One of the nurses in the room placed a hand on my arm.
“You should get some rest now,” she said. “If anything changes, I’ll come and get you.”
I headed back to the room and the guys stood as I entered.
“He looks so pale,” was all I said.
Travis had managed to find a couple of blankets and Taylor and I curled on the sofa. She had refused to leave when Mack had suggested heading to the hotel. However, Travis would go and bring back some of our things. At least I would have a change of clothes and some toiletries.
We had a restless night, the noise and lights of the hospital as well as the thought of what had happened kept me awake. Mack took a couple of calls, one from Evelyn while he also went to brief Gary. He needed to make sure everyone’s story was the same before the police questioned him. Mack had told me that Gary had shot the security guard before managing to break in to the warehouse but that the body had been removed before the police arrived, too many dead bodies led to too many questions.
I watched the morning arrive and longed for home. To be in my bed with Robert beside me and see the early sun filter through the glass of the bedroom wall. I was the only one awake and I gently untangled myself from the blanket and made my way to where Robert was. I quietly pushed the door open and a nurse rose from her desk.
“He had a comfortable night, Mrs Stone. That’s good news,” she whispered.
I smiled in relief. “Is he out of the woods yet?”
“The doctors will check him over later this morning, then they’ll come and let you know his progress, but his blood pressure stayed stable and that’s a good sign.”
I pulled up a chair and sat beside him, holding his hand and gently stroking it. I listened to the noise of the heart monitor, it soothed me to hear a steady beep.
“Hey baby, I just want to let you know I’m here,” I whispered to him. “I love you, Robert, so much it hurts, right here. Can you feel my heart, baby? It beats only for you.” I held his hand to my chest.
I told him that Taylor, Mack and Travis had stayed with me and that Gary was doing fine. I just wanted him to hear my voice, to know I was sitting with him. At some point the door opened and when I looked, Travis was poking his head round.
“Only family and one at time I’m afraid,” the nurse said.
“It’s fine, he’s family,” I replied.
I stood and left the room, I wanted Travis to spend some time with him too. Waiting outside I watched through the glass panel in the door. Travis sat, his head in his hands, his elbows on the bed and I could see that he was talking but could not hear the words. I could also see that he was crying. At first we had all thought Robert was dead, then it was panic and fear but now relief and with that relief came more tears. I watched the nurse walk to Travis, place a hand on his shoulder and speak to him. He nodded without looking up, rose and with just one backward glance at his brother, he left the room.
“He looks so fucking normal lying there,” Travis said as he came out of the room.
I knew what he meant, take away the machinery and he looked just like he did when he slept at home.
“How are you doing, Brooke?” Travis said.
“Worried about him,” I replied.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know it’s not. I don’t want to talk about it right now. All I will say is that I would pull that trigger time and time again. I hope I was the one to kill him. I have no regrets Travis, none at all.”
He nodded and taking my arm he led me back to the room we were camped in. He had retrieved my bag from the hotel and I made my way to the bathroom to change. In some ways I regretted washing Robert’s blood from me, I wanted to still feel it, to know that part of what kept him alive was on my skin. It was like a connection to him. When I arrived back Mack had found some coffee and pastries, the coffee I could stomach but not food. The thought of eating made me feel sick.
“Honey, the police have been back, they want to speak to you again,” Taylor told me.
“What do they want now?”
“I don’t know. We told them you were with Robert, but they have gone for coffee and then will be back,” she replied.
Before she had finished her sentence I noticed them at the window in the door to the room. I waved them in, might as well get this over with.
“Mrs Stone, we have a couple more questions to ask.”
I sat. “Go on,” I replied.
“Have you ever met the foreign men before?”
“No.”
“Do you know Luca Gioletti?”
“Yes.”
“Can I ask how you know Mr Gioletti?”
“From what I understand he owns a construction company and was interested in being involved in that development.”
“Are you aware of any relationship he might have had with the two men?”
“No.”
“Are you aware of any other business Mr Gioletti was involved in?”
“What does this have to do with what has happened?”
“Mr Gioletti was an associate of your husband and now he’s missing.”
“I have no idea where Mr Gioletti is. As I’ve already explained in my statement, I arrived at my husband’s development and was met by two foreign men.”
“Were you aware of any association between your husband and Mr Gioletti?”
“My husband has associations with many people. As I’ve said, Mr Gioletti wanted to tender for the build.”
“Mr Gioletti is believed to be part of an organised crime family, the Mafia. Was your husband aware of that?”
“That is something you would have to ask him.”
“You don’t seem shocked to hear that, if you don’t mind me saying, Mrs Stone.”
“What, that you think he is part of the Mafia? I have been ambushed by two men, one of whom took Kerry. I watched my driver get shot, then have to kill to defend himself. I watched a child in my care die, lying in a pool of her own blood after her throat was slashed, Officer, fucking slashed! I watched a man stab my husband and I might have shot and killed someone. I held my husband in my arms believing he was dead. I’m beyond shock,” I screamed, my body trembling with rage
I stood up from my chair and strode towards them.
