“Thank you.”
They took the elevator up to the waiting room outside surgery, and settled in for whatever time it might take. Over the course of the evening, Jax Ryker showed up, Jonah Wolfe, Mindy Stewart and Tabitha Love. They all hugged her and kept her company while they waited for news. Other people showed up and stayed for a while, all of them worried and praying for Jason’s recovery.
He didn’t have a biological family. Kate wondered if he knew how many friends he had who loved him.
She took a deep breath, realizing she needed her own friends there. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t called Lani and Cece. Maybe because they were always there for her when something really bad happened. Maybe calling them made the possibility of losing Jason all the more real.
“I’ll call Lani,” Cece said to her when she phoned. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
When they arrived half an hour later, Kate stood to greet them, and both women hurried over to give her a hug.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner,” Kate said, wiping away fresh tears. “I should have... I can’t seem to think.”
Cece hugged her. “We’re here now. You don’t have to be sorry for anything.”
Kate introduced her friends to the group in the waiting room. Another hour passed before the doctor pulled open the waiting room door.
He walked toward them, a small man in a set of baggy green scrubs wearing round, wire-rimmed glasses. At the grim look on his face, everyone stood up.
“I’m Dr. Crossman. Jason is out of surgery. He’s in the ICU recovering. We expect him to be there at least several days.”
“Is he...is he going to be all right?” Kate asked.
“I’m afraid it’s a waiting game now. He’s strong and healthy. He’s in top physical condition. He’s got a good chance. As time goes on, we’ll know more.”
Kate sank back down, her legs too shaky to hold her up. “Thank you, Doctor.”
“If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”
She pushed herself back to her feet. “When can I see him?”
“Not for a while, I’m afraid. I’d suggest you go home and get some sleep. You can come back and check on him in the morning.”
“I’m staying here,” Kate said.
Dr. Crossman gave her a sympathetic glance but didn’t try to dissuade her. He had probably dealt with determined family members before. Not that she was actually a relative.
Then Reese Garrett showed up, and it occurred to her that the Garrett brothers wielded a lot of power in Dallas, their charitable contributions well-known. Watching Reese speak to the doctors and nurses, it was obvious the hospital would do whatever the brothers wanted in order to please them.
Reese spoke to Chase, then sat down next to Kate and took hold of her hand. “He made it through surgery,” he said. “Jason’s tough, Kate. He’ll get through this and come out all right.”
Kate had no idea what would happen, but she wanted to believe it so she nodded. “Thank you for everything you did to help us.”
He made a brief acknowledgment, but his jaw looked tight. “Do the police know who shot him?”
The door to the waiting room opened again, and Kate glanced up to see Bran Garrett striding toward them. “Not yet,” Bran said. “I can’t tell you who did it—not so far—but I know who didn’t do it.” Bran looked as tired as Kate felt. “It wasn’t Los Besos.”
“How do you know?”
“Because whoever did it, the guy was a soldier. Everything he left behind in that empty apartment screamed military sniper. I’m going to find him, Kate, and deal with him. You don’t have to worry about that.”
She didn’t tell him to leave it to the police. She was beginning to think the way the men did, the way Jason did. Sometimes you had to find your own justice.
Bran didn’t stay long. When he left to do more digging, the others followed, all but Lani and Cece. Chase remained too, her protection until they found the shooter.
She trusted these men the way she trusted Jason. She prayed he would survive to return to the family who loved him.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
