Sara hesitated and the fries in her hand landed back on the plate. “Angel called me.”
“Angel? What the hell did she want?”
“To apologize. I told her to go to hell and hung up on her.”
Terry’s fist clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. “I’m going to kick her ass.”
“No, you’re not.” Sara gently put her hand over Terry’s fist. “That won’t solve anything, and you’ll end up hurting your hand. Maybe worse.”
“She’s supposed to leave you alone. That’s why you have a protection order. She’s not allowed to call you.”
“I know, but she did and it’s over. I promise.”
“You sure I can’t go after her?” Terry asked, almost pleading for Sara to let her beat the crap out of Angel. Not that she was prone to violence, but Angel seemed to bring those thoughts out in her.
“No way,” Sara said. She touched Terry’s cheek, her fingers soft as they brushed Terry’s skin. “I’m serious. It’s bad enough she hurt you once. I don’t want it to happen again. Please, promise me you’ll stay clear of her.”
“I promise.” Terry met Sara’s concerned gaze and knew in that moment she’d promise her anything.
“Good. Between you and Livvy I think I’ve got the best protection service going.”
“She wants to beat up Angel, too? I knew I liked Liv.”
Sara rolled her eyes. “She does and I made her make the same promise. I told Greg about her calling me, and I think he might say something to her. Anyway, I’m trying to not let her ruin my day.”
“But you should tell the police. I heard from Charley she refused to give them a DNA sample so they’re waiting for a judge to issue a subpoena for it. That might take awhile, and they need to know she’s called you.”
“I’ll file a report when I get back to the office, okay?”
Terry kissed her on the cheek and leaned back in her chair. “Yes. Now, no more talk of Angel or William. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“Since this isn’t a sort of a date, how about you let me take you on a real sort of date.”
“A real sort of date?” Sara laughed. “What, exactly, is a real sort of date?”
“One where I take you to dinner, maybe a movie, and spend quality time with you, just the two of us. It’s about time we got to know each other properly.”
“Wow. So friends going out for a nice night. Right?”
“Something like that. It’s a start at least.”
Sara’s smile reached her eyes, and it warmed Terry’s heart. “When?” Sara asked.
“Tonight?”
“Oh, I can’t. Bren’s coming over. It’s beer, pizza, and a sappy movie night. It’s the least I can do after breaking her heart.”
“How’d you break her heart?”
“I told her I can’t go out with her anymore. I mean, we weren’t seriously dating—at least I wasn’t—but I was always honest with her. I’m sad I hurt her feelings, but we’re still good friends. I like having her around. I’d like you two to meet up eventually.”
“I’d like that, too.”
She took Terry’s hand in hers, her touch gentle, intimate. “But I’m free tomorrow. You said you need to be scarce when William shows up. How about being scarce with me?”
“It’s a date.”
“It certainly is.”
****
It was well past seven, and Terry had yet to arrive. She was never late without a text or phone call. The roads and weather, for once, were clear. Sara checked her phone. Nothing.
Something didn’t feel right. She started to call Terry as her phone rang. She answered right away. “Hey there. I thought we were going to the pub tonight?”
“I was.” The voice didn’t belong to Terry. The unmistakable sound sent shivers down Sara’s spine—and not in a good way. “I’d hoped you’d be there, since that’s where you like to go with your women.”
“You need to stop calling me, Angel. I’m going to tell the cops—”
“Don’t give a shit what you tell them. It doesn’t matter anymore.” Angel sounded drunk. Sara wanted to hang up on her, but she hesitated when Angel said, “I had to take the only shot I had. Kind of messy, but you best believe I’ll get you eventually.”
“No, you won’t. I’m going to call the cops now, Angel. Goodbye.”
“Hope the blue-haired chick makes it.”
“What?” Sara’s knees suddenly gave out, and she sat on the floor. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m coming for you next.” Angel disconnected the call, and Sara’s entire body shook. What did she mean by all that? Was she talking about Bren?
