When Fates Collide

by Isabelle Richards

  All of the air leaves my body and my heart feels as though it’s seizing. I have a million questions but can’t seem to get any words out. “Was she… I mean, did he...” I stammer.

  “No, he didn’t rape her, if that’s what you are trying to ask.”

  I nod.

  “Our Lily, man,” he swallows hard and then continues. “She kicked the crap out of him. Just beat him to a pulp. When we watched the security video, it looked like she broke a couple of his ribs, dislocated his shoulder, and probably broke his nose. She’s a tough chick.”

  “Wait, she got away?” I’m more confused than ever.

  “Yeah, she made it home. We took her to the hospital where one of my fucking tech guys handed her over to that creep. He was supposed to be taking evidence, but instead he gave her to the guy that attacked her. The perp shot Steve, the tech, and took off with Lily. This guy’s good, too. He changed cars somewhere, and we lost him on the cameras. She was just gone, and we had no fucking clue where they went. We had all our people on it, and no one could pick up a trail.” His words hang in the air like a smoke cloud. She could have been gone forever, and we might never have found her.

  He taps his forehead against the wall. “It’s my fault, dude. It’s my goddamn fault. I handed her over to the tech. She didn’t want to go with him, but I told her to go. I told her she would be safe.” I can see he’s fighting back tears, but it’s a losing battle.

  “Max, you didn’t do this to her. This isn’t your fault.”

  “That’s bullshit, and we both know it.”

  I don’t try to say anything more, because I know it won’t help. The painful tension is broken when a doctor approaches.

  “I’m Dr. Walker. Are you here for Ms. Clark?”

  “Yes,” we say in unison.

  “Ms. Clark has suffered multiple forms of trauma, but she’s stable now,” Dr. Walker says. “She was electrocuted and sustained severe blunt force trauma. She also had high levels of a range of narcotics in her system when she was brought in and is lucky she didn’t overdose. She was dangerously dehydrated as well and had a significant electrolyte imbalance. All of these factors contributed to Ms. Clark’s ultimate cardiac arrest and the onset of multiple seizures, which we feel we now have under control. As I said, she’s stable, but still unconscious. We now have to monitor her carefully. Her body has been through a lot, but she’s young and healthy. There’s a good chance she’ll wake up and come out of this okay.”

  I should have a million questions, but the only words I can find are, “Can I see her, please?”

  “Yes,” Dr. Walker answers. “You may both come with me now and visit for a few minutes. But after that, let’s limit it to one in at a time. I know there are many people who care for her, and the FBI is still working an active case. Her recovery is my only priority. All drama is to be kept outside of her room, or I will revoke visitation. Have I made myself clear?”

  Such a smug sod. I do my best to keep my annoyance at bay and completely disregard his little tangent. He walks Max and me to her room and is courteous enough to give us some privacy.

  With all the horrors that have been playing out in my mind, I’d thought I would be prepared when I saw her. Nothing could have prepared me for this. My heart seizes when I set eyes on her. My lungs stop working. It’s as though my brain can no longer function. My dear Lily is black and blue everywhere. I couldn’t possibly count all of the cuts and scrapes covering her. She looks so small and fragile. Oh, the pain she must have endured!

  Max takes one look at Lily and walks back out. Em, who had been lingering in the doorway, runs after him. I hope she can help him because I don’t have it in me. Seeing Lily like this has shattered me.

  I sit down beside her and reach out to hold her hand, but I stop myself. Deep cuts run all along her hands and wrists. I’m afraid to touch her. I don’t want to cause her any more pain.

  “Hold her hand. Trust me, it will do more good than harm,” a voice behind me insists. “Hi, I’m Susan. I’m your nurse for the night. Believe me, she needs you to talk to her and be there for her. That’s what’ll bring her out of this. She’s a fighter. She’s been through hell and back and is still here. Don’t worry, you won’t break her so easily.” Susan checks Lily’s vital signs and then slips out of the room.

  I pick up her hand and swear to never let go again. It takes all my restraint not to climb into the bed and hold her. I stay by Lily’s side all night and well into the next day. Em is kind enough to bring me something to nosh on in the morning, but I’m not hungry.

