by Mary Head
She swayed suddenly and fell into David’s arms with a sob when he rushed forward to catch her, his arms tight around her waist as he held her up. She pressed her back to his chest, gripping his arms and breathing hard, still staring at Eddie as she tried to get her feet back underneath her.
David touched his lips to the back of her head and shifted, lifting her slightly so she could get her balance.
“C’mon, baby,” he murmured, turning her to face him when she was steady again. He pressed another kiss to her forehead and then turned to guide her towards the stairs.
After just a couple of steps it became evident that Hannah wouldn’t be able to walk up the stairs and out of the house, even with David’s support, and he bent, lifting her into his arms. Her arms looped around his neck and she laid her head on his shoulder as he carried her carefully up the stairs, Chris keeping a close watch on them.
They emerged into the living room, and then David stepped aside quickly when a cluster of paramedics entered, two stretchers carried among them. David stared after them a moment, and then continued towards the door, finally emerging into the cool night.
Two more paramedics approached, wheeling a stretcher between them, and he set Hannah down on it carefully, holding fast to her hand as they wheeled her across the small lawn to a waiting ambulance. She protested when they wanted to leave right away, wanting to wait to see about Eli and Jackie, and David nodded when the paramedics glanced at him.
They insisted on putting a brace on Hannah’s injured wrist, and she sat up once they were gone, scowling when David tried to get her to lie down again.
“I’ve been lying down for days, I’m tired of it,” she muttered, taking the blanket the paramedics had laid over her and dropping it to the floor to cover her bare feet.
David couldn’t really argue with her, and moved to sit beside her, slipping his arm around her and pulling her against his side.
A few minutes later, one of the stretchers emerged from the house, and they could just make out Eli lying on it.
“He’ll be okay,” David said quietly when Hannah shifted slightly, gently rubbing his hand up and down her arm. “He’s a tough kid, believe me.”
They fell quiet again, and David reached for Hannah’s hand. It was one of the few places on her body he could see that wasn’t bruised, and even that wasn’t quite true. Vague shadows dotted her knuckles and he ran his thumb lightly over them.
David felt a quick flash of pride at the defensive wounds, angry that she had them at all, but pleased in the knowledge that she fought back.
He didn’t want to think about the bruises he couldn’t see.
There was another flurry of movement around the front door of the house, and they both looked up. A mix of agents and paramedics were rushing to another ambulance. Eli had already been taken to the hospital, and the bastard who had hurt Hannah was dead, so it could only be the third man.
“Dad,” Hannah said softly, and he looked at her. “Go check on Jackie.”
David frowned. “You mean Eli? You saw them, they already –”
“No,” she said, her voice firm, “Jackie. The one they just took away.”
David’s frown deepened and he shook his head, confused. “Han –”
“Please.” She stared at him, the concern evident in her eyes, though the fear lingered as well.
He nodded. “Okay. Let me just –”
Looking up again, he scanned the crowd of agents for anybody he trusted enough to leave with Hannah, and then his eyes lighted on Chris.
David reluctantly let go of Hannah and hopped out of the ambulance, calling Chris’s name as he approached. Without a word, he grabbed the younger agent’s arm and began to pull him towards the ambulance.
“David,” Chris said, annoyed, trying to pull his arm from his boss’s surprisingly strong grip, “what the hell are you doing? I’m a little busy.”
David stopped in front of the open ambulance doors, and Chris glanced at Hannah before looking back at David.
“Right now,” David said, his gaze intense, “your only job is to sit with her until I get back. Understood?”
Chris nodded quickly, his attitude changing instantly, and he climbed into the ambulance as David hurried away.
When Chris was settled across from Hannah, she immediately reached for his hand, clutching it tightly. He smiled and gave her fingers a squeeze, not sure of what to say.
After a moment she tugged on his hand, biting gently on her lower lip as she looked at him, and without hesitation he moved to sit beside her. Her arm circled his waist and his went around her shoulders as she leaned into him, tucking herself against his side.
A soft sigh slipped from him as he held her tightly, and he murmured, “I missed you, Hannie,” the corner of his mouth rising in anticipation. She swatted feebly at his stomach, and he chuckled softly.
“Yeah, I guess I missed you too,” she replied quietly, and then wrapped her other arm around him, shifting closer. He gave her a gentle squeeze and kissed the top of her head.
A moment later, Juliet appeared in front of the doors and Hannah sat up, smiling a little as Juliet climbed in to sit across from her and Chris.
“Hey, sweetie, just wanted to see how you were doing.”
Hannah sighed and gave a vague shrug. “Sort of. . . a little overwhelmed? Kind of hard to process all of this right now.” She paused and looked down at her lap, worrying her bottom lip. “I kind of keep thinking that this might just all be a dream and I’m gonna wake up in a minute, still – still down there.”
Chris tightened his grip, touching his lips very lightly to the side of her head, and Juliet reached forward, taking her hand.
“It’s real, Han,” she said softly. “Chris is here, and I’m here, and your dad’s here, and you’re gonna go home soon.”
Hannah nodded, taking a breath as she looked up at Juliet.
