“We had to call the police and make a report. They won’t disturb her right now, but they’ll be by to talk to her.”
As we’re sitting in the ICU waiting room, hunched over paper cups of bad coffee, I get a call. I ignore it. One second later, my phone dings with an email, then a text.
Manchester and Hale, Esquire.
I open the email, scan it, then immediately regret it.
“What is it?” Tank says.
“Bishop is suing me.”
Danni looks up from her book and Bear puts his palm out, so he can read the email.
“How is that possible?” Emma exclaims. “This just happened. How could?—”
“Battery,” Bear murmurs. “Pain and suffering… emotional distress.” Bear shakes his head in disbelief. “Lost wages because he’s supposedly still filming something, and his face is busted up.” He hands the phone to Danni. “What a prick.”
“I’m not a lawyer,” Emma says, “and I don’t play one on TV, but weren’t you protecting Wren?”
“It could have gone a little bit beyond that.” I rub my eyes and scowl at the wall. “Don’t get me wrong. I might have taken it even further, given the opportunity.”
“Let me look.” Tank takes my phone and studies the email, then hands it back to me. “Send it to Lilah at Ford and Stratham in Crystal Cove. She owes me.” He pulls his phone out and types in something, and my phone dings. “That’s her personal cell. She’ll get Tate Stratham on it right away. Meanwhile, ignore it. Don’t do a thing until we find out how to handle this.”
“Everybody in the worlddoesowe you,” Emma says to Tank, and Danni and Bear chuckle.
Ned walks in and nods when he sees me. “Before you ask, Rena’s with your mom. They’re having a great time. And your mom’s in love with Monster.”
Bear gives him a rundown on what’s been happening, while I pace and watch the door for the doc to come in with news.
Ned motions me over to a corner of the room. “Sit for a minute.” I sit next to him on the edge of my seat, my whole body wired.
“Son, I just need to know if Wren and Bishop were on the front porch when all this occurred?”
“I only know that they were out there when I arrived.”
He nods and closes his eyes in relief. “Good thing is, I moved the camera when Danni and I were there early this morning. I figured it wasn’t doing much good where I had it. I haven’t had a chance to look yet, since things were a little hectic. It could have captured everything. It’s a wide angle, facing the front of the house and some of the path leading to and from it. You want me to watch first? Not sure if you should see the whole thing.”
“I need to see what happened, Ned.”
Ned pulls his phone out just as a man in scrubs strides into the room. “Who wants to see Honey first?”
“I do,” Danni says. “Oops. Sorry.” She smiles sheepishly when Emma nudges her. Danni nods at me. “You should probably go.”
I turn to Ned. “Send me the video feed.”
“Will do.”
Bear steps toward me. “Tell her we’re all here, so she knows she’s got lots of people rooting for her.” He clasps my shoulder, and I nod.
When I walk in the room, Wren smiles sleepily. I sit in the chair next to her, scooting it up close and sliding my hand over hers.
“You’re supposed to be with your mother,” she says.
“She’s fine. Rena’s doting on her.”
“I had this crazy dream that you put your mom in the bed of the pickup.”
“Thatiscrazy.” I rub a hand over her cheek. “You scared me.”
