Shane let out a low growl. “Who were the tests ordered by?”
“Dr. Tyson.”
Chapter 16
Shane
I knew the moment I met Dr. Tyson that he was one of the people that was involved with hurting shifters. He just seemed sinister to me. And now, Lydia and I were finding proof that he is involved. How Dr. Tyson and the hospital were getting away with everything Lydia described was unbelievable. They had to have a whole team dedicated to covering it all up. I knew that the only way to save the shifters that Lydia saw was to get the rest of the guys in here as backup.
“You need to get out of here,” I said. “Dr. Tyson came in while you were gone and tried to ask me all these questions about being a shifter. He claimed it was to figure out what was wrong with me, but I knew he had an ulterior motive.”
“Wait, what do you mean I need to get out of here? I’m not leaving you in here, Shane.”
I pulled Lydia closer to me. “I can’t leave, baby. It’ll completely blow our cover. I have to stay here and see what they have in store for me. You have to get out of here and tell Marco. That was the whole plan in the beginning, remember?”
“Right, that was the plan, but that was before we figured out that you were going to end up in a coma,” Lydia snapped. She pulled her body away from me and I hated the absence of her presence.
I reached back out for her arm but she flicked me away and crossed her arms. “Lydia, come on. I know you’re scared, but we have to do this the right way. If I just leave, they’ll know that something is strange about us. Besides, I can’t let them figure out that you are a shifter too.”
Lydia turned toward me with tears in her eyes.
“Shane what does it matter if they figure out I’m a shifter? I’m your wife aren’t I?”
“Lydia, I am not sure what they are capable of. If they find out that you are a shifter they could find some way to hurt you too.”
“Shane, I couldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you.”
I reached back out for Lydia’s arms, and this time, she relented and let me pull her body back to mine.
“That’s why you need to get to Marco and work on getting me out of here. I’m stronger than you think, love, and I can handle my own.”
Lydia leaned down onto my chest and I felt her body shake as she started to cry.
“Shh, Lydia, it will be all right. I promise. Just go to Marco and get me out of here.”
Lydia sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. Seeing Lydia cry broke my heart. I never wanted to see her upset again. I only wanted to make her happy. Lydia leaned down and kissed me. I felt the spark between us and hated that I was forcing her to leave me. Deep down though, I knew it was the right thing to do. It would be the only way that we could save all of those shifters.
Lydia stood up and slowly walked toward the door.
She turned to face me before she left.
“I will come back for you.”
“I know you will.”
I truly hoped that it wouldn’t be the last time that I saw her.
***
The room felt empty without Lydia’s presence. I hated that she was gone, but I was glad that she was no longer here at the hospital with me. I did not want to risk her getting hurt. If the hospital realized that she was a shifter as well, I had no idea what Dr. Tyson would try and do. All that mattered was that she was safe.
In the few short weeks that I had spent with her, I had fallen madly in love with her, which was a first, because I never let anyone in. She was my mate, and while I fought it in the beginning, I knew now how important she was to me.
Now I just needed to find a way to hang on long enough for back up to arrive so I could be with her again. I wasn’t about to let Dr. Tyson test on me like some lab rat, so if it came down to it, I would figure out a way to bust out of there myself.
I looked up at my IV and noticed that it was hooked onto a pole with wheels. I vaguely remembered the nurse saying earlier that I should get up and walk around periodically. Maybe I could use one of these walks to scope out the different ways to exit.
I sat up and pushed my legs over the edge of the bed. Using the bed for support, I pushed myself up to stand. Hell, when had I become so weak? Shouldn’t my genes be kicking into healing overdrive by now? I remembered my call with Gio several weeks ago. Fuck, it felt like a lifetime ago by now. Gio had said that it had taken him a lot longer than usual to heal after being in the hospital. I looked back up to my IV and wondered if what was being pumped into my veins was actually saline or if it was something a bit more sinister.
Chapter 17
Lydia
I rushed out of the hospital as quickly as I could. I had to get to Marco – and fast. I wasn’t sure how much time I had. Hell, I wasn’t sure how much time Shane had.
I hated that he made me leave him there, but deep down I understood why. Shane was right in the fact that the hospital would know something was off with us if we just left. The hospital could cover everything up and our whole case would be ruined. Not to mention those other shifters would more than likely be killed. As much as my bear was fighting to stay there with Shane, I knew that this was the best plan we had if we were going to stop them.
As soon as I stepped out of the hospital, I pulled out my phone and called Marco. He picked up on the first ring.
“Everything okay?”
“I need to meet you and your team, as soon as possible.”
“I’ll text you the address, meet you there in twenty minutes.”
I got to my car and looked around before I got inside. As I was walking out to my car, I couldn’t help but worry that it was all too easy for me to just walk out. What if they were already on to us? When my phone dinged with the text of the address I quickly turned on the engine and drove to the meeting spot.
I arrived at the diner earlier than Marco and his team. I grabbed a large booth in the back corner and anxiously awaited their arrival. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves. I kept repeating in my head that our cover wasn’t blown and that there was no way that anyone at the hospital would know what I was doing right then.
