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“Where are the kids?”
“I took them to school.”
He stared at her. His temples pounded, and he couldn’t seem to place his thoughts in order. What in the hell is going on?
“Do you know why you’re in the hospital?” she asked.
It took a moment for the memory of the attack to come back to him. He swallowed hard. His throat was raw. “Yes, where’s Nick? I need to talk to him.”
“He was here earlier, but he had to leave. I’ll call him and let him know that you’re awake now. Oh, and an officer from the Elk Grove PD is also here waiting to talk to you.”
He watched her, and listened as she spoke to his brother on the phone. After hanging up, she moved closer to his bedside, and stared down at him sympathetically.
“Man, it hurts to move. And my right eye feels like it's clamped shut. What’s wrong with me?”
Elizabeth reached down and took his hand before she informed him as to what the doctor had told them.
“Do the kids know what happened, and where I am?”
“No, your dad told them you weren’t home this morning because you had to work downtown with Sam, and the police didn’t show up at your house until after I took them to school. We didn’t know where you were or what happened to you until one of Nick’s co-workers started calling the hospitals looking for you. We were so worried about you.” Her voice cracked.
He gripped her hand a little tighter. Pain shot through his fingers. “I’m sorry I worried you.”
It didn’t take long for Nick to appear at his bedside. The uniformed officer from the Elk Grove PD stood next to him.
Nick leaned toward him. “How are you doing?”
“I’ve been better.”
His brother cracked a half smile. “Yeah, I bet. We need to ask you some questions.”
“Okay.”
“What time did you leave Elizabeth’s?”
“A little after 2:00 a.m.” His parched throat kept his voice to not much more than a whisper. He pointed at the water picture on the bedside table.
Elizabeth poured him a glass but didn’t hand it to him until after she adjusted his bed, raising him into a seated position. He sipped the lukewarm liquid. At first, it burned his raw throat, but then soothed it.
“So then what happened?” his brother asked.
”I walked along the hedge line toward the road. All of a sudden, a set of car lights appeared from down the street, and I heard tires squeal. When I looked up to see what was going on, I saw a long, dark-colored vehicle right next to me at the curb.” He paused to take another alleviating sip of water.
The Elk Grove officer stepped closer. “What kind of vehicle was it?”
“I don’t know. It was dark outside and the vehicle was dark, but it was a limo.”
The officer raised a brow. “A limo? Are you sure?”
Giving his throat a break, he nodded.
“So who was in the limo?” the officer questioned.
He shook his head. All this nodding and shaking of his head caused his temples to pound harder. Perhaps speaking would be the wiser choice in terms of pain.
“I know you’re in pain, but we need to ask you these questions. The more information we have to work with, and the quicker we get the details, will help us find who did this to you.” Nick’s tone was softer than normal, and apologetic.
He knew his brother was right, and was only trying to help, but the intolerable pain in his head prevented him from thinking straight. He pushed out a breathy, “I know.”
