Lance wrapped his hand around the hot coffee cup and remembered. "The explosion happened. I don't remember it, but I was suddenly on the floor. I looked for Angus and saw him lying several feet away from me. I don't know what I noticed first, the glass in his neck or his spirit leaving his body. He was floating up and out of his body when Betty suddenly threw herself at him and they both disappeared. I don't know what happened. We haven't seen Betty since. Everyone keeps telling me that Angus has to be in his body to be alive. I worried during surgery that it was just machines keeping him alive, but now, I just don't know what to think. I saw him leave his body. You can't undo that, can you?" He swiped at tears that fell. He no longer cared who saw him crying. He couldn't hold them back.
Christine handed him a napkin. "I don't know how it all works. I tend to agree with everyone who says he has to be there to be alive. He's breathing on his own. His heart is working. I even saw he had urinary output. That stuff doesn't happen to someone who's dead. Maybe he died for a brief second and then his heart kicked in again? I've seen some very strange things over the years. Miracles do happen. As for Betty, I just don't know. Maybe she got too close to the light? It's the only reason I can think of for her not being here. I agree, she wouldn't leave Lizzy to go through this alone. I do know this, if Angus was dead,he wouldn't leave you. He'd stay and haunt the hell out of all of us. He'd want to be part of everything. Being dead wouldn't change his love for you. He'd be right by your side, just like he always was. So no, I don't believe he's not in there. I think he's in a coma and just waiting for the right time to open his eyes and tell you he loves you."
"But what if Betty pushed him into the light with what she did? I can't understand why she flew at him the way she did. It makes no sense to me." He wiped his eyes and reached for another napkin.
"I think we'd know. I thinkyou'dknow." Christine shrugged. "I won't believe he's gone. Not when everything I read from a medical standpoint shows that he's alive. You need to believe that too. He's going to need you to believe in him to help get him through this. Healing his neck is just the beginning of this. He's going to be weak, need physical therapy, and possibly relearn how to swallow. I don't know how severe his neck injury was, but there will be scar tissue and swelling. He's going to need you to be strong. He needs you to believe he can recover."
Lance nodded, staring down at his coffee. He wished he could be sure Angus was alive. He wanted to believe everyone. It all made sense, but he just couldn't stop seeing Angus floating from his body. "You read his file. Are they not telling me anything? Are there any complications they are worried about or problems from the surgery they aren't mentioning?"
"No, nothing. From everything I read, he was very lucky to make it through surgery, but once he did, his chance of survival increased big time. It was the loss of blood and the initial injury that put him in danger. They've taken care of both those issues. As long as his neck heals, which I can't imagine why it wouldn't, he's going to come through this just fine. There's nothing more anyone can do at this point. It's all up to Angus. He needs to rest and heal. I know it's hard seeing him unresponsive, but theyhave to keep his neck still. I completely agree that putting him in a coma was the best option. It's only for a while. The body heals quickly. They'll run tests in a week or so and see how things are going. Once they're sure the stitches won't tear and that his neck is stable enough for movement, they'll wake him up." Christine smiled. "He loves you too much to leave you. Trust him to come back to you."
Lance let out a long breath. "I know. He'd hate me worrying this much. I just can't unsee…" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Thanks for the pep talk."
"I'll be happy to deliver one a day if you need them. He's going to be fine. But you need to take care of yourself so you can be ready for him to come home when it's time. Don't let yourself get so stressed and worried that you forget to eat." Christine nodded to the coffee cup. "More than caffeine. Real food."
"My brother is back in town and will make sure I eat. He brought me lunch and said he'd be back with dinner. And the hospital said I can order food through them if I want. I'll be okay. Once my shoulder heals a bit and I can sleep without pain, I'll be better. I feel like I was used as a pin cushion with all the glass they pulled out of me."
"From the interviews I saw on TV this morning, it sounds like a lot of people are suffering the same feeling today. I can't believe the damage. We're lucky only eight died." Christine sat back. "If the scabs start to itch, get some Preparation H to rub on them. It will ease the itch. It's a secret I tell to parents when their kids get itchy rashes."
"Hemorrhoid cream?" Lance narrowed his eyes.
"Hey, it works and it's cheap. Bug bites, poison ivy, and my dad even used it on his shingles to help ease the itching. When you find something that works, you use it." She shrugged.
Lance smiled and even gave a small laugh. "Thanks. I needed that."
"Glad I can help." She sighed. "I wish there was more I could do, but right now, there's nothing anyone can do. We've just got to let him heal. Be smart and take the time for you to heal as well. I get you want to be here with him, but go home and get some rest. Hug your dog. I can't tell you how important it is. Staying here non-stop isn't going to help you."
"I can't leave him," Lance told her. "Even now, just being a few floors away from him is killing me. I know you're only trying to help, but going home will hurt more than it will help. I just can't leave him." Lance stood and took his coffee from the table. "I need to get back up there."
Christine stood. "Give me a hug. I'll check in daily with you and see what you need. I have two patients in the hospital right now. I'll drop by after I see them. Call me or Brayden if you need anything."
Lance gave her a gentle hug, careful of his left shoulder. "Thanks."
She kissed his cheek. "He'll be okay. Just believe that."
"I do." He wished he believed the words as he said them. He did believe Angus would be okay, if he was still around, but if Betty and Angus had gone into the light and it was just some odd happening that Angus appeared to still be alive, he couldn't reverse that. He knew what he'd seen, and there was no explaining it. Until Angus looked at him and spoke to him, there would always be a bit of doubt, and that alone was breaking his heart.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Franks pulled up in front of the Hilton's home. It was a nice, middle-class home, the yard well maintained. Several cars were parked in the driveway, and a few others were parked along the curb. Franks wasn't surprised. It was common for friends and family to rally around a family when they lost someone, and he was sure that the news of Chef Tom's death was the headline story on every news program in the area. "Glad you're with me," he told Amy. "You're the best with handling a grieving family."
"Thanks, but it's one part of this job I hate." She left her bag on the floor of the car after making sure she had her notebook and a pen. "At least we aren't notifying them of his death. That's the worst."
Franks got out of the car and met Amy on the sidewalk. He wasn't sure what to expect from the family. In grief, they could react in a million different ways and Franks had to be ready for anything. He'd had family members fall into his arms crying, and he'd had others come at him ready to fight, blaming them for not protecting their loved ones better. He never knew what reaction they'd get until they got inside.
They made their way up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Franks could hear people inside talking as they waited for someone to answer. From the sound of it, there were a lot of people inside, which would make interviewing the wife harder. They needed to get her alone where they could talk without being disturbed.
"Can I help you?" A young woman opened the door and stared at them. She appeared to be in her late teens. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen as if she'd been crying.
"Hi, I'm Detective Burns and this is my partner Detective Franks. We were hoping we could speak to Hillary Hilton for a few minutes," Amy said softly.
"That's my mom. Come in." She pushed the screen door open and stepped aside. "All my aunts and uncles are here right now, so it's a bit crowded." She shut the door and turned to them. "Did they find out what caused the explosion?"
"Not yet. They've got investigators out there now trying to find out what happened," Amy told her.
The girl sighed. "My mom is in the kitchen." She led them through a short entryway and then through a living room filled with people. "Mom, police are here to talk to you."
A woman stepped into the room, her eyes also red and swollen. She looked at Franks and Amy and tried to smile, but it never reached her eyes. "I'm Hillary. How can I help you?"
