by Beth Rinyu
“No. It was a false lead. It wasn’t until last month when the ex-girlfriend of Guy Antonaci contacted the agency. She wanted to give some pretty damming evidence, but she’d only deal with Agent McGuire. So he met up with her one day for coffee, off the cusp, or so she thought.”
My eyes widened as Colleen’s words played out in my mind. Somehow I don’t think he was working unless that voluptuous blonde sitting across from him was a coworker. Turns out Colleen was wrong. Jack was working on a case that day, and stupid me allowed myself to believe otherwise.
“The place was loaded with undercover agents; in case it was a setup.”
“Were you there?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“This woman…was she a blonde?” I didn’t know why I was asking when I already knew the answer. More than likely just to torture myself a little more over how unfairly I had treated Jack because of it. When all the while he was just trying to avenge a horrible act that had affected both of us so greatly.
Ian nodded and my heart sank a little more. “Did you know her?” he asked.
“No, just…forget I even asked.” I shook my head and continued. “So, was it a setup?”
“I don’t think so. When she gave us the tip, she was really pissed at Guy. Apparently, they had just broken up. We wanted to make sure she was credible, so we watched her for weeks until this bust went down, and she didn’t have any contact with him. Everything was perfectly in place for the bust this morning. Agent McGuire insisted he take the lead on it. He was adamant that he was the one who took him down.”
I closed my eyes and sighed heavily. Why didn’t he allow another agent to at least assist him? Maybe if he had, he wouldn’t be in that operating room, fighting for his life. I hated that he always had to be so stubborn and proud, now more so than ever. “Where was he shot?” I asked, not wanting to know the answer.
“The bullet pierced his vest and got in his chest. Then another one got him in the shoulder.”
“Oh my God.” I covered my face with my hands just as Kara lifted her head.
“Mom.” The smile she was trying to form quickly turned into sobs. I got up from where I was sitting and sat down in the chair beside her, wrapping her in a hug.
“It’s going to be okay.” I pressed my lips on the top of her head, trying to console her as well as myself.
“Stephanie, Kara.” I lifted my head to find Jack’s sister, Lori, and her husband, Glenn. I immediately stood up and acknowledged them both with a hug.
“I’m so sorry, we got here as fast as we could when Kara called.” Lori and her husband lived about a six-hour drive away in Virginia. When Lori shifted her gaze to Kara, her face immediately shrouded in despair. “Oh, Kara, honey!” she exclaimed, taking the seat next to her that I had just occupied and throwing her arms around her.
“When they come out to give an update, just tell them you’re his wife,” Glenn whispered.
“But—”
“Trust me, Stephanie, it’ll be easier with getting any information all around,” Glenn countered. I didn’t put up a protest, he was a doctor himself, so I figured he knew what he was talking about when it came to that stuff. Not to mention, it would more than likely be Kara who they’d be giving direct information to since she was his next of kin and over the age of eighteen. I didn’t want to place that burden on her if there was bad news to be had. It would be better off given to me first, so I could deliver it to her, not that I’d handle it much better. “Have there been any updates?” Glenn asked.
“No. I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”
He placed his hand on my shoulder. “He’s in the best place he can be right now. You just have to let them do their work and have faith.” Glenn and I joined the others in the seating area and I introduced him to Ian, who had already started up a conversation with Lori. Kara popped out of her seat, and I turned around to see what had gotten her attention. Dread and hope overtook me as I watched a tall African American man in scrubs approaching us.
“Are you the family of Jack McGuire?” he asked.
“Yes.” Kara’s voice was hoarse from all her crying.
“I’m Dr. Brayden. The surgery went well.” That was all I needed to hear. I was finally able to release that painful breath I’d been holding in for the past few hours. “We were able to remove both bullets. He’s going to be in ICU for a few days before he can go to the stepdown unit. We want to monitor him closely and make sure he doesn’t develop any infection. He’s going to have a long road ahead of him for recovery. Physical therapy for his shoulder and a lot of care when he is able to come home. But let’s just take one step at a time for now.” Kara and I both nodded in unison.
