by Velvet Reed
Fuck! He’s completely delusional. I can’t let this maniac get to Gracie.
I can’t simply sit here. I need to get some idea of what he plans on doing. “You think this is the way to win Gracie’s love?” I ask.
His eyes narrow and his nostrils flare. “I don’t need to win her love, cockhead. She already loves me. I just need to get YOU out of the picture.” His emphasis on the word you is highlighted further as he points the gun straight at me.
I don’t know how long I was out for, but it could only have been a few minutes. I need to protect Gracie, but I also need to get Allison out of here; this psycho wants me not her.
“Since it’s me you clearly have the issue with, why don’t you let Allison go. She's of no use to you.”
The laugh that escapes him is pure evil. “You must think I’m stupid, Tierney. I let her go and she runs straight to the cops. I’m in charge here, not you.” He swings the gun around to Allison. “You make a move, sugar, and I’ll splatter that pretty little head of yours all over the wall.”
Frantically, Allison shakes her head back and forth, tears cascading down in torrents as she huddles in the corner in sheer terror.
“Troy,” I shout, causing his attention to shift from Allison back to me. “So what’s the plan? Are you just going to shoot me and be done with it? If that’s the case, why wait? You may as well get it over with now.” What the fuck did I just say? Cole, you moron, you have a woman and a child to think about.
He gives a maniacal chuckle. “Hell, no. I’m gonna make you wait exactly like I’ve had to wait all these months. Exactly like I’ve had to wait until the cops stop sniffing around my house. And when I think you’ve waited long enough, we'll call Gracie, and you can tell her she belongs to me. You can tell her goodbye, you fucker.”
There’s no way I’m going to let that happen. I will lay down my life before I ever allow him to get anywhere near Gracie. If my dying means she stays safe, then it’s not even a choice. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep my girl out of harm’s way. This isn’t a situation that ends well; I know this, but I’ll do everything I can to try to get back to my love and my son.
A half hour has passed since I walked into this room. I’ve been with Troy’s taunts, his rage, his waving the gun around in my face. I’ve been trying to send Allison silent looks of comfort and reassurance, but I can’t see it having any effect. I certainly don’t feel reassured because as each minute passes, Troy’s agitation increases. He’s a loose cannon and there’s no telling when he’ll go off.
It’s been quite a while since I heard any noise coming from the corridor. I'm praying Hamish delivered the message and they have cleared the ER, a good sign I guess because it means no one else can get hurt by mistake. I can only hope the police will arrive and will help get Allison and me out of this situation.
Troy hasn’t spoken for a while. The only sounds in the room are Allison’s sniffles and the squeak of Troy’s shoes on the linoleum floor. I’m trying hard not to focus on the throbbing pain in my head; some painkillers would really be welcome right now, but I’m not going to show Troy any sign of weakness. Losing patience, I look up at him from my position on the floor and take in his disheveled appearance. I hadn’t taken much notice before, but his clothes look dirty, as though he’s been wearing them for more than a few days. His facial hair, which has grown much longer, appears to have some remnants of food in it, and his hair is disheveled and greasy. Sweat beads on his forehead and his T-shirt shows the obvious stains of perspiration under his arms.
“You don’t look so good, Troy. Do you really want Gracie to see you in your current condition?” I know I shouldn’t goad him, but I need to get something out of him.
“You wouldn’t look so hot either if you couldn’t go home, dickhead. Gracie told me the cops wanted to speak to me about the car and the garage; the bastards have been coming around every few days. I’ve got my cover story of helping my brother, so I can’t risk them catching me at home. Things will settle down after today though. Gracie will understand what I’ve been through.”
There’s a bed in the psych ward for this guy. He’s clearly lost his grip on reality. His obsession with Gracie is so far out of this realm that it scares the ever loving shit out of me.
The sound of a phone ringing halts any reply I might have made. Realizing it’s the hospital phone on the exam room wall, I ask Troy, “You going to answer that?”
