by Melody Anne
Finally, he jerked the clipboard she was holding out to him from her hand and started filling in Lia’s information. He knew it by heart. The next couple of minutes seemed to be the longest in Shane’s life as he waited to hear what was wrong with Lia. He hoped he hadn’t arrived too late.
When the doctor stepped through the doorway, he pulled one of the nurses aside before coming over to Shane. It was a good thing he hadn’t delayed any further, because Shane was ready to start throwing punches.
“Hi, Mr. Grayson. I understand you brought Ms. Palazzo in?”
“Yes. Now I need to be with her,” Shane insisted as he tried to push through.
“I understand, sir. I’m very concerned about her right now. Do you know how we can get ahold of her family members?”
“They’re all out of town at the moment,” he answered with frustration as he pushed his hair back and paced the floor in front of him. “Do you know what’s wrong with her? I believe she was drugged.”
“We won’t know what drugs are in her system until we get the labs back. I’ll put a rush on the work order so we can begin treatment immediately, but it’s important to know how long she has been unconscious. Do you know?”
“About half an hour. I got her here as quickly as possible. Tell me she’ll be all right,” Shane demanded, grabbing the doctor’s arm.
“We’ll do all we can for her,” was the doctor’s only response as he pulled his arm away. It wasn’t the answer Shane was hoping for. As Shane waited out in the hall for lab results, the time trickled by. If something were to happen to her, he couldn’t imagine what it would do to him, or her family.
When he’d first met her so many years ago, she’d been nothing but a pesky little sister to his best friend. As the years had passed and she’d become a woman, he’d found himself drawn to her — the way she lived life so fully.
Dammit. Lia was too young, had too much to give to the world, and to think of her so frail in the bed was messing with his emotions. OK, so his feelings for her were strong, but he couldn’t act on them — hell, he wasn’t the settling-down kind of guy anyway. He had to treat her like nothing but a little sister. Too bad he was feeling less and less brotherly…
In the late morning, Lia suffered a grand mal seizure; Shane heard the doctors as they rushed in, and his heart stopped momentarily. Granted, such seizures could be one-time things with no major effects, but there was no way to count on that. So it was past time that he called her family. He should have done it the second he and Lia had arrived at the hospital. He’d been hoping it would turn out to be nothing more than a hangover. It appeared he was wrong.
Rafe picked up on the second ring.
“You need to come home now. It’s Lia. We’re at the hospital and she had a seizure.”
“What? What happened?” Rafe demanded.
“She called me about three this morning. Apparently your little sister decided to attend a rave for the first time, and not only that, but she went alone. The doctors don’t know exactly what is in her system, but she passed out on the way to the hospital, and she just suffered a seizure.”
“Why in the hell didn’t you call me immediately?” Rafe shouted into the phone.
“I didn’t think it was that bad, Rafe. You were out of town, so she called me. I got her here as quickly as I could, but I’m scared, brother. Just get here.”
“Have you notified my parents yet?”
“No. You were the first one I called. If you can call your dad and Rachel, I’d appreciate it. I just don’t want to explain this over and over again.”
“Yes, I’ll call them on the ride to the jet. We’re leaving now — and, Shane — thanks for being there for her.”
Rafe had managed to calm his voice as he thanked Shane and hung up the phone. Shane felt that some of the weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He could handle a crisis, but he needed his friend here. If something happened to Lia, he couldn’t go through it alone.
As the hours passed and the stress continued taking its toll on Shane’s sleep-deprived body, he stood and paced the hallway, never getting too far from Lia’s room. He knew caffeine would help, but he didn’t want to leave for even the ten minutes it would take to obtain a cup. What if it was at that moment she awoke and nobody she knew was nearby?
Once Rafe arrived, Shane could catch a power nap, the two of them taking turns watching and waiting. She would wake; there was no other acceptable alternative.
“Mr. Grayson, can I speak to you out here?”
Shane turned to find the admitting doctor standing in the doorway, and from the expression on his face, it appeared he wasn’t the bearer of good news.
“Of course.”
With reluctance, Shane rose on stiff legs. He didn’t really want to hear whatever the doctor was about to tell him, but he had little choice.
“Mr. Grayson, the officers need to speak to you, please.”
Shane turned to find two uniformed policemen standing a few feet from the doctor. What in the hell was going on now? He had neither the time nor the patience to keep repeating the same story over and over again. He didn’t know what Lia had done before he’d arrived. There was nothing else he could tell them that he hadn’t already.
“I’m sorry, but it won’t do you any good to keep questioning me. I wasn’t there until after she’d taken whatever it was that has made her so ill. You’re wasting your time and mine, and I’m at the end of my tolerance level for appeasing people.”
Shane turned to walk back into the room when he felt a tight grip on his arm from behind. He spun around and swung without thinking about it. When his fist connected with one of the officer’s faces, he knew he was in for a very long day.
“That’s it, Mr. Grayson. You’re under arrest for assaulting an officer, and for suspected assault against Ms. Palazzo.”
