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Jack seems to think it’s more than enough to get an arrest. If any evidence comes back from the car, that will be the icing on the cake to finally nail Malcom Shaw and throw him behind bars to rot, like he deserves.
I open my eyes just in time to watch Andrew’s eyes shudder for a few moments. That movement has a lump forming in my throat, but then the movements go still again. I turn my head to Addy, who sits on the other side of Andrew, her feet propped up on the end of the hospital bed.
She has a distant look on her face. I know she’s still thinking about his tattoo and how much they still don’t know about the man I’ve fallen in love with. She needs a distraction.
“How’s Sophia?”
“She’s okay. She misses us, but Irene and Joe are keeping her entertained.” She has a little smirk on her face, probably from thinking about how much Joe and Irene are spoiling her. Her smile falls a little. “I miss her, too, but I also can’t bring myself to think about leaving my brother. You know?”
I shake my head. “No, but I can imagine. You must feel torn in two right now.” My heart aches for them. They finally felt safe and happy after Addy’s kidnapping. She found true love with Nathan and a daughter, to boot. Now their life is turned upside down again with chaos and heartbreak.
“All we can do is pray he wakes up soon. That we get our grumpy, overprotective big brother back and the two of you get to start your lives together.”
I give a small, tentative smile. I want nothing more than for her words to come true. As I once again stare at the man in the bed next to me, I hope none of us have to find out what life would be like without him.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Charlie
The door opens, and a cute brunette nurse walks in. “We need to take Mr. Shaw down for a CT scan.”
I stand, determined to go with him. SJ walks over to my side. The nurse looks at each of us. “His wife can go, but no one else.”
SJ’s jaw clenches when I look at him, not liking her statement at all. I don’t mind the wife part. It’s a lie, but I’m willing to tell these people anything necessary to not be kicked out of here.
“We’ll be okay,” I tell him, desperately hoping I’m right. Malcom could’ve paid off anyone in this hospital like we believe he did with Bryant, the head of security.
The nurse leaves no room for discussion. She walks over and disconnects the oxygen before attaching the canula to a portable tank. Next, she detaches the IV tubing from the part inserted into his hand. Then unplugs the inflatable bed that’s supposed to prevent both bed sores and blood clots while he’s immobile.
She unlocks the wheels on his bed and maneuvers it towards the door. She’s so tiny, and that bed is so big, but she’s an excellent driver. It looks like she’s been doing it a lot longer than she has, I imagine. Andrea opens the door, and the nurse turns the bed and gets it straight out the door without even a single hiccup.
“We’ll be right here when you come back,” Addy says to me.
I move to stand at the head of the bed once it’s in the hall, and Andrea stands next to me. The nurse is on the other side, waiting.
Andrea leans over and whispers to Andrew, “If you can hear me, we love you. Keep fighting, Brother. Dad won’t get away with this. We’ll get him.”
The nurse looks none the wiser. She looks more annoyed with us than anything. She hasn’t enforced the two visitors per patient rule, so I’ll be nice for now.
As we approach the elevator, I get a tingle down my spine. I turn and see SJ standing in the doorway of Andrew’s room, watching our every move. He gives me a quick nod but doesn’t move into the room or into the hallway.
The nurse and I stay quiet as we wait for the elevator. My eyes go from Andrew’s handsome face covered in scrapes and bruises to our surroundings. I have to stay vigilant. Malcom could send someone at any moment to finish what he started. He’s just desperate enough to do it.
The soft beep of the elevator arriving at our floor pulls me from my thoughts. I’m nervous about what the CT scan will show, and nervous about being away from all of them with no backup. I wring my hands and wipe my sweaty palms on my blue jeans.
Thankfully, it’s empty when the doors slide open. Brittany, the nurse, turns Andrew’s bed, so we walk into the elevator with Andrew headfirst. The doors slide closed once we’re inside. Then she presses the number one button for the first floor.
Just a couple floors down, the elevator dings, jolts to a stop, and the doors slide open again. I walk out first and survey the hallway both ways. My nerves from just moments earlier skyrocket because I feel so alone if anything happens. When I turn back to look at Andrew, I catch the nurse rolling her eyes. I’m sure she thinks I’m a nutcase, but she has no idea who we’re dealing with.
She pushes Andrew’s bed out and turns the foot of the bed left. “You can’t go in the imaging room. There’s a waiting area over there,” she says when I turn with the bed to go with them. She points in the opposite direction of where she’s taking Andrew.
She sees my hesitation, and I can tell she’s trying not to be short with me, but I can also tell she doesn’t understand.
“Mrs. Shaw, we’re just going right there.” She points again, this time two doors down past the elevator.
I look at the door and back at the nurse, hesitating. I don’t want to leave him, but I don’t think I have a choice in the matter. “Okay, I’ll be in the waiting room.”
She gives me a genuine smile—the first one I’ve seen from anyone since we’ve been here—before pushing Andrew’s bed towards the imaging room.
