“I think they put them in a locker somewhere.” Golden got up from her chair and laid a hand on his shoulder. “It’s all right, Reed. We did our best but it wasn’t meant to be. Right now what’s important is you. We have to make sure you’re okay.”
“What? Are you giving up that easy?” He glared at her. “Just get my shoes. I’m leaving.”
“But you might have a concussion.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He dismissed her even as he was pulling the strap off his arm, making the blood pressure machine start beeping. He hopped off the bed. “Let’s go before the damn nurses get here.”
“Wait for me.” Golden just had time to grab his shoes from under the bed and then she was racing down the corridor after him. She knew they looked like a crazy pair, he with his hospital gown flapping around his bare legs as he hurried down the hallway and she, struggling to keep up, one of his shoes clutched in each hand. Thank God none of the nurses caught them on the way out.
But then they ran into a major obstacle. They got to the emergency room exit with no car, no money and there wasn’t a taxi in sight. And time was ticking away by the second. Not to mention the nurses who would be after them in another couple of minutes.
“Come.” Reed grabbed Golden’s arm and hurried her away from the sliding glass doors, down the ramp and off to a corner where they would not be noticed. “We’ve got to find a car...” And then his eyes homed in on an ambulance parked in the lot. His face lit up. “If the driver left the key inside-”
“Don’t even think it.” Golden cut him off before he’d even finished the thought. “Stealing a vehicle? An ambulance? Are you crazy? They’d throw us in jail for that.” Then she glanced back to the exit to see if they were being followed. “We’re probably in a whole lot of trouble already, sneaking out of the hospital when we haven’t even been discharged.”
“Great! Now we can get going.”
“Great? I just said we’re probably in trouble and you say-” She never got the chance to finish the sentence. He was dragging her off again and when she whirled to see where he was heading she saw a wonderful, glorious sight. A taxi had just pulled up to the curb. They were saved.
“Top of Brompton Road,” Reed said, bundling Golden into the back seat and piling in after her. “A thousand dollars if you get us there in under ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes? Bleedin’ hell, guv. D’ye think this is a bloody jet?” The taxi driver’s voice was little better than a sneer.
“All right, fifteen minutes but a minute over that and you lose.”
The man gunned the gas pedal, slamming Reed and Golden back against the seat then with a screech of tires he shot off down the street, obviously determined to win the promised reward.
“Is that the judge’s home address?” Golden whispered.
“Yep.”
“But how do you know it? Do they usually give clients that kind of information?” Confused, she stared up into his face which was half hidden by the shadows.
“When you didn’t show up for the appointment I had a feeling we’d need his services after regular hours. I did my research.”
“Online?”
“No, I made friends with his receptionist.”
Golden gasped. “You didn’t. What did you do to make her give you her boss’s personal information?”
“Promised her a year’s supply of outfits, compliments of Davidoff Fashions.”
“Wow,” Golden whispered then she reached over and slipped her hand inside Reed’s. “I guess that was too good for her to pass up.” Then she smiled. “I don’t admire what she did but I’m glad she did it.”
He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. “Me, too.”
Within thirteen minutes the taxi was pulling up in front of the judge’s house. “Wait here,” Reed told him as he flung the door open. “We’ll need about twenty minutes.”
“Hey, pay up or else I’m coming in there with you.”
“No problem,” Reed yelled back as he took Golden’s hand and set off. “I may need you as a witness. We’re getting married.”
They bounded up the steps and as Reed rang the doorbell Golden could hear the chimes echoing through the house. And then a thought hit her. “My God, it’s almost midnight. How can we wake the man in the middle of the night? We should have called ahead.”
Reed grimaced. “You’re right but it’s too late now. I just hope he doesn’t fling us off his doorstep.”
“Or call the police,” she whispered, eyes wide as that thought entered her mind.
“Or call the police.” Reed repeated her words with a sigh then he reached out and rang the bell again. And again.
“Who the hell is it, at this time of night?” The judge’s voice came to them loud and clear and then the curtains by the window were drawn back and he was peering out. When he saw the straggly group on his porch - a rain soaked woman, a man with hospital gown stuck to his body and a taxi driver with a look of bewilderment on his face – he frowned. Then he shook his head and Golden could see he was making a clucking sound with his tongue.
Suddenly the entrance light was flipped on and the front door opened. “Come in, come in,” he said, his voice half sleepy, half grumpy. “I hope you know I only opened this door because I recognized you, Mr. Davidoff.”
“I appreciate it, sir.” Reed grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously. “Sorry I had to disturb you in the middle of the night but due to the stipulations of a will we have to be married before midnight. Can you do this for us?”
“When I saw you on my doorstep,” the judge said, shaking his head again, “I guessed as much. I’ve had experience with some of the strangest wills ever written.” He glanced over at the taxi driver. “So this is your witness?”
Reed nodded. “One of. We’ll need one more, I think. Do you mind...?”
“I’ll get my wife. She’s already up anyway. With all that bell ringing you just did I’m surprised the children aren’t up, too.” Then he gave a snort. “Teenagers. They’re like bloody logs. God help me if I fall ill in the middle of the night and need their help.” Then he jerked his head toward an open door. “Go wait in the sitting room. I’ll be right back.”