Indivisible Line (29 page)

“Please . . . I have to see him.” She began unraveling, unable to keep the raw emotions from surfacing.

The officer glanced over his shoulder at her. “I’m so sorry. I’m just following orders. Maybe you can run home and get your ID?”
 

At that moment, Greg’s hospital door opened, and Simon walked out. “Hey, Sergeant Ruiz, she’s part of the family. Let her in.” Simon nodded to the cops and waited for Sarah to join him.

The cop gave her a smile of permission, and Sarah walked forward, her tears unstoppable now. Simon opened his arms, and she walked right into them.

“Is he okay?” She sobbed against Simon’s chest.

“Yes. They took the bullet out—the same thing you did in Beaver. It hit a major artery in his right thigh, so the extent of the damage won’t be known until he starts rehabilitation. But that’s not important. He’s alive . . . he’s going to be okay. That’s all that matters to me.”
 

“Thank you, Dotson’Sa,” she whispered.

Simon held her until her tears ebbed and she’d calmed down enough to talk.

“You’re good now?” He lifted her chin with his index finger, studying her tear-stained face.

Sarah nodded. “Yeah.”

He took her hand and led her inside the suite. The room was similar to the one she’d had after her accident.
Nothing but the best for Greg and his family
, she thought. Then she remembered what Simon had said to the cop.
“She’s part of the family.”
Whatever that meant, she was in.

She focused on the unmoving figure on the bed. Though he was asleep, pain was etched deeply into Greg’s face. The pasty pallor of his skin and his sunken cheeks worried her. She rushed to his bedside, where Matilda sat holding his hand.

“Oh my.” Sarah buried her face in her hands. She wanted to hold him, but she knew that restraining herself would be best just now. Blinking back her tears, she lifted her head and ran her gaze over the white sheet that covered Greg’s body. She lifted it with care, taking note of the heavy bandages covering his right thigh. The gauze ran from the juncture of his pelvis to the top of his right knee. Sarah had no idea what had happened or the full extent of Greg’s injuries, but she doubted she’d have the stomach to listen to the whole story.

“Do you have any idea how long he’s been sleeping?” she asked no one in particular, moving over to the sophisticated machines that were hooked up to him. She checked the readouts, heaving a relieved sigh when she noted his stable vital signs.

“He was in surgery for almost two hours. Dr. Darnell extracted the bullet and did whatever he could to save Greg’s leg and his life. He’s been asleep ever since he was transferred here.” Simon’s voice was heavy with remorse.
 

Sarah turned around to face him. “Who did this, Simon?”

“Cade. I should have come sooner, but Greg asked me to wait in the car.” Regret and frustration intermingled in his eyes, and Sarah felt her heart go out to the man.

Taking Simon’s hand without a word, she led him to the collection of sofas on the other side of the room. Matilda watched them through her tears, still holding Greg’s hand as if her life depended on it.

Sarah sat and patted the spot next to her. “Tell me what happened.” Her reluctance to hear the story gave way to her need to find out what had happened to Greg.

Simon joined her on the sofa with a sigh, but hesitated before speaking. “There are things I’m not at liberty to discuss. It’s Greg’s business.”

“I don’t want you to betray Greg’s confidence. All I want to know are the details surrounding the shooting.” Sarah kept her composure. Breaking down was not an option. She needed to be strong if she was going to be of any help to anyone.

Simon grew quiet while he chose his words. He leaned back and stared out the window before he recounted what information he could divulge. “After dinner, Rudy and I drove Greg and Cassandra back to her townhouse. Greg told me to wait in the car with Rudy. I wanted to defy his order, but I couldn’t.”

Sarah knew what Greg had wanted from his wife. Why else would he ask Simon to stay behind? It took her a few moments to respond while she swallowed back the bitterness this thought gave her.

“I had a bad feeling, so I followed him in after fifteen minutes. As soon as I cleared the elevator, I heard a gunshot, followed by another, and then screaming. If I hadn’t kicked in the door, Greg wouldn’t have made it. Cade was aiming his gun at Greg, and he was going for the kill.”

