by Barbara Gee
“Let’s go.” Vince opened the door and held it for her. He took a step to follow her, then stopped. “You go on ahead, Brit. Go tell everyone what Dr. Young said. I’m gonna take a minute, okay?”
She looked over her shoulder and nodded. “Okay. Come join us when you’re ready.”
Vince went back into the little room and closed the door. Dropping to his knees in front of a chair, he folded his arms on the seat and rested his forehead on them.
Thank you, Lord. He whispered the words several times, unable to think of anything more profound. Although he was grateful to the very bottom of his soul, he didn’t have a long, eloquent prayer in him at the moment. Thankfully, God knew his heart.
He stayed on his knees for a few more minutes and his spirit gradually calmed. He’d be there for Callie every step of the way, that was a given. And with the good Lord’s help, they’d make it through everything together—her healing, the truth she’d soon face, and figuring out how to be together. Not only would they get through it, they’d come out of it stronger as a couple.
Vince would do everything in his power to make sure of that.
CHAPTER 32
Vince had been back in the waiting area with the others for over an hour when Michelle finally came over to tell him Callie had been moved to the critical care unit on the third floor. The three FBI agents and their wives had arrived right after the meeting with the doctor, and now that Vince knew Callie was going to be all right, he had been able to enjoy the company of the group.
With the announcement that she had been transferred to ICU, the six of them left, taking Kay with them. The guys were anxious to sit down with the sheriff and get up to speed on the case, and Maddy and Libby needed to get home to their kids. Vince made sure they all knew how much he appreciated their support, not to mention the invaluable help with the drones.
Pastor Keller, Boone and Jolene, and the three girls all made their way with Vince to the ICU waiting room on the third floor. It was more crowded than the emergency department, and most of the people in the room looked weary and worried.
An elderly volunteer room attendant was manning a desk in the corner. Vince checked in with her, and she called back to the nurses’ station and asked to be notified as soon as Callie was cleared for her first visitor. She gave Vince a name badge sticker for his shirt, to identify him to the nursing staff, and told him all visitors would have to be buzzed into the unit, one at a time, and for only ten minutes each hour.
The group passed the time talking quietly, respectful of the others in the room. Twenty minutes later the attendant took a call, then smiled in Vince’s direction, motioning him over as she hung up.
“You can go on back, sweetie. She’s in room 324. Stop at the doors down the hall and push the button on the wall for the intercom. Tell them who you’re there to see and they’ll buzz you in.”
Vince thanked her and walked quickly down the hall to the locked doors. He announced himself and was buzzed in as promised, then it was just a matter of following the room number signs to the correct hall. His heart was pounding as he approached the door to room 324. He concentrated on taking deep, even breaths in an attempt to prepare himself for seeing Callie in a hospital bed.
Before he could go in the room, Dr. Young walked out, looking down as he flipped through some papers. Vince stepped back quickly to avoid a collision and the doctor looked up, startled, then nodded when he recognized him.
“Oh, hello, Mr. Abbot. I see you’ve found her.”
“Yes, I have. Did she handle the move okay?”
“Like a champ. She actually started to wake up a little while ago, which is a good sign, but I started a sedative to stop it. I want to give her a little more time to stabilize before she goes through the confusion and stress of regaining consciousness. When we take her off the sedative, we’ll do it nice and slow to give her time to adjust. That might start as soon as tomorrow morning, if she has a good night. Her temperature is a little bit elevated, but that’s very normal with her type of injury. We’re giving her ibuprofen for that. All in all, she’s doing very well. We’ll get that second scan done tomorrow, then we’ll know more about what to expect in the next few days.”
Vince exhaled the breath he’d been holding during the whole report. “Thanks. I appreciate you being on top of everything for her.”
“You’re more than welcome. You can go in now, but be prepared. She’s hooked up to a lot of machines, which can be a little shocking.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Vince said quietly, trying not to let his anxiety ratchet back up. “I’ll handle it. I just want to see her.”