Without another thought, Sara called Bren. Only it wasn’t her voice that answered the phone.
“Sara? This is Izzy.”
“Izzy? Why are you on Bren’s phone?” A million thoughts went through Sara’s mind, but she did her best to quash them all as she waited for Izzy to respond.
“You need to get to Whitehorse Hospital right now. Bren’s in the emergency room.”
“What? What happened?”
“Some maniac ran her down in the parking lot of the pub. She stopped by for a minute to talk to me, and when she walked out to her car, bam! This car comes out of nowhere and runs her down.”
“How bad is she?” Sara knew who the maniac was.
Izzy didn’t respond. Sara heard voices in the background but couldn’t make out what they were saying.
“Izzy, talk to me. Is she okay?”
“I don’t know. They won’t let me back there. I’m not family.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Have you called her parents?”
“Yeah, but they’re on vacation in Hawaii. They’re trying to get a flight home, but it might not be until tomorrow or later. I don’t know what else to do.”
“It’s okay. Do your moms know where you are?”
“Mom does, but she had to stay and deal with the cops. Maman’s on her way, but she was at a friend’s house, and it’s going to take her two hours to get here. Sara, I’m scared. I don’t know what to do.”
“Take it easy. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Sara hung up and got into her car. She took a couple deep breaths to try to calm down. It didn’t work. She shook so hard she couldn’t get her keys into the ignition. “Dammit!”
She rested her head on the steering wheel and took a few more deep breaths. She would not hyperventilate. She needed to get to the hospital and be there for Bren and Izzy. How the hell could this happen?
Her brain went into autopilot, and she dialed Terry’s number. Before she answered, Sara said, “Terry are you on the way? I need you. I have to get to the hospital. Bren’s been hurt, and I—I can’t stop shaking.”
“I’m on your street. Don’t move.”
Terry arrived at the house in minutes and tapped on the window of Sara’s car. She opened the door and had her arms around Sara immediately. “It’s okay. I’m here. Want me to drive?”
“Please,” Sara said against Terry’s shoulder. “I don’t know why I can’t stop shaking. I need to be strong for her. Terry, someone ran her down on purpose. In the parking lot of the pub. I’m pretty sure it was Angel.”
“Fuck.” Terry helped her into her truck, and they were off to the hospital. Sara filled her in on as much information as she had. “And her parents are stuck in Hawaii?”
“Yeah. Shit!” Sara sent a quick text to her friend, Dana Smith, and explained to Terry she was the travel agent that booked the McAfferty’s vacation. Dana was quick to reply. “Dana says she’s working on a flight for them, but no matter what, she’s not going to be able to get them out of Hawaii before tonight. Best she can do is get them here in two days. Fuck. Two days.”
“I can’t imagine being that far from Felicia and needing to get to her. Those poor people.”
“Yeah.” Sara fell silent. They pulled in
to the parking area of the emergency room, got out of the truck, and Terry took her hand as they rushed inside. Sara immediately sought out Izzy and was greeted with a strangling hug. Izzy sobbed, and it took everything for Sara to calm her down. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know. They won’t tell me anything. I saw it happen, Sara. I saw her get hit—she flew over the hood of the car like a ragdoll. I thought she was dead!”
“Shh. Let me find out what’s going on.”
“They won’t tell you anything,” Izzy said. “You’re not family.”
“Watch me,” Sara said with renewed strength. “You stay with Terry.”
Izzy didn’t argue as Sara marched up to the Information desk. “Hello. My name is Sara Hyatt. I understand my girlfriend was brought in. Brenda McAfferty?”
The man wore a name badge that said Miles, Volunteer. He smiled kindly at Sara and consulted his computer. “Yes. She came in by ambulance about half an hour ago.”
“Can I see her?”
“Let me check for you.” Miles picked up his phone and spoke quietly while Sara watched. When he got his answer, he said, “A nurse is going to come for you, but it might be a few minutes. You can have a seat while you wait.”
