with her. I told her I couldn't but I would be right down the hall if she needed to talk." Ethan swallowed. "Evidently she fainted before the aspirin could get into her system. If Sheriff Miller hadn't woken me up…"
"You did what you thought was right," Yolanda said. "You were a good friend to her. She just didn't know how to handle everything she learned last night."
Ethan turned to Audra. "What do you think?"
"I think Margret is a confused woman in more pain than we can understand. You were in a position to help her and you did. This attempt at suicide will get her some professional help to deal with everything that she's learned about herself and her family." Audra placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You did the right thing."
Ethan inhaled and let out a long exhale. "Thanks, Rook."
They stayed until the doctor came out to inform Ethan that Margret was out of the woods and would be just fine, physically. They were going to keep her in the hospital on suicide watch for the next three days. As they left the hospital, Audra was overcome with concern that Ethan should not be alone.
"Why don't you come back to the B&B with us?" she asked. "You can rest in my room until you feel up to going back to the country."
"I would like that," Ethan said and rode back to the B&B with them in the back seat.
Yolanda waved good night to them at the door and Audra let Ethan in her room, not certain what would happen next between them. Ethan sat at the table with the display of his roses. Audra kicked off her shoes and sat in the chair opposite him.
"Do you want to talk?" she asked.
Ethan shook his head. He took her by the hand and led her from her seat into his lap. She gave him a hug and he squeezed her to him.
Audra kissed Ethan's neck and felt a bit of the tension finally escape his body. She felt his temperature rise underneath her hands and her own heartbeat quickened in response.
He tilted her head up and took her mouth over with his own. Audra was powerless to resist him. She kissed him back hungrily and felt his arms tighten around her, lifting her up as he stood. He laid her on the bed and took the time to take his shirt off before lying next to her. He kissed her neck and shoulders before pulling her shirt off and unfastening her bra. Audra enjoyed the feel of his warm hands traveling over her arms, around her abdomen and to her breast.
She let her own hands feel the muscles across his back and arms before reaching for the fastening of his jeans and pushing them off. Ethan echoed her move, pushing Audra's jeans to the floor with his own. Audra reveled in the feel of his flesh against hers. His hands worked over her in a way that left no desire unmet.
When they were both spent, Ethan pulled Audra to him. She rested her head in the crook where his neck met his shoulder. She felt as his arm wrapped around her back and his hand rested on her hip. She put one leg over his and draped an arm across his abdomen. They lay quietly for a while. Audra expected Ethan to fall asleep, but he didn't.
"What's on your mind?" she finally asked, breaking the silence.
"I'm thinking about going to church," he said, surprising her.
"You go to church?" she asked to make sure she heard right.
"Every now and again."
"Wow," she said in disbelief. She tried to imagine him in his Sunday best, singing with the choir and praying with the congregation. "You believe in God?" It was a question that she was surprised to have asked aloud.
"I do," he said. "As terrible as the circumstances that led you here are, I have to believe that it was God's grace that brought you back to me. Of all the FBI agents in these fine United States, especially with this technically being in the southern office's jurisdiction, I think it was the hand of God that put me in this town and you on this case. I should go and say my thanks."
Audra smiled.
"You want to come with me?"
"I think I would," she admitted.
"Okay. You can take me to my truck at the hospital. I'll meet you at the church at ten o'clock. We'll go in together."
"Sounds like a great plan," Audra said.