Lonnie came bursting through the door a moment later, startling everyone in the waiting room.
“Where is she? Is she okay?” He was out of breath, and his eyes were wild.
“She just got out of surgery and is doing well. We’ll be able to see her soon,” Miranda told him.
He nodded and dropped into the nearest seat next to Will.
“Damn, what a night,” he muttered.
“What happened after we left?” Will asked.
Lonnie shook his head. “Pure chaos. The local law enforcement was overwhelmed with the large crowds, so we helped them comb the arena to make sure no one else was injured. It was just a precaution since we knew he wasn’t targeting anyone else. No one even noticed he had a weapon until he began shooting. Then you bet your ass I laid into the arena security for letting someone in with a gun. Fucking amateurs. People will lose their jobs over this.”
“What happened there? I thought they used metal detectors on everyone,” Theo said.
“They’re supposed to. No one knows how he slipped through the cracks. They’re going to comb the security footage and fire anyone involved. Possibly even press charges if someone was helping him. The arena has already started getting backlash for the lack of security in a supposedly weapon-free zone. It’s a mess.”
“I’m just glad it’s over,” Ben said.
Jake scrubbed his face and glanced at the clock. It was well after three a.m., and the adrenaline had worn off, making him feel exhausted. But there was no way he could sleep until he saw Claire.
21
Claire’s eyes blinked open, and she looked around the room. She vaguely remembered the details of being at the concert and the fear that washed over her when she saw Charles before passing out. She woke up again in the ambulance, and the paramedics assured her she was safe and on her way to the hospital.
She reached down and felt her stomach—the bump was still there. A nurse approached her bed.
“Hi Claire. My name is Kathy. Do you remember where you are?”
Claire nodded. “At the hospital. How’s my baby?”
“Your baby is doing just fine. Still snug inside you. Completely unharmed.”
She breathed a sigh of relief.
Kathy continued, “I’m going to check your vitals and then we are going to move you into a room for the night. I hear you have a large group of people who are eager to see you.”
Tears sprang to Claire’s eyes. “Yeah?”
Kathy nodded. “You have quite the support group out there.”
Emotion tumbled through her. Going from being controlled for the last several years to having everyone from the tour take care of her had been mind-blowing to her. She forgot what it had felt like to be loved and cared for.
“That’s nice to hear,” Claire whispered.
Kathy set a hand on Claire’s uninjured arm and gave her a light squeeze.
“Everything looks good, so I’m going to call a nurse to get you moving so you can see everyone.”
“Thank you.”
It felt like forever before a man came over and introduced himself. He wheeled her bed down the hallway and into an elevator before going down another hallway and setting her up in a hospital room. Claire looked out the large window that overlooked the city. The lights were bright, but the streets were quiet. She leaned back in her bed and let out a breath as she stroked her stomach.
“I’ll never let that asshole near you again,” she whispered.
A knock on the door had her looking up to find Ben, Jake, Liam, Theo, Will, Lonnie, Miranda, and Celine entering the room.
Ben immediately came to her side and hugged her.
