“I honestly don’t know.” Frank sighed and rubbed his face as if to wipe away unshed tears. His voice was strained as he continued, “No one has said a word to me and I’m about to lose my mind.”
“Let’s go sit down,” said Lorie fighting back her tears.
“Sir,” said Declan. He ran his hand through his hair and looked around to see if anyone was listening. The hallway was clear except for them and the occasional nurse running by. “Can you tell us what happened?”
Frank shook his head and his eyes were haunted. “Everything happened so fast,” said Frank as he sat down. He leaned forward and folded his hands together. “Kristie was addressing the press and, the next thing I know, a loud bang sounded and my niece was on the ground passed out.”
“Did you see the direction of where the bullet came from?” asked Declan trying to ascertain as much information as possible.
“Son. Are you a cop?” asked Frank. He glanced at Lorie curiously.
Declan sat back and replied, “I’m a Navy SEAL and also happen to be Kristie’s boyfriend. Paul is also a Navy SEAL.”
“Oh. I see,” said Frank suddenly perking up a bit.
“Your niece happens to mean a lot to me,” said Declan in an even voice. “I plan on doing everything in my power to make sure the person or persons that did this are caught.”
“That makes me feel a little better,” said Frank. He took a deep breath and let it out but there was still sadness in his eyes. “Why anyone would harm Kristie just boggles my mind. She’s so kind and everyone adores her.”
“I know,” said Declan clenching his fist.
“Mr. Rossi,” a nurse interrupted them and the group looked up at her with trepidation...fearing the worst. “Your niece is asking for you.”
“Can my family come with me?” Frank asked as he stood up.
“She’s awake but still a little groggy. The doctor requested that you go in one at a time,” said the nurse, her voice filled with sympathy.
“Thank you,” said Lorie excited to hear that her sister was awake.
~*~*~*~
Kristie sat in her room trying to put everything together in her mind but, damn, her head was pounding and her leg seemed to be throbbing.
“Knock, knock,” said her uncle before he walked in and closed the door quietly. “How’s my little niece doing?”
Kristie frowned as tears started to roll down her face. “What happened Uncle Frank? I don’t understand.”
“I don’t understand either,” said her uncle as he took her hand in his. “Are you in a lot of pain?”
Kristie smiled at her uncle and assessed her injuries. She was in pain but she wanted to keep his worries at bay. “I’m handling it.”
“What has the doctors said? Did the bullet hit you?” he asked, swallowing a huge lump in his throat.
Kristie felt the tears running down her cheeks. She didn’t want to cry but her whole body shook when she thought of what happened. “It grazed my arm...barely even a scratch there but when I saw the blood, I went into shock. It was the fall that did all the damage. They said I have a concussion and I injured my leg. It might be a sprain or it might be broken. The doctor hasn’t confirmed that yet.”
“Well,” said her uncle smiling. “It isn’t perfect news but it is better than what it could have been.”
“Yes. I could be dead,” said Kristie. Her voice cracked as she said it and her uncle’s eyes filled with his own tears. They stared at each other for the longest time—silently assuring the other that everything was going to be okay.
“Lorie’s here and wants to see you,” her uncle finally said before he placed a kiss on her forehead. “Is there anything I can get you? Tea perhaps?”
“I’d love some tea. Thank you,” said Kristie. She was so excited to see her sister...she needed her family around her.
****
Lorie looked at Declan standing there with a huge flower arrangement, a bunch of balloons, a huge stuffed puppy, and a bunch of other gifts. With a smile on her face, she said, “Go... but don’t forget there’s other people waiting to see her.”
“Thank you,” said Declan. He gave her a small smile before he struggled to carry everything. Walking into Kristie’s small hospital room, the first thing he noticed was that the room was private. The second thing he noticed was that Kristie wasn’t in her bed. Feeling his heart beat right out of his chest, he put everything down and called out for her.
“Barbie Doll?”
“In here,” she said in a pained voice. “I don’t think I can make it back; it hurts too much.”
“Don’t move baby,” said Declan opening the door to her bathroom. His heart broke the moment he saw her. Kristie’s hair was matted, her legs were bruised and her eyes were tear stained. Walking over to her in two strides, he lifted her up with ease and carried her back to the bed but not before he kissed her. “I was a wreck Barbie Doll. The thought of losing you isn’t something I ever wish to face.”
Kristie hugged Declan tight. “I’m sorry you worried about me. As you can see I’m fine.”
“You’re hurt,” he said while placing the sterile white sheet over her.
“I am,” she whispered but it was more than being hurt...her nerves still hummed and she felt like danger was going to pop out at any second. She jumped when the door to her private room opened.
“I have tea for Kristie and a cup of coffee for you,” said her uncle. His eyes were heavy and it was clear that he was feeling the effects of the day.