“Did she tell you how Bren’s doing?”
“She didn’t. I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.”
Sara returned to Izzy and Terry, both of whom were now seated in the plastic chairs closest to the Information desk. “A nurse is going to come out in a few minutes to get me.” She took Izzy’s hand in hers. “It’s going to take at least two days to get Bren’s parents here. Dana’s working on it, but I thought you should know that right now you and I are her family. Okay?”
“That guy didn’t think so. He wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“I told them I’m her girlfriend. That got me in the door. Once I find out what’s happening, I’ll make sure you see her, too. Promise.”
“She’s my best friend,” Izzy said through her tears. “I don’t want to lose her.”
“Me either.” Sara pulled her into another hug and spoke to Terry. “Thanks for getting me here. I’m not sure I’d have made it otherwise.”
“You would have. I’m sure of it.” Terry’s grin reassured her.
“Miss Hyatt?” A woman dressed in light-green scrubs entered the waiting area.
“That’s me.” Sara glanced at Terry. “Can you stay?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks.” She joined the woman at the Information desk. “Hi. I’m Sara. Bren’s girlfriend.”
“I’m Dr. Lynn. Let’s go somewhere more private so I can update you on her condition.” She led Sara into an unmarked room and sat down with her on a grey, vinyl couch. Sara’s stomach clenched at the expression on the doctor’s face.
“Please tell me how she’s doing.”
“She’s stable right now but headed for surgery. There’s internal bleeding, and she’ll probably need her spleen removed. But the head injury is the worst of it. She’s not been conscious since she got here.”
Sara’s breath caught in her throat. It sounded like a death sentence. “Can I see her?”
“For a few minutes before we take her up, but I need you to be prepared.”
“Is she going to die? Please, tell me the truth.”
Dr. Lynn hesitated. It wasn’t much, but enough that Sara knew her next words were going to be hard to hear. “She should be fine after the surgery, if she wakes up. There’s a lot of pressure on her brain right now, and while surgery isn’t optimal, there’s not much choice. We have to stop the bleeding.” She took Sara’s hand and tried to smile, but it didn’t reflect in her eyes; Sara saw only sadness. “We found her ID and know she’s a donor. But what we don’t know is if she’d want to be on life support. Is that something you ever discussed?”
“What? No! She’s only twenty-two years old!” Sara jumped to her feet as did the doctor. “Why—you have to put her on life support. You can’t let her die.”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all. It’s something we need to know, just in case a decision has to be made.”
“Her parents are in Hawaii. It’ll take a couple of days to get them home. Is she going to make it until then?”
“I can’t say. Head injuries are difficult to predict.” Dr. Lynn put a hand on Sara’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I had to ask that. Would you like to see her now?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay, but understand she looks really bad and you can only be there for a few minutes. If you’re ready, we’ll go back.”
“I’m ready,” Sara said, even if she was anything but. She badly wanted to ask Terry to go with her. She needed her comforting presence.
Dr. Lynn opened the door and guided Sara through the chaos of the emergency room and into a large, single room with a dozen people moving around doing God knows what to Bren. She saw a hint of blue peeking out from white bandages as she got closer. She wanted to hold Bren’s hand, but something was attached to her finger. She settled for touching her wrist instead. The bandage on her forehead was bloodstained, and Bren’s right eye swollen and discolored. Her left hand was wrapped in bandages, and a weird, solid, red thing hugged her left leg from the knee to the foot.
“Hey there, cutie,” she whispered in Bren’s ear. She choked on a sob. She didn’t want to cry in case Bren heard her. “Don’t you dare leave me, Bren. You promised to stick with me through all this crap, and I’m not letting you go so easily. I’m going to be right here, by your side, until they make me leave. You’re going to be fine. You hear me? You’re going to be fine.”