Sarah gasped, shivers riding up and down her spine. “Oh my God.” It was too painful to think of how close they’d come to losing Greg.

“I had no time to think. I shot Cade in the head.”

Simon’s voice was flat and emotionless, but Sarah sensed his distress and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

“Simon . . . you did the right thing,” she whispered.

“That’s what the cops told me, but it’s hard to get over killing someone.” Simon’s body tensed, and he buried his face in his palms.

“It was either Greg or Cade. You had a second to decide.”

“Yeah. I found Greg bleeding on the floor. It was surreal. He was lying in a pool of blood, but instead of thinking of himself, he told me to help Cassandra.”

“She was hurt, too?” Sarah wasn’t sure what to think about this news.

“She’s been admitted here, as well. I don’t know the extent of her injuries, but I doubt they’re life threatening.” Simon paused. “I didn’t listen to Greg, of course. I plugged my fist into his wound after applying a tourniquet with my belt to slow the bleeding until the paramedics got there.”
 

“You have done more than was expected of you, Simon. You’re his family. I’m glad Greg had you watching his back.” Sarah glanced in Greg’s direction, and her heart shattered to pieces.

“I know, but I should’ve gone in sooner. He shouldn’t have been shot in the first place. Look at him, Sarah. The man has gone through so much already.”
 

“We’ll never know what would have happened if you hadn’t waited. The most important thing is that he’s alive. You saved him, Simon.”

Matilda stood and walked over to sit next to Simon. “You listen to me, Simon. You did what you had to do. Greg is still here with us, and that’s all I care about. We’re going to help him in any way we can to recover and move on. Whether he walks or not, we’ll be there for him.”

Sarah nodded her head in agreement. As much as it pained her to imagine what life could be for Greg after this latest incident, she could only be thankful he’d made it out alive.

We’re going to make sure he gets through this,
she told herself.

Sarah urged Matilda to take Simon home so he could get some sleep, against his protests. They were able to reason with him in the end, because Greg was safe now, and there were cops outside his room who’d make sure of it.

 
Once Matilda and Simon had left, Sarah moved to sit on the chair next to Greg’s bed. With nothing else to do but wait, she took his hand and started chanting a prayer in her head. After a while, Sarah stood and fixed the sheet covering his body. She walked around the bed, making sure he was well covered and comfortable, and then she pulled a comb from the drawer and ran it through his hair.

Sarah was in the process of tucking tendrils of his longish hair behind Greg’s ear when the door swung open. She turned her head to meet Dr. Barry Darnell’s gaze. He offered a feeble smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“How are you, Sarah?” Barry stopped by the foot of the bed and pulled out a chart from under his arm.

“I’m good,” Sarah lied. She walked to his side, and together they watched Greg in silence.

“This man of yours has nine lives.” He shook his head and gave a shaky laugh.

“He is not my man, and you know it, Barry. I’m just an employee. But you’re right—he’s very lucky.” Sarah was beginning to doubt the luck part, but kept that to herself. “What are we looking at?”

Barry didn’t answer right away. He raked a weary hand through his hair. “I don’t know at this point. Simon’s quick thinking helped prevent a massive loss of blood—it could’ve been so much worse. Greg could’ve bled to death in minutes without Simon’s quick thinking. I extracted the bullet. Now it’s just a matter of how well he recovers from this.”

Barry’s voice lacked the conviction she would have expected from the confident surgeon. “Barry, what is it?”

He seemed to be caught in an internal battle. Sarah saw him flinch at her question, his jaw clenching when he spoke. “He refused a blood transfusion earlier.”

Sarah knew what she’d heard, but she couldn’t believe it. “Why would he do that?”

