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The ambulance hit a pothole and Holt grimaced. “How’s the other woman? I swear, she just came out of nowhere in a blur and knocked me down.”
“She’s not in good shape,” I sniffled. “But Holt, that woman is my sister. Charly saved your life.”
The ambulance slowed to a halt, and the doors were whipped open before Holt could respond. Moments later he was in an exam room which was a flurry of activity. One of the nurses tried to get me to leave his side stating I needed to be checked out myself. She promised me she’d keep me posted on Holt. Now that I’d seen him, I didn’t have the energy to fight her like I had the paramedic. I reluctantly nodded, but not before I leaned in to kiss him. “We missed our date at the courthouse,” I murmured against his lips. “I think you owe me, Mr. Andrews.”
“Gladly.” He used his good arm to pull me down where he didn’t hold back on his kiss, immediately parting my lips with his tongue and staking his claim.
“Ahem,” one of the doctors cleared his throat. “We need to see to his shoulder now.” His smile was sympathetic but firm, and I was kindly but forcibly sent to another cubicle to be examined.
A thorough but brief exam later, I was left alone while the nurse left to get me some medicine for my headache. She came back a moment later saying the police wanted to interview me, but another man claiming to be my lawyer was also there. Seconds later, Mr. McCloskey stuck his head through the curtain.
“Madelyn, darling?”
I jumped off the bed and flew into his arms. I lost it once again. All the fear, all the grief came crashing down on me. He let me cry until the tears finally began to slow. He hugged and patted my shoulders while he dug in a pocket for a handkerchief and handed it to me. It smelled like a combination of sunshine and starch. I didn’t know men still carried them, but then again I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since Mr. M was the good old-fashioned kind, and they didn’t make many like him anymore.
“Ms. Stone?”
A uniformed policeman stepped through the curtain. “I’m sorry, I know you’re upset, but I need to ask you a few questions.”
I didn’t want to, but knew it was necessary, and I hoped to get it over with so I could focus on Holt and Charly, so I nodded. I felt better having Mr. M with me. The officer was followed by two men in suits with badges attached to their belt. I repeated everything that happened that day, along with answering a bunch of questions. They knew about my incarceration and the fire. Obviously, they’d done their homework. Mr. M made sure they stuck to relevant questions, reminding them I was a victim twice now and they needed to get to the bottom of this. I promised to be available if they needed me and they finally left me alone.
The nurse who promised me she’d keep me posted on Holt came in to let me know that he had been wheeled in for surgery to repair some minor damage that occurred when the bullet ripped through his shoulder.
“Can you find out what happened to another woman brought in? Charly Stone? She was shot, too. She’s my sister.”
She patted my shoulder sympathetically. “I’ll let the doctors know, hon.” She left me with a bag of Holt’s belongings, including his watch and phone, and then we were dismissed to the waiting room. I was surprised to see Mr. Barnes and Misty sitting in chairs there. Misty was being comforted by her uncle as she cried silently. I didn’t understand. Was she crying for Holt? Was she seriously that infatuated with him?
Mr. Barnes smiled sympathetically at me and rose to speak to Mr. M. I sat on the other side of the waiting room and ignored them. I punched in Holt’s password on his phone and scrolled until I found his mother’s name. One more very teary eyed conversation, and I finally drew an exhausted breath. Mr. M sat next to me and put his arm around me. I rested my head on his shoulder and watched the hands on the clock move forward with painstaking slowness.
“Andrews family?” A doctor searched the waiting room. I stood.
“Mrs. Andrews?” looked to see if Holt’s mom had gotten there, but I didn’t see her. Mr. M nudged me.
Oh. I cleared my throat. “Yes, that’s me.”
He smiled reassuringly. “Your husband is out of surgery. We removed the bullet and repaired some minimal damage. He may need some physical therapy, but he should be fine. We’re going to keep him here overnight just as a precaution against infection. He’s a lucky man. A couple inches lower, and we might be having a different conversation. We’ll be wheeling him back to a room in just a few minutes, and I’ll have a nurse bring you back. Your husband was much more concerned about you than he was himself. He made us promise to bring his wife back to him ASAP because you were the only medicine that would work.” He winked at me. “He really made the nurses swoon.”
More tears fell, this time from gratitude. I thanked him profusely. “Is there any word on Charly Stone? She’s my sister.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t part of her team
, but I know they were brought in around the same time from the same scene. I’ll see what I can find out and send someone to find you.”
I collapsed into the nearest available chair. “He’ll be fine,” I told Mr. M and the others who’d moved over to us.
“What about Charly?” whispered Misty.
I looked up in surprise. “How do you know about her?”
“It’s a long story,” she sniffled.
“And one I think you better start telling me,” I snapped.
Misty wiped tears away and said, “Yes, I will. You need to know.”
A nurse interrupted. “Mrs. Andrews?” I heard Misty gasp, and I shot her a nasty look to keep her mouth shut. “I’m here to take you to your husband.”
Mr. M squeezed my shoulders. “We’ll be right here. I’d like to see him when he’s ready. I promise I’ll keep it short. I just want to see him for myself. Just so you know there are a slew of reporters here outside the hospital. The police are doing their best to keep them out, but you know how sneaky they can be.”