  I must nod off at some point because the next thing I know, I’m startled awake by the sound of Max screaming in the hallway.

  “Max, you have got to calm down,” Greene shouts back.

  “I’ll calm down when you start doing your job,” Max bellows. “How the hell has it been days and you still don’t know anything? How’s that even possible? The guys that did this to her are probably long gone by now. This case has gone cold because you guys dropped the ball. She’s my roommate. I should be out there!”

  “Max, you son of a bitch! Sit your ass down before I knock you down,” Sullivan growls. “I’m sure as hell not going to find him when I have to keep coming back here to deal with your sorry ass. You’re too damn close to this, and you know it. You can’t be out there, because you’re only seeing red. You can’t be an agent right now. You’re no good to her out there. She needs you here. ”

  Dr. Walker storms into view and threatens to kick everyone out of the wing permanently. Em pulls Max away, and Sully and Greene join me in Lily’s room.

  “Sorry about that, G,” Sully says. “Max isn’t used to being on the sidelines and doesn’t know what to do with himself. He’s a good agent, one of the best, but right now, he’s not thinking clearly. He’s no use to us out there.”

  “I don’t think any of us know what to do with ourselves,” I reply. “So have you found anything?”

  Sullivan lets out a long sigh before answering. “I’ll give it to you straight. We’ve got nothing. The guy that took her is a ghost. I’m just as pissed off as Max is. The difference is I can’t go mouthing off about it.”

  Greene gets a call on his mobile and motions for Sully to be quiet as he answers. “They’ve found something,” he says after he hangs up. “An abandoned farm out in Manassas, about ten miles from where Lily was found. There’s an abandoned barn with a lot of blood in it. And a cattle prod. We’ve got to—”

  Alarms start blaring, and the room suddenly fills with doctors and nurses. Susan pushes the three of us out of the room and into the hallway, where I’m left to watch helplessly as they try to save her.

  Thirty-Three

  Gavin

  Three harrowing days and no sign of improvement from Lily. The doctors were able to stabilize her after she went into cardiac arrest again, thankfully. But she hasn’t shown any signs of waking up, and the doctors are now using “if” instead of “when”. I refuse to imagine a world that doesn’t have her in it. I know she’ll wake up. I don’t know when, but I know with every fiber of my being that she will. Until that moment, I’ll keep praying.

  The search continues for Lily’s abductor. The FBI and DEA feel confident he’s linked to the cartel. Sully and Greene have tried to bring me into the loop, but I can’t do it this time. When I’d been helping them with Brooke, I wanted to be on the inside. I was able to be a part of the team without becoming too emotional. I’m not capable of that now. I can’t stomach thinking about what’s happened to her. When I do, I‘m consumed by rage and frustration. I’m no good to Lily like that.

  Max comes and goes. The FBI is letting him help a bit with the investigation, but I think they’re mostly allowing it to help him keep his sanity. He still stops by twice a day and often spends the night at the hospital. Being on the job again gives him a sense of purpose and an outlet for his guilt and anger. He’s still a bear to be around, but at least he’s stopped picking fights with everyone.

>   I spend the days just talking to Lily. She told me once that she loves Jane Austin, as if there were a woman alive who didn’t. I’ve bought the whole collection on my kindle and read from them to her daily.

  Em kicks me out for an hour or so a day so that she can attend to Lily. Facials and other such things that she insists her friend needs. “When she wakes up I want her in perfect condition,” Em insists. “If the roles were reversed and she let me wake up with oily skin and bushy eyebrows, I’d never forgive her. Plus, you need to get out and shower. Lily is fighting for her life. When she wakes up, she deserves to see sexy Gavin, not frumpy Gavin who hasn’t showered or brushed his teeth in a week.” She shoves me out the door.

  I’ve tried to stand my ground, contending that I need to stay in case Lily wakes up. But Em’s informed me that if I don’t do as she says, she’ll tell Dr. Walker that I’m disrupting Lily’s rest and need to be removed. I can tell Em is a girl who’s used to getting what she wants and isn’t afraid to play dirty. I don’t for one second think she’s bluffing.