“Thank you,” said Declan seeing how tired the older gentleman was. “I won’t be long. I can see you’re tired.”
“I’m going to send Lorie and Paul in because visiting hours are just about over,” said her uncle as he walked towards the door.
“Uncle Frank,” called Kristie with watery eyes. “I love you and am so sorry you’re stuck worrying about all of us.”
Declan watched, as the older man turned, face them and said, “Never stuck Kristie You kids have only brought me joy.”
“I have a few things for you,” said Declan standing up and moving the table closer to her. “You can look through them when we all leave.
“Ah. Thank you,” said Kristie managing a smile.
“Kristie,” cried Lorie as she walked through the door. She ran to the bed and hugged her sister tightly. “I was so worried.”
Chapter Ten
The following morning, Declan and Paul woke up extra early and headed straight to scene of the crime. Looking around, Declan followed the tattered police line and then focused on the patch of blood that was on the ground where Kristie had fallen. His stomach flipped over as he tried to focus his anger on figuring out the scene.
He scanned the buildings surrounding the square and noticed only one possible place the shooter could have been—an invisible hand punched him in the gut and made him feel sick.
“The shooter came from the top of Rossi Co.,” said Declan pointing to the top of the building.
“Which can only mean one thing,” said Paul rubbing the back of his neck.
“An employee,” Declan glared at the building and the people inside. Despite the crime, it looked like everyone was working as per usual. One of those people in the building could be the shooter. He took out his phone and placed a call to his teammate Matt to let him know what was going on. Once that was done, he told him and the team to get every image from all the cameras in the area and do background write-ups on everyone but the Rossi family.
“Now what?” asked Paul with concern as he stood there watching Declan taking pictures of everything in the surrounding area.
“Kristie isn’t going anywhere without protection. Someone went to great lengths to scare her...maybe even try to kill her,” Declan ground his teeth as he thought of life without little Barbie Doll—he hated it.
“Good luck with that one,” Paul glanced around and looked for anything they might have missed. “Kristie is a little spitfire.”
“That s
he is,” said Declan with a huge smile. “I think that’s what makes me want her even more.”
“What? The fact that she fights the whole ‘me Tarzan, you Jane’ thing?” joked Paul.
“Yes. I turn into a Neanderthal when it comes to her.” He grinned, “I just want to toss her over my shoulder and carry her away forever.”
“If only,” Paul said wistfully as he stared off into the distance.
“We have all that we need from here. The rest we’ll have to work on once we return to base,” said Declan as he made his way to the truck.
~*~*~*~
‘Hey Daniella,’ breathed Kristie into the phone.
‘I miss you,’ Daniella replied in a sad voice.
‘I miss you too. Why haven’t I seen you?’
Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, Daniella sighed, ‘I’ve been spending time with Sean but things are still so damned complicated. Ugh. He’s so damned frustrating.’
‘Really? Complicated? Oh girl, just cut the nonsense all ready. You and Sean are made for each other. Anyone can see that.’
‘Everyone keeps saying that,” laughed Daniella with a hint of confusion in her tone. ‘Not to change the subject but I want you to know that I’ve been handling things for you over at Rossi Co.’
‘Really? Thank you. I hope I don’t come back to losing my company,’ joked Kristie trying to lighten up the conversation.
‘I love you and can’t wait ‘till you’re home.’
‘I love you too.’ Kristie ended the call and wiped away the tears that fell from her eyes.
Letting out a loud sob, she finally gave in to the tears that she’d been holding back. Her phone rang again, which pulled her out of her own personal misery.
‘Hey Benny.’
‘I’ve been so worried about you. Are you all right?’ asked her brother in a tired voice.
‘I’m okay so you don’t have to worry about me any longer.’
‘I hear Daniella is running Rossi Co. for you. Hope she doesn’t bankrupt you,’ Benny joked, trying to make his sister smile for a moment.
‘I have every faith that Daniella will do just fine.’
‘Good. I love you.’
‘I love you more.’
Ending the call, Kristie closed her eyes and tried to relax but found herself crying again.
“Ugh. I need to stop this,” she yelled while struggling to get out of bed. Lucky for her, Lorie had been a godsend and had brought her clothes to wear instead of the hospital gown. In addition, Lorie had taken the time to fix her hair and makeup before she headed to the office.
Kristie shrugged off her worry and stood up to get dressed. The moment her right foot touched the ground, she lost her balance and fell further injuring her already sprained ankle.
The pain shot through her and brought tears to her eyes. Each time she tried to move, the pain level increased. Using her strength, she called out, “Help me. Somebody please help.”
Unable to stand the pain, Kristie used everything she had to pull herself up. The moment she made it, she ended up falling again. This time someone heard her.
