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Dominic
Fifteen minutes later, I have my answer, and it’s as bad as I imagined.
Ed Wagner is in the hospital. Two unidentified men jumped him this afternoon. Just like Zach Hewitt. Ed has two black eyes, two broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and a broken wrist. He’d have had worse but for a handful of bystanders, who had intervened and stopped the assault.
The assailants got away before the cops got on the scene, but I don’t need to see them to know they’re Mitchell’s thugs.
I did this. This is my fault. I stopped Mitchell’s loan from going through. I took the battle to him, and I backed him into a corner. Randy Paulson warned me that cornered men made foolish decisions, but I’d been too focused on winning, too wrapped up in my own hubris to think through the consequences of my actions.
Zach might never walk again. Ed—I shudder to think of what would have happened to Ed if his beating had continued as planned.
How can I ever look Noah in the eye again? I got his father hurt. How can I face Carter?
I clench my eyes shut for a long pause, but when I open them, nothing has changed. The consequences of my actions are still right there.
Gabby told me to call her when I found Ed. I need to do that. I have to tell Carter. Then, I need to go to the hospital. Ed doesn’t have any money, and I doubt that Denton Mitchell offers his employees health insurance. I have to make sure he’s receiving the best possible care. After everything, It’s the least I can do.
Gabby insistson accompanying me to the hospital. She’s subdued on the drive over, and so am I. When we’re just outside the front door, she puts her hand on my arm. “Ed doesn’t know we know each other,” she says. “If I go in there with you, he’ll figure out that Carter sent me to spy on him.”
I left a message for Carter, but his phone had gone straight to voicemail. Anxiety claws through my insides. If something were to happen to Noah… “Enough lies.” My voice is harsh with nerves. Nerves, panic, fear, guilt—a veritable gamut of emotions churns inside me. “I need you with me. Please.”
Her expression softens. She squeezes my arm in a wordless gesture of support. “I’m here, Dominic. I’m not going anywhere.”
A sleepy-looking volunteer directs us to the right floor. We make our way to the ICU. The room Ed is in holds four beds, but only one is occupied.
I take my first look at Ed, and my breath catches. He looks terrible. He’s got stitches on his forehead. Over his right eye. On his left cheek. Down his left arm. His body looks broken and battered. There’s an oxygen mask on his face, and an IV drips a clear liquid into a vein in his right arm.
Gabby is frozen in the doorway, her eyes wide and shocked. A nurse brushes past her and takes a reading of some kind. “Five minutes only,” she warns me. “He needs to rest.”
Ed’s eyes are shut. His breathing sounds tortured. I start to turn, not wanting to disturb him. “Is he okay?” I ask the nurse. I’m not family; I’m not even supposed to be here. Edith Willick, the hospital administrator, is bending all kinds of rules for me.
“No, he’s not okay,” the nurse replies with exaggerated patience. “He is in the ICU. He’s had emergency surgery to treat his collapsed lung.” She takes a look at Gabriella’s face and relents. “The first few hours after surgery are the trickiest. If he’s fine tonight…”
If he makes it through the night, he’ll live. If not…
My mind shies away from that thought.
Gabby puts her arm around me, and I turn into her embrace, hugging her tight. I did this. I miscalculated so badly. So recklessly. Zach Hewitt might not walk again. Ed might not survive the night. My throat is tight, and my chest is heavy.
Ed can’t die. He just can’t. He has to make it.
“You should get some rest,”I tell Gabby in the waiting room. Under the harsh fluorescent lighting, I can see the tiredness in her eyes. “You don’t need to stay.”
I can’t leave. I need to stay, to keep vigil. It’s stupid and irrational, but I cannot go back to my apartment tonight, not when Ed is fighting for his life. In the morning, I’ll need to visit Zach Hewitt, who is in the same hospital. Gloria has texted me his room number.
“I’m okay.”
My phone beeps before I can protest. It’s Carter. “I have Noah,” he says. “He’s okay. I’m taking him to the Grand River. Okay if we crash at your place?”
“Of course.” I look up at Gabby. “Carter is on his way back with Noah.”
She exhales in a long, shuddering breath. “Oh, thank heavens. I didn’t even want to think—”
Me neither. Things are bad enough as they are.
“How is Ed?” Carter asks.
“He had emergency surgery on his lung. If he makes it through the night, he’ll probably recover. If not…”
