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"Allie Colborne?"
Allie swung her head around in the direction of the deep, male voice. She stopped and let the other passengers exiting the plane go around her, craning her neck to find the person calling her. She spied a tall, dark-haired man and a thin woman with short, teased brunette hair motioning to her. Allie squinted her eyes, puzzled, as she walked toward them.
"Are you Allie?" the woman spoke this time.
"Yes?"
"I'm Catherine, Connor's sister-in-law." She smiled, seeming very relieved. "This is Connor's brother, Mark. We're so glad to meet you, Allie." She extended her hand.
"How is Connor?" Allie tried to hold back tears as she shook their hands, hoisting the strap of her bag over her shoulder with the other.
"He's out of surgery." Mark took a deep breath. "The doctors said that he was one lucky guy. The bullet barely missed a major artery. They were just taking him to recovery, when we left for the airport, so we haven't seen him yet."
"He was in surgery for quite a while." Catherine added.
"Thank God." Allie put her hand to her mouth, and closed her eyes. She blinked back tears. "Thank you so much for picking me up. I wasn't quite sure where to go when I got here. I forgot to get the name of the hospital. I just knew it was in Bethesda."
"I'm surprised at how quickly you got here, Allie." Catherine patted Allie's arm, as they headed to the exit. "Connor will be so happy."
Mark chuckled. "I understand from the doctors that he asked for you incessantly. I'm quoting them. They probably put him under just so he'd stop."
Allie laughed, relieved that Connor had made it through the surgery well enough that his brother could joke about it. It eased her mind in one sense, and at the same time, made her even more impatient to get to his bedside.
"You know, one of the other agents wasn't so lucky." Catherine shook her head. "He died at the hospital while we were there."
Allie lowered her head, knowing it could just as easily have been Connor. She blinked away the tears, trying to stay calm and focused.
"Allie, you take the front seat." Catherine had already opened the back door of the station wagon, and was climbing in. "With two kids, the back seat is always a mess." Allie nodded and climbed in beside Mark, already feeling at ease with them. "Connor told us about your inn. We're so very sorry. It must be devastating for you." Catherine reached out and put her hand on Allie's shoulder.
Turning to smile at Catherine, Allie searched for the right answer. This morning she might have used the word devastating, but now...
"Actually, I would just say that it was unfortunate. Connor and I got out alive. He's alive now, and that's all that matters." Allie felt the tears threatening to overtake her again. "An inn can be replaced, you know?" Catherine patted her shoulder, as Allie turned, staring at the lights on the road ahead.
Catherine and Mark kept the conversation light the rest of the way, recounting humorous stories about their children. Allie was grateful that they kept her distracted, and she was sure they understood why she only half-listened.
Mark pulled in front of the entrance to the hospital. "You girls go on ahead. I'll park the car and meet you upstairs."
On the way to the surgery unit, Catherine filled her in on who she could expect to meet in the waiting room. She also warned Allie that the surgeons had told them that there might be some sort of permanent damage from the gunshot. They would know more once they explored the area during surgery. Allie nodded, trying to keep herself together for Connor's sake. Catherine motioned to the next room off the hallway, where Allie could hear laughter.
"They let us have the whole waiting room to ourselves, probably because we're so loud," she laughed and escorted Allie into the room, at which point the occupants stopped their bantering and turned to look at her.
"Everyone, this is Allie." Catherine presented her to the group. Allie estimated there to be about ten family members in the room. Immediately, an older couple walked over to her, the woman grabbing both of Allie's hands in her own, a welcoming smile on her face.
"Allie, I'm Elaine, Connor's mother, and this is his father, Frank." She nodded toward her husband. "We're so glad you made it here safely." She leaned toward her, lowering her voice. "We've already been in to see Connor. He's waiting for you, and I know you're anxious to see him, so you can meet the rest of the family later." Without waiting for a reply, she put her arm around Allie's shoulders and escorted her to the door. "He's in room 508 down to the left. By the way, dear, he's still drowsy from the anesthesia."
