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“Stay here and watch the house,” Grant replied. “Just in case we get any unwanted visitors. Lock up behind us and don’t answer the door for anyone. Set the alarm.”
“Will do. Call me with any updates.”
Grant agreed, and then followed Mia upstairs so she could freshen up before they went to the hospital. She said she didn’t want Mike to see that she’d been crying. She rinsed off her face and touched up her makeup. She brushed her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, tucking a few stray strands behind her ear.
“Okay, I’m ready,” she said. “I really do want to see Mike. I need to see that at least he’s okay. And I have so many questions. How did this even happen? They have an alarm system, too. Not the same one I have, but it’s supposed to be a really good one.”
Grant had several questions, as well. He wanted the details of what had gone down last night, and if the attackers had been looking for Mia. He wasn’t one for weird coincidences.
If Mia’s stalker had once again escalated - this time to galactic levels - they were going to find out that Grant wasn’t going to easily give up.
They’d have to go through him to get to her.
21
Mia had always been uncomfortable with the smell of a hospital. She wasn’t sure what it was exactly - the antiseptic, perhaps - but it was wholly distinct, burned into her nostrils for better or worse. She had a distinct memory of when her grandmother was dying, and her parents had brought her to the hospital to say goodbye. It had been the same smell back then. She’d been seven at the time, and nothing had prepared her for how her poor grandmother looked that day.
Pale, gaunt, and wearing an oxygen cannula. To a small child, Granny Ellen had already appeared like she’d passed away. The last time she’d seen her Gran, they’d made Christmas cookies and sang carols. A few months later, the woman wasn’t able to get out of bed. She hadn’t recognized Mia either, although her mother kept saying Mia’s name over and over as if that was going to change anything.
Her father had urged her to hold Gran’s hand and talk to her, but Mia had been too frightened to do much. She remembered how Gran’s skin felt thin and cool, almost like tissue paper. After that experience, she’d stayed away from hospitals as often as possible. Luckily, she and her friends and family had been mostly healthy so far.
Until today.
Gripping Grant’s hand tightly, they walked down the hallway towards Mike’s room. To her surprise, they hadn’t had much trouble getting to see him. A bored-looking woman at the reception desk at the entrance of the hospital had told them that he was in room three-thirteen.
Her heart was beating far too fast and a part of her wanted to turn around and run back down the hallway and out of the hospital. She desperately wanted to see Mike, but a part of her didn’t want to face the reality of what had happened. When she saw him, there wouldn’t be any pretending that Lane wasn’t gone.
“Are you ready?”
They were standing in front of the door which was half-open. She could hear the soft sounds of a television or radio inside the room. She wasn’t even sure what to expect. How would Mike look? She didn’t have much information about his injuries.
“I’m ready.”
If she wasn’t ready, it was too late. This wasn’t about her anyway. This was about Lane and Mike.
She didn’t let go of Grant’s hand as they walked in. The bed nearest the door was empty and Mike was in the second. The television mounted on the wall was playing a cooking show, but Mike was looking out of the windows. When he heard their footsteps, his head jerked, an angry expression on his face. But then when he saw that it was Mia, he smiled, holding out his hand to her.
“I knew you’d come.”
She placed her hand in his and stood at the edge of his bed. Grant hovered a few feet away. He’d told her on the way there that he’d stay in the background since he didn’t know Mike well. They’d only met a few days before.
“I’m so sorry,” Mia said, the words choked out through a lump in her throat. “I’m just so sorry. I came as soon as I heard.”
“I knew you’d come,” Mike said again. “I still can’t believe it all happened. It’s like a nightmare but it’s real.”
She wasn’t sure what she’d expected to see. Mike’s face was covered with scratches, a few of them deep. He had a bump on his head near the hairline that had a small bandage over it. His arms and hands were also scratched, along with a few far deeper cuts that had stitches.
“Can you tell us what happened?” Grant asked.
Appearing shocked that there was someone else in the room, Mike’s head swiveled to where Grant was standing at the foot of the bed. He was staring as if he didn’t recognize Grant at all. Perhaps that knock on the head was more serious than it looked.
Mia also desperately wanted to know what had happened. All they knew was that there had been a home invasion, and that Lane was gone, and Mike was injured.
“Can you?” she queried softly. “We understand if you don’t want to talk about it.”
“I don’t remember much,” Mike confessed. “It’s all a blur. One minute we were asleep and the next… I just don’t remember most of it. All I remember is checking on Lane and she wasn’t breathing. That’s it. Then the police arrived. They gave me something for the pain and I woke up here. That’s pretty much it. I think I may have blocked most of it out.”
“I’m sure that’s not unusual.”
