Rebel Sweetheart

by Sydney Canyon

  By the time Haley and Rich had arrived with Officer Mathis, Shane was out of surgery and moved to ICU, where she was on heavy pain medication and sleeping comfortably.

  “So, as I told you in the hallway, we were able to get her stable and close the wound,” the doctor said. “She has a drain tube right here,” he added, pointing to the clear hose with bloody fluid coming out from under the blanket and going into a machine beside the bed. “This just helps suck out any excess blood while it heals. She’ll have this in for about three days. We’ll reevaluate her at that point. She’s in great health, so I expect her to go home after that.”

  “Okay,” Haley said, unsure of what questions to ask. Shane looked so pale and weak with wires and tubes from various machines connected to her that were monitoring her oxygen level, heart rate, blood pressure, and fluid level from the drain.

  “She should be awake in a few hours once the meds start to wear off. She’ll be in a lot of pain, though. If you have any questions, the nurse can page me.”

  “Thank you,” Rich said.

  Haley moved to Shane’s side and grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry,” she began to cry. “I should’ve listened to you.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up over this,” Rich murmured, placing his hand on her shoulder. “She protected you. That was her job.”

  “I know it was her god damn job! But, she almost died, Rich! This shouldn’t have happened.”

  He sighed inwardly. “Dennis should be here soon. I got a text saying he was in the air.”

  Haley ignored him as she sat on the stool, holding Shane’s hand and running her other hand up and down her arm.

  “When he gets here, why don’t you let him take you home?”

  “I’m not leaving her side,” she growled through clenched teeth.

  “Excuse me?” a nurse said, popping into the room. “I thought you might want her things,” she added, handing a plastic hospital bag to Rich that contained all of Shane’s clothing, as well as her watch and gun holster with her Glock still snapped inside of it. “The knife was given to the police.”

  “Thank you,” he replied, setting the bag on the floor in the corner before taking a seat in the chair. “I need to make a few calls. I’ll be right outside the door.”

  Haley nodded.

  As soon as he was gone, she brought Shane’s hand up to her cheek. “I’m so sorry. It should be me lying there,” she murmured, mostly to herself since Shane was on heavy medication.

  ***

  The entire right side of Shane’s torso ached with pain that throbbed to the beat of her heart. She felt like she’d been beaten to within a fraction of her life by a baseball bat. She tried to adjust her position, but that only escalated the piercing pain. It was so dark and cold. She wasn’t sure where she was, or what had happened to her, but she felt alone and helpless. She began calling out Haley’s name, hoping she wasn’t in danger.

  ***

  Haley had fallen asleep with her head on the bed next to Shane while still sitting on the stool and holding her hand. A soft moaning sound caused her to stir. She sat up, feeling the stiffness in her sore muscles from the awkward position she’d been in.

  “What time is it?” she asked, looking at Dennis in the dimly lit room.

  He was sitting at the foot of the bed in the chair. He’d arrived earlier, allowing Rich to leave and handle his part of the situation. “Around three a.m., I think.”

  Haley nodded and yawned. She was about to lay her head back down when she heard Shane whispering her name.

  “I’m here,” she said, squeezing her hand. “Shane? Can you hear me? I’m right here. Open your eyes.”

  ***

  Shane fought to see in the dark, thick fog surrounding her, but she heard Haley’s voice in the distance. Where are you? How do I get to you? I’m lost. Haley’s voice rang in her ears again, telling her to open her eyes. Shane searched and searched for the direction of the sound, but couldn’t figure it out. It was almost like she was floating through space, with no sense of direction.

  ***

  “Dennis, get the nurse,” Haley said nervously. “Something’s wrong.”

  Shane was squeezing her hand and wincing in pain. She still hadn’t opened her eyes.

  He opened the door and called down to the nurses’ station. The police officer had left once Dennis had arrived and explained that he was trained to handle the situation and would be resuming Haley’s security detail in Shane’s place.

