Alistair Chapter 3

The non-stop flight from St. Augustine Airport to the nearest airport to Loma Linda, which was Ontario-San Bernardino Airport, took almost five hours. Once we got there, it was a half hour drive to San Bernardino proper where the hospital was located. I was impatient to be there and hated the drive. Cormac had stayed in contact with the hospital and Creed. All we knew was she was alive and in surgery for most of the time we were traveling. When we landed, the latest report was that she was in recovery and the doctor was waiting for the family’s arrival to update them.

With there being eighteen of us, arrangements had been made for two large limos to be waiting for us at the airport. Lucky for us, the family owned a limo company, Opulent Limos, which had offices in numerous major cities where those with extreme wealth lived and worked. Los Angeles was one of them. We were off the plane and into the limos much faster than if we’d flown commercial. Even so, it was too slow for me and I assumed the rest felt the same way. We were swept away to Loma Linda. We split both groups in half and got into the two cars.

When we arrived at the entrance of the hospital, we were dropped off and the drivers were given instructions to wait for one of us to contact them. Until then, they were on the clock and would stay in the parking lot, but they could relax and do whatever. Cushy gig if you asked me. We had all eyes on us as we got out then marched into the hospital. We were a wave of grim faces. People stopped and stared at us, nothing new when you were with the O’Sheerans. People were snapping pictures with their phones. The bodyguards and I surrounded the family.

The hospital was part of the Loma Linda University campus and, I’d been told, a big teaching hospital. We had the information on where to go, so we bypassed the front desk and went straight to the waiting area on the surgical floor. We saw Creed standing outside a room down the hall. His look of relief was visible as he saw us and then came toward us.

When we reached each other, I could see how tired and wrecked he was. His clothes were disheveled and wrinkled. His face was drawn with fatigue. He shook hands with the O’Sheeran men then me. He smiled and greeted Cyndi and Maeve. The other guards merely gave him nods or chin lifts.

“Creed, how is she? Any more news?” Darragh asked before his uncle could.

“No Darragh, nothing. She’s out of surgery and in recovery. When you texted you were here, I told one of the nurses so they would go get her surgeon. I have no idea how long it’ll take him to get to you. I’m so sorry. I should’ve been in the car with her.” Remorse and disgust was evident in his voice.

“Creed, we’ll talk about that later, but remember, if you had been, most likely you would’ve been seriously injured too and unable to do anything to protect her. You being in the other car probably saved her life,” Dar told him. As mad as I was, he had a point. Creed nodded, but I knew he wasn’t ready to accept it. For a man like him, it would weigh heavily on him for a while.

“What about Christopher? How badly is he hurt? I assume he had surgery too. Oh Dia , God, I feel awful. We haven’t even thought to ask about him. I’m such a terrible person,” Cyndi said shamefully. I didn’t say what I thought, which was who gave a damn. He wasn’t my worry, Aisling was.

“ Muirnín , sweetheart, I’m sorry. I forgot to mention it. Creed did tell me how he was in one of his updates. Christopher was brought here, too, since he was with her and had some injuries. I’m not sure what they found out, but he was alive and talking to them, and from what Creed said, he appeared in better shape than her,” Cormac said to his wife as he glanced over at Creed.

“He was brought here, and they checked him out thoroughly. He wasn’t hurt nearly as badly as Aisling was. He didn’t require surgery. He did break a leg and has other cuts and injuries, but nothing he won’t recover from, thankfully,” came the answer from a deep voice behind us. I swung around to face a stranger. He was a tall, somewhat imposing guy. Everything about him screamed bodyguard to me.

“And who are you?” I asked, not wanting to assume. He barely glanced at me. Instead, he addressed the family.

“Hello, Mr. O’Sheeran, ladies and gentlemen. It’s a pleasure to meet you, although not under these circumstances. Let me introduce myself. I’m Scotty. I’m Mr. Byrnes’ bodyguard.” He held out his hand to shake the hands of Darragh and the family. When it came to him having to address me after ignoring my question, he paused.

“And you are?” he asked me as he examined me from head to toe.

