Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
I breathed, but the knot in my chest didn’t loosen.
The guy didn’t seem to be a threat, but he was a much-needed reminder. I need to call my father.
I walked over to the woman behind the glass who had taken Wes’s information. “Excuse me. Can you tell me where the chapel is?”
She pointed to a doorway. “Down the hall, take the first right, and it’s the first door on your left.”
“Thank you.”
As I walked, I pulled my phone out and scrolled to my father’s name in my contacts. Opening the door to the chapel, I was relieved to find it empty and immediately pressed the Call button.
He answered on the first ring.
“What’s wrong?”
“Dad, Wes was shot.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at Memorial Hospital.”
“Where exactly?”
“I’m in the chapel right now. I was waiting in the emergency room for them to come out and tell me how Wes is, but I realized I needed to call you. I need to get back.”
“You don’t leave that chapel, Juliette. Do you understand me? Is there a lock on the door?”
“I need to get back to Wes.” Tears welled in my eyes. “He’s all alone.”
“I don’t give two shits,” Dad barked. “You stay in that damn chapel until my men get there.”
“Are you even listening to me?” I shouted. “Wes was shot! He could die!” My pulse pounded in my ears. “And it’s your fault!”
“I’ll have men to you in fifteen minutes. Leave the hospital with them when they arrive.”
“Go to hell!” I yelled as I ended the call.
I wiped my eyes and went back to the waiting room, regretting that I’d left.
“Hi. I’m sorry to bother you again,” I said to the admitting clerk. “But I stepped out for a few minutes, so I don’t know if you were looking for me about Wes Callahan. I’m still waiting to hear how he is.”
She pointed with her pen to two men in suits. “No info from the doctors yet, but those two police officers asked for the woman who came in with Mr. Callahan.”
Great.
They must’ve overheard because they walked over. “You came in with the gunshot wound?”
I nodded.
“I’m Detective Olson, and this is my partner, Detective Barkley.” He flipped open a small pad. “What can you tell us about the shooting?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. One minute I was standing at a booth at the farmer’s market, and the next Wes was on the ground bleeding.”
“There was no argument or altercation beforehand?”
“No.”
“Did you get a look at the shooter?”
I shook my head again. “I didn’t see anything. Wes covered me like a human shield.”
“The clerk said Mr. Callahan is your boyfriend?”
I nodded.
“And your name is?”
“Juliette.”
The door that led to the back finally opened. “Person here for Callahan!” a man called.
Forgetting about the cops, I rushed to the man in scrubs. “I’m here for Wes.”
“Mr. Callahan is stable, but we’ve taken him up to surgery. If you want to follow me, I can take you to the surgical waiting area. You can register at the nurses’ station, and they’ll check in with the doctors during the surgery and give you periodic updates.”
“Okay.” I started walking, not even noticing that the cops had joined me.
“Juliette,” one said. “We’re going to need to take a statement.”
“I told you, I didn’t see anything.”
“Sometimes a witness doesn’t even realize they have information that can help us find the perpetrator. Something seemingly innocuous that you saw can turn into a lead.”
“I can’t even think straight. I need to go to the surgical ward.”
He nodded. “We’ll come find you in a little while.”
***
Three hours later, a doctor finally came out to talk to me. He lowered the mask covering his mouth and pulled off his surgical cap. “I’m Dr. Ettleman.”
“Hi, Doctor. I’m Juliette Grecco.”
He put his hands on his hips. “Mr. Callahan did great. The bullet nicked his liver, but I was able to repair the laceration without complication. His vitals are strong, and the minute we woke him up in recovery, he was asking for you.” He smiled. “He’ll be in the hospital for a few days, but I expect he’ll make a full recovery.”
I let out a long breath and covered my heart with my hand. “Oh, thank God. Can I see him?”
The doctor nodded. “He’ll be in recovery for another thirty to sixty minutes. Then he’ll go to the ICU as a precaution. He lost a significant amount of blood.”
“Okay.” I nodded, still trying to absorb it all. “Thank you, Doctor.”
“I’ll let the nurse know to come get you when he’s being transferred.”
He walked away, leaving me standing there, equal parts relieved and wrecked. ICU. A significant amount of blood. I sank into one of the waiting room chairs and stared at the floor, my mind replaying the day until a nurse finally appeared.
When I looked up, she smiled. “You can see Mr. Callahan now.”