  A few seconds later, a tall, dark-skinned nurse came into the room and flipped the switch, fully lighting the room. Dennis and Haley both flinched from the brightness.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, walking over and checking the machines, as well as the drain.

  “She’s moving and grimacing. I also felt her squeeze my hand a few times,” Haley said.

  The nurse smiled. “She’s coming off those meds and waking up. Those things put you in the Twilight Zone.” She shook her head. “She needs to wake up so we can see what her pain level is before we give her something new.” She made sure everything looked fine on the machines. Then, she ran her hand up and down Shane’s left arm. “Shane…come on, darling. You have people here waiting for you to wake up. I know it hurts, but I can’t take it away until you open your eyes for me.”

  Haley squeezed Shane’s hand, then ran her fingers through her short, dark hair. “Please wake up,” she whispered in her ear before kissing her cheek.

  Shane began to stir once more.

  “Can you dim the lights for me?” she asked, looking back at Dennis. “I don’t want to blind the poor woman.”

  Dennis quickly lowered the lights, and Shane’s lids started fluttering.

  “Haley,” she mumbled.

  “I’m right here,” she said, squeezing her hand. “It’s okay.”

  Slowly, Shane’s eyes began to open, starting with slits. She blinked a few times, then fully opened them.

  “Well, hello there,” the nurse said.

  “Shane?” Haley whispered.

  Shane rolled her head towards Haley’s voice, holding her breath as the beautiful woman came into view. “Wh…at happ…” she struggled to speak. Then cried out in pain as she cleared her throat.

  “Hold on,” the nurse said, reaching for the melted ice chips in the plastic bucket. “Here, take a tiny sip of water, honey. Your throat is dry as a bone from the breathing tube.”

  Shane did as she was told, feeling the cool liquid soothe her throat as she swallowed.

  “Now, that should be better. I’m Felicia, your nurse for tonight. You’re at Nashville General Hospital. You had to have a little surgery, but you’re fine.”

  “Haley?” Shane croaked.

  “I’m right here. Everything’s okay.”

  “On a scale of one to ten, where is your pain at right now?” the nurse asked.

  “Everything…hurts,” she winced.

  “Okay. I’m going to give you some medicine in your IV. This one won’t make you as sleepy as the other one.”

  Haley watched her put the syringe into the IV line and push the plunger down. “I’ll come back in to check on you in a little bit. Right now, all you need to do is rest. That’s the best thing for you.” She looked at Haley and Dennis. “It’s probably best if she sleeps the rest of the night. She’ll be a little more awake in the morning.”

  “Thank you,” Haley said.

  “Honey, your back will never be the same if you spend all night on that stool.”

  “I tried to give her my chair,” Dennis said.

  “I’ll have another one brought in.” She winked in Haley’s direction.

  ***

  The rest of the night went by in a blur. Haley tried to nap in the chair with her feet propped up on the bed, but Shane groaned in pain every time she moved in her sleep, instantly waking her. Dennis found it nearly impossible to sleep in the chair he was in, and wound up on the floor, propped up in
the corner of the wall.

  As soon as the sun rose the next morning, slivers of orange rays peeked through the blinds. Haley looked over at Shane, gasping when she saw gray eyes staring back at her. “Hi. Are you in pain? Do you want me to get the nurse?”

  “Water,” Shane said hoarsely.

  Haley grabbed the water cup and held the straw so she could take a sip.

  “Well, good morning,” the night nurse said as she walked into the room. “Oh, lord. Don’t tell me you spent the night on that cold, hard floor,” she said, looking at Dennis.

  “I did,” he said, groaning like an old man as he got up and stretched out.

  “One of the morning nurses brought coffee, bagels, and donuts for you both,” she said, handing him the bag and cup carrier. “How’s your pain level this morning, honey?” she asked, checking the machines and the amount of fluid in the drain.

  “Hurts like hell to even breathe,” Shane replied.

