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My body trembled violently, and I slapped my palm against the wall in a shitty attempt to steady myself. Had the call been from a doctor with news about Cole? Fear, grief, and anxiety drowned out my thoughts as I waited for someone to tell me what in the hell was going on.
ChapterTwenty-Six
Realizing I shouldn’t get caught eavesdropping, I hurried to a chair and sat down. Zayne pretended that he hadn’t witnessed me pressed against the wall listening, which I greatly appreciated. It was one thing to be a bodyguard, another to tattle like a little kid. I stared at the floor, picking at my fingernail as my parents entered the waiting area.
“Shae, one of Cole’s nurses called. He’s still in surgery.” She wearily sank into the seat next to mine while Daddy and King continued to chat quietly at the other end of the room.
“Do they know if he’s going to be okay?” I demanded, chewing on my bottom lip. “Why won’t they tell us anything?”
Julia took a slow breath. “He’s getting the best medical care available. He was shot in the stomach, but since King acted so quickly, his chances of making it are a lot better.” Julia flashed me a sad smile. “Try not to worry Shae, we both know that Cole is a fighter.”
I nodded. “He’s a tough guy, for sure. He told me about Rick hurting him when he was younger.” I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, trying to catch her off guard. Although Cole had spoken to his mom before he talked to me about the abuse, I couldn’t let her know I’d been listening to their conversation.
“I wasn’t aware of what Rick had done to Cole until it was over.” Julia hung her head, her dark hair hiding her face for a moment. “We had a beautiful house in a nice area. I worked a corporate job as a vice-president for a technology company. I traveled a lot. Rick and I had agreed he would take on side-work or a part-time job so he could be there for Cole.” She covered her mouth with her fingertips, a tear escaping. “Wanting to provide a good life for my son cost me dearly.”
I took her hand in mine. “It’s not your fault, Julia. You didn’t make Rick do those awful things to Cole.”
“I know, but if you ever have babies of your own, you’ll realize the guilt you might carry outweighs anything else. If I hadn’t married Rick, Cole wouldn’t have been hurt.”
I sat up straight and squared my shoulders. “Julia, if you hadn’t married Rick, we wouldn’t have Cole at all.”
She smiled through her tears. “He’s what has kept me going all these years. Now he’s grown, and all I want is for him to be happy and healthy.” She gently patted my cheek. “You’re good for him, honey, but I don’t know what path Cole will take. I don’t want to see you hurt like I was.”
We fell into an anxious silence as the minutes ticked by without a word about Cole. My brain spun a million different scenarios, including what casket he would be buried in, or what our wedding might look like. My emotions were on overdrive, dipping and cresting from one second to the next.
Time refused to appease me and dragged its feet like a child refusing to walk while the parent was using every trick possible to get them to stand. I’d used it on my mom several times.
I relentlessly paced the hall near the waiting room, stopping to stare out of the window that overlooked Spokane. The sun had shifted and began its afternoon trajectory. We’d been here for five hours, and I was about to lose my mind. Since I’d never had surgery and neither had Daddy, I had no idea what was taking so long.
Lightly banging my forehead against the pane, I considered texting Zoe, but I’d already blown up her phone earlier. There was nothing else to say until we had news.
“Shae,” Daddy’s voice reached me, and I spun around, hopeful. He waved me over. “Princess, we have news.”
ChapterTwenty-Seven
Ithought I’d hauled ass this morning when Julia woke me, but I’d just broken my record. Daddy wore a solemn expression, and as much as I needed answers, I was terrified to hear them.
“What is it? Is he out of surgery?” Something similar to fear scraped its ugly nails down my spine. I rubbed at my chest, where my heart hurled itself against my ribs. The palpitations were full of dread and adrenaline.
Daddy wrapped me in a hug and kissed the top of my head. “Yeah,” he whispered.
I clutched his shirt between my fingers, recalling the conversation he’d had with me about mom. That she was gone, and the doctors couldn’t help her. I was old enough to realize she was dead the moment I found her, but I guess he needed to make sure I was clear about the situation.
“Shae, he’s going to be okay. The bullet hit his large intestine, but they were able to remove part of his colon. Cole will make a full recovery.”
I rubbed my stiff neck, trying to collect my scattered thoughts while his words registered in slow motion. I stepped away, giving myself over to the galloping beats of my pulse. I bent over, wrapping my arms around myself as I fell apart. My knees met the hard, tiled floor as the sobs ripped through me.
“It’s all right, Princess.” Daddy sat down and pulled me against him.
“I love him, Daddy,” I confessed as the emotional whiplash finally began to calm.
“I know, honey. Let’s talk about this later. We should go see Cole.”
Daddy helped me stand, and I spotted a bathroom. “Give me a minute.” I was a mess, and if Cole was awake, I didn’t want to let him know that the thought of losing him almost broke me.
After blowing my nose, rinsing my face with cold water, and taking some deep breaths, I felt a little more presentable.
I messaged Zoe to pass along the good news and let her know I would update her as soon as I learned more.