I was opening my mouth to tell him when I was beaten to it by Darragh. “This is Alistair Graeme. He’s a close and personal friend of the family and of Aisling. We’re glad to hear Christopher isn’t badly hurt. He was fortunate. I wonder how he got off so lucky? If you’ll excuse us, Scotty, I believe the gentleman coming this way is the doctor. We need an update on Aisling then I’d like to ask you a few questions as well as Creed.”

“Of course,” he said before moving away.

I noticed that even though he did, he stayed close enough to hear what the doctor had to say. This irritated me. There was something about him I didn’t like. I couldn’t say exactly why, but he was pushed to the back of my mind as we surrounded the man in the white lab coat. He seemed distracted when Creed spoke to him.

“Dr. Case, this is Aisling’s family. They’d like an update on how she’s doing and what all you had to do, please,” Creed explained.

“Hello. I know you have to be anxious to know where she stands. I spoke on the phone to a Mr. Cormac O’Sheeran. Would one of you happen to be him?”

“I am. You’re the one I gave consent to for the surgery and any other treatments she required. I’m her father, and this is her mother.”

“I am and thank you. We couldn’t have waited for you to get here. I’ll be honest with you. Even though she’s out of surgery, she’s still in critical condition. The next twenty-four to forty-eight hours are crucial. If she hangs in, then the likelihood of her pulling through is really good. There are no guarantees as you know. I wish I could make those. She was seriously injured and there are chances of complications which may arise unexpectedly no matter how well we try to prevent them.”

“What exactly were her injuries and what did you do?” Darragh asked. I heard the note of impatience in his voice.

“May I ask whom I’m speaking to? I don’t want to share information with just anyone. Patient confidentiality and HIPAA and all that, you know. I can’t share information unless Mr. O’Sheeran gives permission,” Dr. Case said, and the way he did, implied he was possibly being condescending. Did he not know who he was messing with? If he did, then he must have a death wish. I’d seen grown men a helluva lot tougher than this doctor pissing themselves after one look from Dar when he was angry.

“Everyone in this group is free to ask and receive any and all information about our daughter. We’ll soon have a lot more of our family joining us. I’ll be sure the staff have all their names as well. The same goes for them. This is my oldest nephew, Darragh, and he’s the head of the family. Surely you’ve heard of Darragh O’Sheeran,” Cormac informed him with a raise of his eyebrow. I knew the second it registered who they were. What a dumbass? They were always in the news and papers for one reason or another. Did the guy live under a rock?

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you, Mr. O’Sheeran. I had no idea Aisling O’Sheeran was part of that O’Sheeran family. Yes, well, uhm, her injuries as I said were severe. The paramedics who brought her in reported her side of the car took the majority of the impact and it rolled a few times, ultimately suspending her upside down from her seatbelt. Due to this, she has a concussion and multiple cuts all over her body. There was a piercing injury from a piece of metal which lacerated her liver, causing internal bleeding. We had to take her in and surgically repair it. A few bruised ribs, a contusion to her spleen, a broken arm, a dislocated shoulder, and a sprained ankle round out the list. Luckily, the break didn’t require surgical repair. I saw the pictures the officers took at the scene. She’s lucky to be alive. She’s weak and we have to see if she can avoid blood clots or an infection, which are two of the biggest complications at this stage. If she were to get those, her recovery might be in jeopardy.”

As he listed everything that was wrong with her, I wanted to pound the wall. He was right, she was badly injured and those things and more were a definite risk. I was practically ready to jump out of my skin if I didn’t get to see her soon. I had to see with my own two eyes that she was alive. I had to touch her and feel her warmth and listen to her breath.

“When can we see her?” Cormac asked.

“She should be moved to a room shortly. We’re waiting for her to come out from under the anesthesia. Until we know she’s off the critical list, she’ll be in the ICU. The hours are posted and no more than two people at a time with her,” Dr. Case stated.

“Unfortunately, that won’t be possible. She has a lot of family who’ll be here to see her. There will always be someone here regardless of the hours. Which in case you aren’t aware, will include bodyguards. One will be in the room with her at all times and then one more minimum outside the room. As soon as she’s stable, she’ll need to be moved to a private room. I assume you have ones for VIPs. We’ll need one,” Darragh informed him.

