“What did you say to him?” someone asked.
“Why didn’t you call me?” Aiden asked at the same time.
Robin avoided Aiden’s question and instead answered the other.
“I told him that there was no amount of money that would make us sell,” she said softly. “My god, do you think he did this to force me to sell?”
No one answered her until his uncle Todd jumped in. “That wouldn’t make sense. The man is an egomaniac and a narcissist. I doubt he’s a murderer.”
“Still, it’s worth looking into. If you see him around again, call me directly,” Aiden said to Robin.
“Trust me, after this, I’m not going to let that man step foot on my property again,” Robin replied.
What seemed like days later, a small dark-haired doctor walked out looking for them. He jumped up when he noticed her walking towards them.
“How is she?” several people asked as they all rushed the doctor.
The woman raised her hands. “She’s resting,” she said with a smile and looked around. “Where is the family?”
“Here.” Kara’s parents waved their hands. Robin was by their side as his family surrounded them.
The doctor turned to them. “Is it alright to share the update with the Jordan clan?”
Kara’s parents nodded. “Yes, they’re family,” Alice said quickly.
“Kara was very lucky. The first bullet just grazed her temple, here.” The doctor held up her hand to the spot on her temple that matched where he’d tried to stop the bleeding on Kara earlier. “This wound caused some bleeding even though it’s only a mild abrasion. Head wounds tend to bleed more.” She took a deep breath. “I’ve just come out of surgery for the penetrating gunshot wound on her arm. We’ve removed the bullet and stopped the bleeding. There appears to be some slight muscle damage. We won’t know the full extent until after she wakes up. She should be able to make a full recovery after some physical therapy. But for now, she’s in stable condition. They’ll move her to her own room once she’s out of recovery.”
“Can we see her?” Alice asked.
“Not right now. Once they move her, she can have two visitors at a time.”
His mind kept going over the fact that she was okay. That Kara was going to make it. That he’d be able to see her again. To hold her in his arms, to tell her that he loved her. Soon. He wanted to see her now.
“Doctor.” He stepped forward after everyone started to go sit down again. “Is there any chance I could go back and see her now?”
The doctor ran her eyes over him. “Conner, you know what—”
“Please,” he asked, his voice cracking slightly.
He’d known Doctor Karen Logan most of his life. Hell, the woman had not only set more than one of his broken bones, she’d been there for most of his childhood ailments, just as much as his uncle Aaron had been.
“You’re involved with Kara?” she asked, her dark eyes running over him.
“I love her,” he said clearly, which caused the doctor to smile.
“In that case.” She glanced over to Kara’s parents. “Is it okay if I take him back for just a moment?”
“Yes.” Eric stepped forward with his arm still wrapped around his wife and daughter. Then he turned towards him. “Tell her we’re here and we’ll see her soon,” Kara’s father said to him.
He nodded before following the doctor through the double doors.
He didn’t know what he had been expecting, but seeing Kara hooked up to so many machines with tubes coming out of her nose, her mouth, and her arms, he almost broke down again.
She wasn’t as pale as she’d been lying in the snow, and her hair was pushed away from her face as if someone had combed it aside. The blood that had covered her face had been washed away and a large white bandage covered most of her forehead.
Her left arm was wrapped tight and held up by a contraption above her body.
“Try not to disturb anything,” the doctor told him. “I’ll give you a few moments alone.” She turned to talk to a nurse across the room.
He moved closer and ran his eyes over Kara. He knew she was in a drug-induced sleep and probably couldn’t hear him, but he knelt beside her bed and took her right hand in his.
“I shouldn’t have let you talk me out of buying you a car,” he said softly. Then he leaned down and placed a soft kiss over her lips. “I love you. Come back to me.” He felt a tear slip from his eyes. “I promise that I will spend the rest of my life making sure you are happy and giving you everything you could ever ask for.”
He heard a sigh and knew that the doctor and nurse standing behind him had listened in.
“I love you,” he said again before placing another soft kiss on Kara’s lips.
Chapter Twenty-Five
When Kara finally opened her eyes, she was so confused as to what had happened and where she was that it took almost half an hour for everything to register. Even then, she found it hard to focus and remember the details that her family had given her.
From the moment she opened her eyes, Conner was by her side. Even though he didn’t say much to her, he was there, holding her hand. Of course, they hadn’t been left alone since the moment she’d fought to get out of the drug-induced haze.
She didn’t know what time it was or even if it was daytime or nighttime. The windows in her hospital room were covered and dark.
Every time she thought to ask, she would lose her train of thought. She fell back asleep to the sound of the machines working beside her and her family talking in hushed tones.
The next time she woke, the room was completely quiet and dark. She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn’t just imagining the darkness. Seeing a few flashing lights and the bright exit sign over the door, she relaxed back and thought of falling asleep again when she heard someone shuffle beside her and glanced over to see Conner stretched out in a chair, his arms crossed over his chest. His head was at an angle, resting on the corner of the chair as if he’d fallen asleep in the oddest position possible.
She could tell instantly that it couldn’t be comfortable.
“Conner?” she said after she’d cleared her throat. It felt raw, as if she’d been to a concert the night before and had screamed and sang until her vocal cords were abused.
He sprung up and rushed to her side.
“Are you hurting?” he asked her, taking her right hand in his.
She hadn’t thought about it. Honestly, she’d been numb until he’d asked the question. After quickly assessing her entire body, she shook her head and winced.
“No,” she said, mentally kicking herself for moving fast. “I’m okay. You shouldn’t be sleeping there.” She glanced over to the chair he’d been sitting in.
“I drew the short straw and got to stay with you tonight,” he joked as he leaned on the edge of her bed.
“You can go home, get some rest,” she offered.
His smile slipped. “I’m not leaving your side. Don’t ask me to,” he added softly. Then he lifted her right hand up to his lips. “How are you feeling?”