He looks between the phone, Allison and me, clearly unsure if he should answer it. When the ringing continues, he points the gun at Allison “You answer, but I swear to God, if you try anything funny or tip the person off, you’re dead too, you hear me?”
` Allison nods in acquiesce, stands on unsteady legs and makes her way to the phone. Picking it up, she tentatively says, “Yes?” She’s only on there for a second before she holds the receiver out to Troy. “T-they want to speak to you,” she stutters.
“How the fuck do they know I’m here? Who is it?”
“H-he said he was a police officer.”
“Fuck!” Troy roars. “Fuck.”
Allison’s still holding the receiver out toward Troy and her hands are shaking like crazy, thinking quickly and trying to get a bit of information to the police, I say loudly. “You better answer it, Troy.” Making sure I clearly say his name in the hope that whoever is on the line hears it. Troy, however, in his blind panic doesn’t realize what I just did.
It takes him a second before he snatches the phone out of Allison’s hand and shoves her back across the room; she stumbles and lands on all fours at my side. I help her sit, and while Troy yells “What?” into the phone, I whisper, “I’ll try to get you out of here. Stay calm.” Her eyes widen with fear, and she shakes her head. “Yes,” I implore and take hold of her hand and squeeze.
I turn my attention back to Troy and listen to what he’s saying. “They both stay here with me until I do what I came to do.” There’s a pause as he listens before saying, “That’s for me to know now, isn’t it.” Then he hangs up the phone.
I get the feeling Troy truly believes he’s going to walk out of here, have Gracie fall into his arms and declare her love, and then live happily ever after. He doesn’t comprehend that even if he gets rid of me, the cops aren’t going to let him go free.
“The pigs want me to let you go, sugar, but that’s not gonna happen. I think I’ll keep you around so you can suck me off while I watch this asshole take his last breath when I put a bullet between his eyes. We’ll have our own private little celebration.”
Allison starts gagging beside me, physically repulsed by this vile excuse of a human being’s words.
Troy paces once more while mumbling to himself, and I pick up Gracie’s name a few times. He stops abruptly and swings around to glare at me once again. “Is she here in the hospital?” he asks. I know he means Gracie, but I refuse to let him know that she’s nearby. When he doesn’t get a response, he storms over and holds the gun directly to my forehead. “Is she here in the hospital with that little bastard you put in her?”
My blood boils with fiery rage hearing him describe my son like that. If my glare could throw daggers, this asshole would be lying dead on the floor at my feet. Taking in my reaction and lack of response, he lets out another evil laugh. “Give me your phone,” he demands.
No goddamn way!
“Give me your fucking phone!” he thunders.
Pain erupts across my cheek bone as he backhands me with the gun. I tumble to my side and Allison screams. Troy rips my phone from the side of my scrubs and my pager as well. I manage to pull myself back up into a sitting position and grab Allison’s hand to reassure her I’m okay, before I watch Troy fiddle with the touch screen of my phone.
His frustrated grunts have him focusing on me again. “What’s the password?”
I remain silent, trying to glare at him, but the pain from my cheek intensifies. Instead of asking again, he puts my phone in his pocket, before reaching down and gra
bbing a fistful of Allison’s hair, dragging her to her feet. Allison screams out in pain and throws her arms behind her head holding onto his wrist.
With the gun at her temple, he growls through gritted teeth, “Tell me the fucking password or you’ll be the reason she doesn’t go home to her mother and deaf-as-fuck brother.”
Allison has completely lost it at this point, crying hysterically and pleading, “Tell him, Cole, please. Please. Please. I’m begging you.”
How the hell does he know about Allison’s family? The shock must show on my face but he actually fucking smiles at me.
“Yeah, fucker, I know about her family. I know about everyone associated with Gracie. You think I didn’t do my research? You think I haven’t been watching you all while you play happy families with my girl? I’ve got a shit load of information on all of you. You’d be surprised what I know.” He laughs again. “Your slut of an ex-girlfriend is lucky she’s not dead with the way she treated my Gracie.”
