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I felt like I might pass out, but I gripped the island and put on my game face. “Listen to me, you are out of there. Just a few more days. Don’t say another word to them. You are coming home, and this is going to be okay. I need you—Wesley needs you.”
A flicker lit up Hannah’s eyes. “How is he?”
“He’s okay,” I lied. “His brother got back from deployment to come and see him. But he needs you. He’s been asking for you.” God would probably strike me down for lying like this, but I needed to motivate her, to make her feel needed.
Hannah nodded and managed a weak smile. I noticed that her lips were dry, chapped, and cracking. “Good. That’s really good.” Her words were slightly slurred.
“Hannah—are you on something? Did they make you take something?”
“They gave me a sedative. They said it was for my own good—so I wouldn’t mouth off so much that they wanted to shoot me.”
The floor swerved underneath me again, making me woozy. “Oh my God.”
She shook her head. “Don’t worry. It’s almost better that I’m out of it, because I can’t yell at them or even yell at you. But I remember everything that’s happened, and I’m going to say it again: I will never forgive myself if something happens to you.”
“Nothing bad’s going to happen. Don’t worry about it—Li Na and I have everything worked out. I will be here for you, and everything’s going to be okay.” More lies, but hopefully someday, this would be true. I just had to find a way to come back to her.
“Okay,” said a male voice in the background. “Tea time’s officially over. We’ll see you soon.” And with that, the screen went black.
I put my face into my hands. “Timmy, can you call Ash for me? They need to know about this, and I need to find out where they are.”
“Of course, ma’am.”
I hustled to my bedroom and got dressed, ignoring my dizziness and the roaring in my ears. Seeing Hannah look injured and disoriented hit me like a mortal blow, but I didn’t have time to fall apart right now.
I brushed my teeth, dragged a brush through my hair, and raced back out to the kitchen. “Let’s get to the hospital, okay?” I didn’t even wait to hear Timmy’s answer. He looked as worried as I felt. I knew he’d want to see Wesley as soon as possible.
The waiting room at El Camino was busy, but we immediately spotted Ellis Eden—there was no mistaking Wesley’s older brother. The family resemblance was striking. Ellis was six-foot-four and built like a linebacker, his hair closely cropped.
He stood as we approached and offered his hand for a firm handshake. “Ms. Taylor, it’s a pleasure.”
I must’ve looked surprised, because he said, “I recognize you from the articles I’ve read. I wanted to know who my brother worked for.”
“I’m so sorry about Wes. He’s an amazing employee, an asset to our team, and he was protecting my sister when he got hurt. He sacrificed himself for her,” I said, and promptly burst into tears. “I just hope he’s going to be okay. He means so much to all of us.”
Both Ellis and Timmy chivalrously averted their eyes, simultaneously offering words of comfort.
“No need to apologize, ma’am,” Ellis said. “Wesley loves his job, and he’s aware of the risk involved.”
“How’s he doing?” Timmy asked as I wiped my eyes and tried to stop bawling.
“Okay. The doctor said the tests they ran earlier don’t show any negative impact, but they can’t be sure…not until he wakes up. He can’t have any visitors this morning.”
“Of course.” I pulled myself together enough to talk. “Did he have a heart attack?”
“A minor one.” The muscle in Ellis’s jaw popped. “The doctor said his heart’s been working too hard, pumping blood to repair the damage…”
“What’s the next step?”
“They said they’ll run some more tests while he’s resting. They may consider waking him up, but they don’t want him to experience any more trauma right now.”
My phone buzzed with a call from Gabe. “I’m at the hospital with Wes’s brother—can I call you right back?”
I hung up and looked at Ellis. “You should stay with us while you’re here.”
“I’m fine. I checked into the hotel down the street—I need to be at the hospital while I can.”
“How long will you stay?”
