The nurse entered the room, carrying a syringe and we stopped talking as she administered the medication in my IV. We waited for her to check a few other things and chart it, before she left. I felt myself growing drowsier.
“Dylan.” I needed to get this out before I drifted off again. “Would you blame me if the situation were reversed? What if I was supposed to be protecting you and I failed? Would you hate me?” I blinked several times trying to stay focused.
“Never,” he whispered; his voice so low I could hardly hear him.
“Exactly. So quit expecting me to do it to you.” I continued before he could say anything. “Now I’m sleepy, so go get in your bed. I can’t close my eyes until I know you’re in bed.”
My eyes were heavy as he kissed me on the forehead. “I love you, Goody. Thank you.”
I watched as he climbed into bed. “Close your eyes,” I ordered and he did. Then I closed mine.
***
Dylan’s exhaustion was pretty evident to anyone who came into the room. He slept like the dead. I kept looking at his neck to see if I could see a pulse there, he’d been asleep for so long. I wasn’t even sure if he’d moved since I’d awakened. Nurses, techs, and lab people tiptoed in out of the room, getting vitals and taking blood. I appreciated everyone trying not to disturb him. When breakfast came, they brought a tray for him, too. I had them place it on a small table stand while I tried to decide what to do. My breakfast contained mostly liquid items, since my diet was still restricted after surgery, but his smelled wonderful. I briefly wondered if he’d even had anything to eat since this whole fiasco had taken place.
“Dylan,” I called to him. He didn’t move. “Dylan, can you hear me?” Still nothing. Now I really was getting worried. This was the guy who could jump out of bed in two seconds to run to an emergency call. “Dylan,” I said even louder as I picked up my spoon and banged it loudly against the tray.
He jumped, sitting up almost instantly and reaching for his gun in the windowsill behind him.
Smiling, I raised my hands in the air. “Don’t shoot! I’m just trying to feed you.”
Groggily, he dropped his hand and shook his head, as if he were trying to clear the fatigue.
“You’ve been really out of it,” I said with a slight chuckle, clutching my belly. It was incredible how many muscles the human body used, ones I’d never noticed until they were suddenly sore.
Dylan slumped back against his pillow. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep so long.”
“Don’t be sorry. You needed it. Here, come get your food. It smells wonderful. I think they brought you French toast.”
“You look better this morning,” he said, staring at me for a few moments. “Your color is better than it was yesterday.”
“Yours, too. It’s amazing what a little rest can do, isn’t it?”
“Are you trying to trap me into telling you how right you are? Because I’m way too tired to figure out anything like that, right now.” He smiled. That’s what I’d been waiting for. I smiled back, even though my heart and body felt like they’d both been run over by a bulldozer. I knew there was a lot of grieving and healing ahead of us, but as long as I could see him smile once in a while, it made everything better.
Of course, maybe I was just being a little sappy over the whole smiling thing. People did that kind of stuff after a near death experience, or so I’d heard. After this, I would be inclined to agree. It made you realize what the most important things your life really are. And I knew Dylan was on the top of my “Most Important List.” He was my love, my anchor, and my hope.
“You okay?” he asked, continuing to stare at me.
I nodded. “Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life. I don’t know if I’d be able to get through all this without you.” I teared up. Yep, my emotions were all over the place, running out of control.
“Aw, don’t cry, honey. It hurts my heart.” He got up and dropped the side rail to the bed and sat down next to me, wrapping his arms around me.
“I’m sorry. I’m happy, but I’m so sad at the same time. I don’t know how to handle it. One second I’m in the depths of despair and the next I feel so grateful for everything. How is that okay? I can’t feel grateful after I just lost my baby. That would make me a bad mom.”
“No, it doesn’t. It means your human and you’ve been through a terrifying ordeal. It’s going to take time to process everything, Goody. And you can take as much time as you need. We both can.”
“I just feel stupid, or confused, or something.”
