Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 86629 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86629 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
“Still waiting to hear.”
“I’ll make some calls. He’ll get the best care possible.”
“I appreciate that.” I grip the arms of the chair to steady myself. “Sinead needs a husband. That’s the last piece we got left.”
“Don’t worry about her. I’ll find someone.”
“Pick a good man. Actually, no, pick a strong man. Not sure there are many husbands in the world who can handle her.”
Declan snorts a soft laugh and looks over my shoulder. “I know how that feels.”
I rub my face with both hands. “Are we calling this even?”
“No, we aren’t. There will be further consequences.”
“That’s what Sinead said.”
“And you deserve it. Leaving her at the altar like that. Fucking up all our plans and starting a war. You’ll clean it up, Connor.”
“I will,” I say, meaning it.
“Welcome back to the family then.” Declan stands and offers me his hand.
I shake it. “I appreciate that. Now, I should get to the hospital.”
“You want anything? Coffee? A shower?”
“I’m good.”
“You’re definitely not.”
“Better than my dad.”
He dips his chin, real concern in his eyes, and raises it toward the door. “You should get moving then.”
The stink of antiseptic is everywhere.
Hospitals feel so worn out: the walls scuffed and marked, the floors scratched and marred. It’s like all the suffering that moves through this place is left burned into the wood and the plastic, and no amount of scrubbing cleans it out.
I reach the waiting room, push the door open, and find my family sitting together at the far side, huddled around Danielle like they’re trying to protect her.
Strange, how these women are deeply in my life. I don’t know how I deserve them. Rowan, her strength, her deep well of feelings; she’s the moral compass I need. Angie with her need to help other people. And even Danielle, as annoying as she can be, she’s still my father’s partner and it looks like she’s crumbling under the pressure of maybe losing him.
“Connor.” Angie notices me first and comes hurrying over. I open my arms and she throws herself against me. I hug her hard, holding her warm body, breathing in her smell and some of the hurt and the ache and anxiety fades. That’s how it is when she’s around. Everything bad becomes better.
“Any word?”
“Still nothing.” She breathes in deep and looks up. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”
“How are they doing?”
“Danielle’s a mess. Rowan’s trying to be strong.” She checks over her shoulder. “I think they need you.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long, but I’m back now.”
She touches my cheek. “Is everything okay?”
I hold her hand and nuzzle against it. “Yeah, angel. Everything’s okay.” I kiss her fingers before joining my sister and Danielle. They hug me and Rowan lets out a single, hopeless sob against my chest, which shatters my heart into glinting pieces. I touch Danielle’s hand and she presses it back, lips pressed tight.
“He’s going to be okay,” I tell her, but she’s pale and seems so small.
“What if he’s not?” Her voice is tiny. Her eyes dart to Rowan and she grimaces. I can tell she’s trying to be strong for her daughter, but it’s hard.
“He will be.”
There’s not much else to say after that. Angie joins us and we remain in a tight huddle, killing time, doing not much more than staring at an old TV playing reruns of Frasier in the corner of the room.
I start to feel like nothing will ever happen, like we’re trapped in a strange limbo between now and the future, when the door opens. A fit, middle-aged man in scrubs enters. He’s got the broad chest and the big, fine hands of a surgeon, a clipboard held out like a shield in front of him.
“Ah, Cathal Maguire’s family?” He looks at us expectantly.
“I’m his wife.” Danielle stands, even though I can tell she doesn’t want to. I’m proud of her though. “Is he okay?”
“The procedure went well,” the surgeon says in that brisk, clipped way his profession forces. “We removed the bullets and repaired the damage we could. There’s going to be a long recovery and no guarantee he’ll walk right again. One bullet fragment clipped his spine.”
“But he’s alive?”
The surgeon looks surprised. “Nobody told you? Yes, oh, yes, he’s doing well. You can see him in about an hour, though he won’t be all the way awake yet—“
Danielle breaks down into relieved sobs. The surgeon frowns at her like he doesn’t know what to do. I stand and guide her back to Rowan and Angie, all three women crying now.
“Thank you,” I tell the surgeon. “I’m his son.”
“Your father’s a lucky man. Any one of those shots could’ve been the end of him.” The surgeon checks the door behind him. “The man who brought him in—“
“I understand he’s in police custody?”
“Yes. Well. He saved your father’s life.”
“I’ll remember that.”