“I need to use the bathroom.”
Leaving her parents, she went in and locked the door behind her, then let out the breath she was holding and crumbled to the floor. How did this happen? Why? Why Audrey? Sobbing, Fallon crawled across the bathroom floor to a toilet and started puking. She held her gut as she threw up, tears streaming down her face for her sister, her heart heavy for Tate. He had already lost everything, and there was a chance that he could lose Audrey.
Pulling herself together, she washed her mouth out and went back to her parents. A doctor stood before them, talking and gesturing with his hands as Fallon rushed up.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Aquino, please start over, my daughter was in the bathroom,” Nora said gently, taking hold of Fallon’s hands.
“Yes, of course, like I said, Ms. Parker’s injuries are very severe. Her face is badly bruised and damaged. She has dental injuries, her two top front teeth were knocked out along with two from the bottom. Her nose is broken, her left eye socket is fractured, and her left ankle is broken. But the injury that mostly concerns us is the swelling in her brain. We have started mannitol to help with the swelling. She is still unconscious and there is a respirator breathing for her. As far as we know, the baby is okay. We have the neonatal specialist coming down specifically to check on the fetus, but so far everything looks fine. We don’t want her waking and moving and causing further damage, so we are keeping her sedated. When you see her, there will be tubes and machines that are helping her and it can be scary, but she is in good hands. We are keeping a close eye on her and the pressure in her brain. We will know more about her prognosis as the night goes on.”
“Baby, oh my God, there’s a baby?” Fallon shouted.
“Just shush, Fallon,” William said, and then asked the doctor, “When can we see her?”
“Soon. She is being transferred to the ICU. Once she’s there, only two of you can go in at a time. If you want, you are more than welcome to go up there now.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” William said. After shaking the man’s hand, he put an arm around his wife’s shoulders and they started for the doors, Fallon close behind.
“Tate Odder?”
Tate looked up from the cot on which he sat in the corner of the jail cell. He was alone, and he liked it that way. There was no one to look at him as he tried to process what had happened. He still didn’t understand. Who does this? What did Audrey ever do to Levi for him to want to hurt her? He still didn’t even know if she was alive. She didn’t have a pulse when he left her at the condo. She was dying, and with all that blood, she could have passed when he was trying to kill the man who had tried to murder her. Tate felt bruised, beaten, and heartbroken. What was the point of moving or living when there was nothing to live for?
“Yeah?” he asked.
The cop moved from the doorway. “Your bail has been set.”
Tate nodded and moved from the cot. When he’d been escorted to the police car after his arrest, Lucas yelled that he would be there to get him out. He just wished it hadn’t taken four hours. Now, he walked behind the cop like a zombie, going through the motions of life. When Lucas came into view, he looked just as beaten as Tate knew he did. Audrey’s blood was still under his nails and all over his clothes, but he didn’t care about the way he looked, or the way Lucas looked like for that matter. All he cared about was Audrey.
“Is she alive?” he asked, his heart stopping while he waited for the answer.
Lucas nodded. “Yeah, we need to get to the hospital.”
Tate felt his heart start again.
She was alive.
He began to shake, and when they released him, he rushed out, following Lucas to his truck.