“That’s okay.” He kissed my head. “The hospital has grief counseling services. I met one of the counselors when you were brought into the ICU. His name was Kevin and he was really nice. I think maybe we would benefit from talking to him or someone from that department. Would you be okay with that? I don’t want either of us ending up with post traumatic stress disorder. We need to be smart about this.”
I nodded. “If you think it will help, I’m good with that. I mean, I’m not like going crazy or anything, I don’t think; but I just feel like it’s all stuff I can’t control. Know what I mean?”
He gave a small grunt. “I know exactly what you mean. I feel the same way, myself. I hate waiting and not being able to take care of things.”
“Have the police found any leads?” I asked. “You haven’t really talked about all that.”
“That’s because I don’t want you worrying about any of that stuff. You have plenty of other things demanding your attention right now.”
“Don’t shield me, Dylan.” I knew what he was doing, I’d seen it often enough. “I’m involved in this and I need to know what’s happening.”
“Not a whole lot. The police have someone they want to bring in for questioning, but they haven’t, yet.”
“They have a suspect? That’s great news, isn’t it? Why don’t you seem happy about it?”
“Because whoever it is wanted to hurt you and that upsets me.”
“Do you know who it is?”
He sighed, clearly not wanting to divulge anything.
“Dylan,” I said again in frustration.
“Yes. I know who it is. I’m the one who suggested they be checked out.”
“Who?” I asked nervously, feeling my insides clench painfully.
“They’re trying to find Gabby Martinez.”
Gabby. Feeling the color drain from my face, I instantly reverted back to the memories of Clay and the horror he’d put me through and Gabby’s involvement.
“I thought she was in jail.”
“She served her time and was released. Oddly enough, not too long before all this stuff started happening.”
“And she definitely could be carrying a grudge against both of us.” I sighed. “This isn’t good, but it makes sense.”
Dylan didn’t reply, instead he grabbed a cup of juice from my breakfast tray, and took the lid off. “Drink your breakfast,” he ordered. I took it from him and he started removing lids from some of the other containers. I knew he was trying to redirect my attention, but I didn’t mind. I was sick of this whole thing. I simply wanted someone to tell me it was over. “Looks like you’ve got some Jell-o and broth, too.”
“I don’t know if I can handle all of that, but you need to eat your breakfast too, Dylan.”
“Do I? Maybe I just need to pull the same stunt on you that you pulled on me. I’m not going to eat until I see you making a valiant effort to get yours down.”
I was at a loss for an argument and he laughed.
“Sucks to be on the receiving end of those ultimatums, doesn’t it?” he asked.
“Yeah, kinda.” But I wasn’t upset at all.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Dylan-
“I need to talk to you,” Chris said in his all business voice. He had that “look” and I knew he was onto something.
I got up from Cami’s hospital bed. “Be right back,” I told her.
“You could just talk in
front of me, you know?” she called after me. “I’m not twelve.”
I flashed a smile at her. “In a minute.” Following Chris out into the hall we walked a few feet away, but still had Cami’s room in plain sight. “What’s going on?” I asked, folding my arms.
“We got a hit from the hospital switchboard operator. Someone has called in several times to ask about Cami. For security reasons, Cami’s not officially listed as a patient here unless whoever is calling identifies themselves with a password. The person calling obviously isn’t aware of this. Also, the caller was a woman. The switchboard has denied that there is a Cami Wilcock registered here each time, but the woman keeps calling.”
“Do we have a phone number?” I asked, seeing where he was going with this.
He nodded. “We do. We traced the number to a pay phone near one of the older hotels downtown. The front desk there has verified a woman matching Gabby’s description was staying there, but they don’t have anyone registered under that name. Show Low PD is forming a team right now to go check things out. They have her previous mug shot, so they can get verification if it’s her. There’s a female officer going in under the pretense of checking in, so they won’t alert anyone who’s watching.”
