Aud relaxed for a moment. “That’s fine. I don’t think there’ll be a problem.”
Felix paused as the nurse turned to head back down the hall in the direction she’d come from. “Wait. Julie’s still in with the police. We need to let her know.”
“Where are we going to be?” Aud focused on the nurse.
“In the recovery room. Anyone can point her in that direction.”
“Go on.” Aud motioned for Felix to follow the nurse. “I’ll let them know and be right behind you.” He wanted to be there as quickly as possible, but if Leo was in recovery, it might be a little while before anything really happened. He had time to make sure Julie knew.
After walking across the hall, Aud knocked on the door to the consultation room before he opened it. Julie sat on a couch, with Benet and the officer in chairs near her. All three looked at him.
“Leo’s out of surgery and in recovery. Felix and I are going down to the recovery waiting room.”
“Okay. We’ll follow shortly,” Benet said.
Aud paused and looked at Julie’s face. From what he could tell, she looked calm. “Good.” He stepped back out of the room and closed the door.
He was fast enough to spot Felix and the nurse turning a corner a short distance down the hall. He hurried after them. I really hope this is all about to be over. I’m ready for things to find a balance point and a new normal to start up. I’m not sure what the new normal is going to be, but it will be wonderful to find it, as long as Leo’s around to be part of it.
27
LEO BLINKED against the brightness. A light and airy sensation filled his head. Everything felt odd. The sheets covering him weren’t his; they were too scratchy. He moved slightly and something on his right side pulled, sending a wave of pain through him. He gasped and opened his eyes wide.
“Careful.” A strong hand rested on his shoulder, but somewhere in the depths of his fuzzy brain, he recognized Aud’s voice. “The nurse said if you move around too much, you might pull out the stitches, and that wouldn’t be good.”
He closed his eyes against the brightness in the room. “Nurse?” Leo let out a long breath. “That’s right. I’m in the hospital.”
“Randal stabbed you.” Julie’s voice came from the other side of the bed.
“Right.” Leo slowly opened his eyes again. “Is everyone okay?”
“We’re fine,” Julie said. “A few scrapes. Felix banged up his hands pretty good beating the scumbag.” She shoved a pair of glasses into his hand. “Here. They’re your spare pair. Until you can get new ones. I ran back to your place after you made it out of surgery and I talked with the cops.”
After slipping his glasses on, Leo could focus on the room around him. He moved his head slowly until he spotted Felix sitting behind Aud. “Felix, are you okay? I thought I’d dreamed of you attacking someone.”
“I’ll be fine. I wasn’t going to let Axe… Randal… whatever his name is hurt you the way he hurt me. I just don’t have that in me.” There was a little fire back in Felix; seeing it helped Leo feel better, even as an ache started in his right side.
“He was a real hero out there.” Pride colored Julie’s voice.
“So what’s going on?” Leo asked. “I mean with Randal and all.”
They took turns relating what had happened and how Benet was still going to need to get an official statement from Leo in a day or so, when he was feeling better. Until then, they were holding Randal on assault with a deadly weapon, rape, and stalking charges.
With a heavy sigh, Leo relaxed into his pillow. He squeezed Aud’s hand. “So maybe this means we can finally have a quiet, relaxing night together after I’ve healed up a bit.”
Aud’s smile warmed him. “I’m hoping so.”
A soft knock came from the door, and they all turned. Leo’s mother and father stood there.
“What happened to you?” his mother asked as she hurried to the bedside.
“A little trouble at Walmart,” Leo replied. “You’ve always warned me about shopping there. It’ll be nice when I don’t have to.”
Julie moved aside so his mother could reach him. As she bent over him, the smell of her White Diamonds perfume flooded him. “Yes, it will. I’m just glad you’re going to be okay. I was terrified when Julie called to say you’d been stabbed and were headed for surgery. I woke your father from his nap and got him moving immediately.”
“So traffic wasn’t too bad from Fort Collins?” Julie asked as she walked around the foot of the bed to sit on the windowsill next to Felix.
“Bad enough,” Leo’s father said. “I think they were having some kind of event near downtown Denver. Traffic was backed up for miles, and we never did see an accident. That’s one of the biggest reasons we don’t ever come down to visit. Just getting through Denver can be a real nightmare.”