“I’ll see you at the hospital, okay, sweetie?” Juliet leaned forward to kiss Hannah’s forehead, and then added quietly, “I love you, Han.”
It wasn’t the first time Juliet had told Hannah she loved her, but it was something she said sparingly, only when she thought Hannah needed to hear it.
In the blink of an eye, Hannah’s arms were around Juliet’s neck, and Juliet hugged her back, closing her eyes to keep her tears at bay.
“I’ll see you later,” Juliet murmured again, touching her lips to Hannah’s forehead once more before jumping from the ambulance, disappearing just as David reappeared.
“They got him stable before they took him away, but he’s going to need surgery,” David informed Hannah. His jaw worked as he looked at her for a moment, his hands on his hips. He seemed to be debating something with himself, and then he shook his head, running a hand over his mouth.
“Rough estimate right now is that he should be okay,” he said finally.
“Thank you,” Hannah said softly, looking relieved.
David sighed and tried to smile, glancing at Chris over the top of Hannah’s head. The other agent met his gaze, his expression mildly concerned, and David gave the tiniest shake of his head.
“And now,” David said, raising his eyebrows as his gaze returned to Hannah, “you need to go to the hospital as well.”
Hannah nodded, suddenly looking very tired, and Chris sighed.
“And I have to stay here,” he murmured as he stood.
Hannah reluctantly let go of his hand, and he smiled down at her as he passed in front of her.
“I’ll see you soon, Hannie,” he said softly, sweeping his knuckle over her cheek. She smiled and nodded, and he hopped out of the ambulance, clapping his hand on David’s shoulder before heading back into the melee.
Chapter 54
When they arrived at the hospital, they were greeted by a young Indian nurse who David guessed was a few years older than Hannah.
“My name’s Karishma,” she told Hannah softly, giving her a small smile. “But you can call me Kari. I’m going to take
you back so the doctor can check you over.”
“Can I come with her?” David asked.
“Only if she wants you to.”
David looked at Hannah, who bit her lip as she shook her head.
“I don’t want you to see,” she whispered, tears shining in her eyes.
“It’s okay, baby,” David murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. “I’ll be right here when you come back.”
“And I’ll stay with you the whole time,” Kari promised.
Hannah smiled as she nodded, and shrugged off David’s jacket to give back to him.
“Oh, and call Maddie,” she said as they wheeled her through the doors.
David nodded, pulling his phone from his pocket as he shuffled over to sink into a chair. It was almost one a.m., but David doubted that Madison would mind this particular late night call, and he found her in his contacts.
“Hello?” she answered after a few rings, sounding anxious.
“We found her, Maddie,” David said without preamble. “She’s safe now.”
Madison took a sharp breath. “When can I see her?”
“She’ll probably be home tomorrow afternoon, but she – she’s been through a lot, so maybe wait just a day or two? I know you want to see her, and I’m sure she wants to see you, I just don’t want to overwhelm her.”
“No, I understand.” He heard her take another breath. “Thank you so much for letting me know.”
“Honestly, it was Hannah who told me to call you,” David said with a quick laugh. “I’m just so focused on her right now, but before they took her away to be examined, she told me to call you.” Madison gave a shaky laugh as well, and David sighed. “Get some sleep, sweetheart; I know none of us have gotten much of that lately. I promise you can see her soon.”
“Okay. Thanks, Mr. Cole.”
“You’re welcome, Maddie. Good night.”
David ended the call and lowered his phone, flicking his finger along his contacts list, watching the names scroll by until John McKenzie appeared. David thought about how Juliet had said he’d come in to tell Chris about seeing Hannah with Eddie all those months ago, and knew that without him, things could’ve gone differently tonight. David knew that John cared a lot about Hannah, and though it was late, he didn’t think that John would mind David calling him to tell him that Hannah was okay.
John picked up after several rings with a sleepy, “Hello?”
“Hey, um, it’s David. Hannah’s dad. I’m sorry if I woke you, I just thought you’d want to know – we found her.”
“You did?” John said, sounding more awake. “Is she – I mean – is she – Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s – okay. A little beat up, but nothing that seems permanent or long lasting.” David paused, and then took a breath. “Physically, anyway.”
John didn’t say anything, and after a long moment, David cleared his throat. “I don’t know when or if she’ll be ready to come back to school this semester –”
“Don’t even worry about that right now,” John interrupted. “One day at a time.”
“Yeah,” David said softly, raising a hand to his forehead. “If you want, you can come by the house in a few days to see her. Just call beforehand.”
“I will. Thank you for calling me, David, really.”
“I hope you’ll forgive me if I say the thought didn’t immediately occur to me, but I saw your name in my contacts after I called Madison, and I figured Han would want you to know.”
“I appreciate it.”
They said their goodbyes, and David ended the call, sliding his phone back into his pocket. The silence of the room hit him suddenly, and whether it was because of the late hour, or just sheer luck, David appreciated it.
The adrenaline of the last few hours was beginning to wear off, and he could feel exhaustion settling into his body. He could sleep later; the most important thing right now was to make sure Hannah was really okay.