Shane struggled to process what the officer had just said as the two men yanked his hands behind his back and cuffed him, but from high stress and lack of sleep, he couldn’t wrap his brain around it. It didn't make any sense. Did they actually think he was the one who’d drugged Lia? Were they truly that idiotic?
“Are you kidding me right now? She’s like my little sister. I suggest you undo these cuffs before I get my attorney on the phone and have you brought under charges of false arrest.”
Shane was personal friends with the district attorney and their police chief, and he was fairly sure he could have the officers not only reprimanded but suspended if he felt like pushing it.
“We’ll take our chances, Mr. Grayson,” one officer answered in a level voice, not even slightly intimidated. “We have some questions for you that we’ll ask down at the station. It’s a serious crime to hit an officer, and an even more serious crime to take advantage of a young woman,” the other officer said with unconcealed disgust.
Shane had to have a smidgen of respect for the man. Although the cop had the wrong guy right now, at least he was trying to do right by Lia. If Shane's stress level hadn’t been at an all-time high, he’d probably have gotten a kick out of getting arrested.
With Lia lying helplessly in bed, however, he wasn’t up for a trip to the police station.
“Call your chief and tell him who you have in handcuffs. I think you’ll be releasing me pretty damn fast and apologizing,” Shane said as he glared at the two men.
They glanced somewhat nervously at each other before he saw their eyes harden. Damn! It looked as if he was going for a ride in the back of one of their disgusting squad cars. He just hoped like hell he didn’t end up sitting in some drunk’s puke.
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights, Mr. Grayson?”
“Oh, I understand them a hell of a lot more than you. I’m done fighting with you about this. When we get to the station, your asses are going to be chewed fro
m here to New York!”
Neither man said anything more as they led him outside. Shane could continue screaming at the cops, but it would only delay their ride, and he’d rather get to the station, where he could speak to Bill, their chief.
As they unceremoniously pushed him into the back of the car, where he gagged on the smell of sweat and various other body odors, he thought again how he and Rafe both would have had a good laugh over this if it had been during any other time than when Lia was so vulnerable.
As the car moved through traffic, Shane laid his head against the back of the cheap vinyl seat and counted to one hundred. When he still hadn’t calmed down, he started over. By the time they reached the station, he was more furious than ever.
“I want my phone call,” he demanded as they led him inside.
“You’ll get it when we say so,” one of the officers snapped as he pushed him toward the cell block.
“Are you really this incompetent? Let me speak to your chief of police right this minute.”
“We’ll get right on that,” the other guy said with a smirk before shoving Shane inside a cell and shutting the door. The two men walked away, and Shane watched their retreat with an incredulous look on his face. He didn’t know what to think as he sank down on the cold bench and waited.
He was going to be there for a while.
Chapter Nine
“What’s wrong, Rafe?”
“We have to go now. That was Shane. Something happened to Lia,” he said as he rose from the table.
“What’s going on? Is she going to be OK?” Ari asked as she jogged to keep up with him.
“Shane sounded worried. I don’t know. I have to call my parents.”
Ari kept silent as the car was brought around, and the two of them climbed in the back seat. Rafe immediately called his pilot and had him prepare the jet. The next call was to his parents, who said they’d return to California immediately.
As they boarded the jet, Ari realized they’d left everything at the hotel. She didn’t want to bring it up, but what if there was something he needed?
“Rafe, we didn’t grab our belongings,” she mentioned gently. The ashen look on his face as he turned toward her shocked Ari. She’d never seen him appear so helpless before. How could a man who so obviously loved his sister care so little about the other females in his life? She didn’t understand him and probably never would.
“I’ll have Mario arrange for them to be sent to us. I need to get back now.” Rafe’s answer was barely above a whisper.
As the jet lifted, Ari sat back, wishing there were something more she could do. Being unsure of what role she was supposed to play made it difficult to know how to act.
When the attendant came and gave them each a drink, Ari decided she needed to treat Rafe like any other person in her life who was going through a hard moment.
She stood up from her seat and walked cautiously to him. Hearing her approach, he peered up at her warily, as if afraid she would take full advantage of his vulnerability. Great. Knowing he felt this way about her, Ari felt a sting in her eyes as tears attempted to form.
Nevertheless, without hesitating further, Ari sat down in his lap and curled up against his chest, wrapping her slender arms around his neck in a warm embrace. She might be crossing the line of what he deemed acceptable, but he surely needed emotional support right then, whether he wanted to admit to it or not.
For a moment, his arms remained stiff and flat against his chair, then slowly he brought them up and flattened his palms on her back as he pulled her closer and leaned his head against her shoulder. For a few seconds, at least, he was allowing her to comfort him. She didn’t know who was receiving more from the small gesture — was he or was she?
“She’ll be OK, Rafe. Lia is a strong girl. I don’t understand what happened, but there are some people in this world that are simply too wonderful to leave the rest of us behind. Both of your sisters have shown tremendous kindness to me when they didn’t have to. People like that have to be OK because otherwise nothing makes sense.”