Being doctors often put them in a tight spot. They had to advocate for their patients. Therefore, they couldn’t debate their patients’ healthcare choices except in life-threatening situations or in cases of mental incompetence. Greg’s refusal to agree to a transfusion, Sarah knew, had to be difficult for Barry to accept.

“He didn’t want anyone’s blood but yours. I’m telling you, the man is crazy. He’d lost a massive amount of blood, and still, he refused.” Barry shook his head. “And in the absence of next of kin, we couldn’t bypass his decision.”

“He was awake before the surgery?” Sarah couldn’t believe her ears. Greg had refused the transfusion unless the blood came from her? What a contradiction to what he’d led her to believe—he’d said her blood had messed him up. This whole thing sounded too bizarre for words.

“At one point, he was lucid, and I had to get his permission.” Barry picked up the chart and began jotting down some notes.
 

Sarah looked at him before turning back to Greg’s sleeping form. “Then what are we waiting for?”

“You were in an accident not too long ago. I don’t think it’s a risk I want to take.”

Barry’s tone told her that he wouldn’t give in without a fight. They were already crossing all kinds of ethical lines here, but she’d made up her mind. Greg needed her more than ever.

“Barry, your hands are tied, and you know it! I’m going to sign a consent form. How long will it take to type and cross for the blood transfusion?”

He surrendered with a sigh. “If we start now, the lab can do the necessary safety screening and have the processed blood ready for him as early as this afternoon.”

“Then we’d better not waste any time.” Sarah nudged Barry toward the door. “I can’t believe he’d do something like this.”

They walked down the corridor, Barry slowing his pace to match hers. “It’s weird how some people react to having someone else’s blood in their system. It’s more of a psychological thing for them. And you know damn well how my friend is. He’s mental.” Barry’s tone was grim.

Sarah wished she could shake Greg for being an idiot and gambling with his well-being, but she probably would have done the same thing if she were in his shoes. In this regard, they were indeed similar—more than she cared to admit.

Much to her relief, the sentinels guarding Greg’s room allowed her back in without any further questioning. As soon as she walked in, Greg stirred, and she almost ran to his bedside.

“Greg?”

His head turned at the sound of her voice, his smile immediate and brilliant even if his eyes stayed closed.

“Sarah.”

“You gave us quite a scare.” Happiness welled inside her chest, and she took his hand.

“I’m sorry.” He opened his eyes and focused on her face. “God, you’re beautiful.”

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere, Mr. Andrews.” She leaned forward to kiss his forehead, lingering a few seconds longer than she’d intended, and whispered, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

He gave a weak smile and patted the side of his bed. Sarah sat down next to him and leaned closer. She recognized the effort it took for him to shift even a slight amount in the bed.

“Do you need pain medication? I can call the nurse.”

“No . . . it’ll knock me out again. There are things I have to do that can’t wait.”

“Greg, you just came out of surgery from a gunshot wound. I think whatever it is you need to do can wait.”

For a split second, Greg looked like he wanted to argue, but he closed his eyes instead. “God, I hope Cassandra is fine. She took a nasty hit on the head.”

Of all the things to say, it had to be that.
A breathtaking ache seared her heart, but she masked her emotions well. “Barry came by earlier. He said you’ll be okay.”

“Liar,” he bit out.

“What do you mean?” Sarah stiffened, baffled by his accusation.

“They didn’t amputate because they were able to remove the bullet before it shattered my bone. The bullet hit a major artery, and God knows if I’ll ever walk without a limp again.” Greg sounded more resigned than angry.

“It doesn’t matter. What’s important to all of us is that you’re alive.”

Chapter 20

“I think you should go home to the penthouse to get some sleep,” Greg said again. He’d been urging Sarah to go for several minutes, but true to form, she shook her head, obstinate as ever.

“I’m staying here with you. I’ll leave in the morning when Matilda and Simon get here.” She crossed her arms underneath her breasts and glared back at him. They’d been going at it for a while now, and she wasn’t going to let him talk her into leaving him alone. Plus, she wasn’t willing to be away from him just yet.