Finley.
Sharp.
Thegun.
Ihad been shot. Was I dead? Was Alec dead? What about Finley? Where was I? Wherewere they?
Itried to sit up, pulling at wires and an IV line connected to my arm. A nearbynurse bolted over, talking nonsense in a soothing tone, while gently pushing meback to lie down again.
“No,no!” I shouted, pushing away at her fluttering hands. “Where is Alec?!”
“Dinnaeye fuss, miss,” she soothed, stroking a calming handover my hair. “Just closeyereyes and go back tosleep. Ye needyerrest.”
“No!Please!”
Then,a familiar voice came rushing toward me with the sound of heavy footsteps.
“Rosie!Rosie, you're awake!”
Ilooked beyond the fretting nurse to see Tom, hurrying to stand at my bedside.At the sight of his face, I gave in to the nurse's insistence and crumbled intoa mess of wordless tears and sobs.
“Oh,my God, Rosie,” he said, bending over the bed to rest his face against myshoulder and shed his own tears of relief. “Oh, God, you're okay, you're okay.I promise, you're okay.”
“W-whathappened a-a-after I—”
Icouldn't say it, that I had been shot, and had almost died. So, I let thequestion hang in the air as I cried, unable to come to terms with being aliveand awake after facing the barrel of Sharp's gun.
Tomstood up and found a chair. Then, sitting beside my bed, with my hand in his,he took a deep breath and began to tell me the parts of the story he knew.
“Iknow the police want to talk to you, and they'll know more than I do right now,but you were shot in the chest. The bullet just missed your heart,” he said,unable to look me in the eyes. “There were about twenty cuts all over yourtorso and I think they said you needed over seventy stitches.”
“But…” I shook my head, narrowing my eyes as I tried desperately to remember themoments from when I was blacked out. “How am I even alive?”
Heopened his mouth as if to speak, but then, shrugged before saying, “I … I don'treally know. I don't know all the details. All I do know is, that guy who'shouse you were staying at—”
“Oh,my God, Rick,” I said with a gasp, recalling his body, laying in the doorway asSharp dragged me out of the house.
“Right,Rick. He told the police where to look for you.”
“What,um,” I closed my eyes, afraid to ask the question that needed to be asked,“what about Alec and Finley? Are they alive? What about Rick?”
Tomsighed and squeezed my hand. “I don't know. I know the guy who took you isdead—”
“Sharpis dead,” I repeated breathlessly, pressing a hand to the bandage on my chest.
“Yeah,he is,” he said quietly, holding on tight to me. “And I know Rick is alive. Theother men that were found with you were brought in, but that’s the last Iheard. I don't know what's happened since then, and that was … God, almost twodays ago, I guess—”
Snappingmy eyes open, I stared at him in disbelief. “I've been asleep for almosttwodays?”
Henodded solemnly. “Yeah. They said you'd probably be out for a while after theanesthesia.”
Twodays was a long time. Plenty of time for a multitude of things to happen and gowrong. In a hurry to find out more of the details, I tugged at the cannula inmy nose and the IV in my hand. Tom shook his head and pressed his hands gentlyto my shoulders, demanding that I calm down and stay in bed. But I couldn'tjust lay there. Not when I had no idea of what had happened to Alec and Finley.
“Howabout I get someone, and you can ask?” he offered, pleading me with his eyes tonot do anything stupid.
Reluctantly,I nodded. “Okay. But hurry.”
***