The doctor nodded understandingly. “Go on in then. A nurse is with her. Let her know if you need anything.”
Vince shook the man’s hand, then took one more steadying breath and walked into the room.
Be prepared, he told himself. Be prepared….oh….Callie. Sweetheart.
She looked incredibly tiny and vulnerable lying there on the bed. Her face was starkly pale in contrast to the dark hair spread over her pillow, and there were machines mounted to poles lining the head and far side of her bed. Each was connected to a part of her body by some kind of tube or cord. Soft beeping, flashing lights, a heart monitor….it looked terrifying. Nothing he’d ever imagined seeing hooked up to his girl.
A dark blue blanket was folded neatly up over her chest, her arms on top of it, motionless by her sides. Motionless. Other than the slight rise and fall of her chest, she was just so still and quiet. The sight of her looking so sick almost brought him to his knees.
Her nurse was punching buttons on one of the machines. She looked over and gave him an encouraging smile.
“Hi there, I’m Jane. I’ll be Callie’s nurse for another hour.”
“Vince Abbot. Thanks for taking care of her.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Jane said. She was fifty-something and had kind blue eyes. Eyes that had seen many a worried visitor. “I know it’s kind of a shock to see all these machines, but she’s doing very well. We just need to make sure we monitor everything so nothing gets by us. Blood pressure, pulse, respiration, oxygen, temperature, heartbeat—those are the main ones. And, of course, the IV pump. We don’t want her to get dehydrated, so she’s getting fluids, and she’s also getting sedation meds through the line.”
Vince nodded and studied the monitors, trying to figure out which ones did what. Jane finished what she was doing, then patted Callie’s hand before turning back to Vince.
“It looks worse than it is,” she assured him.
“Yeah, I hope so.” Vince swallowed and looked around the room. “Can I move the chair beside her bed?”
“Of course. You can hold her hand, too, just be mindful of the IV line. And talk to her. We always encourage that, even when the patient is sedated. They hear way more than you might think.”
He nodded. “Got it.”
“Can I bring you anything? Water or coffee?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks though.” Vince lifted the chair that was sitting by the window and placed it close to the bed.
“I’m going to step out for a bit,” Jane said. “All of her monitor readings are accessible out at the nurse’s station, and any alarms will sound out there also. So don’t worry, we’re keeping an eye on her even when we aren’t in the room. I’ll be back to change out her medication bag in about fifteen minutes.”
“Can I stay that long?”
“Sure. Ten minutes is our norm, but fifteen is fine since she’s doing so well and there’s not a lot of activity going on in here. Then I suppose you should go out for fifteen or twenty minutes, just so we’re not breaking too many rules. After that you can come back in. Or someone else can.”
“Sounds good.” Vince sat down in the chair when she went out. He picked up Callie’s left hand, gently and carefully, like he was afraid she’d break. He noticed her right hand was wrapped in a thick bandage, and he remembered how swollen it had been when they found her. He made a
mental note to ask how badly it was injured.
He slowly worked his fingers through hers, then closed them, holding lightly but securely. Her palm was cool against his, and he hoped that meant her fever was being controlled. He pressed the backs of the fingers of his free hand to her forehead. That felt cool, too. Good.
Lifting her hand, he held it against his cheek.
“Hey, Callie,” he finally managed to say, his throat tight with emotion. “I hope you didn’t think I wasn’t here. I’ve been here the whole time, waiting to see you. They just now let me come in.” He paused, watching the slow, slight rise and fall of her chest. There was no other movement. It hurt his heart to see her this way.
He forced himself to keep talking. “I’m sorry you’re here, baby. I’m sorry you’re hurt.” His jaw clenched as he wondered for the hundredth time how it had happened. Had the man somehow spooked her horse, causing Leo to throw her onto the rocks, or had he attacked her himself? Vince hoped it was the former, because he couldn’t stand the thought of Callie going through the terror of knowing someone was trying to kill her.