“Now, if you are here to tell me what the fuck happened, who those people were and what they wanted, great. If you are only interested in Mr Gioletti’s whereabouts, you might do better going out on the streets to locate him instead of asking me.”
“I think Mrs Stone has had enough of your line of questioning for today. If you have anything else to ask, in future her lawyer will be present,” Mack told them.
“We know your husband is associated with Mr Gioletti, you lunched with his wife. We also know Mr Gioletti is associated to the two men found dead.”
“If you had asked me had I lunched with his wife I would have told you I had. It’s quite common practice to have one wife butter up the other in business, that does not mean either of us knows the depth of association between our husbands. I have given you my statement, all I am concerned about right now is my husband’s well-being.”
“I understand you don’t have residency here in the US, Mrs Stone.”
Mack jumped from his chair. I held up my hand to him and took a step closer to the officer.
“Seeing how irrelevant that is, am I to assume that was some kind of threat, Officer?”
“No, just an observation.”
“Then I’m sure your superior would be delighted to hear that you are concerned about an observation, one that has no bearing on what you’re supposed to be doing. Now, if you don’t mind, as you have been told, I’ve had enough for today and I would appreciate it if you gave me notice that you wanted to speak with me in the future. I will willingly come to the station with my lawyer and go through my statement again, should that be necessary of course.”
Both officers looked a little uncomfortable at this point but I stood tall and wou
ld not look away until they left the room. When they did, I took a big breath in and I closed my eyes, letting my body sag as I slowly exhaled.
“Brooke, you did good, he’s an asshole but one that has got wind of something. I’m going to call James,” Mack said.
“Fuck, Brooke. You were as scary as Robert then,” Travis said and I gave him a small smile.
“I don’t like people trying to intimidate me, that’s all,” I replied.
“Well, good for you honey. I don’t know that I would have stood up to that type of questioning,” Taylor added.
“What do you think he meant, about my residency?” I asked.
“Nothing, he’s just trying to scare you. You have a valid work visa, that alone entitles you to be here. A fucking tourist could have been caught up in something and not get the same treatment. They want to dig a little into Robert and Luca’s relationship for sure,” Travis said.
It was nearing midday before a doctor came to see me.
“Mrs Stone, the good news is that your husband’s blood pressure remained stable overnight, we were concerned about any internal bleeding. The wound to his back was very deep and although it missed any vital organs, the knife did hit a major blood vessel. We would like to keep him as he is for another few days. After that, and should there be no complications, he can be moved to his own room.”
“What do you mean by complications?” I asked.
“We need to be sure there is no infection of course. We also had to repair some damage to the muscle, the lung and an artery which means a slightly larger wound that will leave a permanent scar. A little neater I hope, than the one your husband already has,” he said with raised eyebrows.
“He’ll be real pissed if you messed with his tattoo,” Travis said.
“Well, I guess the poor thing has a broken wing now,” the doctor smiled. “One of the drips you saw contains antibiotic and the other is saline to keep his fluid levels up. At the moment though, I would say the signs are good, but we still need to keep an eye on him.”
“Thank you,” I said, yet more tears pooling in my eyes.
That night Taylor persuaded me to return to the hotel, I needed sleep and a shower. My knotted hair was still caked with dried blood in places. The doctors had my mobile number and if there was any change they would call. Before leaving I sat with Robert, just talking to him and stroking his face, letting my fingers linger over his lips, feeling his shallow breath on my skin and telling him I would be back the following morning.
I showered and climbed into bed, constantly checking my mobile for any missed calls but I couldn’t fall asleep. I just dozed on and off.
I was startled by a call early the following morning and looking at the display I saw that it was Lucia. I didn’t want to speak to her so let it go to answer phone. It was not that I blamed her entirely but what I couldn’t do was tell her what had happened, what I knew. I could imagine what it would do to her to know what her husband had been doing, how he had been the one to cause what had happened to Kerry and Robert.
Travis texted to say he was ready whenever I was, to head back to the hospital so I climbed out of bed and dressed. We arrived and spent the day much the same as the one before. I sat with Robert, talked to him and then let Travis take a turn. The police did not return that day but I had received a message from James that Travis was wanted at the station and until Taylor arrived I sat on my own.
I replayed what had happened in my head and thought hard about how I felt. Something in me had changed. I might have killed a man and no matter what I’d said or thought, it had impacted on me but I wouldn’t let it fester. I was right in what I’d said to Robert one time, I had enough good to overcome any wrong I might have done.
I still couldn’t eat, perhaps it was the shock, I didn’t know, but just the thought of food made me feel sick. I drank coffee after coffee and my nerves were shattered. Mack told me that Kerry’s body was here, in the morgue and that she had to be formally identified. This was going to be so hard but I wanted to do it and with Taylor by my side we headed off to a room in the basement of the hospital.
There was a glass window that I looked through and on my nod a sheet was removed from her head. She lay there as if asleep, her hair fanning out around her face and her eyes closed. I sobbed as I nodded and gave the details required, her name and the address of the home where she had lived. As soon as possible, I asked Mack to arrange to have her flown home.
