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“Why don’t you go see Caden. We can talk about the details later,” Blake said.
Martin nodded. “Good idea. The rest of the guys should be coming soon. They’re just wrapping things up.”
“What things?” Hallie asked. “And what did you mean when you said all hell broke loose?”
Before they could answer her questions, Luke’s cell phone rang. “It’s Orly. I’m going to fill her in.” He stepped away to answer the call.
“I’ll take you to Caden,” Martin said. He exchanged a look with Blake that Hallie couldn’t quite read, then motioned for the receptionist to let them in. A heavy white door leading to the patient rooms opened. They walked down a wide hallway lined with a few gurneys. “Here.” Martin steered her toward a small room with a sliding glass door that had the curtain pulled shut. He pushed the curtain aside and Hallie got her first look at Caden. He was lying on a gurney, unmoving and attached to an IV and a heart monitor. There was a large white bandage on his head.
“What happened to him?” She asked, her voice cracking.
“He got hit from behind. Hard.” Martin wasn’t pulling any punches and Hallie appreciated that. Just when it looked like he was about to say more they were interrupted by the sound of the door opening behind them.
“Excuse me.” An older gentleman in a white doctor’s coat, wearing glasses and a frown stepped into the small room. “I’m sorry, but you can’t be in here.”
“We’re family,” Martin said.
When the doctor looked at Hallie, she quickly added, “I’m his fiancée. Please tell me Caden will be okay.”
“His head took quite a hit, but we just got his MRI scans back and there doesn’t appear to be any internal bleeding. Basically, he has a bad concussion. He can wake up at any time, but I hate to say this, the longer it takes, the less likely it is. We’ll keep an eye on him and hopefully he’ll come to in the next few hours.”
“Hopefully?” Hallie asked, the word catching in her throat.
Martin gently squeezed her shoulder. “He’ll wake up. Thanks, Doctor,” he said to the man who was already stepping out of the room.
Hallie turned to Martin as soon as the door was closed again. “I need you to tell me what happened. Did something explode like I saw it would?” Hallie didn’t know how she was going to survive the next several hours waiting for Caden to wake up, but maybe if Martin told her everything, it would at least help her understand how he’d gotten hurt.
“The guys found a leak in the water heater, but just as I got there, they were ambushed by someone with a gun. Perp got off a few shots before one of the bullets hit an old can of spray paint, which did indeed cause an explosion.”
Hallie listened in horror. “Did they catch the guy?”
“They’re working on it. Back up arrived just as the ambulance did. Luke and I focused on helping the paramedics get Caden out of harm’s way, but everyone else stayed behind to make sure the perp was found.”
“What about the water heater?” She asked.
“I disconnected it before we left, so that won’t be a problem. They’ll just need to get a new one as soon as possible.”
Hallie wanted to feel relieved. The major crisis had been averted and Caden would be okay, but she still had this nagging feeling something was wrong.
She turned to Caden and took his limp hand in hers. His grip had always been strong and firm, like an anchor she could rely on to hold her when she needed a grounding or reassuring touch. But now it was loose and limp. She stroked his face, touching the barely there stubble of his five o’clock shadow. She wanted to kiss him and feel the prickle on her lips. “I love you so much. You just have to be okay. You promised to always come back to me.”
“Can I get you anything before I give you some privacy?” Martin asked.
Hallie was about to respond, but then - it happened. Again. She saw the building, the same one, and then - the explosion. She jolted and immediately turned to Martin.
“What?” He asked. “What is it?”
Hallie ran out of Caden’s room with Martin on her heels. Something was terribly wrong. If the blast she saw came from the spray paint can being shot, then she shouldn’t be seeing that glimpse again.
Breathless and panicked, she found Luke and Blake standing where she’d left them. Tanner and Garrett must’ve arrived while she and Martin were with Caden. Their clothes were covered in patches of dirt and dust, like they’d been in an old basement or went crawling through an attic.
“Hallie, slow down. What’s going on?” Martin called after her.
“Hallie?” Blake asked. “What happened? Don’t tell me Martin told you -”
“I did, but the doctor said -” Martin started to say.
“No. It’s not that,” Hallie said. “You don’t understand. It’s still going to happen.”