Sweet Jesus. He’s just taken this whole thing to an entirely new level. He’s been watching everyone, not only Gracie and me. My thoughts rush to my mom and dad, April and Sam. He already knows Gracie’s family, but this psycho has no boundaries. He doesn’t give a shit about who he has to go through to get Gracie back.
Another scream from Allison snaps me from my thoughts. He gives a sharp tug at her hair again, and she stumbles. “Please. Oh, God, just tell him what it is.”
If I give him access to my phone, he can call Gracie. If I don’t, he may just kill Allison right here in front of me. My heart is telling me to protect Gracie, but I know what she’s like; she would want me to help Allison.
“0210,” I reluctantly impart.
“Gracie’s birthday? How fucking sweet,” he sneers. Then with a hard shove, that has her flying to the floor yet again, he releases Allison and quickly takes my phone back out. As his fingers work the screen, Allison retreats into the corner of the room and curls herself into a ball.
The ringing of the hospital phone starts again and I pray to God, the police are going to do something. He finishes whatever he was doing on my phone and looks me in the eye. “Let’s see how long it takes her to reply.” Walking over to the hospital phone, he picks it up and shouts, “What?” But the rest of his words fade away as I try to process that fact that he just contacted Gracie through my cell.
Chapter 19
Grace...
“John?”
There're so many questions loaded in the utterance of his name.
Olivia throws herself into his arms, which he wraps around her in a fierce hug. She pulls back a little, and he kisses her on the forehead. Huh, that’s where Cole gets it from. What a stupid thing to think in the current situation, I chastise myself internally.
“What do you know?” Olivia asks, her voice high with concern.
John gives a heavy sigh. “I’ve been on the phone with Sam. He was in the ER with a patient. From what he said, Hamish had a weird conversation with Cole in a corridor, and Cole wrote a note saying there was a possible gun situation in one of the exam rooms.” Olivia gasps but I sit stoically, not revealing the raging storm of emotions I’m experiencing.
John motions for Olivia to sit and drags another chair beside her. We’re far enough away from the other parents and nurses; however, when a hand clutches my shoulder, I know Julia is listening in too.
“Cole’s note said Allison was in there, and Hamish said as he walked away to inform others, he saw Cole enter the exam room as well.”
I close my eyes and bite my lip, trying to hold back tears as my soul becomes paralyzed with fear.
"Apparently, Sam wanted to go straight into the room but was held back. They wanted to get some sort of confirmation so Hamish went back to the exam room Cole went into and Allison would only show her head out the door. She said they were busy with a patient. When he asked to speak to Cole, she said he wasn’t able to speak at the moment. Hamish then told Allison that they had a code silver and needed help. Allison nodded her head okay, and then told Hamish he would have to get another doctor.”
“What’s a code silver?” I immediately ask.
John looks to Olivia before he meets my eyes. “It means there’s a person with a weapon or a hostage situation, Gracie.”
My chest becomes tight and my breaths shallow. John squats in front of me grabbing my hands. “Allison nodding her head was the confirmation they needed that they’re in trouble. The police were called and as you know, the hospital’s in lock down. Sam’s been helping the police down there, and from what he said, they called the phone in the room, and Allison answered it. They spoke to the guy, but before he got on, Cole yelled out to him and said, ‘You better answer it, Troy’. Apparently, he didn’t seem to notice Cole said his name.”
Oh, my God. Oh, my God. No. No. This can’t be happening.
“Gracie. Gracie.” I can hear John saying my name, but he sounds far away. “Breathe, Gracie, breathe,” he says.
I expel the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Are they hurt?”
“They don’t know.”
“Why don’t they know? What are the police doing?” I ask, frustrated at the lack of information.
“It’s been about forty-five minutes since Cole went into the room. Sam said they were bringing in SWAT and a negotiator.”
