The Puppeteer (31 page)

“What happened?” she asked when he'd removed the stethoscope from his ears. He gave her a puzzling look and then perched on the edge of her bed.

“You suffered a massive heart attack,” he said.

“Excuse me?”

“A heart attack,” he repeated, which annoyed her. She'd heard what he'd said the first time.

“I'm not old enough for that. And I get regular physicals. I just don't see that happening. What
really
happened?”

He looked at her again, opened his mouth, shut it, and then shook his head. “I don't know the particulars, but I suspect your boss does. And maybe Detective Fuller too.”

Dani narrowed her eyes at the doctor and then gave up. If he knew something, which she wasn't sure he did, he wasn't going to tell her.

“So, what's the prognosis?” she asked, closing her eyes.

He sighed. “If this were a normal heart attack, I'd say you should be up and moving around within the next few hours to prevent any further clotting.”

“But?” Dani prompted.

“But you didn't have a normal heart attack. There is no clogging of your arteries, no plaque beyond what we would expect in someone of your age and in the shape you're in. Your attack seems to have been brought on by some sort of massive stress. Like something interfered with the beating of your heart. I don't even like calling it a heart attack, but that's about as close as we can get to putting a name to what happened.”

Dani blinked. The stress part she could understand but what brought it on? Was it meeting Frey for the first time since her parents had been killed? Was it what he'd told her? Or was it something else?

“So, what does that mean?”

“That means we keep you hooked up to that EKG,” he said with a nod toward the machine. “When you feel up for it, we'll get you up and see what happens. That's all I can say for now. Once we see how you react to being on your feet, we can do another assessment and make a plan from there.”

“What if I'm ready to get up now?” she asked.

The doctor raised an eyebrow at her.

“Okay,” Dani said. “I admit, I'm not. It's an effort to breathe. But when will I know?”

“Let's continue to rest for at least a few more hours. You can try stretching your arms, flexing your legs and, if that goes well and you feel up for it, we'll try to get you out of bed sometime tonight.”

It wasn't what Dani wanted to hear, but then again, she didn't feel like getting up, so maybe the doctor wasn't too off base. She nodded in acquiescence.

“Let us know if you need anything,” his features softened when he spoke his final words.

Dani gave him a smile and he turned to leave.

“Oh,” he said turning back, holding the door handle in his hand. “You've had a lot of people hanging out to visit. So far, your sister and Detective Fuller have run everyone away. I'd let them keep running that interference until you feel up to more.”

As if on cue, Sammy and Ty all but fell into the room when the doctor opened the door.

Dani bit her cheeks to keep from laughing, it wouldn't do to laugh at the two people who meant the most to her in the whole world. The two people who looked like they had sat by her side since the moment of her arrival. For Ty, it had probably been even longer than that, assuming he'd come on the helicopter with her.

The door hadn't even closed when Sammy and Ty made it to her side. They looked at her, so relieved they were unable to speak. And then they both started speaking at once.

Which made Dani laugh. It wasn't a strong laugh, or a belly laugh—her chest felt too heavy for that—but it was real. And it made her think everything would work out fine. She didn't know how, but she knew it would.

“How are you?” her sister asked when Ty graciously stopped talking.

“I'm tired. Really tired,” she answered. They deserved her honesty. “And sore. But other than that, I'm feeling okay. Glad to be here,” she added with small smile.

“You have no idea,” Ty muttered and squeezed her hand.

“Can I get you anything?” Sammy asked.

“Maybe some water?” Instead of Sammy getting it, Ty stood and poured her a cup from the yellow plastic pitcher that stood on the bedside table. After placing a straw in it, he held it to her lips.

Dani looked at the straw and then summoned more energy than she thought she had to raise her hand. Once she'd pulled it off the bed, she found moving it wasn't so hard. Still, she didn't think she could hold the cup on her own so, rather than take it from Ty, she wrapped her fingers around his and took a sip.

When she finished, he placed the cup on the table and perched on the bed next to her, taking her hand between his and setting it in his lap.

“Do you want to rest?” he asked. Dani thought about this for a long minute. The idea of closing her eyes and slipping back into sleep sounded heavenly. It would be so easy. But her sister's anxious expression and Ty's furrowed brow, along with her own curiosity, weighed heavier on her. She shook her head.

“Tell me, what happened?” she asked Ty. She watched as Ty and Sammy exchanged a look and waited. “I let him get away, didn't I?” The moment she spoke, she knew it was true. She'd had the chance to disable him and the boat but she hadn't done either. No, she had wanted answers and because she let her own needs interfere with the mission, she had let the man who'd killed her parents get away.

“It was a weapon,” Ty said, answering her first question. “It's at the weapons lab. You can be sure Drew is driving the forensics. But it's about the size of a chestnut and it caused a shock wave to travel through your body and interrupt your heartbeat.”

Dani frowned. “It must have been short range, because I wasn't the only one in the cave. I heard you. I assume Drew was nearby. And Frey—he was there, too.”

Ty's eyes slid toward the window and Dani could see he was weighing what he should tell her. “Ty,” she said in warning. In response, he and Sammy exchanged yet another look.

“It hit me, too,” he said as he exhaled. “Not as much as it hit you, but I could feel it. It felt like what you would imagine it would feel like. I felt my heartbeat become erratic, breathing became hard, and I had to slow down for a minute to get my bearings. Drew was far enough behind me that he only felt a moment of dizziness. And as for Frey, the only thing we can figure is that he'd ducked behind the sides of the metal boat.

“By the time I made it to you, all I could see was the wake of Frey's boat and your body lying on the beach. I'm sure I don't need to tell you what my priorities were at that time.”