Dr. Case stared at him aghast. He was speechless. I waited to see if he’d go with it or argue. I had news for him, arguing would get him nowhere with this family, especially Darragh. They weren’t doing it to be a pain in the ass or to throw around their weight. It was to ensure her safety and privacy. While she was here, she would be vulnerable. End of story. It took Dr. Case several seconds to regain his voice.

“Mr. O’Sheeran I’m afraid it’s not possible. The staff need to be able to perform their duties. Aisling needs to be able to rest so she can recover. Having people with her twenty-four seven and more than two will be too much. As for the private accommodations, we’ll do our best.”

“I expect nothing but your best. And we know how to stay out of the way so the staff can do their jobs. She won’t be comfortable or able to relax in order to heal if her family isn’t here. We’ll also need to vet the staff taking care of her. We’ll need their names. Also, our personal physician, Dr. Keim, will be contacting your medical director. All her care will be approved through him,” Darragh added.

“Sir, our physicians are more than capable of taking care of her. Is this Dr. Keim local? I don’t know him.” His face was twisted up like he’d tasted a sour lemon.

“No, he’s based in Florida, where we live, but I find it hard to believe you haven’t heard of Dr. Gregory Keim. He’s well known in most circles, especially trauma medicine.”

Dr. Case grew pale. I wondered why. If he was doing everything right for Aisling, why would he be worried about Dr. Keim? Or was he merely upset because he thought Dr. K would be stepping on his toes. Well, if so, too bad. She would get the best care possible no matter what we had to do. If Dr. K couldn’t handle it, he knew the people to call who could.

“I-I-I didn’t realize you meant that Dr. Keim. Of course I know of him. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting him. As much as we’d love to accommodate him, he’s licensed in Florida and our medical licenses do not allow us to practice across state lines. He’d have to have a license here and by the time he would get his endorsement approved, she would be long healed and discharged.”

“Oh, it’s not a problem. He maintains his license in several states and California is one of them. I’m sure he’ll have no problem getting privileges here to take care of Aisling. I’ll have a word with the hospital administrator and the medical director just to be sure. Now, if that’s all, will someone tell us as soon as she’s moved to her room? We’re anxious to see her as you can imagine,” Darragh informed him.

I knew the way he was talking to the doctor, he didn’t like him. If he did, he wouldn’t be so overbearing. He would’ve still insisted on Dr. K and all the other things but the wording would’ve been nicer, more politically correct.

“I need to get to my other patients. I’ll tell the nurses to come get you when she’s moved. She’ll likely sleep a lot so don’t be surprised if she doesn’t talk much. Excuse me,” Case said before scurrying off.

“Christ, can you believe what he said was wrong with her? I want Dr. K to double check shit. I’m not totally confident in that one for some reason. Okay, let’s talk to Creed and Scotty and find out exactly what happened,” Darragh suggested.

He caught Creed’s attention and waved him over. Scotty was pretending not to have been listening until Dar called his name. As Creed came to us, Finnigan left and went to take his spot outside of the recovery room door. We all moved off into a room nearby which ended up being the waiting room for surgical patients. We were in luck and no one was in there at the moment. I closed the door and the other guards spread out to cover the room. Seamus blocked the door so no one could disturb us.

“Tell us exactly what happened last night. Where did they go? Was there anyone suspicious who caught your attention before the accident? What happened to cause the accident? All of it,” Darragh demanded.

I listened to them explain the dinner they went to. I hated the thought she’d been with him and they were on a date. I wanted to howl and tell everyone who was within hearing distance she was mine. I hoped I wasn’t too late. The family insisted she loved me. What if they were wrong? Or what if her love had died because I held back and she was now in love with fucking Brynes? Either option would gut me but the latter would do it even more painfully. If my own stupidity lost me my chance with her, I didn’t know what I’d do. My scattered thoughts settled when Creed began describing what happened on the drive home.