The door to the diner opened and I shot my eyes over to the entrance. When I saw Marco’s familiar frame, I stood up and rushed over to him and gave him a big hug.
“Hey Lyd, what’s going on?”
“It’s so good to see you,” I said honestly. While Marco and I had never been extremely close, we had always had each other’s backs no matter what kind of trouble we found ourselves in. Without Marco’s help earlier, I would have never known what was truly going on at my old office.
I released Marco and turned to Logan and Garrett and gave them huge hugs as well. They followed me back to the booth and sat down.
“So what happened, Lyd?” Marco asked.
“Shane seems fine to me now. He has a great doctor, Dr. Evans, that both of us trust completely. She wanted to keep him for a few days for observation because he had a seizure on the way to the hospital, and was close to one once he got there.”
“Well, that doesn’t seem bad. What was the emergency you needed to meet with us for?”
I looked around nervously. Marco caught on quickly and rested a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “We know you weren’t followed, Lydia. We have had surveillance on the hospital since you and Shane went in. There’s no way anyone from the hospital could know that you are here.”
I let out a sigh of relief. I had forgotten that Marco had mentioned he would have surveillance on us.
“While Shane was recovering, I took a stroll through the hospital like you told me to. After a few twists and turns I ended up in a wing of the hospital that seemed completely abandoned. It seemed very strange to me as the rest of the hospital was buzzing with nurses, doctors, and patients, while this one was practically empty.”
“Were there anyone in the rooms? Or was the whole area deserted?” Logan asked.
“There were patients in the rooms, but they were
all in medically induced comas. I checked at least three of their charts and they all said the same thing.”
“Did you see anyone else there? Was there any staff around?” Marco asked.
“As I was walking back toward Shane’s room I overheard the voices of two men talking. They mentioned how they needed the patients to stay in the comas longer so that they could do more rigorous testing on them.”
I watched Marco, Logan and Garrett exchanged a look. In that moment, I knew there was something they weren’t telling me, but I continued on with my story.
“When I got back to Shane’s room, I told him what I overheard, and mentioned that one of the doctors had a very nasally voice, and he knew exactly who it was.”
“Who was it?” Marco asked.
“He said it was Dr. Tyson. He had apparently come into Shane’s room when I left initially and started to ask him questions about being a shifter. Once I told him who it was, Shane forced me to leave and to come find you. We have to go in and save Shane, Marco. I don’t know what I would do if they put him under like the rest of the shifters I saw in that abandoned wing.”
Marco placed his hand on top of mine and a sense of understanding crossed his face. “Everything is going to be all right. I can see that you and Shane got close. Let’s get you to the station so we can formulate a plan to get Shane out of there.”
“What was that look you guys exchanged earlier?” I demanded. Marco let out a long sigh. “Spill it, Marco,” I growled. It had been a long time since I challenged Marco but it felt good to do so.
“Another body was found the other night. It looks like they tried to destroy the evidence of who it actually was, but through the coroner and dental records, we were able to determine that it was a body of a shifter that was recently admitted to the hospital.”
All the blood drained from my face. The hospital was putting shifters under and killing them with their tests. We had to get Shane out of there, and fast.
Chapter 18
Shane
My door to my room opened, and my heart stopped for a minute thinking that it was Lydia returning. Anger bubbled in my chest when I realized it was Dr. Tyson. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my bear. I had to play my part and not let Dr. Tyson fully realize that I was onto him in some way. That didn’t mean I had to be nice to the douchebag, though.
“Mr. McAbbot, how are you feeling?” Dr. Tyson said in his irritating nasal voice.
“I’m fine. Where is the doctor that I’ve been working with, Dr. Evans?”
Dr. Tyson gave me a fake smile. “She is a little busy now dealing with some more critically injured patients. She asked me to come in and check on you.”
“Like I said, I feel fine. No offence, but I would actually rather be checked on by my original doctor, Dr. Evans.”
“I’m sorry Mr. McAbbot, but she is a bit tied up right now, so you will have to settle with me.”
I took in a deep breath to calm myself. “Do you know when I’m going to be released?”
Dr. Tyson walked up toward my bed and I tightened my fist underneath the blanket in order to keep my cool. Dr. Tyson grabbed the chart at the foot of the bed and looked over it.
“It looks like there are still some more tests for you to undergo before we release you.”
“What kind of tests need to be done?”
Dr. Tyson shrugged his shoulders slightly as he continued to look through my folder. “Oh, just some routine ones.” Dr. Tyson looked up from the chart and around the room.
“Where did your lovely wife go?” he asked.
I bit back a growl that formed in my throat. “She had to go into work today. She will be back in to see me tonight or tomorrow.”
A small smile spread across Dr. Tyson’s lips. He placed my folder back down at the foot of the bed and walked up towards me. “I’m not too sure she will be seeing you when she gets back.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I was too busy trying to contain my bear and did not notice the syringe that Dr. Tyson had in his hands that he was now inserting into the IV port. A sense of panic coursed through my body. I tried to pull my arm away but it was too late. Dr. Tyson has already inserted the needle. I tried to shift but something was blocking my bear from reaching the surface.
