Chapter 17

Paige paced the corridor, her head in her hands. The longer she waited, the worse she felt. The little she did know wasn't helping her either. They hadn't said very much at all; they'd just rushed Juliet off to trauma and briefly mentioned surgery to Paige.

Right now, she felt helpless. And hopeless. How did she even begin to process what had happened this afternoon? It was going to take a while before she could sit down and understand why anyone would want to hurt Juliet. Even though they knew the potential was there, it didn't make this any easier to swallow.

"Paige!"

Paige turned at the sound of Hannah's voice. Caz rushed behind her, her lip quivering.

"Where is she? Is she going to be okay?" Hannah wrung her hands as she stopped in front of Paige. "W-who would do something like this?"

"Henry is dealing with that." As far as Paige was aware, Juliet hadn't told Hannah and Caz about her issues before she took retirement. That was Juliet's choice alone, but in order for people to make sense of this, they would have to know at some point. "Is Edie okay?"

"She's with her friend. I haven't told her anything, it'll only panic her."

Paige nodded. Edie didn't need to know the shit they were about to go through. "Good idea."

"Have you eaten?" Caz cut in, placing a supportive hand on Paige's back. "Or had something to drink?"

"No. I can't stomach anything."

"Understandable, but you're going to have to keep your hydration up at least. Juliet wouldn't want you to sit here barely functioning or making yourself ill."

"Caz is right. I'll go and get some drinks. Hot and cold. You sit down before you fall down." Hannah kissed Caz on the cheek, an unspoken expectation that Caz would take care of Paige while Hannah was gone. "If you need me, just call me."

Caz guided Paige to a row of seats, helping her into one. She felt weak, but it wasn't because of the lack of food. She just felt weak all over. As though someone had come along and sucked the life out of her. "She was dying in my arms, Caz."

Caz lowered her eyes and shook her head.

Yeah, Paige understood. There was nothing to say to that.

"If I hadn't got there when I did, I wouldn't be waiting for news, I'd be…s-she'd be…"

"I know." Caz took Paige's hand, settling her mind momentarily. "I know what you're saying. But you did get there in time. You've saved her life."

"I just keep picturing the surgeon coming out and telling me she didn't make it. I-if they do that, would you and Hannah stay with me? I won't know what to do. Or who to call."

"Paige, she's in safe hands. She's going to be okay."

The double doors at the end of the corridor opened, and the same surgeon who had met them on arrival walked towards Paige. "Hi, Paige."

Paige stood on shaking legs, supported in a split second by Caz, who held her by the waist.

"Juliet is in the ICU. It was touch and go at one point, and we ran into a complication, but she's doing much better. She's stable. The next few days are going to be important, but I believe…given her health, that she's going to make a full recovery. She just needs some extra attention in the coming days."

Paige dropped to her knees and sobbed into her hands. Juliet wasn't going to die. She'd prepared herself for exactly that, but…she was going to be okay. Caz helped her back up to her feet, hugging her briefly.

"I have two detectives outside who want to speak to you, but I can ask them to come back later. It's entirely up to you. Personally, I'm not sure you're in the right frame of mind to talk to them…"

"Can you ask them to come back?"

"Of course."

"And, um…" Paige scratched at her arm. "When can I see her? She won't want to be on her own. I've been away on tour for the last month, so I'd really like to be with her the moment it's possible."

"Visiting hours in the ICU are generally more flexible. I'll have a nurse come and get you once I'm satisfied Juliet is comfortable."

Paige sniffled. "Thank you. I wasn't sure you would even let me see her."

The surgeon, Dr Nunez, if Paige recalled right, frowned. "Why not?"

"We've been together for like…fifteen months, but, you know, I'm probably not anything to her legally."

"You're Paige Ashburn, correct?"

"Y-yes."

Dr Nunez smiled. "You're on file as Juliet's next-of-kin. And to be quite honest, given the condition you were in on arrival, it's pretty obvious how much you love her."

"Thank you. For saving her life." Paige reached out and shook Dr Nunez's hand.

"We did the serious stuff. But you were the one who saved her life long before she arrived on my table. Juliet is lucky to have you." Dr Nunez took a step back, removing his scrub cap. "It'll likely be a couple of hours before you can see Juliet. May I suggest that you go home and shower…perhaps have something to eat."

No. Paige couldn't do that. She had to be here. What if something happened? "I'm okay. It's best if I stay here."

"Paige, Juliet would want you to look after yourself."