“Aisling insisted she and Mr. Byrnes take his car and we should ride in a second one. I’ve done it in the past, so I didn’t think too much about it. We had no issues on the way to the restaurant or any at all the entire time we were there. Our whole stay here in California has been without issue. It wasn’t until we were headed home and we were about twenty minutes away that it happened. They were a couple of car lengths ahead of us. Traffic wasn’t terribly heavy. Suddenly, this car came barreling out of a side street and cut us off. Scotty slammed on the brakes. We barely missed hitting them. While we were yelling and waving for the driver to get out of the way, Ais and Brynes kept going, but I knew she saw what happened to us because they were slowing down and turning to come back to us. That’s when another vehicle came out of nowhere and slammed into the passenger side of their car, going at least fifty miles an hour. It flipped their car, and it rolled three times.

“By then, I was out of our vehicle and running up toward them. The other one still hadn’t moved. Thank God I did because two men jumped out of the one that hit her car and were headed for them. When they saw me coming, they ran to the first car, jumped in it, then took off. It was this odd behavior that proved they were working together, although I suspected it. When I got to them, Brynes was awake, trying to get her to respond to him. They were hanging upside down, and Ais was out cold and bleeding from a cut on her head and other ones. I called nine-one-one and worked to stanch the bleeding and to wake her up. At first, I was scared to death that she was dead. I didn’t release her from the belt because I didn’t want to cause her more injuries or make what she had worse.” He inhaled a shaky breath. He’d been her personal bodyguard for three years, so they were close.

“Thank Dia, you were there,” Cyndi whispered. She cried as Cormac held her.

“Did you get a look at their faces? What about the vehicles? What can you tell me about them? What have the cops had to say?” I asked, not to belittle how upset her mom was but to get all the pertinent details. Everything I could get to hunt these dead men.

“I did give the information on the car they got away in to Cody. The wrecked one the police had towed away. As for their faces, no. It was dark. The one who cut us off had dark tinted windows and the ones who got out after hitting them were in the shadows and backlit by other cars’ headlights. But there’s no doubt they were there to either kidnap or kill them. It’s the only thing that makes sense. If the one car had T-boned them alone, we might’ve thought it was an accident and they got scared when they saw me, but no way.”

“I need the information you sent Cody. I’ll work on those, too. Jot down anything like clothing, approximate heights, and builds. Did they say anything? If so, did they have accents? Did you see guns on them?” I fired off.

“I did those and it’ll be with the car information. No, I didn’t see any guns but I highly doubt they weren’t armed. There were other cars stopping and me coming toward them. That was what made them leave before completing whatever they were there to do.”

The whole time he was telling us everything he recalled, Scotty stood there, not saying a word. When Creed was done, I turned to him. “You got anything to add? What were you doing while he was running to help them?”

“I was getting our car around the other one blocking the street so I could get there and help cover them.”

“Why not get out and run like he did? The car wasn’t important at that point. The lives of your charge and his date were,” I snapped.

His laid-back attitude grated on me. He almost had what I would call a bored expression on his face. I wanted to punch it off. No way would I have someone like him as a guard or anything else. He’d never make it on the O’Sheeran protection details and he sure as fuck wouldn’t make it as a Hound. In addition to training the Hounds, I often worked with the regular bodyguards and enforcers to improve their skills.

He gave me an offended look. “I didn’t believe two of us on foot was the answer. The car would provide us with cover if it became a gun battle. Listen, I don’t have any other details other than what he told you. I need to get back to my boss.”

“Speaking of your boss, where is he?” I asked. I wanted to set eyes on the bastard.

He stiffened but I think he knew by my expression he wasn’t going anywhere until he told me. “He’s in room three twenty.”

“Is that an ICU room too?” Aidan asked. Up until then, the others had remained quiet and let me or Darragh ask them questions.

He shook his head. “No, it’s a regular room as far as I know. They didn’t think he needed to be in the ICU. I need to go relieve my partner.”

“So you brought in backup for you. It appears to me you slept. Your clothes are fresh. Did someone do the same for Creed?” I questioned. I knew they hadn’t. Creed was dog-tired.