Dr. Lynn gently put her hands on Sara’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, we need to take her now.” She pulled Sara back a few steps, and before Sara knew it, the bed carrying Bren was whisked away. She stared at the empty space and took note of the medical debris scattered around the room.
“She’ll be in surgery for a while. I’m going to have one of the volunteers show you to the waiting area. That’s where the surgeon will come looking for you when he’s done. You going to be okay?”
“No. Not until she’s okay. But thanks.”
“Of course. I’ll take you back to the main lobby for now and get someone there to take you upstairs as soon as I can. Your friends can go with you. I imagine you won’t want to be alone.”
Dr. Lynn guided her through the maze of hallways until she was with Izzy and Terry. She thanked Dr. Lynn and filled them in on the situation.
By now Harriet, one of Izzy’s moms, was there. She said, “I hope they find the bitch who did this. If Marion finds her first, she’s a dead woman.”
“You know who did this?” Sara took a seat next to Terry.
“Blue VW with no license plates. Some bitch behind the wheel. That’s all the CCTV could get. But I’ll never forget the car or her, what I could make out anyway. She looked familiar, and I’m sure I’d recognize her again if I saw her.” Harriet kissed the top of Izzy’s head, never letting go as she continued to cry. “Marion had me close down the pub. She’s still an hour away. I wanted to get Izzy home, but she won’t leave.”
Sara said, “I need to talk to the police. I might know who it is.” She told them of her phone call with Angel. Her stomach roiled and she wanted to throw up. “It’s my fault. I mean, if I’d just—”
Terry grasped her hand. “No way. If it was Angel, then it’s all her doing. You couldn’t have known this would happen. You went out with her a couple of times, and that’s it. No way you’d know she’d go all crazy on you like this. Harriet, can you give me the contact info for the officer you talked to?”
“Sure. I’ve got the number in my cell phone. I’ll text it to you.”
“Thanks,” Terry said. “Once we get to the surgery waiting room, we’ll give the officer a call.” She gently squeezed Sara’s hand. “Okay?”
“Yeah.” Sara glanced down at her phone and checked the messages she’d gotten from
Dana. “It looks like Dana has Bren’s parents leaving on a flight in about an hour. I think I’ll call them to update them.”
“You okay to do that?” Terry asked.
“Not really.”
“Want me to?”
“That’s very sweet, but I think I should be the one. I’ve never met them, but I did talk to her mom, Judy, on the phone once.” Sara wiped fresh tears from her face. “But I wouldn’t mind if you stay next to me while I do it.”
“Not going anywhere.” Terry slipped her arm around Sara’s waist and held her while she made the hardest phone call of her life.
****
Four hours later, Terry, Sara, Liv, and Grace, along with a few people Terry recognized from the pub, were crowded into a tiny waiting area. Marion Nelson showed up about an hour into their vigil with enough food to feed half the hospital. Terry was grateful for it, as she doubted Sara would be leaving anytime soon and neither of them had eaten.
Terry observed Liv settle beside Sara, her arm firmly around Sara’s shoulders. Whatever Liv said caused a tiny smile on Sara’s haggard features. Terry wanted to move Liv out of the way, take Sara into her arms, and promise everything would be okay.
But she couldn’t.
She considered leaving. It didn’t seem like she was doing any good for Sara being there. They’d not talked since Liv and Grace arrived. Actually, the only ones that had spoken were Marion and Harriet.
Charley, their personal Mountie, made it a point to come to the hospital and speak to Sara and left a few minutes ago, after getting a written statement about her call from Angel. As Terry watched the people gathered in the tiny room, she wondered if Angel might come for her next.
Or worse—if she’d come after Sara.
“You okay?”
The soft voice in her ear startled Terry. She found Grace standing beside her, her gaze on Liv and Sara.
“I don’t know. I mean, that probably should have been me. I’m the one that got her all pissed off the other day. And I broke her nose, too.”
“Maybe. We don’t know what was going through her head. Sara told me she thinks Angel’s been watching her for a while now.”
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