Sworn to Protect (28 page)

As they eased him onto a backboard and lifted him onto a gurney, Daisy’s pulse hammered in her throat. He was too still, lashes resting on his pale cheeks. A couple of the men were trying to reassure her and Drew that he’d be all right, but it wasn’t much comfort. The medics couldn’t hide the fact that they were in a hurry to get him to the hospital, that Shane was losing too much blood. She wouldn’t feel better until she saw him awake and on the mend.

She and Drew trailed the gurney out the door, but she held the boy back when he tried to climb into the ambulance. “No. We need to stay out of their way. I’ll drive you, and we’ll get you checked out while they’re making Shane better. All right?”

Zack slammed the ambulance doors shut behind Julian and nodded to the group. “We’ll take him to Sterling,” he said. Then he hopped into the driver’s seat and started the vehicle.

Drew stared at the ambulance as it rumbled off, taking the man they loved with it. The boy looked about five seconds from collapse.

“Come on,” she said, hugging his shoulders. “The quicker we see about that cut on your arm, the quicker we can find out about Shane.”

“Yeah.” He swallowed hard. “OK.”

“You guys got it here?” she called to the captain, who’d arrived on the scene.

He waved her off. “Go on. I’ll be along when I can to check on Ford.”

The others expressed similar sentiments, and Chris tossed her a set of keys to the SUV he’d driven on the way. She guided Drew to the vehicle and helped him in before getting in on her own side and starting it up. The boy was silent, pale and shaken, as they rode. The ER would dress his injuries, but the wounds on his heart and soul would take much longer.

“Shane’s right,” she said. “None of this was your fault.”

“I should’ve told Shane about Dad,” he whispered. “I saw that creep, Carl, in our house a lot, dressed up like a stupid preacher. But I knew a freak like him wasn’t pushing religion. I didn’t know what to do, so I waited, thinking Dad would stop doing the drugs on his own. I thought,
If he doesn’t, I’ll tell Shane.
But I waited too long.”

Daisy blinked back tears. Poor boy, to carry that burden. “Neither of you had any way of knowing those drugs were so dangerous. They were supposed to be performance enhancing and undetectable by routine drug screening. Even when training camp started, your dad likely wouldn’t have stopped. He was looking to extend his career and he made a bad decision. He didn’t know they were lying about their product. But he made his choice to take the risk, Drew.”

“I still wish . . .” His voice broke, and he rested his head against the window.

Reaching over, she gripped his hand. “I know.”

“Carl murdered a man in that cabin yesterday,” he said quietly.

“What?” She glanced back and forth between him and the road.

“Yeah. Did you notice all that dried blood on the table and floor? It’s not mine. When we skipped yesterday, we came out here to see what Carl was doing. He and Frank were in there with a third guy. They were arguing about the drugs. The third man was saying that the drug was defective and needed to be improved before any more hit the street. Carl shot him between the eyes, then spotted us watching, and we ran.”

“So that’s why he was after you. God, kid, you almost got yourself killed!”

“I know it was stupid. And I was dumb to think Ty could talk him out of hurting me.” He paused. “Carl also mentioned killing someone named Holstead. Frank was in on that, too.”

“Well, Carl’s dead and we’ve got Frank now, thanks to you.” Drew was a credible witness and would have to take the stand, most likely. But it would make their case even more airtight.

They rode in silence for a few minutes. Then suddenly the boy sat up. “There’s something else. I think I might have an idea where they were making the drugs.”

“You do? Where?”

“When we painted Frank’s barn, there was a weird smell coming from inside. We poked around in there and didn’t see much, but I keep thinking maybe we missed something. Maybe he stashed them out of sight.”

She smiled at him. “That’s good work, kid. We’ll definitely get a warrant and check it out. Hey, you might make a great detective someday.”

He smiled a little at that. “Maybe. It might be cool to help put assholes in prison, like you guys do. I think Dad would like that.”