“No, he didn’t ask,” was his lame-ass excuse.

I snorted. “I see. Well, we’re here and we’ll make sure he gets what he needs as well as Aisling. Don’t go far. I may have questions for you.”

“Why’re you asking all these questions? Shouldn’t it be one of the family or better yet, the police who’re trained to do this kind of work? As a family friend, I’m not sure why you need to know.” He gave me a condescending glance.

“Alistair is more than a close family friend, and he’s more than qualified to investigate with his background. He’s in security work,” Aidan stated.

“Oh, so you’re a bodyguard too.”

“No, I’m much more than that and way more deadly. The men responsible will be found and when they are, they’ll wish they never tried what they did. No one touches a hair on Aisling’s head or anyone else in this family.” I let him see the killer crouched inside of me. If let off the chain, I became a savage bent on justice and at times retribution.

He blanched then with a quick nod to the group he went to the door. Seamus didn’t move aside. He looked over at me. Dar gave me a nod so I gave Seamus a chin lift and to be a dick I called out. “You can let him leave, Seamus. I’m done with him for now.”

I saw Seamus trying not to grin as he moved and Scotty went tearing out of the room. When he was gone, we got down to business.

“We need to get the names of the cops on the case and their contact information. Get Malone out here. I don’t want the cops talking to Ais or Creed without him. If he can’t come for some reason, then we’ll call Donal. Creed, have you given a statement yet to the police?” Darragh asked.

“No, they left us alone since Ais was in such serious condition, and I think they were afraid to do anything to piss off the family. They’re waiting for her to get out of surgery. They won’t hold off for much longer, though. I’ve seen them creeping around and watching. Here are the cards for the two who introduced themselves.” He took two business cards out of his pocket and handed them over. Cormac was the one to take them.

“I hope I didn’t overstep with the questions. There’s something about that Scotty guy I don’t like. No way would I trust him to be a bodyguard for any of you. It sounds like he sat back and let Creed take all the risks while he stayed safely in the damn car. Speaking of the car, were either of them reinforced like yours are?” I asked Creed.

He shook his head. “No, not that I could tell. The way the one Brynes was driving crumpled when it was hit and how easily the windows shattered, they aren’t bulletproof, reinforced, or anything. Scotty seemed to be less concerned about the attackers’ cars than I was. I thought for sure he’d get out and follow me. I yelled for him to do it.”

“We’ll talk more about this later. Right now, let me make the call to get Malone or Donal and see what Cody has discovered,” Darragh stated.

“I’ll call Malone. You take care of Cody, and while we do that, Cormac, why don’t you go let the nurses out there know we’re here and waiting? I don’t think Dr. Case will emphasize the urgency of our need to see Ais,” Patrick said.

This was what occupied us for several minutes while the rest paced or sat waiting. I was about to go out and demand we be taken to see her, the hell with waiting for her to get to a room, when there was a knock on the waiting room door. Madden had taken over there, so he answered it. He only cracked the door open and then stepped back to open it further. A nervous nurse reluctantly came into the room. We smiled, wanting to put her at ease.

“Hello, has she been moved? Can we see her?” Cyndi asked quickly and hopefully.

“Yes, she’s in ICU bed number one. The visiting hours start in a half hour. You can go there and ring the button, and someone will let you in. She’s allowed two visitors at a time.”

Not bothering to argue, she was thanked and allowed to leave, and then the mass of us headed to the ICU. When we got to the door that the nurse mentioned, most of us hung back. It should be Cormac, Cyndi, and her brothers who saw her first, even if I was dying to. They were gathered at the door, and the rest of us lined the walls in the hallway near them.

When the doors buzzed and unlocked, Cormac opened them. Creed tried to go with us when we came up, but he was ordered to rest. Niall and Gael were to take over for a while. The others would assume responsibility for watching over them. I had no doubt more guards would be sent to help. No one could stay on duty twenty-four seven.

At home it wasn’t a problem inside the compound where most were every night. Out here, the family would be at a nearby hotel no doubt rather than their Temecula home so they were close to the hospital. I was walking over to talk to Darragh about me coordinating with Brayden, the technical head of security for the family, when my name was called by Cyndi. I changed course and went to her.

