“Wait.” I gently turn Bea’s head from one side to the other, brushing her hair back as I check behind her ears. “Her implants,” I explain quietly. “She can’t hear without them.”
But they’re there; the small devices she told me about during our second PT session.“They’re very good,”she said,“and I can hear pretty much everything with them. But if there’s a lot of background noise, it can make it harder. So if you ever think I’m ignoring you, I’m not. It might just be that the room is extra noisy.”
“Does she have them?” Webb whispers.
Nodding, I lean over and scoop Bea into my arms. “She’s got them.”
Ace takes point this time as we leave the room, with me in the middle, holding Bea, and Webb at our six. The lights in the hallway are still out, save for the flashlight on one nurse’s phone at the other end of the hallway. But even if the light did catch us, she wouldn’t see anything identifiable, just shadowy figures disappearing into the darkness.
We’re back at the stairwell in seconds, and as planned, Tyler arranged for the lights to be off in them, as well. As we descend the stairs, I adjust Bea in my arms, being careful not to jostle her or bump her head.
At the second floor stairwell, she unconsciously curls into me, clutching the neck of my shirt and turning her face into my neck. Her breath is slow and steady as it whispers across my skin. Her hair brushes my chin, and it just might be the softest thing I’ve ever felt.
Without thinking, I press my lips to the top of her head. She smells of hospital and antiseptic, but there’s a familiar vanilla scent lingering beneath it.
“Six-forty-nine,” Webb says when we reach the bottom floor. “Still good.” He pushes the door open and exhales. “Lights down here are off, too. Tyler’sgood.”
“He is,” I agree.
Single file, we exit the stairwell and head back towards the exit. We don’t talk for the last part of it, our attention focused on listening for anyone who might be approaching us.
But in another stroke of luck, we don’t see anyone. It’s a clear shot to the exit, and before I know it, we’re back outside.
Almost done. Almost.
We still need to get to the car. And from there, to the private airpark where a charter plane sits, waiting. Webb pulled some strings to get us the plane, calling on one of the guys he used to serve with back when he was a Night Stalker. And since Webb’s a pilot, he’ll be flying us back to Portland directly.
“Almost there,” Ace whispers, echoing my thoughts.
A cold breeze moves past us, and Bea shivers in her sleep. I hug her closer, wishing I’d thought to grab a blanket. But once we’re in the car, we can crank the heat.
The distance from the hospital to the car seems to take an eternity, even though it only took us two minutes to cross it before. But with the stakes so high…
Part of me keeps expecting to hear someone yell at us to stop. For floodlights to come on. For flashing police lights to come screaming towards us.
But they don’t.
And we make it to the car without incident.
This time I climb into the backseat and settle Bea in my lap, while Ace and Webb take the front. While Ace starts the car, I check Bea again, this time without the bulky night vision gogglesin my way. Her breathing is soft and regular, her pulse is steady, and when I check her pupils, everything looks normal. The latest reports from the hospital say she shouldn’t have any lasting damage from the concussion, but I can’t help worrying.
“Is she okay?” Webb asks, turning in his seat to look back at me.
I brush her hair back from her face. I know it’s probably all in my imagination, but I could swear she looks more peaceful. “She seems to be. Her breathing and pulse are normal, and her pupils are responsive. So those are all good signs.”
Ace pulls onto the road. “She’s going to be confused when she wakes up. Probably upset, too.”
My jaw clenches. I hug Bea closer to me. “I know. But we’ll help her. She’s smart. She’ll understand.”
I hope.
As I look down at her, protectiveness sweeps through me; so intense it steals my breath.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whisper to her. “I promise. I’ll fix this for you. It’s all going to be okay.”
CHAPTER 4
BEA