She wiped at a tear. “I know he would, kiddo.”

In the ER, the doctor and nurse, once they were finally available to see Drew, took good care of his arm. Shane had already been rushed into surgery, and most of the staff was with him. Another doctor had to be called in.

The cut on Drew’s arm was deep enough to need stitches, but the injury wouldn’t leave lasting damage, save for a scar. The teen endured the stitches like a man, not even flinching. Daisy was proud of him, but didn’t embarrass him by gushing overmuch.

Once they were finished, they were ushered to a smaller, private waiting room, where the families of more critical victims were placed away from prying eyes. That in itself set her nerves on edge, fear spiking. She tried to hide it from Drew, who was slumped in a chair, exhausted, and thought she was managing pretty well.

“Sit down. You’re making me crazy.”

Or not. “Sorry.” She flopped down beside him with a sigh.

Soon after, cops began to trickle in as word got out that one of their own was down. They made small talk, and the tension rose. Tommy and Shea arrived next, both of them making a beeline straight for her and Drew. Daisy could tell how afraid they were, but they reined it in for the teen’s sake. More than three hours had passed by the time Austin, Taylor, Chris, and even the newbie, Tonio Salvatore, were able to break away and join everyone.

The clock barely seemed to move.

Then the door swung open and a doctor stepped inside. “Is this the . . . family of Shane Ford?” he asked, brows raised at the number of people in the room.

“Yes!” several cops loudly agreed.

Daisy, Drew, Shea, and Tommy were ushered to the front of the group, and Shea acted as their spokesperson. “Dr. Chen, hello.”

“Nurse Skyler,” he said in surprise. “It’s good to see you, though not under these circumstances.”

“Thank you. I’m Shane’s sister, and everyone else here is just as much his family as I am. How is he?” she asked in a tremulous voice.

The doctor adjusted his glasses and nodded. “Mr. Ford lost a lot of blood and gave us a bit of a scare in surgery when his pressure dipped dangerously low. We had to fish out the bullet, staunch the internal bleeding, and give him two and a half pints of blood. That said, no major organs were hit. He came through after a couple of bumps, and, barring infection, I’m confident he’s going to recover well.”

Daisy’s knees sagged with relief. Drew wrapped her in an ecstatic hug, and there was a collective murmur in the room as everyone exclaimed their relief.

“He’s in recovery now, but he should be moved to a room in ICU shortly. I expect he’ll be there a day or two, then he’ll be ready for a regular room.”

“How long will he have to stay here?” Daisy asked anxiously.

“I’d guess a week, but maybe he’ll get out sooner if he’s a good boy.” The doc winked, and some of the group laughed in relief. “A nurse will let you all know his room number once he’s settled in. I’ll be by to check on him later tonight.”

With that, he left. Daisy realized she and Drew were still clinging to each other, so she led him back to their seats.

“I
told
you he was gonna be OK,” the teen said, giving her a mock look of superiority.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Right. I guess I should listen to you, huh?”

“You know it. Daisy?”

“Hmm?”

Suddenly he grew serious. “I never thought I wanted a mom, but since it looks like I’m going to get one, anyway, I’m glad it’s you.”

Tears pricked her eyes as she smiled, reaching out to push a lock of dark hair from his eyes. “And I’m glad you’re my kid. You’re a pretty great guy, and I love you.”

Blushing, he smiled. “You, too.”

“I’m a great guy?”

He snorted. “Yeah, whatever.”

“I thought Shane erased that word from your vocabulary, young man.”

“Nah. I’m a work in progress, and he’s got a long way to go.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s not going to mind at all.”

“True that. I
am
pretty awesome.”

Laughing, she smacked his shoulder. Both of her men were awesome, and she couldn’t wait to get started on their lives together.

As soon as Shane got back on his feet.

•   •   •

Shane came awake slowly.