“Yes? What can I do for you, Cyndi?” Growing up with them, I was long ago repeatedly admonished to call them by their first names. I heard it enough that I eventually did it. They didn’t like to stand on ceremony with those close to them.

“Honey, aren’t you coming with us?”

“I-well, I figured you, Cormac, and your boys would go first then the rest of the family would want to check on her.”

“They will, but I think you need to come too for this round. She needs to see you. She needs to know how you feel, even if now isn’t the time to hash it out. Come.” She held out her hand.

I glanced at Cormac. He nodded. Taking her hand, I let her lead me. I was nervous. Would Ais think I was being presumptuous? What if she didn’t want to see me? I didn’t get to debate long because room one was the first room right across from the nurses’ station. The nurses at the desk were staring. An older one got up and marched over to us.

“I’m sorry but only two people at a time. Didn’t you read the sign?” she asked snappishly.

“We did and as we told Dr. Case, we won’t be complying. My daughter must have her bodyguards which automatically puts her over two. We’re her parents, her brothers and her anamchara . There’s no way any of us are staying in the hallway. I’ll warn you, there’s a bunch more to come. If you need to, call the administrator and see if he or she wants to throw out the O’Sheeran family,” Cormac told her sternly.

He was tired of the nonsense. He tended to be quiet until you pushed him too far. I’d seen it more than a few times over the years. His sons were much more like me and would have no trouble pushing their way in if charm didn’t work.

“If you don’t have everyone else leave but the two of you, I’ll have no choice but to call hospital security,” was her comeback.

All of our shoulders went back. Here it went. Aidan was opening his mouth, only he didn’t get a chance to say anything because we were joined by a huffing portly man in a suit. He was pale and sweating.

“Nurse Walker, the O’Sheeran family will be given unrestricted access to their family member. This includes the guards who will be posted in her room and in the hall. They are aware to stay out of your way so you can perform your duties. They’ll only be here as long as it takes for Ms. O’Sheeran to be moved to a VIP suite. The visiting hours do not apply to them either.”

“Mr. Rutledge, this isn’t how we do things in the ICU! The patients need peace and quiet. A bunch of visitors at all hours of the day and night won’t allow her to heal. I’m afraid I can’t allow it. Dr. Case said nothing about this to me,” she partially growled.

“Dr. Case and I spoke. Yes, you can.” Rutledge turned his back on her, dismissing her. She stood there fuming as he introduced himself. “Sorry, I was detained. I meant to be here to greet you. I’m John Rutledge, the hospital administrator. Please, if you need anything while your daughter is here, just let me know.”

“Mr. Rutledge, we appreciate it. We promise not to get in the way but Aisling must be protected and she won’t heal if her family isn’t close by with her. We’re a very close-knit bunch. I’m Cormac and this is my wife, Cyndi. We’re her parents.” Cormac went on to introduce Shane, Tiernan, Cathal, and Aidan. When he got to me, I was taken back by his introduction of me.

“This is Alistair Graeme. He’s our daughter’s heart. He’ll be here constantly, I have no doubt. He’s authorized to make decisions on her behalf as well as any of the family members. We’ll give the nurses a list of names. Aisling is to have no visitors except those on the list and we must have the information on everyone caring for her so we may vet them. I hope you understand our need for caution. Our name and the car wreck have made it necessary,” Cormac explained.

“Of course, of course. I’ll have our security come up to assist.”

“No need to take them away from their other duties. We’ll be more than capable of doing it. Now, if you don’t mind, we need to see her.”

“I do understand. Please, go right ahead.” He waved us toward the door.

As we walked toward it, I saw the outraged look on Nurse Walker’s face. As the door swung open, we quietly entered. The only sound in the room besides us was the beep of a machine. As I got close to her bed and caught sight of her for the first time, I stumbled. I heard Cyndi cry out. Rage along with fear consumed me again. Angry murmurs came from her brothers and a hiss from her dad. Whoever did this would suffer.