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We drove the rest of the way in tense silence. Ellis jumped up when we got to the lobby. “You must be Hannah.” He approached her, and she stiffened as if she were expecting him to attack.
But instead, he hugged her hard.
She burst into tears. “I’m so sorry. I feel terrible about everything. Poor Wes!”
“You don’t have to be sorry—it’s his job, and I know he loved protecting you.” Ellis rocked her back and forth, rubbing her back. “He’s going to be so happy you’re here. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Thank you. I…hope…he’s going to be…happy I’m here.” The words came out choked, in between racking sobs.
“Shh, it’s okay.” Ellis led her to a chair and handed her a tissue. “Take your time calming down, and then we can go see him.”
I texted Dr. Kim, letting him know we were here and asking for any updates. Most recent tests indicate normal brain activity, he wrote back. We will probably take him off medications to bring him out in the next few days.
Hannah calmed down, wiping her eyes and straightening her shoulders. She nodded at Ellis. “I’m ready.”
He motioned for us to follow, and we headed down the hall to Wesley’s room. I sucked in a breath when I saw him—even though it’d only been a few days, it looked as though he’d shrunk in size. His skin and lips were pale and lifeless. I suddenly understood Dr. Kim’s concern about atrophy. Wesley needed to be woken up so he could start moving around and regaining some strength.
At least, that was the hope.
Hannah didn’t wince or hesitate—she rushed to Wes’s side and laced her fingers through his. “Hey…it’s Hannah. I’m back. I’m back, and I’m so, so sorry about what happened…” Her shoulders shook for few minutes as she cried.
She forced herself to recover quickly, taking a deep breath. “I met your brother. Kind of not the circumstances I was picturing, but he’s still really nice…” She looked over and smiled at Ellis through her tears, then she turned back to Wes. “Oooh, and Gabe rescued me. Like, with a gun. Lauren hasn’t forgiven him yet, but I bet that’s going to be interesting—”
Lauren scowled. “Hannah.”
Hannah shrugged defensively. “Just catching him up.” She turned back to Wes. “The point is, I’m home now, and I need you. Lauren was about to sell Paragon to You-Know-Who, but she ripped up the agreement. It was badass. I have it on video. We’re ready to get back to work, but I need you with me…” She continued talking and crying, squeezing Wes’s arm.
I motioned for Lauren to come into the hall.
I pulled her against me. “Do you want to leave them alone for a little while?”
She pressed her face against my chest. “For a few minutes.”
“Do you want me to have Timmy take you home? You look exhausted. I can stay with Hannah for a little while longer, until she’s ready to go.”
“I don’t think we should let her stay much longer. I haven’t even mentally dealt with the fact that she disconnected her IV. We’re going to have to call the doctor…” She leaned up and kissed my cheek. “I’m going back in. I’m worried she’s running on adrenaline and she’s going to collapse.”
My phone buzzed with a call from Levi. “I’ll be right there.”
“Gabe—are you at the hospital?” Levi sounded tense.
/> “What’s the matter?”
“It’s Mom—she’s fine, it’s nothing serious. Well, it’s sort of serious…”
“Can you please tell me what the hell is going on?” I roared, my nerves shot from the long, fraught day.
Levi sighed. “She wants to know if she should move back the wedding because of everything that’s going on.”
My body sagged in relief. “Oh.”
“That doesn’t sound like an answer.”
“It’s not up to me!”
“Mom thinks it is.” Clearly, he thought this was a mistake.
I couldn’t believe this was the newest crisis. “When’s the wedding again?”