“I want in,” I said without hesitation.
“No. Absolutely not,” he replied firmly. “Don’t even argue with me about it. I’m here telling you this as a courtesy because I know you’ve been going crazy about everything. There’s no way any cop in his right mind is going to let you on that scene.”
I sighed heavily. “Are you going?”
He nodded. “I’m just waiting for them to call and tell me they’re ready. Don’t get your hopes up, though. It could be a false alarm.”
“Pretty coincidental, if you ask me. Calls from a random phone near hotels that none of the family is staying at? Outside of the emergency services people, no one else even knows we’re here. It’d have to be someone who was involved in this.”
“I agree. There’s definitely someone who’s not with us that’s doing the inquiring. I’m simply saying the girl at the hotel may not be Gabby. And if it’s not her, we don’t have any witnesses to who has been using the pay phone.”
I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. “The waiting is driving me crazy, Chris.”
“Then I suggest you do something to keep yourself busy. Go to the store next door and buy some clothes, get a razor and get cleaned up. I’m sure that would help Cami feel better, too. She’d like to see you looking like your old self and not some homeless guy who just came in off the street.”
“If you’re leaving, I can’t go, too.”
“Seriously, Dylan. It’s across the street. They aren’t even letting staff into this department without a password. Plus, I’m expecting someone any minute who would be happy to come sit with her.”
“Who?” I asked, wondering why he was being so secretive.
“So, are you guys like actually watching her door?” Russ’s voice interrupted. “Or should I just walk in?”
I turned, unable to help the smile that crossed my face. “Russ!”
“Hey, bro!” He grabbed me in a bear hug, patting me hard on the back. “Man, Dylan. I’m so sorry to hear about all of this.” I felt myself getting choked up, again. It was so good to see him. It’d been hard for both Cami and I to leave him behind. He was just as much part of our family as any of our blood relatives. My dad even claimed him like a son, mostly because Russ’s last name was Weston, which, of course, was Dad’s first name. Dad had said, “Never met a Weston I didn’t like!” when they were introduced and they’d been fast friends ever since. I was so happy to have him here, and if anyone could cheer us up, it would be him.
Releasing him, I glanced at Chris. “Thanks for doing this. It means a lot.”
He patted me on the shoulder. “Anytime, kid. I’m taking off now. I’ll let you know something when I know something.”
“Be careful,” I said and he gave me the thumbs up sign as he walked away.
Turning back to Russ, I wrapped my arm around his shoulders. “Come on. Let’s go see Cami.” Leading him into the room, Cami’s eyes were closed and I realized she’d fallen asleep in the middle of eating.
“Let her sleep,” Russ whispered. “I’ll sit here with her and you can run to the store and get whatever you needed. That way she won’t miss you.”
I shook my head. “I hate leaving her. I can wait until later.”
“Dude, no offense, but I thought you were like one of the Duck Dynasty guys when I walked up. Do us all a favor and go get a razor. I’ll stay with her. Get showered or whatever you need. She’s sleeping and I want to help. That’s what I came here for. You know you can trust me to protect her. Besides, you’re gonna have to leave her sometime. You can’t stay with her every second.”
Sighing heavily, I felt my heart twist, but I nodded. “I just feel really over protective of her.”
“That’s understandable, and no one is telling you can’t do that. All we’re saying is it’s okay to ask for help. You need to take care of yourself, too, or you can’t take care of her. Besides, you shouldn’t be scaring her like this every time she wakes up.” He waved his hand gesturing to my appearance. “She’ll be okay long enough for you to shower.”
I knew Cami was in good hands with Russ, but I was still hesitant. “Did Chris fill you in on the case?”
“Yep, about Gabby and everything. I know who to watch out for and I’ve got your back.”
“All right,” I replied, giving in. It would feel nice to get cleaned up. Going over to the closet, I retrieved my wallet and badge Chris had given me, tucking the wallet in my pocket, and then clipping the badge to my waist.
