“Where is he? Is he okay?” I asked nervously.
“You need to get to the hospital right away. I’ll meet you and explain everything there.” The hesitant way he spoke told me that things weren’t good, and I dropped my phone.
In the distance, I saw Gayle grab my phone and put it to her ear, listening to the detective and asking which hospital we should go to. But it was as if I were listening from underwater. The voices around me became muffled as my mind tried to shut down in order to protect itself.
“Daddy, we’re here,” Brooklyn said softly.
I shook the fog from my mind and looked around, surprised to see that we’d already arrived at the hospital. My door was open, and she was standing in front of it, waiting for me to step out. I wasn’t sure how long they’d been trying to get my attention, but it must have been long enough to worry them because they both were looking at me with concern.
My face flushed as I turned and got out of the car and started walking toward the emergency room entrance. Part of me wanted to run through those doors and demand answers and the other part of me wanted to get back in the car and drive far away from whatever truths had made the detective sound like that.
What would I do if I got in there and they told me Oliver was gone? That I’d lost him for good? My heart and my head were in complete agreement, refusing to allow me to even picture that scenario. As if she’d heard my thoughts and knew how fragile I was at the moment, Brooklyn reached for me. She took my hand and squeezed it firmly in hers, lending me her strength. I gave her a grateful, watery smile.
The automatic doors swooshed open and the four of us stepped inside. Detective Rogers was speaking to the nurse at the front desk, but when he saw me, he rushed over. His face was tired and worn and he looked like he’d aged ten years since I’d first met him at the station. I was sure I wasn’t fairing much better though. After some quick introductions to the rest of my family, he led us back to a private room where we could talk. My hands were ice cold as he sat down across from me and looked me in the eyes.
“After I got your call saying that Oliver was missing, Detective Billings and I ran through the list of names Oliver had given us of people he worked with that didn’t like Korey. We felt like that would be the most logical place to start since they would have ties with both Oliver and Korey. I sent officers out to each address we had, both work and residential. I wasn’t going to leave anything to chance. Not long after they were sent out, I got a call from dispatch. A man had called in to report someone screaming in the building next door. Dispatch immediately recognized the address as one of the places I had just sent the officers out to investigate and wanted to warn me of a possible violent situation in progress. The address they gave was for a photography studio with a residence above. The owner was Benjamin Turner.”
“Ben?” I whispered. My head spun, trying to wrap my mind around what the detective had just told me. I’d never met the man, but Oliver had always spoken so highly of his work and about him as a friend. Was he the one behind all of the killings and Korey’s murder? Was he the one who took Oliver? My heart shattered, and tears welled up in my eyes as I pictured Oliver, learning that he’d been betrayed yet again by someone he’d thought was his friend, someone he’d trusted. My poor baby.
“Detective Billings and I arrived at the scene just moments behind the other officers. They’d busted through the door when they saw the two men inside. Ben was on top of Oliver and he was choking him. Oliver wasn’t moving.” I could hear Brooklyn start to cry next to me, but I kept staring at the detective, willing him to finish his story. I needed to know.
“A couple of officers tackled Ben, knocking him off of Oliver. He fought back and somehow in the scuffle, Ben got ahold of a gun.” I could feel sweat trickle down the side of my face despite feeling cold everywhere else. “Ben turned the gun on Oliver and the officers who were performing CPR on him. He was a direct threat to everyone in that room, so he had to be taken down. Officers fired several shots and Ben was killed.”
“What about Oliver? Is he going to be okay?” I asked, fear making my voice shake. Detective Rogers looked down at his feet and my hands gripped the arms of the chair, bracing myself for his next words. When he looked back up, his eyes were haunted.
“He died at the scene.” Gayle gasped on the other side of me and I felt the blood drain out of my face, but Detective Rogers held his hands up. “EMTs got there and they were able to revive him, but he was in very bad shape when he got here. He’s back with the doctors now. They’ll check him out and then come talk to us.” My heart restarted itself. Oliver was alive. I repeated those words over and over in my head, trying to convince myself that they were true.
There was a knock on the door and we all turned to look as a doctor peeked his head inside. “Excuse me, I’m looking for Detective Rogers,” he said.
“That’s me.” The detective stood and shook the doctor’s hand as he stepped into the room.
“I’m Doctor Hammond. I wanted to discuss my findings with the patient connected to your case.” His eyes moved over the rest of us cautiously, as if he wasn’t sure what he could say just yet.
“You can speak freely in here, Doctor Hammond. This is Samuel Bishop and his family. Samuel is Oliver’s boyfriend. Anything you need to discuss concerning Oliver Hughes can be said to him,” Detective Rogers informed him. I gave him a grateful look.
“Okay then, let’s sit down and I’ll go over everything,” Doctor Hammond said. The two of them took seats across from us and the doctor gave me a gentle smile. “I’m assuming Detective Rogers has already updated you on the severity of Oliver’s situation.” I nodded, swallowing around the lump in my throat.
“He suffered multiple bruises, but the worst damage is of course, to his neck. He has torn tissue inside and out and deep bruising to the larynx. Many of the blood vessels in his neck and face burst, making him appear much worse than his condition actually is. He needs to refrain from talking as much as possible over the next few days. I also want to keep him for twenty-four hours, so we can observe him and make sure no other issues arise. All in all, I’d have to say that Oliver is one very lucky man.” We all shared a collective sigh of relief and Gayle and Brooklyn took turns hugging me. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face and I noticed that Detective Rogers seemed to be suffering from the same affliction.
“When can I see him, Doctor?” I asked anxiously. I needed to see Oliver like I needed my next breath.
“I’ll walk you to his room.”
After hugging Gayle and Brooklyn and shaking hands with Andrew, I sent them home to get some rest. They wanted to see Oliver too, but understood that I needed some time alone with him, so they promised to come back after a few hours. I shook Detective Rogers’ hand and thanked him for everything he had done to find Oliver then I followed the doctor to Oliver’s room.
He looked so small and fragile lying in that hospital bed, the sound of machines beeping all around him and I gasped when I saw the angry purple and red bruising around his eyes and throat. Tears were streamed down my face as I pulled up a chair alongside his bed and took his hand. He didn’t stir so I lowered my head to our hands and sobbed, saying a prayer of thanks that he hadn’t been taken from me.
Oliver’s fingers tightened around my hand and I lifted my head. The most beautiful pair of chestnut-colored eyes were staring back at me. They were full of fear and sadness, but they also held love. He opened his mouth to say something, but I held my hand up to stop him.
“The doctor said you’re not allowed to talk.” His chin quivered so I carefully climbed on the bed and wrapped my arms around him. “You don’t need to say anything though, baby. I know, I know.”
I held him then as we cried together, sharing our pain, and our fear and finding relief in the safety of each other’s arms. I had the man I loved back with me and I was never going to let him go again. I could handle anything that came my way as long as he was by my side.