Paige understood that. Usually, she would agree. But she couldn't shake the dread she still had sitting deep in her stomach. "I know, but what if I come back and she's…dead."

"Juliet has a fantastic team of doctors and nurses looking after her. She's going to be exactly where she should be when you come back. If I thought for one moment that it was touch and go, I wouldn't advise you to leave the building."

"O-okay." Paige wrung her hands as she blew out a breath. "Okay. Maybe I'll go home and shower."

Paige smiled as a satisfied Dr Nunez walked away, her mind reeling with all of the possibilities she'd allowed herself to imagine. But Juliet was going to be okay. She…was alive.

"Let's sit back down for a minute." Caz guided her towards the same row of plastic chairs as before. The air didn't seem so charged now. Which was good. But with the knowledge that Juliet was going to live, Paige's mind instantly went to who could be responsible for this.

Her phone started to ring in her pocket. As she reached for it, she saw Henry's name on the screen. "She's alive, H." Before he said anything, Paige had to speak those words. "She's in intensive care."

"Thank God." Henry's voice shook. Paige knew he would be beating himself up because he hadn't been there to stop it, but that wasn't what any of them needed right now. "I have some information. The police are aware, I've just left the bar, and forensics are still there. They…think I work at the bar. Mostly security."

"Okay. What information do you have?"

Henry cleared his throat. "First of all, you'll likely notice that there will be a police presence at the hospital soon. Specifically at Juliet's room."

Paige's stomach sank. She hadn't known it was possible to feel terrified all over again…all of a sudden. "Why? What's going on?"

"Are you alone?"

Paige cleared her throat. "No. Caz and Hannah are with me. They came to the hospital as soon as I called."

"Well, that's good. I don't like the thought of you sitting there alone," Henry said, melting Paige's heart a little. He was generally stone cold, but occasionally, his heart did show.

"Henry, what is it?"

"Will you be going home at any point? Will you…be alone so we can talk?"

Paige frowned. "Yeah. I'm heading home soon."

"Then I'm going to call you back once you're home. And alone. It's important that people don't know who I am, you know?"

Paige understood. She would do anything to protect Henry, given the fact he'd practically saved her life where James was concerned. "Okay. I'll let you know once I'm home. Bye, H."

"Everything okay?" Caz's gentle voice pierced Paige's thoughts. Her inner turmoil.

"Yeah. Just Henry."

"I always wondered about him. He seems very shifty. And he rarely says more than two words."

Paige lifted a shoulder. "He's security. He doesn't really need to say much."

"That's fair enough." Caz stood when Hannah returned with drinks. "Does anyone keep a flask of whiskey on them? I think I may need something stronger after the day we've all had so far."

Paige started to pace the corridor, desperately wanting to be with Juliet. Why couldn't she sit quietly with her? She wouldn't bother anyone or get in the way. Why couldn't they be at home right now, cuddled on the couch? Why…had this happened?

Hannah landed in front of her, placing her hands on Paige's shoulders. "Caz says Juliet is going to be okay. Why don't you go home and get a shower? We could always wait here in case there is any more news."

"That's okay. The doctor says it's going to be a while before I can see her, so you two should go home and do whatever you need to do. I'll call you once I'm back here and I have more information."

"Are you sure?" Hannah asked, taking Caz by the hand. "We can stay if you'd rather that."

"I'm sure." Paige chewed her lip as she looked back at the double doors keeping her from Juliet. A tear slid down her cheek, but she suspected she was going to have a lot of tears for some time yet. "I just…I need to be with her."

Hannah moved towards Paige and took her hand. "I get it. Completely. You'd have to drag me from here kicking and screaming if I was in the position you're in. But she's going to recover, and you'll be back with one another before you know it."

"I know." Paige moved towards the window at the end of the corridor, staring out at the city below. Someone was out there, someone who had tried to kill the woman Paige loved. Paige's nostrils flared as she clenched her jaw. "I'll kill you with my fucking bare hands if I find you."

Paige sat in silence, staring at the coffee table in the apartment. Everything felt out of place, and what was left of the day was really beginning to weigh heavy on Paige. She shouldn't be here; she should be at the hospital. Still, she hadn't received a phone call, so that was something positive to cling to while she scrubbed Juliet's blood from her body in the hottest shower her skin could manage. At least, she would try to shower when she found the strength to move.

If I could just see her eyes…

Even if only for the briefest of moments, Paige needed to see those eyes. Even if only for the briefest of moments, Paige desperately needed to know Juliet would wake up. Then she could sleep this all away until she was better.

