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Code signaled Tanner to go to the left side of the counter while he went to the right. The blood clearly following that path. Frowning, he turned and saw the body lying face down. He kicked the foot of the large man, then knelt beside him, feeling for a pulse.
“Get medical here,” he said to Tanner. Turning the body over, he gasped.
“Who is that?” asked Tanner.
“Abraham. It’s Razor and Bella’s son, Abe. Shit, we haven’t seen him in probably ten years. He must have been trying to get home.” Tanner quickly sent the urgent text to all medical team members and the senior team.
Wilson and Cruz came through the back door, followed by Gabi. They’d been checking on their patients who were at the clinic. When they saw the face of the man lying on the floor, they all gasped, staring at the young man.
“Holy shit,” said Gabi. “Get him to the clinic.”
As Wilson and the others lifted him onto the stretcher, he reached out for his hand, squeezing, and said one thing.
“Let me die.”
“Fuck that, you asshole! You’re not dying. Not here. You’re home, brother,” said Wilson. “I need you to hold on, Abe. Just hold on for me. You’re home.”
The clinic began to fill to capacity with family and friends. Bella held tightly to Razor’s hand, praying for her son. She knew he was in good hands, but a prayer was always welcome.
“Does anyone know anything?” asked Luke.
“Nothing,” said Tanner. “We heard the alarm at the café and thought it might be someone hungry. The door was tampered with and open, and there was a trail of blood leading behind the counter.”
“I wonder if he was trying to get to the alarm beneath the counter?” frowned Code.
“He would have known that once he opened that door, the alarm would have been triggered, and we’d come. Maybe he’s not thinking clearly,” said Tanner.
“Razor? Bella? Anything you can tell us?” asked Cam.
“He’s been different the last few years,” said Razor. “Usually, he would call us or send an e-mail or text at least once a week. Then it started to taper off. We asked him if he was seeing someone, but he said he didn’t want to jinx anything. Something was definitely off, though.”
“Hey, I think you guys need to know what I’ve found,” said Hiro, looking sheepishly at the team.
“Brother, whatever it is, it’s okay,” said Razor. “I appreciate you taking the initiative to figure this shit out.”
“He’s been on a team with Homeland and the FBI for the last year. Recently, he was involved in an incident that I’m still working on getting details about. But when he returned to the teams, they asked him to take some time off. Apparently, he was having nightmares, not sleeping, not eating.”
“What the fuck?” muttered Razor.
“He looked big but thinner than the last time he was here,” said Code.
“Did he say anything to you?”
“Nothing to me, but he spoke to Wilson. He said, ‘let me die.’”
Sara, Dylan, and George brought a cart filled with hot chocolate, coffee, and snacks to keep them going. It was well past midnight, but they all stayed in their holiday attire, waiting for news.
Gabi and Riley walked out, whispering to one another. For Gabi, this was personal. She’d delivered Abe, watched him grow, and become a fine young man.
“How is he?” asked Razor.
“He’ll survive,” said Riley. “He was stabbed from behind, nicking the right kidney. It narrowly missed the liver, which was probably the intention of the guy who stabbed him. He’s resting comfortably right now. Wilson, Doc, and Cruz are with him.”
“Thank you, Riley. Gabi. Thank you,” said Bella.
“Honey, it’s my honor. He’s important to our family, but what we need to find out is why he was stabbed.”
“You think it was intentional?” asked Hex.