The wrapped hand bothered him, though. How had the swelling and bruising he’d seen been caused? He frowned and examined the hand he was holding, realizing there was bruising there too, around her wrist. And her nails were jagged, one of them torn off just below the top of the nail bed.
He closed his eyes and took a slow, agonized breath. You knew, didn’t you, Callie? You fought him.
It was a crushing realization, but he couldn’t allow his rage to come out right now. Couldn’t even allow himself to try to picture how it had happened. Callie needed him calm and steady. She needed to know she was safe.
He cleared his throat. “A bunch of your friends are here,” he said, attempting to keep his voice warm and encouraging. “Brittany, Rose and Kim, of course. And Jolene, Boone, and Pastor Keller. Kay, and the rest of the Full Heart crew were here until just a little while ago. They couldn’t stay long, but they wanted to show their support.” He smiled, even though Callie couldn’t see it. “I had a long talk with Izzy. Remember how I told you she was the one who wouldn’t take my crap last year? She pulled me aside while we were waiting downstairs and asked what’s going on between the two of us. I think she wanted to make sure my motives are pure. She said Tanner thinks the world of you, and he’s the best judge of character she knows.”
He squeezed her hand lightly. “You know I’m in this for all the right reasons, don’t you? You know I’ve fallen so hard for you?” He stopped talking for a moment and pressed her hand to his lips. “I should’ve told you how I felt last night, but I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me because it happened so fast. But I think you’re feeling it too, at least I hope you are. I don’t think you’d consider living in Minneapolis part time if you weren’t.”
He ran his knuckles down the curve of her cheek. “I’m still going to look for a place for you to live there. You being hurt is a bump in the road, but it doesn’t change the overall plan. It’s not going to ruin what we have, so don’t worry about that, okay?”
But there’s another big bump coming.
Vince quickly pushed that thought aside. “You need to get better, Callie, and when you do, we’re gonna get right back on track, you and me. We’ve got plans to make, and you need to get better so we can do that.” He stroked her arm. “You hear me, baby? You good with that?”
He didn’t expect a response, which was good, because he didn’t get one.
One of the machines began emitting a low beep. Jane came within seconds, carrying a new bag of…something.
“This is her sedative,” she answered when Vince asked about it. “If she remains stable through the night, the doctor will start slowly weaning her off it sometime tomorrow, and if she can wake up without being too agitated, we might be able to stop it altogether by evening.”
He watched as she efficiently switched out the empty bag for the full one. When she finished, she went to the computer at the foot of the bed and updated the records.
“Do you know anything about her right hand? Why it’s wrapped up?” Vince asked.
“Hmm.” She scrolled through a couple screens on the computer. “It says here it’s bruised and swollen, and they think the fifth metacarpal bone might be fractured. That’s the bone that goes from the pinkie to the wrist.”
“They don’t know for sure?”
“They didn’t want to do X-rays until she’s stabilized. I’m sure they’ll get it done once she wakes up.”
Vince clenched his jaw, wondering how she’d gotten that injury, and if O’Riley was talking yet. He decided he’d make some calls and try to find out before he went back out to kill time the waiting room.
After another ten minutes of sitting with Callie, he reluctantly decided he’d better give someone else a chance to see her. He told Jane he was going to go out, and would send one of her friends back in twenty minutes.
Jane looked at her watch. “You know what, you don’t even need to wait,” she said. “We don’t have any doctors or specialists scheduled to come in, and she’s doing fine. Having a break between visitors isn’t necessary right now.”
Vince smiled his thanks. “That’s great, her friends will appreciate it. I won’t see you again before your shift ends, so I’ll thank you now for taking such good care of her. I can tell this is more than just a job for you.”
Jane looked surprised. “Well, you’re very welcome, and yes, I love what I do, though some days are better than others. This can be a tough unit to work in.” She leaned over Callie and gently smoothed her hair. “You’ve got a nice man here, Ms. Callie Green. You need to get better so you can enjoy him.”
