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I couldn’t even focus on Cara or anything she had said as I looked back at Dave, waiting for the news I already knew I wasn’t ready to hear. He went to say something, but I held my hand up, stopping him. I tried to take a deep breath as a feeling of dread filled me. My chest felt like it was going to explode at any minute, and I covered my mouth to stop the sobs from escaping.
Dave took hold of me by the shoulders and walked me over to a quiet corner where we had a little privacy, yet not far away from Cara. “It’s Jackson, sweetie. He’s in surgery. We are waiting to hear.”
In that instant, every ounce of air had been sucked from the room, and I turned around to gather whatever strength I had in me. Instead of strength, all I felt was myself crumbling with each second that passed. I was numb all over, and I turned back to see Dave standing there looking at me. I felt his hands on my shoulders and immediately I collapsed into him, hugging him tight as I allowed the tears to fall.
“He has to be okay, right?” I cried. “I mean, he has to be.”
Dave said nothing. He just hugged me tight as I sobbed, mumbling those same words repeatedly.
“Come, Bailey, sit down.” Dave guided me over to the empty chair beside Cara and helped me sit down. “Cara, can you please get a tea for Bailey?”
“Of course.”
Before I knew it, Dave held a hot cup of tea out for me to take. “Just sip on this, okay?” he said, sitting on the edge of a chair beside me.
I took a sip of the hot liquid and tried to calm myself down. I looked at Cara, who placed her hand on my thigh.
“Sir, can we speak to you for a moment?”
I looked up to see two young uniformed officers standing before us, waiting to talk to Dave. Dave made sure I was okay before getting up and moving off to the side with the other two officers. Cara and Ryan now sat with me, doing their best to distract me, when Dave approached us.
“I’ve got to head back to the station. They’ve brought in the guys we’ve been looking for,” he said, clearing his throat.
“The guy responsible for doing this to Jackson?” I asked.
Dave nodded. “A member of the Green Cobras, Dorian Patton,” he said and turned to leave the hospital.
My blood ran cold at the name of the Green Cobras member. I got up and ran after Dave, finally getting his attention just outside of the emergency room doors.
“Bailey, what is it?” he questioned.
“Dave, I just wanted to let you know that Garrick and Jackson had a confrontation the other night at The Crooked Judge. I didn’t hear what they said, but I am sure he threatened Jackson. Garrick also approached me in the park today at the picnic. He wanted to know things about Jackson and I.” I said, my voice low, my cheeks heating. “He’s been after me since the first night he walked into The Crooked Judge. Anyway, he said something about meeting me at the bar tonight and waiting to take me home since my boyfriend wouldn’t be able to.”
“Thanks for letting me know,” he said. “Now you get inside, rest.”
I thanked Dave and watched him walk across the dark parking lot of the hospital before returning to the waiting room to wait with Cara and Ryan. The next three hours felt like forever. We all sat there quietly, watching the same news reel replay. I was going to ask Ryan to ask a hospital staff to turn the channel off when my stomach spun. Only I didn’t have to because, finally, a doctor appeared in the waiting doorway.
“Who’s here with Jackson Walker?” he asked.
“We are,” Ryan called, holding his hand up in the air.
The doctor walked over to us and smiled. “Hi. I’m Doctor Maddox. The surgery went fine. He was lucky. We were able to remove all bullets and fragments. It took a little longer than we expected, but there were no complications.”
“Can we see him?” I asked, sitting forward, ready to jump up if he said yes.
“I’m afraid not. He’s still in recovery for another hour. As soon as they move him up to his room, then we can allow one person in. So whoever is related,” he said, looking at all three of us.
“That would be me,” I said, standing up.
Jackson
The steady sound of beeping woke me. As my eyes adjusted, I looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. My name was written on a whiteboard that hung on the wall at the foot of my bed. I looked around. An IV pole hung on the bedside, and then I spotted the machine that was responsible for the monotonous beeping sound. Why was I in the hospital? How had I gotten here? I shifted in the bed and went to roll over but stopped when I felt a sharp pain followed by a pull in my side.
“Oh, God,” I cried, gripping my side. I lifted the blanket and looked down at a large white bandage that covered my side. I took a deep breath and looked to my right, where all the machines sat, monitoring one thing or another. Then I looked over to my left and that was when I saw Bailey. She was curled up in a chair, sound asleep. Her jacket was rolled up under her neck like a makeshift pillow, and a blanket was over her lap.
I lay back and blew out a breath, trying hard to get comfortable. It took time, but I finally found a position that was comfortable enough that I could relax back against the pillows. The door to my room opened, and a nurse walked in. She was quiet and smiled as she came over to a machine and hit a few buttons, printing a report. Then she replaced an IV bag. “Good morning,” she whispered. “It’s nice to see you are finally awake.”
“What am I doing here?” I questioned, looking at the machine she was fiddling with.