“Don’t forget your gun,” Russ said, grabbing it from the window and handing it to me. I took it and tucked it into the back of my pants, pulling my shirt over to conceal both it and my badge. No need to make anyone unnecessarily nervous about my being armed.
“Okay. I won’t be long,” I said, glancing at Cami.
“Shoo!” Russ said in a loud whisper, flicking his hands at me as he herded me to the door. “Don’t come back until you find the ‘real’ Dylan!” I shook my head and chuckled as I headed down the hall.
Leaving the hospital, I jogged across the small two-lane street and into the Wal-Mart store parking lot on the other side. It felt good to run after being cooped up for so long, so I continued to jog across the large parking lot, knowing the faster I was finished, the faster I’d be back with Cami. Not that I didn’t trust Russ, I simply wanted to be with her. I needed to be with her.
I entered the store, grabbing a cart before glancing around at the signs for the different departments, choosing to go to the personal hygiene section first. After quickly picking out the items I needed there, I made my way to the men’s clothing section to get another couple of shirts and pants to wear, since the clothes I was wearing were the only ones my parents brought. The rest of Cami’s and my stuff was still part of the crime scene in Nutrioso, which was a good hour and fifteen minutes away; so there was no way for me to go get anything from there anyway, without taking an incredible amount of time.
Once I was finished, I headed toward the registers, suddenly I thought of a couple more things. I wanted to do something nice for Cami. Going to the book section, I was intent on finding a romance book she might like to read. However, once I got there, I was overwhelmed with the selection. I had no idea what she might want. One called Big Apple Dreams, by Kamery Solomon finally caught my eye and I picked it up, quickly reading the blurb. As soon as I saw it was about a girl whose dream was to perform on Broadway, I tossed in the cart. That was totally something Cami would like.
I continued out of the aisle, ready to head back up front where I’d seen some roses when someone caught my eye, making my hackles rise. I knew the girl at the end of the main aisle. Staring hard at her, I was sure it was Gabby. Well, almost sure of it. Her long dark hair was just like it had been in high sch
ool and she didn’t look like she’d aged a day, still very pretty and put together. She was intently looking at something on the shelf and not paying any attention to the people around her, so I could only see her from the side. Turning my cart in her direction, I did my best to remain calm as I walked toward her. Absently, I felt my pocket for my phone so I could call Chris before realizing I didn’t have it.
Damn.
The girl moved, turning away from me and walked into the hardware section. I needed to see her straight on to be sure. I hadn’t seen her in a couple years, and I didn’t want to scare some innocent bystander out of her mind, so I pushed my cart just past the aisle she went down, not wanting to draw attention to myself. I paused at the end where a bunch of red toolboxes sat, pretending to be interested in those while I watched her covertly. Lifting her head, she turned to glance at the other side of the aisle and I knew for certain. It was her. I wasn’t wasting another second.
Very slowly, so I wouldn’t startle her, I casually walked into the aisle. “Looking for a hammer to bludgeon someone with?” I asked casually; and she looked up, giving a startled cry. She tried to run past me and I grabbed her arm, swinging her into the rack of hammers, causing merchandise to pop off and fall everywhere. Whipping my gun out, I trained it on her in the beat of an eyelash. “I should kill you right now,” I said, as she looked at me fearfully.
“You already have.” She spat back, a defiant look crossing her features as she lifted her chin. “Might as well go ahead and pull the trigger and finish the rest of the job.”
Yep, she was still bat shit crazy. “What the hell are you talking about, Gabby?”
“You and Cami. It was because of you two that I ended up in prison.”
“You ended up in prison because you were dealing drugs and covered up a homicide. That was all you. Not me, not Cami, and definitely not our baby.” Rage poured through me and my finger itched to pull the trigger. One shot, placed just right, and this would all be over. Cami could have her life back. She’d be safe, again. All I had to do was pull the trigger.