"Thank you, Elaine." Allie was grateful that his mother understood, and she pressed her hands warmly. She walked down the hall, hesitated for a moment in front of Connor's door, then pushed it open. The door shut slowly behind her as she stood quietly in the darkened room, the only sound, the soft, intermittent whirring of the blue monitor by his bed. She hadn't been in a hospital room since her mother's death. Allie looked at the bed. Connor's eyes were closed, his head back on the pillow. The sheet was pulled taut up under his bare arms, the hand closest to her palm up, his fingers slightly curled. The blue print hospital gown that showed above the sheet appeared snug across his shoulders, and was untied, the laces laying forward on his chest. Allie noticed that there were oxygen tubes stretched across his nose and cheeks. Assorted tubes ran from the bag over the monitor to the IV in his arm, and from beneath the sheet to a second monitor. In the silence, she could feel her heart thumping loudly, as she stepped quietly across the linoleum floor and sat down in the recliner on the other side of his bed. She dropped her bag softly on the floor beside her, gazing at his still face. She scanned his sheet covered body, trying to figure out where his wound was. She hadn't found out exactly where he had been shot, only that the bullet had missed an artery, and there might be permanent damage. Allie took a deep breath, and looked at the monitor showing his heart rhythm, thankful that it looked so strong and steady.
"Hi...there."
Her eyes darted back to his face as she heard the slurring warmth of Connor's voice, and she saw him smiling weakly, his eyes thin slits of bright blue amid the tubes. She scooted closer to the bed, and put her hand in his. He squeezed it lightly. She could see him trying to slant his eyes to focus on her face without moving his head.
"Hi." Allie whispered as she leaned closer, willing herself to be strong, not to cry in front of him. She put her other hand on his brow, and smoothed his hair back from his forehead, smiling, still gazing into his eyes. "I'm here now."
She saw him nod slightly, blink slowly, then close his eyes, as he lightly squeezed her hand again.
A few minutes later, the door opened and Catherine walked in quietly. "We're all heading home now," she whispered, after noticing that Connor was asleep. "What do you want to do?"
"I'll stay here. I can sleep on the recliner."
"Okay. Let us know if there's any change, but the nurse said he's stable. So....well, we know he's in good hands." Catherine smiled. "My number is on the table by his bed." She looked at Connor for a moment, then smiled at Allie, and closed the door behind her.
The rest of the night was a blur. Allie occasionally dozed off, her head forward on her arm, still holding Connor's hand, only to be awakened by a nurse checking his vital signs. Connor would rouse for a moment, then slip back into his drug-induced sleep. As the nurse checked his wound, Allie could see that he had been shot in his upper left leg. She winced as the nurse pulled back the gauze, checking the drain tube.
"He should feel better in a couple of days." The nurse smiled at Allie, as she pulled the sheet back over Connor and tucked it in, laying his arm with the IV back in position. "This is the roughest time, right after surgery, but he's doing well." Her shoes padded softly across the floor as she left them.
Allie awoke with a start, and lifted her head from her arm, noticing that the sun was shining through the w
indow behind her...directly onto Connor's face. She carefully slid her hand from Connor's, tiptoeing to the window to close the blinds. When she turned back around, she saw Connor watching her, his eyes a little more open, his head turned slightly toward her.
"I'm glad you came." Connor's voice sounded stronger to her, but still slurred. His eyes were bright, despite the drugs, but she could see his gaze wavering. He tried to turn his head toward her, but immediately moved it back, closing his eyes. "Bad headache."
"Do you want me to get the nurse?" Allie felt his forehead, and smoothed his hair. "Connor, I'll stay as long as you need me." She took his hand in both of hers.
"I love...you, you know." He took a long breath, and drifted off again, snoring softly.
"I love you, too," she whispered, rubbing his hand gently. She listened to the beautiful sound of his breathing.