“Thank you so much, Doctor,” I said.
“When will we be able to see him?” Kara asked.
“Well, he’s being brought up to the unit now. I’m assuming you’re his wife and daughter?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation.
“I’d say give it a couple of hours. You can check with the nurse in the unit to see when he’ll be allowed visitors. He’ll still be heavily sedated. Only one person at a time and very short intervals. Too many visitors for extended periods of time are not good at this phase.”
“Thanks so much,” I replied. After the doctor walked away, Kara and I filled the others in on the update.
“Thank God!” Lori exclaimed. I noticed Glenn didn’t share in that same excitement. He smiled, but it was a cautious one, leading me to believe that maybe his medical expertise knew that Jack wasn’t completely out of the woods yet. I didn’t want to think that way, it didn’t do any good. We had to remain positive.
“Kara, why don’t you try and eat something now,” Ian suggested sweetly.
Kara nodded. “But I don’t want to leave the hospital. I want to be here as soon as he’s allowed visitors.”
“Okay, we can go to the cafeteria,” Lori suggested, wrapping her arm around Kara. I lagged behind them as they started off with Ian walking beside me.
“Ian?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“Were you there when it all happened?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to Guy Antonaci?” That name coming off my lips felt like a betrayal to everyone I cared about.
Ian stopped walking and stared straight into my eyes. “I shot him.”
My eyes widened. “Is he dead?” I swallowed hard, feeling like a horrible person for wanting the answer to be yes.
“No. As far as I know he’s been admitted to the hospital as well, but he’s expected to recover.”
“But he’ll definitely be going to prison after this, right?”
“I’d say, more than likely, without a doubt…yes.”
“Thank you, Ian. Thank you for helping Jack out in more ways than you’ll ever know.”
Chapter 37
THOUGHTS OF UNCERTAINTY whirled around in my head over my intention of paying Jack a visit upon seeing the state Kara was in after exiting his room. She was a total wreck once again. “Ian, why don’t you take her home?” I suggested.
“Come on, Kara,” he requested, helping her put on her coat. Ian had just reaffirmed what I already knew. He was all a mother could ask for in a boyfriend for their daughter. The entire day, he’d been so caring and patient with Kara after everything he’d been through as well.
“Mom, will you be okay?” Kara managed to get out.
“I’ll be fine.” I nodded, forcing a smile. I turned my attention back to Lori and Glenn, once Kara and Ian disappeared behind the elevator doors. “I don’t think I will be.” I sighed heavily. “But I’m going to try.”
I made my way to the nurses’ station, and the woman sitting behind the desk gave me Jack’s room number. My palms were sweaty and my knees trembled just as I stopped outside the door. Nothing could’ve prepared me for what I witnessed when I finally found the courage to take the few steps in. The man lying in the bed, hooked up to various machines, bore no resemblan
ce to the Jack I knew. I even found myself taking a few steps closer to make sure I was in the right room.
“Jack.” I choked back a sob as I stood over his bed, confirming I was indeed in the correct place. His face was bloated and he had bruising along the multiple injection sites of the IVs and tubes everywhere you looked. “Oh, Jack. What have you done? You’ve got to get better because Kara can’t bear the thought of losing you…and neither can I. I’m so sorry for everything—for all the guilt I placed on you and never having faith in you. Most of all, I’m so sorry for making you feel like you had to do this. He took so much from us. I can’t let him take you as well. I love you, Jack. I never stopped loving you, and I’m sorry for being too stubborn to admit that until now. You need to get better, so I can tell you when you’re coherent. Please just rest up and heal.” I cautiously reached down and caressed the side of his face just as a piercing alarm went off. Stumbling backward, I panicked, thinking I had done something wrong.
“It’s okay,” a nurse who had just entered the room reassured me. “It’s just an alarm letting us know one of his medications is running out.”