Fat lot of good that’s going to do. Everything that’s happened suggests Troy wants Cole out of the picture. The bastard cut the brakes on his car for God’s sake. Oh, my God. Troy almost killed me and Cooper. Now, he has Cole and Allison held at gun point. How could I have been so wrong about the guy?
“Listen, I’ll call Bryan and tell him what’s going on so he doesn’t panic if he hears it elsewhere,” John says, but right now I need to hear my dad’s voice.
“It’s fine, John. I’ll call him.”
I reach down for my handbag and take my phone out; I know its hospital policy that cell phones can’t be used in critical care units, so I turn to Julia. “Julia, is it okay if I go into the outer office and make the call?”
“Sure, Gracie,” she replies with a tight smile.
I grab my crutches and make my way out of the NICU. The call to my dad is short as I explain what we know. He wanted to head straight down here, but I don’t see the point; he won’t be allowed in anyway. I promise to keep him updated and hang up, my thoughts going straight to Cole. Please keep him safe. Please keep him safe. I pray, hoping my mom, God or whoever hears me.
I grab my crutches and am about to head back in when my phone chimes with an incoming text. I swipe the screen open again, and my heart starts pounding when I see it’s from Cole.
Cole: Can you get to the ER?
What? I type a hasty reply.
Grace: Babe, are you okay?
A reply comes within seconds.
Cole: I’ve waited so long to hear you call me that. I’m fine. Come to the ER, so we can finish this and leave together.
I’m completely confused by his words. I call him babe all the time and what does he want to finish? Realization smacks me in the face. The messages aren’t coming from Cole; they're coming from Troy. Troy must have Cole’s phone.
I have to think fast. SWAT is on their way if they’re not already here. If I was to try to get into the ER, which is no doubt covered in cops, I’m putting myself in danger too. If I don’t go, Troy could hurt Cole and possibly kill him. I can’t let that happen, and I won’t let Cole go through this alone. I make a spilt second decision.
Grace: I’m on my way.
Shoving my phone in my pocket, I look around the empty corridors. Everyone’s inside the NICU. There will be cops surrounding the ER and the exits preventing anyone from leaving or entering. I can’t take the elevator without alerting them that I’m coming. It’s going to have to be the stairs, which is going to hurt like a bitch considering its three flights down, but I have to do it.
Bolstering all my courage, I walk back to the NICU door. John sees me so
I motion him over. “Are you okay, Gracie? You’re awfully pale.”
I hate to lie to him but Cole’s life is at stake. “I’m not feeling well. I’m just going to duck to the bathroom.”
His face creases with concern again. “Wait and I’ll get Olivia to come with you.”
“No. No,” I reply, much too fast. I try and steady my voice. “I’ll only be a few minutes. I just want to splash my face and compose myself. It’s a lot to take in, you know?”
He hesitates but then nods. “Okay, just try to be as quick as you can.”
“I will. You and Olivia take care of your grandson; I think he’s due for a feed.” I honestly can’t remember if he is or not, but I’m hoping that if they’re focused on Cooper, they will forget about me long enough so I can get to Cole.
John smiles at the mention of his grandson, and some of the tension on his face eases. “That I can do,” he says. “Hurry back.”
I close the door over and start down the corridor to the stairwell. I doubt any cops will be guarding the bottom since it doesn’t actually exit outside, but I’ll worry about that when I get there. When I get to the landing my anxiety level spikes, and as I take the first step, I know I’m not going to be able to do this with my crutches. Number one; they’ll slow me down. Number two; they’re just plain awkward. I’ve been using the crutches for support and while my leg is getting stronger, I know not using them is going to be taxing.
Laying the crutches on the landing, I start my journey down the stairs, using both hands to grip the railing as I go. When I get to the first landing, I don’t feel too bad, so I check through the small window on the door that exits the stairwell. The corridors are empty, so I continue going down. The next set of stairs has me panting harder, but the corridors there are empty too. Had my legs been working properly, I would have already been down them by know, but I have to work with what I’ve got.