Page 37 of A Burning Rage

I glance down at my hands and notice they’re heavily stained with blood. So are my clothes. “I’m getting your car dirty.”

Tyler reaches over with his free hand and covers my hands. “It’s okay, honey.”

“Tyler, what if he—”

“Beth, don’t. There’s no use in speculating. Let’s wait and get the facts.”

Even now, he might be gone. He could have died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. He might have died alone, without me there to hold him. Without me there to tell him how much I love him, how much our kids love him. Without me giving him one last kiss.

The pain is more than I can bear. I don’t even recognize the agonized sobs coming out of me.

Tyler squeezes my hands, offering comfort and commiseration, but no amount of comfort can break through this level of pain. It’s indescribable. My heart is beating so fast it feels like it could break through my ribs at any second.

It’s not long before we pull into the hospital parking lot. Tyler finds a parking spot in the garage near the entrance to the emergency room. I don’t even remember getting out of the car, but suddenly we’re inside the building. I’m functioning on auto pilot as my brother steers me where we need to go. We stop at an information desk, and Tyler asks about Shane.

The receptionist checks her computer screen. “Yes, here he is. There’s not much information entered into the system yet, but it looks like he’s in the trauma unit being evaluated.”

Being evaluated? Does that mean he’s still alive? It must, right?

Tyler leads me to the waiting room and sits me down. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water?”

I shake my head, too numb to speak. If I ingest anything, I know I’ll throw up.

Someone slips into the open seat beside me. “Beth!”

It’s Ian, breathless, his handsome face flushed. His gaze darts over to Tyler, and he nods before he turns his attention back to me.

“I’m so sorry, sweetie.” Ian draws me into his arms and holds me tight. “He’s going to be all right,” he whispers in my ear. “Shane would never leave you. Not in a million years.”

“It’s bad, Ian. Really bad.” My throat is so raw it hurts to speak. “We don’t even know his condition.”

As my tears fall, Ian tucks my head into the crook of his neck and gently rubs my back. “It’s going to be okay, sweetie.”

“Sugar.”

I straighten in my seat to find Cooper standing in front of me, looking as devastated as I feel. I spring to my feet, and he pulls me into his arms. Sam is standing behind him, his eyes bloodshot and rimmed in red.

“Cooper—” I can’t manage to get anything more than his name out before my voice breaks. “Andrew shot him!” The words are ripped from my throat, spewing out of me with a mixture of rage and sorry. “He was trying to shoot me, but Shane stepped between us, and Andrew shot him instead! There was so much blood!” I stare down in horror at my hands, which are stained red with my husband’s blood. And then I utter the scariest words I’ve ever said in my life. “I don’t even know if he’s still alive!”

My knees buckle, and Cooper catches me before I hit the floor.

Chapter 14 – Beth

It’s not long before the members of Shane’s family begin to arrive. His brother Jake is first, with his wife, Annie. A minute later, their parents, Bridget and Calum, walk in. Calum is supporting Bridget, who’s sobbing. Then Jamie and his wife, Molly, arrive. Then Sophie and Dominic, Liam and Jasmine, and Lia and Jonah.

My heart aches when I see so many familiar faces walking through those automatic doors. They all pause and search the waiting room until they spot our family gathered to one side of the room.

They take turns hugging me tightly and murmuring words of encouragement.

Don’t worry.

He’s going to be fine.

He’s strong as an ox.

He’ll get through this. You both will.

And then there’s Lia. “Don’t worry, Princess, my brother is way too stubborn to die. Besides, you know he’d never leave you.”