As she sat imagining her fingertips across the back of Juliet's hand, her phone started to vibrate on the couch beside her. It was Henry. She'd been waiting for a call from him since the moment Paige had climbed into the back of a cab twenty minutes ago.

"Henry, hi."

"Any changes?" Henry's voice shook, even if he did try to hide it.

"No, nothing. She's in safe hands, though."

"That's good. And I'm outside the apartment, so you're safe, too."

Paige hadn't even thought about her own safety since all of this happened. She didn't feel in danger, but she didn't suppose Juliet had felt in danger either…until she was. God, she must have been so frightened in that moment. Paige closed her eyes, and her nostrils flared as she fought back the constant emotion she felt. "I-I don't know how she's alive, H. If I hadn't got there when I did?—"

"But you did get there, Paige. You made it in time, and you saved her life."

Paige couldn't think about all of that right now. They had to figure out who'd done this. She had spoken to the detectives very briefly when she was leaving the hospital, but they had given practically nothing away at all. "Did you check the CCTV?"

"I did." Henry cleared his throat. "You won't believe what I found."

Paige's stomach sank. Since she'd had time to think, the first thought she'd had was that it was James coming back. It made sense. He'd been silent since the court hearing. Surely, he wouldn't have just disappeared and given Paige the peace he knew she wanted. Life was never that simple. "What? Who was it?"

"Paige, it was Cara."

Paige frowned. How the hell could it be Cara? Why would it be Cara? She'd been working at the bar for what? Well, since it had opened. "You have to be wrong. Why the fuck would she do that?"

"Paige, I've watched the footage over and over. It was Cara. No mistake."

Henry had to be right. He'd been the one to see her doing it. But Paige couldn't make sense of this at all. Cara had really excelled over the last several months. She'd covered shifts, she'd worked late, she'd even had a slight say so in the plans for the new bar. Surely, they couldn't have fallen out that much that she would try to kill Juliet. Because she had. She'd tried to end Juliet's life.

"S-so what now?" Paige asked, her hand clenched into a fist as she slowly started to rage inside. "The police are waiting to speak to Juliet, but I don't know how long it'll be before they get the chance."

"I could handle it, but I think it's best if we let the police deal with it. While they're doing that, I'll look into who she is. The police are actively looking for her, but they're going to put officers on Juliet's door. We don't know if she's going to come back when she finds out Juliet pulled through."

"She'll have to get through me first. Fucking bitch!" Paige couldn't believe what she was hearing. Cara Swinson…had tried to kill Juliet. "If this is true, there has to be a reason."

Henry sighed. "This is my fault. I should have done a check on her the moment Juliet employed her."

"Did you look into me when she employed me?"

"No. Of course not."

Paige smiled. "Then why would you look into Cara? I know you want to blame yourself for not being there, but this isn't on you, H. Juliet thought she was safe. I had no issues with her being alone with Cara."

"I've never let her down when she's needed me. This…what's happened…I'm not sure I can look her in the eye ever again."

Paige wasn't even going to acknowledge that. "Should I expect to see you at the hospital later at all?"

Henry remained silent.

"Henry?"

"I…shouldn't. I've done enough damage already. But if down the line, Juliet wants to see me or speak to me about anything, she has my number."

"H…"

"I'm the last person she'll want to see when she wakes up. And honestly, now that the adrenaline has worn off, I'm sure you feel the same way."

"No. We're not doing that. The only person to blame for this is Cara. I know Juliet will want to see you. And I want to see you, too. I wouldn't have made it through earlier without you there. Please, don't put this on yourself."

"I'm supposed to protect her, Paige. I'm supposed to have her back and keep her alive the way she kept my sister alive. I failed, and I'm so sorry."

"You're family to Juliet. And me. Everything is going to be okay, and we will put this to bed soon. The evidence is there, so I'm sure the police will deal with it swiftly."

"I hope so. I know Juliet is safe while she's in hospital, but I still have the added worry of you, Paige. And I swear I'll protect you."

Paige knew Henry would. "Look, I need to take a shower, but give me twenty minutes or so and then come up. We can have coffee together and try to process what we know."

"Okay. I'm going to do some asking around. Find out who the fuck Cara is. But I'm not moving from here, so go and take that shower, and I'll speak to you soon."

Henry ended the call, and that was Paige's cue to sort herself out. She needed food, but that could wait until she looked far more presentable. Instead, she would be alone with her thoughts under the steaming hot water, contemplating all the ways she would like to see Cara suffer.