She patted Callie’s arm, gave Vince one of her sweet smiles, and left the room. Vince took her place by the bed, bending to press a light kiss to Callie’s forehead.
“The girls are going to take turns visiting you, sweetheart. They’ve been waiting, and I can’t be greedy and hog all the visiting time. Don’t worry though, I’m not leaving the hospital. I’ll come back in here when the others leave, then I’ll find somewhere I can doze for a while when they kick me out for the night. Then tomorrow you’re going to wake up and talk to me, okay? That’s an order,” he added softly.
He ran his knuckles down her arm and squeezed her hand. “I’ll be back. You just rest and get better. No worries. You’re safe now.”
He kissed her forehead once more, then left her room, suddenly feeling unsettled. He’d assured her she was safe, but was she really? Her filthy rich brother had hired someone to have her killed. He’d failed, this time, but did that mean he was going to give up?
Guys like Elliot Tate were unpredictable. Along with being greedy and ruthless, too much money made them feel invincible. Vince was no expert, but it seemed reasonable to assume Elliot would send someone else to Barlow once he realized O’Riley was out of commission. Someone to finish what the other man had started. In fact, assuming otherwise seemed risky, and Vince wasn’t willing to take any chances when it came to Callie’s safety.
It was another reason to make a phone call. He stopped at the waiting area and told Brittany she could go back to see Callie, then he went and found an empty corner in a sitting area. He dialed Tuck’s number, and ten minutes later he had some answers. Not all of them, but some.
O’Riley was still not talking, so they didn’t know exactly what had gone down in the field. Vince told Tuck about the bruising on Callie’s wrist and the ragged fingernails, and also that her right hand was possibly fractured. That was news to Tuck, and after hearing it, he shared Vince’s belief that there was more to the story than the guy spooking Leo at just the right spot, resulting in Callie being thrown into the rocks.
Tuck also believed the O’Riley’s long, close connection with Elliot would keep him from talking. O’Riley knew Callie’s testimony would put him away as soon as she woke up, and they’d made it clear to him that she would wake up. Still, he wasn’t willing to roll over on who had hi
red him. It was either loyalty, fear, or the belief that Elliot could somehow save his hide despite the damning evidence. Which, Vince learned, included a gun that had recently been fired.
That knowledge made Vince’s blood run cold. “So why didn’t he just shoot her?” he’d asked.
“Our best guess is he wanted to make it look like an accident. I figure he used the gun to spook Leo into throwing her. I wondered how he timed it so perfectly, right by the rocks, but based on what you just told me, he probably got her thrown, then manhandled her there and tried to finish the job himself. I doubt he expected her to fight back so hard.”
“Did you know that’s how her mom—er, Tabby—died? She was thrown from her horse into rocks. It seems strange that Elliot would try to make it look like the same thing happened to her daughter. Or, I should say, the girl everyone thinks is her daughter.”
“Yeah, the sheriff mentioned that.” Tuck had been silent for a long moment. “Makes me wonder if Elliot had something to do with Tabby’s death, too. Maybe he had second thoughts about trusting her to keep quiet about the kidnapping.”
“If that’s the case, he got by with making murder look like an accident before, so maybe he thought it would work again,” Vince had surmised.
“It certainly gives us a lot to consider.”
Vince had then expressed his concern that a desperate Elliot might send someone else to finish the job O’Riley had botched. Tuck had told him that would be an idiotic thing to do, considering it would make it that much easier to trace everything back to him, but the seasoned FBI agent agreed it couldn’t be ruled out.
“I’ll talk to the sheriff about putting a deputy at the hospital. Hopefully it won’t be necessary for long. With all the evidence Gary’s private investigator has already come up with, once we get Callie’s testimony, we’ll be able to arrest Elliot and O’Riley both. Maybe get bail denied based on the continued threat to Callie.”
“If the sheriff won’t send someone, I’m going to park a chair outside her room,” Vince had declared.