“It’s all right, Mr. McAbbot. You are just going to fall asleep now.”
I vaguely realized that Dr. Tyson had left the room. I fought the blackness that was pinpricking the edges of my vision. Before I passed out, I needed to get a message to Lydia.
I grabbed the phone that was sitting beside me that I had hidden from Dr. Tyson. I pulled my hands up and quickly typed a message to Lydia.
Know that I love you. And pick up Lucy.
I dropped my phone and succumbed to the blackness.
Chapter 19
Lydia
After meeting at the station with Marco, Logan, and their captain, I finally felt a bit of relief that we had a plan. Marco, Logan and Garrett were going to enter the hospital tomorrow and pretend that that there was a warrant out for Shane’s arrest. They would halt any procedures being done on him and start the transfer process to a hospital closer to the prison where he would await his alleged trial.
In the meantime, I would go back to the hospital and speak with Dr. Evans. Because of the trust we had felt for her, the squad wanted me to befriend Dr. Evans and convince her to use her testimony along with Shane’s and mine to bring down the hospital. All of that, along with the proof that the most recent body found was at the United Hospital of Portland, the squad believed that they would finally be able to bring a case against them and stop them for good.
The only thing left to decide was how to save the rest of the shifters that were in the abandoned wing.
“We can’t just leave them there. What if by the time we have the case, they end up killing the rest of them?” I asked.
Marco walked up to me and placed a strong hand on my shoulder. “Lydia has a point, Captain. We can’t just leave them there.”
Their captain let out a long sigh. “I agree. I don’t want to leave them there to die any more than you do. But I’m not sure we can stop their procedures without arresting the doctor, and we don’t have enough evidence to arrest him.”
I let my head drop to my hands. There had to be a way to save them. As much as I wanted to get Shane out of there as quickly as I could, I knew that he wouldn’t leave without the other shifters safe either. If only we had someone that was a doctor on the inside that we could trust.
I shot up from my chair. “What about Dr. Evans? Do you think she would be able to change their dosage and at least wake them up? Or get her to accuse Dr. Tyson of something so that all of his patients would be questioned?”
Logan smiled at me across the room. “That might work, Captain. If we could get a complaint on him specifically we would have Lydia and Shane’s statement to help us push a warrant for Dr. Tyson.”
“Lydia, are you sure that Dr. Tyson was overseeing all of those patients in that wing?”
I smiled brightly. “I am positive. I took a picture of their IV bags, because I knew I wouldn’t remember what they were. And each of them has the prescription on it along with Dr. Tyson’s name.”
Marco patted me on the back. “Smart thinking, Lyd!” My smile widened, knowing that I was smart in snapping those pictures.
I sat back down and felt the phone vibrate in my purse. A sense of relief washed over me knowing that we had figured a way to get the other shifters out. I pulled it out and swiped to my messages.
Shane’s message popped up on my screen and all the blood drained from my face. “Pick up Lucy” had been the code phrase that Shane had taught me in case something bad happened at the hospital while I was not with him in the room. He made me write it down hundreds of times so that I would remember.
I reached out and grabbed Marco’s arm.
“Shane is in trouble. You guys need to get to the hospital right now.”
I followed Marco, Logan and Garrett in the police cars to the hospital. They had their sirens and lights on, which helped me speed through traffic behind them as if I was famous and had a police escort service. Any other time I would have loved this. But now all I could think about was Shane. I hoped that we were not too late to help him. I shook my head. We couldn’t be too late, because I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to him.
We arrived at the hospital within minutes. I rushed inside and ignored Marco’s screams to wait for him. I was so close to shifting but my fear for Shane was what kept me in human form.
I reached Shane’s door just as Dr. Evans was walking out. Dr. Evans looked up and gave me a sad smile. Fear coursed through my veins. Please don’t let them have already killed Shane.
“Mrs. McAbbot, I was just about to give you a call. It seems that Shane’s condition has worsened and we had to medically induce a coma to allow his body to heal.”
I grabbed Dr. Evans’ arms and pulled her close. “Were you the doctor that issued the coma?” I urgently asked.
Dr. Evans looked at me with a surprised look. “No, I wasn’t. I was checking on some other patients, but I can assure you that Dr. Tyson knows exactly what he is doing. He was with Shane when his condition worsened and made the decision to induce a coma.”
Marco and Logan ran up behind me. Dr. Evans quickly took notice of them in their uniforms and gave me a questioning look. I shot Marco a look and hoped he would realize that we had arrived too late.
“Hi, ma’am. I’m Officer Santiago and these are my colleagues from the Portland PD. Would you mind speaking with us privately?”
Dr. Evans slowly nodded. I could tell that she was a bit shocked by the police, however she was handling it well. “They just transferred Shane to another wing, so his room is currently empty. We can speak in there.”
Furever Always (Furever Series) Page 50
