Page 54 of A Burning Rage

I reach out to touch her cheek, brushing my thumb over her soft skin. “I would have done anything to protect you.” I frown, realizing how damn close I came that day to losing the love of my life. “Cooper said Tyler killed Andrew.”

She nods. “Tyler came around the back of the Jaguar just as you were hit. You fell at my feet, and Andrew was about to take another shot at me when Tyler fired, hitting Andrew square in the chest. I think Andrew died instantly. He never moved after hitting the ground. I remember hearing his mother screaming hysterically.”

“Where is Tyler?”

“I think he’s at the police station giving a statement.”

“Surely, they’re not charging him over the shooting.”

“They’re not. It’s already been ruled as self-defense. They just wanted a statement from him. I heard the Mortons tried to bring wrongful death charges against Tyler, but their demands didn’t go anywhere. The city prosecutor assigned to the case declined to press charges. There are cameras in the parking garage that recorded the entire event. It’s very cut and dry.”

Beth has been through hell—we both have. “I really want to go home,” I say.

She nods. “Soon.”

“I want to lie in my own bed with my wife in my arms. Is that too much to ask?”

She leans in to kiss me, her lips soft and gentle on mine, as if she’s afraid she’ll hurt me. When she runs her fingers through my hair, I groan.

“Rest now,” she says.

I nod. “I need to see Tyler.”

She brushes my hair back. “I’ll let him know. Sleep now.”

Chapter 20 – Beth

Shane falls asleep early in the evening, exhausted from reassuring his family he’s all right. The truth is, he’s out of the woods yes, but he’s far from being back to normal. He’s so physically weak. He can’t even take care of himself yet, and it might be a while before he can.

When Dr. Markowski was in here earlier to see him, she mentioned Shane going to a rehabilitation center to regain his strength and get physical therapy. I just want him to come home, but of course whatever the doctor thinks he needs is what we’ll do.

For the rest of the evening, I sit in my recliner and watch him sleeping, checking his heart rate and blood pressure on the monitors. Nurses come in periodically to check his temperature and oxygen levels, and fortunately, everything continues to look good. I need him to get well so he can come home. I won’t rest until he’s safe in our bed.

Cooper’s phone rings, and he picks up the call. “Hey, babe. How’s everything at home?”

It’s Sam.

They chat for a while, Cooper keeping his voice low. “I miss you, too,” he says. There’s a pause while he listens. “Yeah, me too.” Another pause. “I’m sorry, babe. I promise I’ll make it up to you when I get home.”

Cooper rises from the sofa and brings me his phone. “Sam wants to talk to you.”

I take the phone from Cooper and hold it to my ear. “Hi, Sam.”

“Is it okay if I bring Luke to the hospital in the morning to see Shane? He keeps asking for his daddy, and since Shane’s awake now, I thought it might be a good time, assuming you think Shane’s up to it.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” I say. “I’m sure Shane would love to see Luke.”

That night, as I lie in my makeshift bed getting sleepier by the minute, I think about the dream I had the night before… about the little boy with brown hair and bright blue eyes whom Shane called Wyatt.

* * *

The next morning, after I’m showered and dressed, a nurse comes to change Shane’s bandages and check his temperature. Cooper and I step out of the room while she checks his catheter and empties the bag. She also bathes him and washes his hair.

When we return to the room, she’s helping him elevate the head of his bed so he can sit partially up.

“We’re going to start you on a liquid diet this morning,” the nurse tells Shane. “Clear juice and some broth for breakfast. We’ll see how you do with that, and if your body handles it well, then we’ll slowly work you up to a solid diet.”

As the nurse is leaving, Sam and Luke walk into the room.