Dot shook her head, walking beside the gurney.“He’s dead.We’ll deal with him.Get Oliver to hospital.”She squeezed Oliver’s hand.“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
His eyelids flickered open.
“Stay with me,” she said.He was so much paler than normal and his breath was thready.She couldn’t lose him.She stood back as they loaded him into the ambulance.As the doors closed she whispered, “I love you.”
Then she watched the man she loved be driven away.
Chapter 20
Oliver’s head throbbed, the pain waking him from unconsciousness.The scent of disinfectant filled his nose, and the stark lights above him made him wince.Why was he in hospital?
He shifted and a sharp, stabbing pain spiked his chest, bringing back the memories.The spear through his chest, the bizarre kidnapping, Martin working for Stonefish and shooting Andrew.Martin being killed.Had Dot done that?
Sorrow filled Oliver.Andrew hadn’t been particularly nice, but he hadn’t deserved to die.
Vague recollection of being transferred to the ambulance and Dot whispering she loved him.
Was that a hallucination?
Where was Dot?
He turned his head, looking for a call button.There was a bag of blood next to him, feeding into an IV in his arm, replacing what he’d lost.A nurse walked into the room and her eyes widened.
“Mr Anderson, I didn’t realise you were awake.How do you feel?”She lifted the back of the bed so it supported him, and he groaned.
“Sore.Where am I?Where’s Dot?”
“You’re at Retribution Bay Hospital and you’re extremely fortunate to be alive.The spear missed all your vitals.”She put a blood pressure cuff on the arm not connected to the blood transfusion and checked his vitals.
“Do you have a phone I can use?”
“If you’re up for visitors, Sam Hackett and Arthur Hammond are here to see you.They might have one.”
Dot must have called them.Oliver exhaled.“Please send them in.”
The nurse finished his obs and then showed in the men.Both examined him, and Sam nodded his approval.“Feeling all right?”
“Weak and sore.Where’s Dot?How are my students?”
“The students are back at the house,” Sam replied.“All they know is you’ve been found.They don’t know details.What happened?”
“Where’s Dot?”He needed to see her, make certain she was all right.She’d shot another officer.There had to be ramifications.Probably the only reason he didn’t have cops waiting to interview him was there was only one other left in Retribution Bay.
“She’s dealing with everything.”Sam grimaced.“As soon as we got word you’d been found, we headed back to the marina.”
“So how did you get kidnapped?”Sherlock asked.
Oliver winced and recounted the story, ending with Dot and Rodney both shooting Martin.“I don’t know who killed him.”
“We haven’t spoken to Dot yet,” Sam said.“She’ll be by when she can.”
“Has anyone contacted Lucas to tell him his son is dead?”Sherlock asked.
“I don’t know.”But it was something Oliver should do, even if Lucas orchestrated his kidnapping.Or maybe he should wait until he spoke to Dot.“Can I use your phone?”
“Use yours.”Sam handed him a bag of his things.
He took out his necklace with the emerald ring and slipped it around his neck.Then he found his phone and sent Dot a text.
