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She didn’t say another word on the drive to El Camino Hospital. Her hand was limp and cold beneath mine, but at least she was letting me touch her.
Eddie, Paragon’s security manager, was in the waiting room, his large frame sprawled across two of the small, uncomfortable chairs. He stood when he saw us, his normally ruddy complexion gone pale. “He’s out of surgery. They moved him to intensive care, though. The bullet nicked his heart, and when he was shot, he went down hard and hit his head on the granite island. They had to put him in a medically induced coma because they’re worried about the swelling in his brain.”
Lauren clutched my hand. “Oh my God.”
Eddie’s reddish brows furrowed into a deep V. “It’s for the best, Ms. Taylor. They said he’ll be able to heal this way, and that he has a better chance of making it.”
“Why are they releasing this information to you?” I asked. The hospital staff had refused to disclose anything to us over the phone.
“I’m his emergency contact,” Eddie said. “Wes’s closest relative is his brother, who’s deployed right now.”
“Of course—I remember.” Wes had shared that his parents were deceased. His mother had died recently of cancer, and his father had passed ten years ago from a heart attack. His older brother was a career marine.
“Do the doctors have any idea if there’s permanent damage?” I asked. I knew medically induced comas were used only in the most extreme cases, where the patient had suffered a brain injury.
Eddie shook his head, looking devastated. “They don’t know, and they don’t know how long he’ll need to stay under.”
“Thank you for being here. I’ll set up a rotation so that one of our team is always on duty, in case there’s news. I want a list of the physicians involved—I have some friends who do rounds here. I want to make sure he has the absolute best care.”
“Good.” Eddie sank back down onto his chair. “But I’m staying for now. This kid…he’s a good kid. I gave him the assignment. I feel responsible for him.”
“Wes is great at his job, and I know he loved being with Hannah. He’s tough—he’s going to be okay,” I said, trying to lessen his guilt.
Eddie perked up. “Any news about her?”
Lauren nodded. “She’s alive. I spoke to her. I actually got to see her on Skype. We’re trying to negotiate with the people who have her. I’ll catch you up to speed when we’re back at the lab and can talk.”
“Okay.”
“Eddie—do you think we can see Wes?” I asked.
“I can check with the nurse.”
A few minutes later, Eddie came back with the nurse, who smiled at us kindly. “You can come with me, but you can only see him for literally a minute. Okay?”
We followed her to a private room. My heart plummeted when I saw him—I wouldn’t have recognized the figure on the bed. Wesley’s handsome face was bruised and bandaged beyond recognition, and there were myriad tubes connecting him to various machines.
Lauren took a deep breath before straightening herself and going to him.
She took his hand in hers. “Hey, Wes, it’s Lauren. I don’t know if you can hear me, but I hope you know I’m here. I want to say thank you.” She started crying, clinging to his hand. “Thank you for protecting Hannah. I’m so sorry this happened to you. I want you to know she’s okay, and I’m going to get her back, and she was so happy to hear you’re alive.”
Her shoulders shook some more, but she calmed herself. “I want you to get better. We’re all rooting for you. We’re here, and we’re rooting for you. Gabe and I are here, and when I get Hannah back, she’ll be here too. We’re your family. We love you, and we want you to come back to us.”
Tears streaked her face as she turned and headed quickly from the room.
I went to Wes’s side. Memories of my father’s brief hospitalization before his death crept up, but I pushed them back. “Hey, buddy.” I placed my hand over his. “I saw the tape—I saw how you protected Hannah. She’s
fighting to come back to you. So you fight too. You fight this and come back. You have a whole life to look forward to. And we’re going back to that island, dammit. All of us. So get better—I need my ally and my drinking buddy.” Wes and I had gotten friendly during our recent vacation. I admired him. He was only twenty-seven, but he’d already served our country and was an important piece of Paragon’s security team. He was strong too—we’d worked out together, and I’d seen his focus and commitment.
I squeezed his hand. I hoped he could find that focus and commitment now, and use it to come back to us.
Lauren’s eyes were red-rimmed on the way home. I didn’t bother to ask if she was okay.
LAUREN
I poured myself a straight vodka when we got back to the house. I put approximately two-point-five ice cubes in the glass, watching as they floated around hopelessly, inundated by the alcohol. I felt the same way—lost and floating, about to disappear. Seeing Hannah sobbing and then Wes connected to all those tubes had gutted me.
I kept hearing Hannah’s words. “You’re the special one. I’m average. I’m nothing.”
