Come to find out, Chief Salazar and Sergeant Black returned to the hospital to check in on how their officers are doing. Although I’m already in the know, they proceed to give my mom and me peace of mind that the bad guys are no threat and that if we need anything, give them a call.
Tension has me wound so tight; there is no way I will be able to relax. Sydnee will be by at some point with my anxiety medication, a change of clothes for me, and my toiletry case. With all the chaos, it was a while before I realized Deacon broke his phone. But once I did see the shattered piece of technology, I immediately called Mrs. Beaumont from my cell phone and left her a message, asking her to call me instead of my brother. I still haven’t heard from her.
Pacing back and forth, I’m torn between going back to Kade’s room or staying with my mom, listening to those godawful words over and over. I know what they mean, and it’s breaking my heart hearing them.
“It’s okay, Britney. You can go back to Kade’s room.” It’s like my mom was in my head, listening to my thoughts.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to leave you by yourself.”
“I’m perfectly capable of sitting with your brother. If anything changes or the other doctor arrives, I will text you.”
“Okay.” Before I leave, I kiss my mom on the cheek. “It’ll be okay, Mom. Just give him time.” I attempt to reassure her before shutting the door behind me.
It’s not long before I’m back at Kade’s room. When I walk in, I’m surprised to see he’s awake. The second his eyes lock onto mine, relief washes over me. For the first time in what feels like days, though it’s only been hours, I know for a fact Kade will recover from his gunshot wound. The nurse finishes jotting information down on his chart and informs us the doctor will be in after she gets out of surgery.
“He’s all yours,” the nurse says with a smile as he leaves the room.
“Hey, beautiful.” I turn around to see if someone is behind me, but there isn’t.
“You must not be getting enough oxygen to your brain,” I tease.
“I’m getting plenty of oxygen. I just wanted you to know you’re beautiful.”
My heart skips a beat at his compliment, but I know he’s lying because I’ve seen how I look. I have puffy eyes with dark circles under them, and I had to ask for a rubber band for my hair, which gives a new meaning to ‘messy bun.’
“Maybe I should rush the doctor out of surgery because you’re clearly delusional.”
“Shut up and take the compliment, Brit.”
I approach his bed and pick up his hand to hold. It’s warm and calloused and feels so good in my hand. “Thank you,” I finally say, accepting his words.
“Where’s Deacon?”
“After speaking with your surgeon, my brother got dizzy, hit his head on the linoleum, and was out cold with a concussion. He’s in a room on the second floor. My mom is with him right now.”
“Is he okay?”
“Why don’t you just worry about getting better and let me worry about my brother, okay?”
Kade’s expression shifts from complacent to worried in the blink of an eye, indicating he’s not okay with being left in the dark. Omitting information to my mother is one thing. Keeping information from Kade—who probably should know what’s going on—is a whole other issue. The man just had surgery on his heart. But I don’t want to send him into cardiac arrest by dishing out all that I know.
“Brit, tell me. What’s going on?”
“Your mom hasn’t called back yet, but I hope to hear from her soon. It’ll be nice to give her the news that you’re awake and on the mend.” The words tumble out of my mouth, and I’m not even sure if they made sense.
“Don’t change the subject, Brit. And my mom knows I’m okay. I’m sure your phone call—”
“It was probably Deacon’s call,” I interrupt.
“It doesn’t matter who. Mom called the hospital last night, and the doctor told her I was still resting from the drugs and in recovery.”
“Is she on her way home from Singapore?”
“Dammit, Britney. What the fuck is going on?”
The heart monitor begins to beep faster, indicating Kade’s heart is beating at a faster pace. He’s agitated, and I’m worried he’s going to cause damage to his heart if he doesn’t calm down. Before I can say anything else, the nurse rushes in with a syringe in one hand and a bottle of medicine in the other. Working quickly, he gets the medication into the IV drip, and Kade’s heart rate begins to slow.
“No hanky-panky until the doctor says it’s okay,” the nurse teases as he retakes Kade’s vitals. Even though he couldn’t be further from what was really going on, I can’t help the blush that flushes my cheeks. “Now, try not to get that heartbeat of his racing again, okay?” The focus is on me, and I feel my face get hotter.
“I don’t think she will,” Kade responds. He knows he has me right where he wants me. Kade is going to use this to his advantage, and it’s going to work. I won’t take a chance with his recovery just to keep him from finding out what he will eventually know. All I want is to delay it a bit.
“Thank you, Nurse…” I pause, waiting for the nurse to introduce himself.
“Aaron,” he responds.
“I’m Britney.” I stick my hand out to shake his, and it’s a soft handshake.
“I know, darlin’.” Aaron has a slight twang to his speech that you can easily miss if you’re not paying attention.
Aaron leaves, and Kade is impatiently waiting for me to tell him everything I know up to this point. Struggling to find the words to explain my brother’s current condition in a manner that won’t worry Kade is damn near impossible. No matter what comes out of my mouth, Kade isn’t going to like it.
“I’m waiting.” Kade’s deep tone is sharp, and I know his patience is running thin when I see his jawline shift side to side as he grinds his teeth.
“Just give me a sec,” I snap back at him. Every emotion is taking over my body. I must regain my composure so I can get through what needs to be said. Setting my feelings aside, I take a deep breath in and exhale gradually as I take a seat next to Kade’s bed.
“Britney, please don’t make me ask again. Your hesitance is making things far worse in my head than they probably are. So please, tell me what you know.” Kade’s tone is softer, and the worried look on his gorgeous face gives me the strength I need to give him what he deserves to know.
“Before I get to my brother, you need to know that the man who shot you is still alive. You missed his carotid artery by a hair.”
“Son of a bitch,” he growls between clenched teeth. “Sorry, continue.”
First, I tell Kade that Deacon told me everything, and I mean everything. Then I let him know that the chief and his sergeant stopped by to check on both of them. I tell him there was no mention of his or Deacon’s jobs, only that they are on administrative leave, which is common after an officer-involved shooting. I let him know they will remain on administrative leave until the IA is complete. Finally, I explain to him that the FBI and the DEA are covering Deacon’s and his asses, claiming they were working under direct orders from them. I told Kade that the three-lettered agencies have been running point on all media platforms with a focus on how he and my brother saved the underage girls from being sold into prostitution. Also, there are strict orders that no one from the police department is to talk to any reporter.