Chapter Forty-Two
Pete and Sam Baker stood in Eleanor’s room reading her latest lab reports. “That shouldn’t be. Her Dilantin level pre-seizure was non-existent,” Sam said.
A raspy sound came from Eleanor. “Ta…” The words came out garbled.
“Ellie, it’s Pete. Say it again.”
“Sa…Wes…Die…Ta…,” she mumbled. Her heartrate alarm beeped.
“Ellie, it’s Dr. Baker. We’re going to figure this out.” He placed a reassuring hand against her cheek.
“Wes…sa..ve…Wes.” A tear rolled down her cheek.C’mon, Ellie…you can’t hide it anymore. They’re going to kill Wes.Her mind worked, but she couldn’t get the words out.
She heard the door swoosh. A voice, Seth’s voice… “The baby died. Multi-organ failure. Tuck says the other one is grave. And…Wes…subdural hematoma…in the OR… They’re trying. Mulligan scrubbed in. How’s Ellie?”
Wes…Wes…She couldn’t wake up.
* * *
“Son of a bitch, it hurts,” Belinda cursed. “Bastard shot me.” She held the cloth to her belly.
“Lindy, I’m sorry. I should’ve shot him in the head. I didn’t want to make too much noise,” her brother Tripp said.
“Your lips are blue,” Crawford said.
“Don’t feel good.” Belinda sighed.
“I’m calling Mom,” Tripp said before dialing the phone. He took a deep breath. “Mom, Lindy’s been shot.” He listened and ended the call. “Mom says to take her to the hospital. Tell them she’s Ellie. They’ll never know.”
“No. Take me home,” Belinda whispered.
“I’m listening to Mom.” Tripp accelerated the car.
* * *
Pete walked back to the lounge to grab a cup of coffee and get on the computer to arrange around-the-clock care for Wes. The plan was tentative, dependent on his survival. Zach was inside watching a monitor. “Eleanor alright?”
“She didn’t need that seizure. After I arrange care for Wes, I need to check her chart. It looks like we missed a dose of her antiseizure meds.” Pete sounded weary.
“Tara Blanchard,” Zach said.
“PA,” Pete answered.
“Tara Blanchard is the mole,” Zach said.
“How do you know that?” Pete growled.
“I’ve got her on tape talking to Ellie,” Zach said.
“Did she give Ellie anything? She could’ve killed her!” Pete roared.
“Walter, calm down. I would’ve stopped her. She didn’t give Eleanor anything.” Zach’s blue eyes pierced him.
“That was just as bad.” Pete slammed a fist onto the desk. “When are you going to arrest her?”
“I was hoping to leave her in play a little longer. I hope she will lead us to the compound. I need your help to make sure Ellie stays alright. I owe…damn it, is Wes gonna make it?”
“I don’t know. We will see how he makes it through the surgery.” Pete looked down. “We need to bring Seth into this. If you want to keep Tara working, we also need eyes on the feed all the time. If she thinks she’s been discovered, she may harm someone else to create a diversion.”