  I hate leaving the ward because it’s bloody hard to get back in once you’ve left. There’s still security at every turn. It seems as though the guards standing post manage to change every time I’m out, and the new guard always refuses to let me pass. It’s a nightmare.

  On my fourth day at the hospital, I’m paged while taking a shower in the physician’s locker room. I throw my clothes on and sprint back to Lily’s room, praying that she’s awake. Greene, Sully, Max, and Em are all there, drinking champagne. She must be awake! I run past them and rush straight to Lily’s bed. Her eyes are closed.

  “Gavin, I’m sorry. I didn’t think when I had you paged,” Em says. “She’s not awake. They found the guy though. He’s dead. The search is over.”

  I’m relieved that at least that much is over and that the bastard is gone, but it’s hard to be happy when I’m recovering from the disappointment that Lily still isn’t awake. Refusing to give up hope, I sit back down at her bedside and pick up where I left off in Pride and Prejudice.

  Once the others leave, things are quiet—that is until Max drops back in and asks to go for a walk. I agree.

  As soon as we get out into the hallway, he says “I’ve been looking into that email you got. Your IT department has been very helpful. Top notch guys you have there.”

  “Thank you,” I say, waiting for him to get to the point.

  “The IP address traces back to an Olivia Phillips. Anything you want to tell me?” he asks.

  “O? That’s crazy! I mean, I believe you. I just can’t fathom why she would pull something like this.” I’m completely gobsmacked.

  “Gavin, it’s not that hard. She’s got a thing for you. Do you two have a history?” he asks in an accusing tone.

  “What? God, no! She’s like a sister to me. Our parents were friends, and I’ve known her since we were children. She’s got an on-and-off thing with my best friend, James. Plus, she’s an employee. I’d never cross that line.”

  “Seems like you have some shit to work out.”

  “It seems I do. Can I borrow your mobile?”

  He pulls his phone out of his trouser pocket. “Sure. You ever going to get yours back?”

  “To be honest, I haven’t thought about it once since I’ve been here.”

  My first call is to my IT department. Not that I don’t trust Max, but I want to hear from them firsthand. They confirm that “Lily’s” email was sent from O’s computer. To make matters worse, they’ve looked into the integrity of my email account, and it’s been tampered with as well. They aren’t sure of the extent yet, but they’re working on it. On top of all that, the replacement mobile that O had told me was on backorder arrived the day after mine was stolen. O had signed for the package herself.

  Next, I call my secretary. If there’s been something improper going on, she’ll get to the bottom of it. Mrs. Smythe has the interrogation skills of a seasoned SIS officer. She informs me that Lily and Max had been calling for weeks. O had insisted that all messages be funneled through her. I thank Mrs. Smythe and ask her to connect me with O’s office straight away.

  “Hello, Gavin,” O says cheerfully.

  “Olivia.”

  “Oh, dear. I must be in trouble. You only call me by my proper name when you’re cross with me.”

  “Olivia, you’ve one chance to come clean.”

  “Gavin, I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.”

  “Last warning,” I growl.

  “Gavin, really. I’m completely at a loss,” she says innocently.

  My blood is boiling. Such betrayal from a lifelong friend! “Fine. Play it that way. You’re fired. Clean out your desk and get the hell out of my building.”

  I hand Max back his phone, determined to deal with her properly when I return to London. She isn’t worth another moment of my time at present.

  “Damn, you don’t mess around,” he says.

  “She’s lucky she’s four thousand miles away and I’m too much a gentleman to make a scene,” I retort.

  “Come on, heartbreaker. You’ve got to fill Greene in. He’s still trying to figure out if the cartel is behind any of Lily’s troubles. He’ll be relieved to know that this part is only the doing of a scorned woman.”

  I explain the story to Greene. Recounting the details, I become incensed. All of that pain and hurt caused so unnecessarily. All the times Lily reached out for help and felt that I had ignored her. When I’m finished with the story, I decided to go for a walk to cool down. I don’t want to go back to Lily’s room carrying all this anger. But once my temper has cooled, I head back.

