Chapter 21

Morgan tensed her shoulders, mentally preparing herself for whatever condition Wyatt might be in. Glen noticed them in the doorway and made his way over. “I think I should warn you he’s hooked up to a lot of equipment. Wyatt’s face is swelling and his head is bandaged.”

“Thank you for the heads up,” Morgan said.

“I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first walked in here.” Glen told them the EEG machine, used to monitor Wyatt’s brain activity, was showing steady wave patterns. “We’ve been talking to him. The doctor seems to think it’s very possible he can hear what we’re saying.”

Kelly tiptoed over. “Glen and I are going to grab a bite to eat and stretch our legs.”

“Morgan and I will hang out until you get back.” Grady waited until they were gone. “Do you want to go first?”

“I…you go see him first.” Morgan waited off to the side, watching as Wyatt’s best friend approached the side of the bed. He leaned in. She couldn’t see him or hear what he was saying and was almost glad she couldn’t because she was certain she would burst into tears.

While Grady spoke with Wyatt, Morgan had a flashback to the last day her mother was alive, and the moment Laura had squeezed her hand. The excitement she felt, believing she had finally turned the corner and would recover.

The exact opposite had happened. Looking back, Laura had squeezed her daughter’s hand, telling Morgan goodbye. Wyatt is not your mother, she reminded herself. Still, the all too familiar emotions made her feel physically ill.

Elizabeth’s strong voice and parting words before she left the hospital echoed in her ear. Chin up. Shoulders straight. It will all be okay.

She wasn’t ready to lose someone else she loved. Gritting her teeth, Morgan focused her thoughts on the positive that had come out of it. Quinn was there, was by her side.

The hard feelings were long forgotten. Morgan and Quinn, best friends forever, through thick and thin.

Grady stepped away from Wyatt’s bed. He attempted a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. The only thing Morgan saw was how she felt. Scared. Worried. Maybe even a little angry at the driver who, in a single moment of carelessness, had caused so much devastation and stress.

“Do you think he heard you?” she asked.

“I hope so. Brace yourself. I hardly recognized him.”

Morgan whispered a prayer under her breath and made her way around the curtain. Wyatt looked as banged up as she’d envisioned. His head was bandaged. His complexion was a pasty white.

There were wires and equipment everywhere, with tubes and lines hooked to him. And he was still. So terrifyingly still.

Morgan stared at his chest, reassuring herself he was still breathing. The machines were still beeping and the EEG monitor continued moving.

As gently as possible, she placed her hand over his. “Hey, Wyatt. It’s me. I hope you can hear me. I love you. Your mom and dad, Grady, we’re all here to help you get through this. Quinn came back. She’s out in the waiting room. Captain Davey, Denver, Ben, helped get her here. Doctor Houghton seems hopeful you’re going to come out of this. But you’ll need to give yourself time to heal.”

Rambling on, Morgan told him about the open house and meeting Mimi and Winston Besteman. How travel bloggers, a vlogger and YouTuber all promised to spread the word about Locke Pointe. “As soon as you’re better, I’m going to grill you the biggest steak on Easton Island. I’ll make your favorite twice-baked potatoes and even some fresh veggies.”

She rambled on about inconsequential stuff until she noticed Wyatt’s parents standing in the doorway. “Your mom and dad are back. I’ll be hanging out in the waiting room. I love you, Wyatt.” Morgan placed a light kiss on his cheek. “Don’t you dare even think about leaving me.”

There was no response, and she didn’t expect one. With a final longing look at the man she loved, she stepped toward the door. “Thank you for getting Grady and me in here.”

“You’re welcome. It’s going to be a long night,” Glen warned. “Maybe even a long haul.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll be right here waiting for word.” Morgan, with Grady by her side, returned to the ER waiting room.

Quinn, who had been watching for them, hurried over. “Well?”

“I’m not gonna lie. He looks awful,” Morgan said. “The swelling will go down. The bandages will eventually go. All that matters is Wyatt pulling through.”

“I wonder what happened to the driver,” Quinn said.

“After he got checked out here at the hospital, he was taken to jail and charged with reckless driving,” Grady said.

“At least he or she is off the roads,” Morgan said.

Grady glanced at his watch. “I’m going to get going. Call me if you hear anything.”

Morgan promised she would.

Quinn waited until Grady was gone. “Let’s go grab a bite to eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“When’s the last time you ate?”

“I had a sandwich for dinner.”

“Which was?”

Morgan glanced at her watch. It was past three in the morning. “Last night.”

“You won’t do Wyatt any good if you pass out from hunger.” Quinn grabbed her friend’s arm and dragged her toward the main corridor. “If I remember correctly, the cafeteria’s food is pretty decent.”

“It’s hard to believe the last time we were here was when we had our Ronni scare.”

“How is Ronni?” Quinn asked.

“Feisty as always. She’s also a marketing genius.”

Reaching the cafeteria, Morgan insisted on buying. She decided on chicken noodle soup and a half a turkey sandwich. Quinn ordered the same. After paying, they found a quiet table in the corner.

While the women ate, Quinn kept the conversation light, attempting to distract Morgan, and for a few minutes, it worked. They talked about Florida’s weather, Michigan’s fall season, the art gallery, Quinn’s new job, and her parent’s new home.

Morgan polished off the last bite of her sandwich. “I can’t believe I ate all of my food.”

“You were hungrier than you thought.” Quinn set the silverware on her empty plate. “So, what are you going to do?”

“About what?”

“Amber Marais.”

“Part of me wants to press charges. The other part of me wants to confront her and tell her if she does it again, I’m going to shoot her.”

Quinn’s eyes grew round as saucers. “Shoot her?”

“For trespassing. You know I’m joking, but I have a right to know why she was trying to get into the house.”

“That’s an excellent question. Wait until Wyatt finds out you weren’t being paranoid after all.”

“The woman is cold, calculating and conniving,” Morgan said. “And I have the surveillance recordings to prove it.”

The friends carried their empty dishes to the bin near the door. On the way out, they grabbed a couple of bottles of water.

They returned to the ER / ICU waiting room and found it was nearly empty except for a group of people seated near the coffee machine and a couple who were next to the entrance.

Morgan started to circle around, past the large group, when she noticed the sliding doors opened. A woman appeared…the one person she least wanted to see.