“I wish that were how the world worked, Ari, but murderers take lives, sometimes without ever having to suffer a single consequence — babies die for no reason in their sleep — and good people do die. I refuse to give up on my sister, but I will feel a lot better once we get there.”
Ari didn’t know how to respond to his statement. Yes, he was right, but if they always dwelt on the bad, they would miss it when the good happened. Life was full of enough misery that to focus on only that would bring a saint down.
Because she didn’t know what to say to make it right, she did the only thing she could do — and that was silently comfort him. Neither of them spoke further as the jet moved in what seemed like slow motion across the United States.
*****
“I need to see my sister, Lia Palazzo.”
“One moment, sir,” the nurse said as she looked at her computer.
“Rafe!” He barely had time to turn around before his other sister was barreling into him.
“Do you know anything yet, Rachel? Is Shane with Lia? Have you spoken to Mom and Dad yet?” He fired off questions, not giving his little sister time to answer.
“Lia’s fine, Rafe. She woke up about an hour ago,” she answered with a watery smile. It took a couple of seconds for her words to process in his brain, but once they did, he squeezed her tight. Relief flooded through him.
“Take me to her,” he demanded as he pushed her back slightly so he could see her face.
“Of course. The only reason I’m out here now is that I’ve been waiting for you to arrive.” She turned toward Ari and moved over to give her a powerful hug of appreciation for taking care of her big brother on their return flight. “Thank you for calling the second you landed.”
“I’m so glad to hear she’s awake. Is everything going to be fine?”
“Yes. Some piece of scum drugged her at the party, but the doctor figured out what it was and he’s successfully treating her now. If I weren’t so worried about her, I’d beat her to a pulp for scaring me like this,” Rachel said as she steered them down the hall to Lia’s room.
“I’m glad it’s getting better now. I can wait out here while you spend time together,” Ari offered. Before Rafe could object, his sister stepped in.
“No way are you waiting outside. Lia needs all the friends and family she can have right now, especially since Shane got arrested and totally ditched her to wake up with no one around.”
Rafe stopped in his tracks as he looked down at the mischievous smile on Rachel’s face.
“After I’ve seen Lia, you need to explain that to me in detail — not in front of her, though.”
For a brief moment, he didn’t think she was going to answer him, but then she shrugged and started speaking. “Apparently, a couple of officers came to talk to Shane about what happened to Lia. He was in a mood and took a swing at one of them, so they handcuffed him and hauled him off.”
Rafe waited for her to keep speaking, but she just turned and started moving toward Lia's room again. He watched her back in stunned disbelief as she pulled away from him, before he got his feet to move and caught up to her within a few long strides.
“Do you care to elaborate? I’m really in no mood for games, Rachel!”
“I know you’re worried right now, so I won’t snap at you for using that tone with me, but that’s all I know, so you’ll just have to ask Lia. Not that she knows that much as all of this happened while she was knocked out cold.”
“How can you act so cavalier about our sister being harmed?” he snapped as they reached Lia’s room.
“Believe me, I wasn’t acting cavalier a couple hours ago, but Lia’s awake — dealing with a headache and extreme exhaustion, but otherwise fine. Now, I just want to hurt her all over again for being so stupid. She knows better than to go to some party in the middle of nowhere — especially without me.”
Rafe gave up for the moment. Both of his si
sters needed to do some major growing up. Rachel just wasn’t taking this disaster as seriously as she should. He’d protected both of them so much their entire lives that they had no clue about the dangers in the real world. It looked as if he needed to educate both of them, extensively.
Rafe and Rachel entered Lia’s room, and her eyes brimmed with tears as the three of them moved to her bed.
“I’m so sorry you had to rush home, Rafe. I’m getting better now. I promise,” she assured him in a weak voice as she slowly held up her arms to receive his loving hug. He pulled her gently against his chest and held her head there, just as he’d been doing since she was a toddler. She cried softly against his neck.
“It’s OK, Lia. When you’re stronger, I’ll give you a lecture, but right now, I’m just happy to see that you’re alive and well. I couldn’t handle it if anything ever happened to you,” he said as he relished being able to hold her again, knowing there had been others in similar situations who had not been so fortunate.
“I screwed up. I won’t ever do something so foolish again. There’s no need to lecture me at all,” she promised with a sob.
Rafe had his doubts. He was sure she’d soon forget about her foolishness, and be right back to being self-destructive. There were times he wished he lived in a century where he could just lock both her and Rachel up. That way he could ensure their safety. But if he tried to tell them that, he’d be toast.
“Now that I know you’re going to be all right, you need to tell me what’s going on with Shane.”
Lia pulled back and a slow smile appeared on her face, diminishing a bit more of his concern.
“Well, I wasn’t awake, but the doctor told me he was being uncooperative and got his butt hauled to jail. I think we need to make him sit there a while longer.” The heavy breathing at the end of her statement testified that she was nowhere near full strength yet, but at least she was well enough to smile in delight at Shane’s being arrested.
“I thought you and Rachel liked Shane.” Rafe was confused by both of his sisters’ obvious glee at his best friend being thrown in jail.