“Wait!” I stop dead, “Lily needs her car seat.”
“Wait here,” She stops us and forces me to take a seat on a nearby step, “I’ll get it.”
She darts off, so I take a minute to draw in my surroundings. There are several police cars parked in such a way that they block off the entire street, and three ambulances remain. Paramedics are working on someone in front of the library, while the others hang back and watch, and police officers question people on both sides of the street.
Savannah jogs back to me with Lily’s car seat, and I get up to meet her, walking at her side to where Killian waits beside her small Fiat.
I don’t know why the sight makes me laugh, but the giggle bursts from me regardless.
“What?” Savannah asks as Killian looks at me skeptically.
“I expected the Audi.”
It’s not funny in the slightest, so I’ve no idea why I can’t stop laughing. I feel a little manic and a whole lot stressed.
“Come on,” Sav says softly, “Let’s go find Dean.”
Chapter Fourteen
With the three of us, the car seat, and Lily, the drive to the hospital was so cramped that there was no room to move. It had been enough of a distraction that the shooting had stopped replaying in my head. But we’re now in a small waiting room at the hospital, and it’s no longer just me, Savannah, and Killian. It’s all of them. I sit in the corner with a sleeping Lily, pretending to be rocking her to sleep, but she passed out almost twenty minutes ago and has been peacefully sleeping since.
Truth be told, they all scare me. Malakai Farrow and Sebastian Levine have this kind of aura that immediately tells you to steer clear. They’re forces, men of brutality hidden behind handsome masks. Killian too, and now they’re all here, and I’m watching them, Dean is no different. They all wear it differently, but deep down, it’s all the same.
My palms haven’t stopped sweating since they got here, and not even Savannah’s constant company is enough to push away the nerves at their presence. Malakai holds his wife close, her belly swollen with their unborn child, as worry twists her face, and Sebastian rocks his own daughter while Willow talks withKillian. Savannah is still by me, but she’s silent, watching the door as we all wait for news on Dean.
Last we heard, they took him into surgery in a rush almost three hours ago.
How does this happen!? Sure, shootings occur on a regular basis, but never did I believe I’d ever be in the middle of one. They could have hurt Lily! The shooter could have killed someone, but I guess that was their intention. The police have been crawling through the hospital and down on the street, patrols are now out on every corner since the shooter was never caught.
Was it targeted, or were we just in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Targeted!? What the hell am I thinking?
But for a split second, I wonder if it was me who was the target? Had he found me? Then I remember the monster in my past much preferred the dark, he liked his torture to be personal and only for him and I highly doubt he’d try to kill me in a way that wouldn’t give him an up and close view of the pain he has caused.
I shudder and push away the thoughts. I’m in shock, I’m tired, and scared. The last thing I need to do to myself is drown in memories of a past I don’t intend on ever going back to.
A knock sounds at the door, drawing everyone’s attention before the doctor who advised us of Dean’s surgery comes in.
“Mr. Archer,” He addresses Killian directly, “Your brother is out of surgery.”
“And?” Killian urges, the stress clear on his face. It was only a few months ago that we were all here wondering if Savannah would ever wake up.
“He’s okay. We were able to stop the bleeding and fix up his shoulder, but I’m afraid he’s taken some extensive nerve damage. The bullet went through his shoulder joint and caused significant damage to the cartilage and the surrounding ligaments, as well as some soft tissue damage.”
“What does that mean?” Savannah asks.
“It can cause mobility issues within the arm, and it’s possible he could have limited feeling, but until he is awake and we can get him into rehab, we won’t know the extent of the damage.”
“But he’s okay?” Savannah presses.
“Yes,” The doctor assures, “He’ll be coming out of his anesthesia shortly, but his pain medication may leave him disorientated, we have placed him in a private suite, you’re welcome to see him once we have him awake. I’ll have the nurse fetch you when that happens.”
“He’s going to need someone to stay with him when he’s released,” Savannah steps over to Killian, and I sink further back into the corner, observing. The others seem to have forgotten I’m even here.
“He’ll hate that,” Killian sighs, “Dean doesn’t handle company well.”
I quirk a brow, listening to them talk.
