Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Aspen

We now live on the West side of Seattle. Lake Washington is in our backyard. Hugo is the happiest dog on the northwestern side of the country. He loves his new house, and is enamored with the lake and the parks where I take him for walks. We spent the morning working out, overlooking the remodeling of our new offices, and studying an associate business degree online to know how to handle all the money my father left. I have no idea how to administer a charity or anything for that matter. My only knowledge when it comes to money is on how to balance my checkbook and create a budget for my house.

I have credentials to work at Seattle Memorial any time that Mason Bradley needs me, either to treat an injured agent or his family. The NDA prohibits me from telling anyone who I work for, where they live or that I can get the autograph of Chris Decker, the former frontman of the band Dreadful Souls for Walter's birthday. Life is shaping up, and I am stopping to enjoy every minute without hesitation. Yes, I still take my medication. Anxiety doesn't just disappear, but it's getting easier to manage.

Scarlett hasn't decided about moving out of the ranch. She's back in the hole, dealing with an angry father because she slacked off and a mother who can't understand why she's the way she is. Happy, free and loving, what's so hard to understand?

The only one missing in the picture is Anderson. "A few more weeks," was a month ago. Still, there's no sign of him. Not even a text telling me he's okay.

"We need to buy groceries." Hugo lifts his nuzzle barking once. "Yes, you need a juicy bone." I start writing the list when the doorbell rings.

Kevin is outside, his eyes red and his hair strands all over the place. "We have to go."

"Where?" I hold my breath, my stomach drops. Anderson. No please don't. "What happened?"

"I got a call. Anderson is being airlifted to the hospital. He lost a lot of blood and…we have to go."

I choke back a sob. This can't be happening. Please, don't take him away from me. I stop myself, controlling my breathing, my emotions. He needs me. I run inside my house for my keys, my purse, and my phone. "Ready, let's go."

Me: Where are you?

Brynn: The helipad, waiting.

Me: You knew?

Brynn : Only learned a few minutes ago. Bradley had me paged. He's going to be okay.

Me: I trust you.

Brynn: They're here. I can't text you anymore. I'll see you when he's going to recovery. Love you.

Me: Love you too.

"What happened?" I arrive at the waiting room where Bradley and Tiago pace back and forth.

"We wrapped up the last mission." Tiago's voice is distraught, shaky. "Everything worked out perfectly. Anderson faked his death, we transported him to the hospital yesterday where they made sure his system wasn't compromised after taking some shit to lower his heartbeat. He wanted to surprise you…" Tiago stood in front of me, his eyes red. "As we landed in the private hangar…He was waiting for us. It was an ambush."

"Who?"

"A DEA agent. We reported his incompetence to the agency. Unfortunately, he knew the plan…fucker." He places his hands on both sides of his head, closing his eyes he squeezes his crane. Ouch. "I've never taken so much pleasure in killing someone."

Tiago's face hangs, his big frame shaking. "Anderson held onto me all the way. Bradley was on the radio, coaching me on how to prevent him from bleeding—the way you taught them."

Good, they didn't travel far, and managed the blood loss. I want to ask him more. Where was he shot? Why wasn't he wearing the fucking armor? Tiago is pale and his eyes look lost. Questioning him won't help either one of us.

"He's going to be fine," I say out loud, hugging my midriff. Please be okay, Hawk. "Brynn is with him. He has the best doctor I know."

Kevin wraps an arm around my shoulders, squeezing tightly. "This isn't his first rodeo, Aspen. The fucker bounces back, he's strong." My heart constricts. I wish I could be inside the operating room helping, saving him.

I remained glued close to the door. Austin arrived as soon as Kevin called him. I've been numbed. I couldn't sit or think. It might have been only hours, but it felt like days. From only having four people in the waiting room, at some point, there were dozens of them. Everyone that had come to his mother's celebration. I shook hands with his friends, who hugged me and told me Anderson would be okay. They brought me coffee, water, and food but I couldn't stomach anything. At some point, even his therapist was here. Now it's back to only a few including Bradley, Kevin, and Tiago.

Finally, the doors opened. Brynn and another doctor wearing blue scrubs and a tired look walked through them.

"How is he?"

"He's doing fine. The gunshot on the left side of his torso broke a couple of ribs, but there was no internal bleeding or damage to his organs." Brynn hugs me tightly. "The gunman used a standard caliber handgun; the damage was minimal. His left arm is broken. There's a hole in his radius bone, the orthopedic surgeon fixed the displacement."

"Can I see him?"

"Are you family?" The other doctor narrows his gaze.

"She's his fiancé," Kevin barks stepping closer, Tiago right next to him. "We're his brothers. When can we see him?"

"Follow me please." We walk through the narrow, white halls, take the elevator and go to the fifth floor. "We're going to have him in the ICU for the night. As Dr. Ward mentioned, there was no internal bleeding, but he has a concussion and was having trouble breathing when he arrived."

"I threatened him if he didn't make it through," Brynn murmurs in my ear, making me chuckle. "True story. He can't leave you hanging."

Anderson is in a small bedroom with glass walls and curtains for privacy. The bed takes up most of the space. He's hooked up to a heart monitor—which is also checking his pulse and arterial lines. The plastic tube snaked to his arm is feeding on the IV. I'm about to reach for his chart when Brynn beats me to it, keeping it away from me.

I smile, walking closer to him, inspecting every inch, looking at left arm which is immobilized by a cast. The left side of chest has a big white patch on it.

"He was aiming for the heart?" Brynn's lips are sealed together, she doesn't answer but nods. I sigh, relieved that the gunman didn't succeed.

"The sedation will wear off in a couple of hours," Brynn discloses. "Tomorrow we'll move him to a private room. And depending on how he's doing, we'll talk about sending him home."

"Tomorrow?"

"No, in a few days—maybe a week." She points at the buttons on the wall. "Call if you need us, press the blue only if there's an emergency. We have to find someone to look after Hugo."

"I'll check on him," Kevin mumbles, looking at Anderson.

Brynn smiles and bobs her head a couple of times. She turns around and leaves along with the other doctor.

"Thank you," I say to Kevin.

"Now that we've established our relationship with the patient, I can leave. Bradley will sneak in in a few minutes. He always gets his way. In the meantime, I'll head out to check on Hugo and fetch some food for us. We need to eat. He's a handful when he's sick."

"Sounds like you've taken care of him before." I pull up the red chair in the corner close to the bed and take a seat. "You two are closer than I assumed."

"Yeah, we work together and live close by, like you and your girls. At some point, we became a family." He smiles, shaking his head. "Anderson has done a lot of shit for me too. One of those bullets…he took it for me…crazy stalker. See you soon, Aspen."

I nod, understanding their relationship a little more than before.

"Hey, I'm here." I take Anderson's hand. "You scared the shit out of me. Next time I'll say ‘come back without a scratch—or a bullet shot'."

I chuckle, sob, and rest my head close to him, letting the fear and adrenaline wash away with the tears I held while he was in surgery.