  Bloody hell, another guard change!

  Thirty-Four

  Lily

  Oh, great. A screaming match. Clearly no one has taught these people how to use inside voices.

  “You cannot go in that room,” someone shouts.

  “I’ve been in there for days. I understand that this is your first shift, but I assure you I’m permitted in there,” a more familiar voice shouts back.

  “Sir, this patient is in protective custody. No one’s allowed in there but medical staff and FBI agents. Those are my orders.”

  “Call the bloody agent in charge. I was just talking to him.”

  Is that Gavin? It can’t be.

  “Sir, I’m going to need you to calm down and wait downstairs. If you really have access to this patient, we’ll work it out down there.”

  “I need you to let me in there. If you won’t call Greene, I will!”

  “Gavin,” I say in a voice far weaker than I’d expected. Realizing that no one must have heard me, I know I need to sit up to get this party started.

  I open my eyes and struggle to sit up. “Gavin,” I try to say again, but no sound comes out. My throat is parched, and my mouth feels as if it’s been coated with glue.

  I suddenly feel as though the world has completely stopped and everyone is staring at me. I think even that damn beeping has stopped. In this place, where you can’t pay for a moment of quiet, I think you could hear a pin drop.

  The glorious quiet lasts for a millisecond before the room is flooded with doctors and nurses. I see the police officer pushing Gavin away. He puts up a fight, until Em drags him away. I’m just as surprised to see Em. How long have I been sleeping?

  The doctors practically scream questions at me, and my brain goes on sensory overload.

  “Can everyone stop yelling at me? One at a goddamn time, okay?” I try to shout with my raspy voice. Thankfully, they stop after that. I look around at the shocked faces and pick the one cute guy out of the bunch. “You, McDreamy, go.”

  They all laugh, and I think I’ve made McDreamy’s day. Not too original, I know. But at least I’ve gotten them to all calm down. I think that once they’ve seen I have my wits about me, they turn the panic level down a few notches.

  They ask all sorts of questions about how I’m feeling and tell me to push this, pull that, follow the pen light. Af
ter about ten minutes of that, I cut them off.

  “Enough. My turn,” I squeak at them. “Can someone please tell me how long I’ve been out for and what the hell is going on? I know why I’m here. I remember everything up until the McDonalds. Then what?”

  McDreamy answers, “Well, the FBI will be in to talk to you about that. What I can tell you is that you’ve been asleep for close to five days.”

  “Five days! How is that possible?” As soon as I let out the yell, I regret it. My throat hurts so much.

  “When you came in, you were dangerously dehydrated,” McDreamy explains. “In addition, there was evidence that you had suffered numerous electric shocks. That in combination with the dehydration put great stress on your heart, and you had a heart attack. In addition to the heart attack, you had an electrolyte imbalance that set your whole body into a tailspin. You had a series of seizures and then fell into a coma. Since then, we’ve been hydrating you, monitoring you, and waiting for you to wake up. You’ve had quite a few close calls. Your heart’s doing better, but it’s still weak.”

  Ashton literally broke my heart. That bastard.

  They talk at me for a little while longer, but I don’t hear a word they say. The nurses check me over and take blood for more tests.

  “Okay, Ms. Clark,” McDreamy, whose name is really Drew, says. “We’re going to get out of here and let you rest. I know this has been a lot to take in. The FBI is eager to get in here and pester you, but I’m keeping everyone out of here for a few more hours to make sure you have some time to relax and feel settled. I’ve put your room on lockdown. They may have the badges, but I’m the gatekeeper, and I’m on your side. Got it?”

  “Thanks, Drew,” I whisper.

  “I’m not opposed to McDreamy, you know,” he says with a wink.

  “Good to know. Hey, there was a British guy here a little while ago. Can someone get him back?”

  “Gavin? Yeah, we all know Gavin,” he says with a hint of disdain. “None of the nurses have gotten any work done since you’ve been here. They’re all too busy swooning over him like high school girls. I’ll send him up after you’ve had some rest.”