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As soon as Gabe called, Timmy and I rushed to the hospital. “Did Mr. Betts tell you what was going on?” he asked, his voice tight.
“Just that the doctor texted him and told him to come in right away. He said Wes had taken a turn for the worse, but he didn’t get specific. At least, Gabe didn’t tell me anything else.” I stared out the window of the car, not seeing anything as we flew down the freeway. Wesley couldn’t die. If that happened, I didn’t know how I’d bear it…
Gabe was waiting for us in the lobby, his face pale and strained. “I just talked to Dr. Kim,” he said. “He said that Wesley’s heartbeat had become erratic… He’s worried something’s going on. He wanted us to come in right away.”
The floor spun beneath me. “To say good-bye?”
Gabe’s eyes darkened. “He didn’t say that.”
“Can we see him? Do you any idea what?
??s causing it? Have you seen the doctor since you’ve been here?”
“Dr. Kim’s with him now. The nurse said he’d be out in a minute.”
We paced the lobby, and thoughts swirled through my mind. I wished Hannah could be here. I truly believed that if she could just hold Wesley’s hand, he would get better. The thought that his condition could be worsening sent me into a spiral as I paced. I couldn’t lose my sister, and I couldn’t lose her boyfriend. They were in mortal danger because of me.
The ugly truth crushed me. I collapsed into a seat.
“Babe? Are you okay?”
“No.” My voice came out in a hoarse whisper.
Dr. Kim came out just then, looking like he hadn’t slept in a few days. “I’m glad you’re here. We’ve stabilized his heart rate, but I’m not sure what caused the arrhythmia. We’re going to be monitoring him closely, and he’ll be moved back down to the ICU.”
I jumped up. “Can we see him?”
“Only for a minute,” the doctor said.
“Is this common for people in his condition?” I asked.
The doctor shook his head. “Induced comas are used rarely, and only for the most extreme cases. His body is supposed to be resting—that’s the point. The fact that his heart is struggling under these conditions… It isn’t a good indicator.”
“Can you be more specific?” Gabe asked. “We need to be prepared.”
“It means his heart is working too hard. Which could mean his body is being taxed too much by his injuries, even though we took the extraordinary step of putting him into a coma.”
“Do you think he’s going to make it?”
Dr. Kim gave me a tired smile. “He’s young and he’s strong. He was in excellent health before he was shot, and that’s wonderful. I’m hoping we can keep him stabilized. I know that’s a non-answer, but it’s the only answer I have at the moment.”
Tears threatened, but I nodded. “Thank you.”
The doctor squeezed Gabe’s shoulder. “I’ll text you immediately if anything changes. You can go see him now, before they move him.”
Gabe and I headed to the room, followed closely by Timmy.
My security guard looked grim. “His brother’s on assignment on the other side of the world—he’s special ops. We’ve been communicating with him daily via email. He’d planned to take leave and fly home next week, but I’m wondering if we should tell him he needs to come now.”
“Do it,” Gabe said immediately. “Just in case. I’m sure it would help Wes to have his brother here.”
The three of us went into the room, and I was shocked to see how much worse Wes looked. His skin was blanched, his lips a whitish color. I went immediately to the bed and reached for his hand.
“Hey, big guy. You scared us just now.” I squeezed his hand, listening to the hum of the machines and his heart rate monitor. “Please get better, and please come back to us. Hannah’s coming home soon. She can’t wait to see you. I need you to be okay for her, for me, for your brother…and for you. Okay?”
There was no answer, but I squeezed his hand again.
Gabe and Timmy each took turns speaking to Wes in low tones, each of them taking his hand for a moment. Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision as I considered the past twenty-four hours. They were some of the worst in my life. I hadn’t ached like this since I’d gotten the call from the police about my parents’ accident years ago.
