"Yeah, probably will be for a while." Franks mentally readied himself to see Angus. It was never easy seeing your partner injured, but this was more than an injury. This could still take Angus's life. Not for the first time, he vowed to find out what happened at Desorio's.
"You handling this okay?" Amy touched his arm gently.
"I'm pissed that my best friend and partner is fighting for his life and want answers to what happened, but I'm okay. As long as he's still breathing, I'll be okay." He sighed. "I'm mostly worried about Lance and Lizzy. Lance was a wreck last night."
"Can't blame him. I'd be the same way if my husband was fighting for his life. We'll be there for him. The whole department will," Amy promised.
Franks nodded, but he wasn't sure all the support in the world could get Lance through this. He'd seen the look in his eyes last night. The fear and desperation in Lance's eyes had caused Franks' own worries to escalate. Angus might have survived surgery, but there was still a lot of healing to do. He just prayed his partner was strong enough to get through it all. Angus had to pull through or Franks just might lose his mind too.
CHAPTER TEN
Lance glanced up as he saw movement in the doorway. "Hey." He didn't even try to smile at Franks and Amy. He didn't have it in him. His entire body ached and he was so tired that he could hardly keep his eyes open. He'd napped off and on, but fear of missing something kept him from falling into a deep sleep. "What time is it?"
"A little after ten." Franks went to where Lizzy was sitting in a wheelchair beside Angus's bed. "How are you?" He bent and hugged her from behind, pausing to kiss her cheek.
"Sore and tired, but mostly worried about my boy." Lizzy stared at Angus.
"He's tough. He'll pull through this." Franks reached a hand over Angus's body to shake Martin's hand. "What can we do to help?"
Martin sighed. "Pray."
"Been doing that since I heard he was injured," Franks told them.
"They're going to need transportation to and from the hospital every day. Can you guys help with that?" Lance relaxed in the recliner, too sore to stand up and be social.
"Of course." Amy smiled. "We'll work it out. You just let us know when to pick you up and we'll be there." Amy stood at the foot of the bed. "Have you guys eaten?"
"Lizzy and I ate before they discharged her about an hour ago," Martin assured her.
Amy glanced at Lance. "You?"
"Not yet, but I can call down for something anytime. I'm just not hungry," Lance told her. "I will grab something later. Please don't nag me. Not today."
Amy sighed, but kept quiet.
"Has the doctor been in?" Franks asked.
"Yeah, she just left. Nothing new to report. His vitals are holding strong. It's just a waiting game now," Martin told them. "Lance probably understood more of what was said than we did."
Lance gave Martin a nod. "I was just asking about the damage to his neck and if it affected his vocal cords or anything. She thinks if he survives the initial injury, he'll make a full recovery and be able to speak and swallow normally. The glass was in the side of his neck, not the front, so if there is anything positive about this, it's that. They're watching the swelling and keeping a close eye on the stitches for now." Lance sighed as he stared at Angus's motionless body. "Any news on what caused the explosion?"
"Not yet. We're interviewing people today." Franks leaned against the wall. "You three feel up to answering a few questions now?"
"Not much to tell you." Lance shifted, trying to ease the pain in his shoulder. "I don't remember anything. I was sitting there one minute and on the floor the next." No matter how many times he played the event back in his mind, he didn't recall the actual explosion.
"I remember feeling something hard hit the back of my head, then pain in my leg. I don't recall falling out of my chair or hitting the ground, just realizing I was on the ground and my leg hurt like hell," Martin told them.
Lizzy nodded. "I felt the force of the blast, then was on the ground. I looked up, saw Angus's spirit leaving his body, Betty flying toward him, then they were gone. Lance screamed, we both rushed toward Angus, and he was all I could focus on."
"Wait, you saw Angus's spirit?" Amy asked, a look of confusion on her face.
Lizzy had never hidden her ability to see ghosts from people. "Yeah, his ghost was coming up from his body. My friend Betty, who is a ghost rushed at him, seemed to grab him, then they both disappeared."
Lance stayed quiet. He wasn't ready to out himself to Amy Burns yet. He had enough to deal with and didn't need to deal with her doubt or thinking he was crazy right now.
Franks smiled. "Lizzy can see ghosts. She's always been able to. Betty is a ghost who's been her best friend for years. Don't go thinking she hit her head, or that this is from her injury. We'll leave that part out of the report, but I'm curious. You said you saw him leave his body. Doesn't that usually only happen when someone dies?"
Lance closed his eyes. It did happen when someone dies which meant Angus had died, at least for a moment. He still couldn't wrap his head around how he was still alive and breathing in the hospital bed right now.
