I let out a huff. "Great. Is there a taxi that can take me around? My family isn't close."
She tilts her head. "Sure, I can call one of them."
"Thank you. You're an angel, Patricia," I say, grinning. She really has been nothing but amazing since I woke up.
Lunch gets delivered as I wait, but it literally looks like something Cami made on a bad day, which isn't saying much. I chuckle at the thought but can't force myself to eat it. Patricia enters with a pair of jogging pants and an oversized T-shirt along with a stack of papers in her hands.
"They're my son's and have been in my trunk for a while now. Might be a little big, but much better than that gown with the open back." She snickers.
"Thank you so much. I'd kiss you if I could."
She laughs. "You're welcome. You remind me of my son, so it's the least I can do."
"You're the best. Seriously," I tell her.
"I have your discharge papers finally. I'll need you to sign in a few places, then you can be on your way. I called a cab for you, and they’ll be here soon. I'm leaving a mask for you to wear while you’re out. Be careful with your sling while you change. Let me know if you need help." Patricia shoots me a wink, then leaves. It takes me a minute to figure out how to do it one-handed, and she's right, they're large, but I'd take this any day of the week over that itchy gown that lets my ass hang out.
While slipping on my shoes, the only items of mine that were left, I notice blood splattered across the top.
I slip the mask over my face, and when I walk out of my room, it feels weird to finally be going home.
When I pass the nurses’ station, I wave goodbye and thank Patricia once again, then make my way to the elevator and go to the lower level.
Once I'm out of the main entrance, I'm shocked to see the nearly empty parking lot. Guess that’s what happens when visitors aren’t allowed, and only emergency surgeries are being done. My anxiety spikes as I sit on a bench and impatiently wait for my ride. All I want to do is talk to Cami and hold her. My dark thoughts appear as the fear of what the future holds consumes me. Is she upset with me? Does she regret the time we had together? Why hasn't she reached out? Everything feels so wrong without her, and I don't know if she's still at the house or what's going on. If anything, I just hope she's safe.
Cami’s the only person on my mind, and I can't stop thinking about her or us. I'm madly in love with her, and I don’t know how much longer I can go on without her knowing. I almost lost the opportunity to tell her, and I don’t want to wait any longer. When I see her, I'll make sure she knows how much she means to me.
The taxi takes forever, and all I want is to return to the cabin to see Cami and our pets, but I need my prescriptions. I also need my laptop, so I can order another phone and check in with my boss. After that, I’ll need to decide what my next steps are. Going back to my apartment is out of the question, but if Cami is no longer at the cabin, I'm not sure I want to stay without her.
Too many thoughts are happening at once, and I suck in a deep breath, but it's shallow. I need to calm down before my blood pressure rises, but I hate the insecurities flooding through me and not knowing what I'll be walking into when I return.
After an hour of waiting, the cab finally pulls up, and I grab my papers and get inside. I ask him to take me to Roxbury and will have to find the pharmacy when we get there since I can’t look it up myself. He talks to me while he drives, but my focus is elsewhere.
Cami.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
CAMERON
ONE WEEK AGO
After I rushed Eli to the emergency room, they told me I couldn't stay due to their lockdown restrictions, but I could call for an update. I was completely frustrated and angry over everything that had happened, and then not being able to stay with him made it worse.
As I drive back home, tears streak my cheeks, and I’m hysterical by the time I pull up to the road that leads to the cabin. Stains of Eli’s blood are on the seat, a reminder that he’s fighting for his life right now without anyone there to support him. I pull into the driveway and replay what happened just hours ago as I stare at the spot where they shot him.
When I get out of the SUV, I see the pool of dark liquid on the ground and force myself to look away before I have a panic attack. I can't stop glancing over my shoulder to make sure no one is around. My paranoia is in overdrive as I walk toward the front door and input my code on the keypad to unlock the door. As soon as I enter, Bruno barks and sniffs me. Chanel is lazily lying on top of the couch and doesn't even lift her head to greet me.
“Bruno, down,” I tell him. I’m still only in my sports bra and covered in blood. I need to wash up and change. The house feels so empty without him and the fear I have over losing him consumes me while I shower. I can’t stop crying as the hot water covers my skin, and I watch the red water pool to the bottom.
Once I’m in clean clothes and throw up my hair, I go to the sofa and lie there bawling for the better part of the night, hoping Eli will be okay. By the time we arrived at the hospital, he was pale and fading in and out of consciousness. Everything happened so fast that my head is still spinning.
This is the second time in a month that I've worried about losing him. My heart can't handle much more as I sob into a pillow. At some point, my tears dry up, and my stomach growls in protest because I haven't eaten in hours. I go to the kitchen and throw together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the last few slices of bread we have left. The groceries I brought in earlier are still on the counter, and thankfully, it's nothing but produce and boxed items; otherwise, I'd have to toss it from sitting out for so long.
I call the hospital with the satellite phone my parents had installed through our internet for emergencies, and right now, I could kiss them for it. When they told me they were getting one installed, I explained how ridiculous the whole idea was because we have cell phones. It's my saving grace, though I can't remember anyone's numbers other than Ryan, Kendall, and my parents'.
I need an update on Eli before I drive myself crazy with worst-case scenarios, and after I'm routed to several nurses’ stations, I find out he's out of emergency surgery and in the ICU. Since I’m not his spouse or related to him, they tell me they can’t give me much information, but that I can try calling back once he’s in recovery
I'm so unsettled that I don't even notice I'm pacing until I hang up the phone. The next person I call is Ryan. He answers the phone immediately, and as soon as I hear his voice, I burst out into tears.
"Cami, what's wrong?" He's on full alert, and I hate to throw this on him on top of everything else, but I have no choice.
"Eli got shot," I choke out as I cry.
"What?" He's nearly yelling on the other line. "Did I hear you correctly?"
"Yes. Two men followed him back to the cabin after he went to the grocery store and held us at gunpoint for our groceries. After they took our phones, one of them shot Eli in the shoulder, then they took off in his rental. There was so much blood, Ryan. By the time I got him to the hospital, he was barely conscious."