Soft sounds penetrated the cotton in his head. A beeping noise. Shuffling. But wherever he was, it was quiet. He was lying in a comfortable, warm bed. Though when he tried to move a bit, there was a pinch in his side. He sucked in a breath because of the pain, and that hurt even more.

“Easy,” a sweet voice said. “Don’t wiggle around.”

“Daisy?”

“It’s me, sweetie. How do you feel?”

“Like I’ve been sat on by an elephant.”

That earned a giggle. “Not quite. Do you remember what happened?”

He thought about it. Gradually, the memory came back. “Carl shot me. Is the fucker dead?”

“As a doornail. You killed him.”

“Good riddance.” Finally he was able to open his eyes. It took a couple of minutes to focus on Daisy’s face, and when he did, he managed a smile. She looked beautiful, if a little tired, blond hair down around her shoulders, the way he loved it. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.” Leaning over, she kissed him on the lips. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me, too. Or I will be when I get out of here.” He surveyed the rest of the room. There were flowers and balloons. Nice. “Where’s Drew? Is he OK?”

“He’s totally fine,” she assured him. “He went down to the cafeteria with Shea. He stayed with Tommy and your sister last night, and they convinced him to stay home from school today. But he’s determined to go back tomorrow and catch up on the work he missed.”

“He is? Did an alien invade his body?” She just laughed. “How long have I been here?”

“The shooting was yesterday. You slept all night and most of today.”

“Damn. I lost twenty-four hours. Could’ve been worse, I suppose.”

“Much.” She hesitated, and he waited, knowing she had something important on her mind. “Drew told me what he’d been so scared about the night before he disappeared, and we were right. It was Carl.”

“I knew it!” He tried to sit up, but fell back, groaning. She fussed over him for a minute before he shook his head. “Go on, tell me.”

“When the boys cut class, they found Carl and Frank at the cabin with a third man. The third guy argued about the drug being defective, and Carl mentioned killing Larry Holstead. Then he shot the third man between the eyes. Both boys saw the killing, and then Carl spotted them and gave chase. They got away, but that’s why Drew was so frightened when he came in.”

He stared at her, the truth washing over him. “My God. I lectured him about classes and his grades. I grounded him, and he’d just seen a murder. He knew Carl was going to come after him! What kind of father am I?”

“A good one.” Clasping one of his hands, she kissed his fingers. “You said what any dad would have with the information you had.”

“I knew something was terribly wrong. If I had just pushed him harder for the truth, he wouldn’t have been in danger yesterday.”

“Listen, you and that boy are driving me crazy with your self-blame,” she said, arching a brow. “You’re both going to have to learn that there are circumstances you can’t control. You don’t have a crystal ball to see the future and know exactly what to do. So give yourselves a break, please.”

“I will if he will,” a voice said from the doorway.

Shane smiled when he saw Drew walk straight toward him. “Come here, kid.”

Drew wrapped him in a careful hug, then let him go and took a vacated chair by the bed while Shea did the same.

“Cool to see you awake,” the teen said, smiling. “I thought you were going to sleep all day.”

“I still might. Injured man’s prerogative.”

“I guess you don’t want to hear another apology?”

“You guessed right. There have been enough regrets to go around, and it’s time to move forward. Don’t you agree?”

“For sure.”

Shea stood, perhaps sensing they needed time together, and kissed Shane’s cheek. “I’m going to run some errands now that you’re awake. Love you, bro.”

“You too, sis.”

After she was gone, Shane studied Daisy and Drew before addressing the boy. “I want to talk to you about something, Drew. This isn’t the ideal place and time, but . . . I need to know how you feel about the three of us becoming a family.”

The words hung there, and Drew looked between them in apparent surprise. “Why would I have a problem with that? What, like I didn’t think that’s where you guys were going?”

“I don’t know, but I thought if you weren’t ready for that, if you just wanted it to be you and me for a while, then that’s how we’ll do it.”