  “That’s because your lung had a hole, and the doctor had to go in and sew you up.” The nurse patted Haley’s shoulder. “We’re all big fans of you, Ms. Nielsen, and we’re so sorry this happened. It’s been all over the news.”

  “Thanks,” Haley sighed.

  “I just wanted to check on our patient one more time,” she added as she opened the blinds a little more to let some natural light into the room. “Today is my Friday, so you’ll probably be gone by the time I come back in.” She patted Shane’s arm near her wrist. “It’s time for your pain medicine, so I’ll go ahead and give it to you now.” She pulled the syringe from the computer cart she pushed around from room to room, scanned the ID bracelet on Shane’s wrist, then scanned the medicine code. “This should kick in soon,” she said, pushing the medicine into the IV line.

  Haley watched her put the syringe into the orange BIO HAZARD box on the wall and grab the handle for her cart.

  “You’ll have a good nurse tonight. I’ll tell her to see what she can do to get you better sleeping arrangements,” she said with a smile as she exited the room.

  “She’s the nicest nurse I’ve ever encountered,” Dennis muttered, still stretching his sore muscles as he took a sip of coffee.

  “Did he shoot me?” Shane asked, grimacing in pain as she adjusted her position.

  “No. You were stabbed in the chest.” Dennis said. “Right here,” he added, pointing to the same spot on himself.

  “He got away, didn’t he?”

  Haley nodded.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Haley shook her head and grabbed Shane’s hand. She wiped away a tear that slid down her cheek with her other hand. “No. Don’t you ever say that to me again. He was coming for me, Shane,” she cried. “You jumped in front of me, and he stabbed you.”

  “Don’t cry,” Shane whispered.

  “I’m sorry. I should’ve listened to you.” Haley grabbed a tissue from the bedside table to dry her face.

  “Don’t be sorry.”

  “You got stabbed, Shane. Why did you jump in front of me?”

  “I was just doing my job,” she mumbled as the pain meds began to take effect. They didn’t knock her out, but they did make her somewhat groggy.

  “How is she?” Rich asked, walking into the room.

  Shane was already back to sleep.

  “In pain,” Haley sighed.

  “I just got off the phone with the label. The tour is postponed until further notice.” He looked over at Haley, who was sitting in the chair, staring out the window. “The story is all over the news.”

  “Yeah, the nurse told us,” Dennis said between bites of bagel. “Have you spoken to the detective?”

  “I did. Just a little bit ago, actually. They have the knife. It’s some kind of antique blade thing. There were fingerprints on it, but they are not in the system.”

  “Dennis, we need those prints and that knife,” Shane croaked.

  All eyes turned to her.

  “I thought you were asleep,” Haley said.

  “Just resting.”

  “Send the prints to my contact with the marshals, and have him match them with the others. If the police won’t give you the knife, get a picture of it at least,” Shane said. Her face was all scrunched up, clearly showing the pain she was fighting against.

  “I’m on it. Get some rest,” Dennis replied. “Are you going to be here for a while?” he asked, looking at Rich.

  “I was going to take her home to shower and change clothes,” Rich answered, nodding towards Haley as he grabbed a donut from the bag.

  “There is a shower here. Just bring me some clothes,” she said. “I’m not leaving.”

  “Go,” Shane mumbled. “I’m okay.”

  Haley shrugged.

  “So stubborn,” Shane muttered.

  “Alright,” Haley sighed. “I could use a shower. I’ll be back in two hours.”

  “Dennis, don’t leave her side,” Shane said.

  “I won’t,” he replied.

  “The band and road crew are on their way back to Nashville. I have business to take care of downtown. I’ll check back in a little later. Let me know if anyone needs anything,” Rich said.

  “Leave me the detective’s name and number. We’ll swing by the police station and see what we can squeeze out of him,” Dennis said.

  Rich nodded and handed him the detective’s card before grabbing another donut and leaving the room.

  “I’m ready if you are.” Dennis looked over at Haley.

