“Do it,” the doctor said quickly.
The nurse drew up the medication as Ronan talked calmly to Willow. He took the syringe when she handed it to him and he inserted it into the IV port on the girl’s arm. “Have another one on standby,” he said as he handed the syringe back to the nurse and then took the stethoscope she offered him and used it to listen to the girl’s breathing.
It took several long minutes before things quieted and the girl finally seemed to be able to breathe more normally. Declan had removed a handcuffed Gene from the room and by the time I got to the waiting room to update Seth and Tristan, Alana was in the custody of a uniformed police officer, though she wasn’t cuffed. Tristan and Seth were sitting next to each other, still holding onto both kids and I saw that Brennan had joined them and that he had his arm around Tristan’s shoulders. I grabbed a passing nurse and said, “Do you have something she can wear?” I asked as I motioned to Nicole.
The nurse saw the obvious wet stain and said, “I’ll get something.”
My eyes connected with Brennan’s and he smiled at me. Asalways, I felt my insides jump and it took everything in me not to go over and kiss both my men. Instead, I gave him a look promising I’d greet him properly later and then went to find Declan to make sure Alana and her shit bag of a husband weren’t ever getting their hands on any of the kids again.
Chapter 9
Mav
“Mav, come on in,”Declan said as he waved me over before I could even tell the officer sitting near the entrance to the department my name. Trepidation washed over me as I entered his office and he shut the door behind me.
“Thanks for coming down so fast,” Declan murmured as he sat down behind his desk and motioned for me to sit across from him. “I know Eli’s got his finals this week,” he began. I nodded.
“He’s taking one right now,” I managed to get out.
Declan nodded. “I wanted to talk to you before I call Mariana.”
I managed another nod. “Where is he? Is he okay?”
“He’s safe,” Declan acknowledged and I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Declan hadn’t given me any details when he’d called other than to say it was about Caleb and I needed to come to the station right away. My heart had been in my throat the entire drive.
“He’s here,” Declan added. “One of my officers found him on the Aurora Bridge about an hour ago. He was drinking, but a breathalyzer showed he wasn’t legally drunk.”
“Okay,” I said, though my throat felt tight because the tone of Declan’s voice said there was more and it wasn’t good.
“I know you aren’t from around here,” Declan said. “Thatbridge…it has a reputation.”
“What?” I asked in confusion. How the fuck did a bridge have a reputation?
“The bridge is one of the few in the area that has pedestrian access…”
“I don’t understand,” I admitted, still completely clueless.
“The bridge has been a popular location for jumpers in the past.”
I felt my heart beat painfully in my chest at that and heat flooded my entire system. “What?” I whispered, praying I’d heard the man wrong.
“There were so many suicides in the late nineties and early two thousands that the city erected an 8-foot fence to deter people from jumping. It’s been effective, but people still try on occasion. A few sections of the fence are being replaced because there’s something wrong with the steel that was used to construct it. Caleb was standing in front of one of the sections where the fence had been taken down to make way for the repairs.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered as the pain in my chest exploded.
“He listened to the officer’s orders to step away from the side, but the officer said he seemed to hesitate…he couldn’t be sure but he said it was just a feeling he had. When he called into the station to ask if he should take the kid to the hospital as a precaution, I found out it was Caleb and had him bring him here. He’s in an interview room and there’s an officer watching him.”
I dropped my face into my hands and shook my head in disbelief. This couldn’t fucking be happening. “Did he say anything?” I asked.
“No, he refused to talk to the officer or me. He keeps asking for someone named Jace.”
“What?” I said as I snapped my head up.
“Do you know who he is?”
I nodded. “He’s the guy we had watching Caleb in D.C.” I didn’t add that Jace was the one who’d gotten Caleb out of the psychiatric hospital his father had stashed him in. Or that I suspected Caleb was harboring feelings for the older man.
I hadn’t spoken to Jace after he’d left earlier in the summer and Caleb hadn’t once asked about the man. But clearly, Eli’s stepbrother was still stuck on whatever connection he’d forged with Jace.