“Barbie Doll?” Declan groaned as he lifted her up off the floor. “What happened?”
Kristie started crying hysterically. “It’s useless. I can’t eat, can’t sleep, and I can’t walk anymore. Just take me out back and shoot me. I can’t take it anymore.”
“Shh, don’t say that.” He placed his warm lips on her forehead and held them there as he breathed her in. He closed his eyes and allowed his presence to calm her. “Let me get a doctor for you. You must be in pain right now from that fall.”
“Please don’t leave me,” Kristie whispered and, for a second, he wasn’t sure if she had even spoken. “Every sound, every movement, every little thing makes me so afraid.”
“I’ve got you Barbie Doll. I won’t let anyone hurt you,” whispered Declan wiping away her tears. “I have something I need to talk to you about. Will you promise not to get mad at me and give everything I say some thought?”
“Okay,” Kristie nodded. “What’s going on?”
Declan sat Kristie on the bed and took her hands in his. Blowing out the air in his lungs, he said, “I haven’t been extremely honest with you about something.”
Kristie felt her heart plummet and a new fear replaced her current one. “No. I can’t do this. I can’t. Not now.”
“Just let me finish,” said Declan. The words were calm and slow. Looking around the small hospital room, he noticed all his little gifts neatly arranged and smiled. Pulling his attention back towards Kristie, he continued, “I’m a Lieutenant with the Navy SEAL’s and will do everything in my power to see to your safety. You have come to mean a lot to me in such a short period of time.”
Kristie sat there without saying anything; she just sniffled and sucked in air. After the dead silence, Declan moved forward, placing both hands on either side of her face. “Barbie Doll. Did you hear me?”
Her eyes were looking off to the side, seemingly focused on the wall. After a few more minutes, Kristie finally turned her attention back to Declan and gave him a shaky smile. “That’s it. I got it. Finally.”
Scratching his head and shifting his position, he said. “I’m not following. What did you get?”
“Your nickname,” she replied as the smile spread on her face and her eyes sparkled with laughter.
~*~*~*~
Kristie glanced up as the door to her room swung open and her doctor walked in. He was a handsome man, in his early forties, and his kind, brown eyes were filled with intelligence. He was definitely a doctor who knew what he was doing.
His eyes crinkled with his smile as he said, “Hello Miss Rossi. I’m Dr. Kelly. I have your test results back.” He paused and flipped the chart he was holding. “There is no trace of a bullet so it was what we suspected—a graze. That is the good news.”
Her smile slipped as she realized there was more. “Okay, what’s the bad news?” she asked as impending doom lingered in her mind.
The doctor paused and looked around. “Is your family here?” he asked.
“Not right now. They’ll be back in an hour or two though,” she said with concern.
Kristie sat there waiting patiently while the doctor scanned the chart again and two nurses walked into the room. They moved around the equipment monitoring her and quickly faded into the background. Finally, after agonizing minutes, the doctor finally spoke and Kristie had a hard time focusing on his words. “Well, the good news with your ankle is that it isn’t broken like we feared. Instead, you sprained your ankle when you fell and the swelling is what’s causing the severe pain.” Kristie felt a moment of relief but then she lost that relief as he continued to ramble on about bed rest and other medical complications that could happen if she aggravated the injury. She needed to be active and the sprain was going to leave her inactive for four to six weeks.
The younger of the two nurses placed a set of crutches on her bed and exited without saying a word. Looking at the offending pieces of metal, Kristie attempted to get out of bed and groaned from the pain.
“Here’s the most important advice for your sprain,” said the doctor as he looked at the swollen ankle with the dark purple bruise. “Rest, ice, compression, and be sure to elevate.”
Kristie looked at the doctor for a moment completely confused. She just couldn’t focus on his words...instead, her business and her absence from it ran heavy on her mind. Realizing that she hadn’t said anything, she said, “Run that by me again please.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll have everything written up for you in a folder.” Then he turned and made his way to the door. “I’ll be back in a little bit. I’m going to take care of your release papers.”
~*~*~*~
Kristie was wreaking havoc up and down the hall as she practiced using her crutches. “I can’t do this,” she said to the poor physical therapist helping her. “It’s impossible for me.”
Rubbing his neck to relieve the tens
ion, he suggested, “How about a wheelchair? Maybe that would be better,” he said with a nervous smile. “For the safety of both humans and animals alike.”
Kristie turned to respond but ended up losing her balance and stumbled backwards.
“I got you,” said Declan as he steadied her on her feet. He had been watching her progress since they’d arrived a half hour ago.
“For now,” said the therapist looking at Kristie. “Little children use these all the time so I know you’ll get the hang of it. Try again.”
His Wicked Pleasure (Wicked #1) Page 8