  “I’ll be back,” she said, squeezing Shane’s hand.

  “Do you want this coffee or anything?” he asked.

  Haley shook her head. She didn’t drink coffee, and wasn’t in the mood to eat.

  Chapter 31

  Later that afternoon, Haley was sitting in the chair with her feet up on the bed, nearly asleep, when the doctor came into the room. Dennis had been pacing around the hall outside of the room, on and off the phone with the detective, as well as Shane’s contact with the U.S. Marshal Service.

  “You look a little better than you did last night,” the doctor said, checking at the machines. “I’m Dr. Thomas Mercer. I was your surgeon. You came in with a knife sticking out of your chest. Do you remember any of that?”

  “I remember something happening to me, but I didn’t know what it was until they told me,” Shane replied.

  “It was touch and go there for a quick minute. Your blood pressure dropped, and we had to shock you. But, once you were stable, we went in with a procedure called VATS. We basically used tiny tools and a tiny camera to go in and fix the damage to your lung so that it could re-inflate. VATS allows us to do everything without cracking your chest open. The good news is, you don’t have much fluid draining anymore, so I’ll probably take it out tonight. If that happens, and we get you up and moving around tomorrow, walking and so on, you’ll get to go home. You’ll be on a strict regimen for the next few days, but after a week, maybe two, you should be back to normal. You’re in overall great health, so you should heal quickly.”

  “That’s good,” she said, still grimacing with discomfort.

  “That tube is what’s causing most of your pain. A day or so after it comes out, you’ll see a huge difference.” He pressed the button to elevate the head of the bed a little more. “Here, this should help you take deeper breaths and keep that lung full of air.”

  “Will she need help at home?”

  “She shouldn’t be left alone, at least for the first few days. She needs to get up and walk around, but nothing strenuous and no stairs. She’ll also need help dressing her wounds. Make an appointment with my office in about a week to have the stitches removed.”

  “Can I fly?” Shane asked. “I live in Memphis.”

  The doctor shook his head. “No, not for at least three weeks. The pressurization could cause your lung to collapse again in the air. Anyway, I’ll come back in this evening and take the drain out.”

  “You didn�
��t happen to take a picture of the knife, did you?” Shane asked.

  “Yeah. We do that for the file when someone comes in with an impalement or anything like that.”

  “Can we get a copy of it?”

  “Sure. We gave the knife to the police last night. It was quite unusual, and very sharp. Whoever stabbed you, they were intending to do a lot more damage.”

  Haley looked away, shaking her head. Her sadness was slowly turning to anger at the person who did this.

  “I’ll have the nurse bring you the picture. It was taken with the knife lying on the surgical table after it was removed.”

  “That’ll work. Thanks,” she said.

  “I guess I won’t be needing access to the knife, after all,” Dennis said to the detective on the phone. Then, he ended the call as the doctor left the room.

  “You’re staying at my house while you recover,” Haley said. “There’s plenty of room for the two of you.”

  “What about the tour?”

  “It’s over at the moment.”

  “I think it’s a good idea,” Dennis said. “I’ll be able to keep her safe, and you can work on the case while you heal.”

  “I quit, remember?” Shane said, staring into Haley’s eyes.

  “You said after Atlanta. We never made it there, so… it looks like you’re still working for me.” Haley smirked.

  Shane sighed.

  “Emma Jean would love to have someone to coddle besides me. Let me help you, Shane,” Haley said seriously.

  “Okay.”

  ***

  The doctor removed the drain tube and stitched the hole closed later that evening, and the next morning, Shane was discharged. Rich put Shane and Haley in his SUV and Dennis followed them in his rental car. The drive from Nashville out to Brentwood wasn’t too long, but by the time they arrived at Haley’s house, Shane was already worn out.

  When they walked inside, the mouth-watering aroma of home-cooked food filled Shane’s nose, making her almost forget about the pain in her chest and side. Her stomach growled in anticipation.