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“How were you able to get past the nurses?” another asked me, but I didn’t bother answering, just lying back down.
My body felt like it was on fire.
I didn’t pay much attention to any of them. It felt hours had gone by before they left me and Mina came inside. She looked just as bad as I did…reminding me just how much the family had been through.
“How—”
“How’s Neal?” I asked softly, not wanting to answer that question again.
Her shoulders stiffened and she dropped her head, looking at her heels, “He’s in pretty bad shape, emotionally.”
I nodded. “Don’t let him off.”
“What?”
“A bad thing happened to him. Don’t coddle him. Don’t let him feel like he deserves to be pitied. Give him time, but if he doesn’t start to pull himself together, then it’s your job to bring him back to reality. He lost a limb; he’s still your husband, a father, a son, and brother. He doesn’t get to check out.” All that said, he was going to need time to accept it.
“Yeah…thanks, I think.” She made a face and I smiled.
“Okay, now we need to get to work.”
“Melody, you need to rest—”
“I’ll rest when I’m dead. I need you to set up a conference with both Liam and me in here; the last thing we need is the people thinking we are dead. Also, do you have a cover-up for what happened?”
“In the confusion, I didn’t think of one. Besides, the police busted in; it’s kind of hard to cover up killing people in—”
“First, get me on the phone with Chief Detective Beau Brooks.” I didn’t have time to listen to excuses. “Then you are going out and repeating what I say, word for word. The longer this stews, the worse it sticks later.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
MINA
The woman almost died.
She’d gone through hell and back, and yet she still managed to think of everything. How? I wasn’t sure. There was no one else like her, which was why I was disappointed in her decision, but either way, it made me proud to have the same last name as her.
“They are all here, ma’am.” The security guards stood around me as if I was covered in millions of dollars’ worth of jewels—but then again, when you were a Callahan, you were a jewel to this city.
The lights flashed over and over again, almost blinding me as I stepped out in front of the podium.
Placing my notes in front of me, I stared directly into the camera.
“Ladies and gentlemen of Chicago, and all viewers across the state, I’d like to correct the rumor now circulating online about the governor. Mrs. Callahan is not dead, nor does she appreciate the media insinuating that she is every time an incident happens during her term. As you know, our governor is much tougher than that, but that does not mean she herself does not have to deal with many of the same personal issues that you do. This morning, the governor’s brother, Emilio, came into her office with the intent to kill her. Unbeknownst to the citizens of Chicago, and even the men and woman who specially elected him into office without her knowledge or consent, Mayor Cortés suffered from mental illness, which he was struggling to control. Newly appointed police commissioner Beau Brooks has informed us that what spurred this attack was the death of his mother, leaving him in an unbalanced state. Yes, this is shocking. The people of this city have gone through a lot in the past couple of weeks. Our security and way of life have been tested. It is for this reason that Governor Melody Nicci Giovanni Callahan wanted me to make it clear: she will not be running for president. Her exact words were: ‘Chicago is our home. This state is our home. I do not feel comfortable leaving it for any other city or state’s aid. I’m far too biased to be the president. I want Chicago to be the city everyone comes to. I want Illinois to be the state that leads other states. I will dedicate myself to this state until the people decide they wish me to step down. Besides, I can always paint my house white.’” I smiled at that last bit, pausing as they started to ask questions and holding out my hand to indicate that I was not finished.
“So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Further questions will be answered by the commissioner.”
Folding the paper, I turned back, walking into the hospital and taking a deep breath. My heels clicked across the floor—
“Mommy!” Sedric broke away from Nari and ran to me. He stood right in front of me, arms folded. “I want to see Dad.”
“Sedric—”
“Ethan told me his leg is gone so he is sad.” Thank you, Ethan. Brilliant. “But I still want to see him.”
“Sedric—”
“Please, Mommy?” Nari asked softly.
