Leo nodded. "I want to know what happens to Avery. I also want to make sure my girls are okay. I know my parents will take them in. Hell, so would Anna's parents if they need to. But I want to be sure they're okay. Jeremy taught me how to get around, so when I leave here, I'll head to my parents' house. It's where the kids are tonight. Then I guess the police will be back to talk to them tomorrow."
"I'll let Detective Franks know what you've told me, but remember, he can't use any information he gets from a ghost in the investigation. All this will do is give him a nudge to dig deeper and maybe change the way he questions your son. He'll be looking for inconsistencies and things that don't match up with the evidence." Lance hoped Franks could handle having ghost leads as well as Angus did when he got them. Up until now, Franks had always let Angus take lead when they had ghosts feeding them information.
"Thanks. I am sorry about your friend." Leo nodded to the bed. "I hope he makes a full recovery from whatever happened to him."
Lance smiled. "Thanks, me too."
Jeremy stepped closer. "I'll be by later today to update you on things. Do you need anything?"
Lance shook his head. "My brother is taking care of everything for me. I'm good. Keep an eye on Lizzy. With Betty gone, this has to be so hard on her, and you know she's not going to lean on me because she doesn't want to add to my stress. I'm worried about her. She's strong, but this is a lot to deal with, and Betty was her best friend."
"We've already talked about it. Cel and Bethany are dropping by daily to visit with her, and the others will be around too. I'll let you know if she seems off in any way, but I think she'llbe okay as long as he is." Jeremy gestured to Angus. "Losing Betty is hard, but losing her son would push her over the edge."
"Yeah." Lance knew exactly how that would feel.
"Everything okay in here?" A young nurse walked in, nearly walking through Leo as she moved to Angus's bedside.
"All good. Just talking to him." Lance gave Jeremy and Leo a nod as they waved and left the room. "Everything okay?"
"Just fine. I'm just hanging another bag." She held up the I.V. bag. "Just keeping him hydrated."
Lance stood. "When does his next round of antibiotics come?"
"Around six this morning. I'll hang them right before I leave for the day." She punched in some numbers on the machine that would run the fluids through the tube and into Angus's body. "I've ordered some cream for you to rub on the cuts on his legs and arms."
"Thanks." Lance had been given the okay to give Angus a sponge bath as long as he didn't go any higher than his chest and was careful about any movement. He'd spent over an hour earlier in the night running a warm cloth over Angus's skin, taking in every cut from glass and bruises he had no idea how he'd gotten.
"You need anything?" she asked as she tossed her gloves into the trash.
"I'm good, but thanks. I think I'll try and nap a bit more." Lance eased the chair back a bit and pulled the blanket up.
"I'll see you in a few hours then. Sleep well." She shut the door behind her, but it wasn't as if that made a difference. With the glass wall, the nurses could still see into the room from the nurse's station.
Lance pulled out his phone and sent a detailed text message to Franks about what Jeremy and Leo had told him about the shooting. He wasn't sure how Franks would respond togetting information from a ghost, but he'd seen enough with Angus to know that the ghosts almost always gave them reliable information. He hit send, hoping that the alert wouldn't wake Franks, but wanting it to be there when he woke in case Lance fell asleep and forgot to send it. He also hoped Gretta wasn't lying beside Franks and reading his incoming messages. The last thing they needed was for Gretta to start asking who Jeremy was.
He smiled, glad Franks had someone in his life. He wasn't exactly sure how serious things were between Franks and Gretta, but they'd kissed in front of him, so he was sure something was there. Franks denied that they were in any kind of relationship, but Lance wasn't so sure that was the case. It didn't matter. Franks was happier than Lance had seen him in a while and Gretta seemed to be content with whatever was going on between them. As curious as he was, it was none of his business.
Closing his eyes, he tried to shut down his mind. Tomorrow would come soon enough, and he needed to rest while he could. One day, one night at a time. Eventually, Angus would wake up.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
"Betty?" Angus asked.
"Yes?" Betty's voice was so soft and gentle.
"You still holding me together?"
Betty laughed. "Yep. Got a tight hold on you. I'm not letting go until I'm sure you'll stay with us. You okay?"
"I think I'm starting to see things. It's hard to explain. I know I'm not opening my eyes, but I see a form in my mind. Shadows moving. Is that you?"
"It could be. I fade in and out from time to time. I'm not always visible. Don't let that freak you out. Even if you can't feel or see me, I'm here. I won't leave you. Tell me what you're seeing. I should be fully visible to you now if you are strong enough to see me. Focus on those shadows and see if they take form."
Angus did, somehow focusing on the center of his forehead where the vision seemed to come from. He expanded that feeling and focused on the faint shadow he saw. Slowly, it seemed to brighten with a faint glow. The image faded in and out and he could almost feel it like a tether in his mind, floating back and forth to him. The shadow faded as colors appeared. Gray hair, pale skin, and blue eyes that seemed to stare into his soul. "Is that you?" He wanted to reach out and touch the hair but wasn't sure how to. He was still so tired and for some reason, even thinking made him feel as if he were wearing himself out.
"I don't know. What are you seeing?"
"Gray hair, blue eyes."