Dani closed her eyes and absorbed the information, telling herself over and over again it would be okay, that Ty was there. He was fine. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

“You're okay?' she said, mostly to make herself feel better. He nodded, raised her hand to his lips, and gave her a gentle kiss.

“What about Cotter?” she asked, remembering with a start that she had come across him in the cave, unconscious and barely breathing.

“He's fine,” Ty answered, reaching out to stroke her hair. “He's down the hall. He was already regaining consciousness when we got to him in the cave. He's even been in here to check on you.”

“And everyone else?”

“Everyone is fine.” Ty said. “We got Getz and his men. We confiscated a lot of drugs and a lot of arms. Sonny and the Eagle's Wing group are all being held as well. I don't know the specifics because I've been a little preoccupied,” he gave her a half smile before continuing. “But, I know Drew is chomping at the bit to see you and he'll have more information.”

“But I let him get away, didn't I?” she repeated.

Ty pressed his lips together.

“I don't know, Dani,” he said. “Like I said, Drew will know more. I wish I had more to tell you, but I don't. I've been more concerned about you than Frey, but Drew will be here soon.”

“Jason and Karen and Andrew are all waiting, too,” Sammy jumped in. “I've had to kick them out more than once,” she added, her grip still tight on Dani's hand.

Dani looked at her sister. Looked at the face that mirrored her own yet seemed so different. There was always a kindness, a softness that Dani knew she didn't possess. Sammy's face was always welcome and open, ready with a quick smile, whereas Dani knew her own eyes communicated a distance, a warning to others to stay away. But still, she admitted to herself, while she couldn't have changed the events of all those years ago, she could have handled it differently. She could have talked to her sister or to Karen. She could have asked for help rather than turn it away every time it was offered.

Looking into her sister's face, Dani knew Sammy had been told about Frey. She could see it in her eyes. But she also knew neither Drew nor Ty would tell Sammy the whole story. And it was time that she and Sammy talked about it.

Dani switched her gaze to Ty and, as if reading her mind, he shook his head. “Dani, you're tired. You should rest.”

She didn't disagree but she needed to talk with her sister even more. “I need to, Ty,” was all she said. He studied her face for a long moment, then swore to himself and stood.

“Promise you won't push yourself,” he said, stroking her cheek.

She gave him a small, private smile and nodded.

“I'll be outside,” he said as he brushed his lips against hers and then again against her cheek, where he paused for a second. “Go easy on yourself,” he added as he was leaving.

“Dani?” Sammy prompted, concern etched on her face. Dani took a deep breath and answered.

*   *   *

Twenty minutes. That was how much time Ty decided he'd give Sam and Dani. He didn't doubt they needed more—Dani had years of memories to talk about—but it was all he was going to give them. Dani needed to rest. He'd never seen anyone who was so full of life, so ready to take on the world, look so pale. He couldn't keep his anxiety in check when he remembered finding her in that cave less than two days ago. Just thinking about it, and the intervening hours, caused his heart rate to kick up and he had to remind himself to take deep, calming breaths.

The breathing did get his pulse under control, but still, the niggling sense of panic he felt when he stepped away from Dani wouldn't leave. He knew he was acting like a mother hen but, as much as Dani needed to rest and be taken care of, he needed to know she would be okay. So he hovered by the door, not near
enough to hear what the two women inside were saying, but close enough to hear the timber of Dani's voice.

It was there that the Carmichael family found him. Ty spotted Drew first and shoved aside his instinct to tell the man to go away. He liked Drew, knew Drew was here as Dani's family, not her boss, but he also knew Dani would press Drew for information about Frey. Next came Jason, Andrew Sr., and Karen. They were a formidable family. All of the men clocking in at over six feet and Karen just a sliver shorter. All were attractive and had the look of the elite about them. Not arrogant or forced, but poised, confident, and self-assured of their place in this world.

Ty greeted the family as they approached, but he stopped Drew from opening the door to Dani's room. In response, Drew raised an eyebrow in question.

“Sammy called a few minutes ago, I thought she was awake?” Karen asked, concerned.

“She is. The doctor was in. She seems to be okay, seems to have pulled through okay, though she's tired. So tired she can hardly move.”

“Then we'll be quick,” Drew responded, moving toward the door again.

“She's talking to Sam,” Ty spoke, holding Drew's gaze. After a few seconds, Drew got the message and swore as he let his hand fall from the door.

“Drew?” Karen prompted.

Drew shook his head and took a deep breath. “She's talking to Sammy about the day Nicholas Frey killed their parents.”

Karen frowned and glanced at her husband who looked just as concerned. “I thought she didn't remember any of that day? Did it come back to her?”

Drew shoved his hands in his pockets and studied the floor before answering. “She remembers. She's always remembered,” he said.

Ty watched the elder Carmichaels absorb this bit of information and, when the truth of the matter hit them, he heard Karen suck in a quick breath and Andrew mumble something.

“But why didn't she ever say anything? Why didn't she come and talk to me? To anyone?” Karen's voice sounded both hurt and
concerned. And when Drew didn't answer, Ty saw her eyes narrow on her elder son as she realized the truth. “She did tell someone. She told you.”

Drew nodded. “When she was fifteen. Two years later, she told me.”

“And you didn't tell anyone, son,” Andrew responded.

“I thought it was for the best at the time. She'd been so sick for so long. I thought if I kept her secret, as long as she was getting better that was the important thing,” Drew defended himself, though it was clear to Ty that, even now, the man doubted the wisdom of the decision.

Dani had been a young girl, hurting, sick, and trying to come to grips with the brutal murder of her parents when she'd spoken to him. She wasn't the woman she was now. She wasn't strong and capable. Had he hurt her more by not trying to convince her to talk to someone, anyone else about what she had seen? He had worked on getting her physically better and mentally stronger, but what about emotionally? How much had he helped her build that wall around herself?