“Oh…okay,” I whispered, watching as she unscrewed an empty bag of medicine and replaced it with the full one in her hand.
“He’s all good now.” She smiled and exited the room. As I watched his chest rise and fall, I knew he was far from being all good, but he was still alive and that was all that mattered. Just monitoring every breath he took somehow offered me comfort in knowing the situation could have been so different. Jack had been spared. Now he had to have the will to get better. I knew better than anyone the fight he had inside of him when something he valued was at stake. I just hoped the love we had for one another and the love of his daughter were enough.
_______________
After saying my goodbyes to Lori and Glenn, I stepped into the elevator, hoping the doors would close before anyone else could hop on. The tears were rolling down my face faster than I could catch them and the last thing I wanted was strange looks or pity from a stranger. I had almost made it all the way down without another passenger until coming to a halt on the second floor. When the doors opened, I instantly recognized the white-haired man stepping in. Ted Wagner—he had been a longtime friend and colleague of Jack’s.
“Stephanie? How are you?” he asked, instantly recognizing me as well. It had been well over eight years since I had last seen him. He was older than Jack and had been a mentor to him when Jack had first become an agent. Jack and I would go out to dinner a lot with him and his wife when things were good between us. “That was a dumb question…considering the circumstances.” He shook his head as if he were scolding himself.
“It’s fine.” I managed a smile as the doors closed and we began to descend to the ground floor.
“I heard he’s out of surgery,” Ted remarked when we finally reached our destination and stepped out of the elevator.
“He is. I just saw him.” I closed my eyes and swallowed the lump in my throat.
“He’s tough. He’ll pull through,” Ted reassured me when I was no longer able to conceal the despair on my face.
“Yeah.” I nodded and dropped my gaze to the floor.
“At least when he comes out if it, he’ll see that it wasn’t all in vain. It may be seventeen years after the fact, but Guy Antonaci is finally getting what he’s got coming to him. Maybe he can take over the same cell his old man used to occupy.”
“Did you arrest him?” I feigned naivety, not wanting him to know Ian had filled me in on everything already.
“He’s handcuffed to a hospital bed right now with a police officer parked outside his room.”
“He was injured as well?” I continued with my clueless act, fishing around for more information.
“One of our youngest and newest agents took him down. Jack probably will have a little more faith in the kid and stop giving him such a hard time when he realizes what he did.”
I smiled, so thankful to Ian for coming to Jack’s aid when he needed him most and also for tending to Kara so sweetly. “Is that where you’re coming from now?” I asked.
“Yeah. Had to get some information from the bastard. Not that he’s offering much up at all. He’s still the arrogant prick he’s always been, thinking he’s untouchable. This time, he’s going down for a long time.”
“So, he’s coherent?” Ted nodded. “I know it’s awful to say, but I wish…” I took a deep breath. “I’d never wish death on anyone—except for him.”
“I know, Stephanie.” Ted placed his hand on my shoulder. “I feel the same way. He’s a waste of a human being. He should be dead or at a minimum the one lying in that hospital bed in ICU instead of Jack.”
A deep sob escaped me, thinking about that unrecognizable man I had gazed down upon just a short time ago. Would I ever see that cute, boyish grin of his again? “I’m so sorry.” I wiped my face with the back of my hand. “I just feel somewhat responsible for this. If I hadn’t made Jack feel so guilty after the accident…after we lost our son, then maybe he wouldn’t have been so dead set on going after him.”
Ted shook his head. “You are in no way at all responsible for this. Jack is a big boy and one of the best agents there is. He knew what he was getting himself into, and it was personal for him. He wanted to take this piece of shit down to get justice for himself just as much as he wanted it for you and the baby. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you—he can be a real stubborn son of a bitch.” Ted grinned, and I managed to push past the pain I was feeling to muster a smile in return.
