Free You're Gone (Finding Solid Ground) by Leah A. Futrell Page A

replied, connecting her foot with his crotch. With another swift kick, Charleigh connected with Gavin’s head as he fell toward the ground with his gonads cupped in his hands.
    Next, she elbowed Brad in the gut, which didn’t seem to faze him much. Charleigh continued to contort her body madly in his arms.
    He began yowling with one big bite on his bicep. “You bite me, you foolish woman,” Brad screamed and let her go.
                  “You want some more. I’ve got plenty of where that came from.” She picked up the bat and headed for her truck.
    “You’re going to pay for what you did to my car!” He screamed after Charleigh.
    “Oh! So sue me,” she called back.
    “See ya in court.”
    ***
    “Where have you been?” Madie asked when Charleigh stepped into Jamie’s hospital room. She sat the suitcase down on the bottom of the wardrobe before going over to kiss her sleeping fiancé on the cheek.
    “I went home,” Charleigh replied, sat down in the chair beside the bed. “How’s he doing?”
    “He’s fine. Worried you were going to do something stupid to get yourself in trouble.” Madie came over to stand behind her. “Did you?”
    Charleigh only turned to look up at the woman. Her expression said everything Madie needed to know.
    “Good. Same thing I would’ve done. And you saw Gavin?”
    “I did. Gave him a swift kick in the ‘nads.” Charleigh shrugged. “I’m not sure if he’ll ever be able to reproduce again, but…”
    She didn’t care about Gavin. He could fry in jail, as far as Charleigh was concerned. Everything she’d ever need lay in the bed beside her. She took his free hand, entwined her fingers with his.
    Jamie’s eyelids began to twitch. A moment later, his tongue slid across his dry, cracked lips. In another, his eyes opened slightly. A smile appeared on his lips when he saw Charleigh.
    “Hi,” Charleigh whispered.
    “Hey.” He didn’t as much say it as he did mouth the word. “Back so soon?”
    She looked at her wristwatch. It was after two in the afternoon. She’d been gone for about three hours but said nothing. The color in his face was better than it had been before, Charleigh noticed, hoping the pain wasn’t too unbearable for Jamie. He’d bluntly refused anything stronger than a Tylenol.
    “You okay? You don’t hurt too much, do you?” Charleigh ran her fingers through his already mussed hair.
    “I feel better now that you’re back.” He tried to scoot up in the bed, but gave up when the pain was too much. Charleigh noticed that he didn’t seem as breathless as before. Jamie was able to say complete sentences without gasping.
    “I still say it’s a bad idea to go ahead with the party, Jamie. We can reschedule,” Charleigh prompted. “Tell him we’ll reschedule it for when he’s feeling better, Madie. Please?”
    “We can do whatever he wants to do.”
    “No. My family will be here Friday night. I’ll be better by then.” Jamie looked over at the tray beside his bed for a cup of ice water. He reached out for it with his good hand, coming up short by an inch. Madie pushed it closer for him.
    “They’ll understand, Jamie. Please, listen to me.” Charleigh watched as he drained the plastic cup. She poured more.
    “They’ll be disappointed.” He finished the second glass. “The doctor said I could go home on Friday.”
    “He said you might be able to go home Friday evening,” Madie cleared up the matter for Charleigh. “That depends on more than just determination, James Adam.”
    “I’m going home on Friday, and I’m going to dance with my fiancée` at our engagement party on Saturday. End of discussion.” He closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

Chapter Eight
    If Charleigh and Jamie had any two things in common, it was sheer determination and bullheadedness. Although the doctor didn’t let him go on Friday afternoon as he had at first thought, sure enough, Jamie pitched a big enough fit and was assured that he would be