That night I slept a little, although not peacefully and because of the traumatic day, Taylor stayed with me. We curled on the bed together and she held me in her arms while I sobbed myself to sleep.
****
The following morning we arrived at the hospital and I went straight to see Robert, he still asleep but looked a little less pained, more peaceful. The nurse told me his blood pressure was good, his vitals strong and the doctor would be round shortly to see me. Yet again I just sat and talked to him. I really believed he could hear me and as I held his hand I willed him to squeeze mine, give me some sign that he knew I was there, that he could hear me. What I did most was to pray. I vowed to visit our little chapel when we got home and thank God for keeping him alive.
On the fourth day, I opened the door to the ICU and faced an empty bed, I panicked and looked around for a nurse.
“Where’s my husband?” I asked.
“It's okay, Mrs Stone, he’s been moved to his own room.”
With instructions of where to go, Travis and I made our way to Robert’s room. His eyes were closed when we crept in and I sat by the edge of the bed, taking his hand in mine. The nurse had told me that the doctors had felt Robert was ready to be brought out of his sedation. I listened but didn’t take in one word of the logistics of it all. I just concentrated on watching him for any sign he would wake up. I was told that he had woken earlier, but had then drifted back off to sleep. It could take a little while for him to fully come round and I was to be patient. It was still early but Travis had gone to find some coffee for us, the only thing giving me the energy to keep going and I lay my head on the hand I was holding.
I felt him stir and as I looked up, those beautiful black eyes were staring back at me.
“Oh, Robert, you’re awake,” I said.
“Bit hard to sleep with you lying on that,” he croaked, his voice hoarse, his eyes indicating to the needle in his hand.
It felt so good to laugh. “Baby, how are you feeling, are you in pain?” I asked.
“No, thirsty though,” he said.
I reached for the water and holding the cup for him, he sipped.
He winced as he tried to move and I fussed around him, fluffing his pillows and making him comfortable.
“I thought you were dead,” I said, tears rolling down my cheeks as I settled on the edge of the bed.
“I heard you, Brooke. I heard you talking to me all the time.”
“I was so scared, oh God, Robert, I really thought you were gone, we all did.”
“How’s Gary?” he asked.
“Okay, he’s being transferred back to Washington tomorrow. He had to have an operation to remove the bullet and like you, he lost a lot of blood but he’ll be fine and maybe in a week the doctors have said you can be transferred as well.”
“Who’s here with you?”
“Travis, he has just gone for coffee and Mack and Taylor are at the hotel, they will be along a bit later. Oh, and James Peters is here too.”
“Good. Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine, just worried about you. Shall I call the nurse, is there anything that you need?”
“Just you,” he said, exhausted.
Travis came into the room with two cups of coffee, strong enough to keep us going for the morning.
“Hey,” Robert said to him.
“How you doing bro?” Travis asked.
“Fine, be better when I can get out of here,” he replied.
“You’re not going anywhere until the doctors say so,” I told
him.
We sat either side of him, he seemed a little groggy and we let him sleep. At some point a nurse came into the room and I told her that he had woken up for a while and that he had spoken to us.
“That’s good, I’ll let the doctor know. He might seem a little out of it for a bit, but someone will be round a bit later to check on him.”
He woke again later that afternoon. Mack and Taylor had arrived by then and he was able to sit up a little and as the hours passed he got stronger. The doctor arrived to check him over.
“How are you feeling, Mr Stone?” he asked, consulting the notes.
“Fine, no pain, just a little tight across the shoulders,” he replied.
“Well, I imagine you would do. The wound to your back was quite deep and we had to perform surgery to stitch some muscle and vessels together, repair your lung, that will be the tightness you can feel. You also lost a fair amount of blood, however, it seems your blood pressure is stable now.”
“How soon can I leave?” Robert asked.
“I think it’s wise that you stay with us for a little while longer,” the doctor replied.
“I’ll make a deal with you, one week, then I leave.”
“Robert, you need to heal,” I said to him.
“I will heal just the same at home.”
“I think we can discuss this in a couple of days. What’s important now is that we monitor your blood pressure and signs for any infection. You received a serious wound, Mr Stone. I don’t think it’s wise to rush into anything,” with that the doctor left.
“Robert, you’re not going anywhere. Travis and I can’t leave yet anyway,” I said.
“Police?” he asked.
“Yes, we’ve made our statements but there are other things. Right now, all I want you to worry about is getting better, we can talk about that later,” I told him.
He kept looking at me, searching my eyes for any signs, something that told him, what I had done, had changed me. I had done the same, I had stood looking in the mirror but what I saw was no different to what I saw every day and I only hoped he realised that. The one thing he had worried about was that a part of me would die, a part of me would be terminally affected by pulling that trigger. Inside, of course I felt it, but I had no remorse. That man had brutally killed Kerry and had tried the same with Robert, he did not deserve my remorse. I reasoned that Travis and I had saved many lives that day, the hundreds of girls who had been ruined by what he had already done and by what he would continue to do.
Fallen Angel, Part II Page 23