Chapter 38
I STOPPED AT my father’s on my way home from the hospital to pick up Max, filling him in on everything. I was grateful when he began to speak to me like a father and not a doctor, like he’d sometimes do when there was a medical issue at hand. Jack was the one who needed doctors, and he had plenty of them. I needed a dad and a shoulder to cry on. He was the perfect source for both.
When I pulled into my driveway, it occurred to me that I didn’t even remember any of the drive home. I needed to snap out of it, but it wasn’t going to be easy. Max hopped out of the back seat, immediately doing his customary leg lifts on some nearby bushes. I gripped tightly to his leash and we made our way up the walkway, meeting up with Ian on the front porch.
“I’m heading out,” Ian said, greeting Max with a pat on the head. “Kara just took a shower. She’s lying down now. I feel really bad about leaving her, but I have to go into work for a bit to tie up some things from earlier today.”
“Don’t feel badly at all. You must be exhausted after the day you’ve had. Go finish up what you need to do, then get some rest. I’ll be here with Kara. She’ll be fine.”
“Thanks,” he replied.
“No. Thank you, Ian. For everything you’ve done.”
His face reddened. “Call me if you need anything or if Kara…”
“I will, but we’ll be fine. Please go take care of yourself right now.” He looked exhausted and not without good reason with all of the events of the day.
“Thanks, Ms. McGuire.”
“Stephanie, please,” I corrected.
He smiled and gave Max another tap on the head before walking off to his car.
Quietness loomed throughout the house when Max and I entered. It was nothing out of the norm to be able to hear the refrigerator humming or the clocks ticking when I’d come home, but at that moment it felt eerie. The ticktock resonated within my brain as a reminder that time may be passing in a different sense.
The clippety-clop of Max’s nails on the hardwood floor broke up that silence, restoring a little normality to the most ominous of days. I was beyond exhausted but knew it was too late in the day to take a nap without affecting my sleep. Instead, I went into the kitchen and did what I always did best to destress—cooked. I sliced, diced, and sautéed the apprehension of the day away. The sound of green beans searing in the pan, and the motion of the knife slicing through the potatoes was better than any type
of drug there was. By the time I had finished, I had made a delicious dinner of chicken Marsala, roasted potatoes, and sesame green beans.
Kara still hadn’t come down, so I wasn’t quite sure who I had planned on feeding enough food for a sizable dinner party to. I didn’t care that I had gone a little overboard. It allowed me to concentrate on something else other than the events of the day. Reality crept back in when I thought about how much Jack would’ve enjoyed this dinner. I wondered how he was doing. Had there been any change since I had seen him a few hours prior?
Kara was the hospital’s point of contact, so I knew I’d be kept abreast on any changes through her. I just hoped they were all positive because her heart couldn’t withstand any more bad news—neither could mine for that matter.
Jack’s parents were on their way up from Florida. His sister had called them when we were at the hospital to let them know what was going on. My heart ached for them as well. They had managed to get through most of their life with their children being healthy and strong—and now this.
My doorbell rang as I was dishing my chicken onto the serving platter. Max’s low grumble turned into a full-fledged bark. “Who the heck is that?”
Max pawed at me, then patiently waited to escort me to find out. I peered out my living room window, looking for a recognizable car in my driveway, but there was none. Uneasiness took over as I made my way out of the living room and into the foyer, happy to have my four-legged security guard by my side. The front porch light shone just enough to make out the person standing on the other side of the peephole. I hurriedly unlocked the door, launching it open, so I could throw my arms around Francesca. The warm, calming scent of the vanilla-laced fragrance she was wearing instantly calmed the inner turmoil, expelling all the pain and guilt that had collected throughout the day.
My father had consoled me in the best way he could, and I was so appreciative of that, but I had been yearning for my mother. She always knew how to help me clear my head and put things into perspective even during the worst of times. There was something about the soothing sound of her voice and the wisdom of her words that gave me hope that everything was going to be okay. It was almost as if she had sent Francesca here to do her bidding as I held her tightly and allowed myself to break down once again.