Everything that Eddie had said in the basement flashed through his mind, and he felt that sensation of guilt again. He didn’t regret shooting Eddie; it was clear that he was too far gone in his grief and his anger for any kind of negotiation, and he would’ve killed Hannah if David hadn’t taken him out first. His guilt was over Luke, and he kept thinking back over the case. He had been so angry over the deaths of those three little girls that he hadn’t cared about anything else but making sure their killer got what was coming to him. Luke had confessed to killing the girls, but said he hadn’t been able to stop himself, that there was something wrong in his head, but David hadn’t listened. He had thought it was a ploy for an insanity plea, and Luke’s public defender had privately agreed and hadn’t planned to pursue it.
When David found out that Luke had killed himself, he was angry all over again, because it meant Luke wouldn’t be punished for his crime, and those little girls would never receive proper justice for their deaths.
It was possible that Eddie had been lying about Luke, but David doubted it. Eddie didn’t seem the type of person to give mental illness much consideration, especially with regard to his own son, so if Eddie had believed Luke, and had tried to help him, Luke must have been telling the truth.
Now, it seemed like no one had gotten justice. Not those three little girls, who had the misfortune of crossing paths with a mentally ill young man who had no idea what was wrong with him and couldn’t control himself. Not Luke, who had been confused and afraid, and had likely killed himself because he saw no way out. Not Eddie, who had become so consumed by rage and grief that he had sought revenge against the only person he felt he could blame.
David had fucked up, and Hannah had gotten caught in the crossfire. She had suffered for something she had no hand in, all because of David’s righteous anger, and his inability to accept that his first conclusion wasn’t always the correct one.
In the end, what had happened to Hannah really was his fault, and he blew out a long breath as he let his head fall into his hands.
Chapter 55
A little while later, Hannah lay on her side, her fingers curled around David’s as he sat in a chair beside her hospital bed.
“Feel better, baby?” he asked quietly, smiling slightly.
“A little,” she replied, returning his smile, though he could tell it hurt. “How’s Eli?”
“Doped up on painkillers,” David said, smiling again when Hannah giggled.
“But he’ll be okay?”
David nodded. “He’ll be fine. A little bit of rehab, some desk duty, but he’ll be back to normal before long. Normal as he gets, anyway.”
Hannah laughed again, and David grinned.
“It’s not many agents who get shot their second week on the job,” he continued, his eyebrow lifting. Hannah’s smile faded as she bit her lip, and David recognized the guilty look on her face. He leaned forward, staring her in the eyes. “I can’t think of a better reason, and I know he’s going to wear that scar with pride.”
Her lips curved again, and he reached up with his other hand to stroke her hair, ignoring the slight griminess of it. He didn’t care, just glad to be able to touch her hair and hold her hand again, just glad that she was here.
He felt the tear slide down his cheek just as Hannah said softly, “You’re crying.”
“Yeah,” he said, somewhat breathlessly, and shook his head. “I just missed you so much.”
“I missed you too,” she whispered, pressing her lips together as her chin quivered.
He stood suddenly, leaning down and kissing her temple, and then rested his forehead against it as his hand swept over her back. Her fingers gripped his shirt, and he could feel her shaking as she cried, could hear her quiet sobs. He touched a kiss to her cheek, raising his hand to stroke her hair, and waited until she calmed down before pulling away, swiping at his cheeks as he straightened.
Settling into his chair again, he handed her a tissue from the box on the bedside table and continued to rub her back as she dried her
eyes and dabbed at her nose. She took a shaky breath, sniffling quietly, and then gave him a watery smile.
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, Hannah Banana.”
Her smile widened, and he took her hand again, gently passing his thumb over her knuckles.
They fell silent, and after a few minutes David could see sleep trying to overtake her, even as she fought it.
“You need to sleep, Han,” he said gently.
Her eyes came fully open, and he could see the fear there, taking dominance over her exhaustion.
They had tried to give her something earlier so she could sleep, but she panicked when she saw the needle, her expression fearful as she begged them not to. Her reaction had surprised David. She had never been afraid of needles or getting shots, and the only reason he could think for her fear now was that those men must have drugged her.
It made sense when he thought about it. He knew they couldn’t have taken her without incapacitating her in some way so she would be unable to fight back, though it scared him to think about what else they might have done to her while she was unconscious.
After a brief discussion, the nurse had left a small cup containing a dose of over-the-counter sleeping pills on the bedside table for whenever Hannah was ready to take them, and David reached for it now. Her eyes flicked to it and then back to his face, and he felt a throb of pain in his heart at her expression.
“It’s okay, baby,” he said softly. “You’ve taken this before, remember? It’s just going to help you sleep.”
“Will you stay with me?” she asked in a small voice.
“I can’t stay the night, but I’ll stay until you fall asleep. You’ll be okay,” he said, smiling reassuringly. “Marcus and Jimmy are right outside the door, and they’re going to be here all night, and then I’ll be back in the morning.” He leaned forward, tightening his grip on her hand as he lowered his voice. “Nobody will hurt you in here,” he said, shaking his head as he stared intently at her. “I promise.”