He's alive.
She stepped closer and wiped a tear from my face, then pulled me in for a hug. Her voice was muffled against me. "That son of a bitch is strong. He's the strongest of all you guys. He'll pull through. If anyone pulls through, it'll be him."
Wrapping my arms around her, I held on. She felt so sturdy. "Can you give me a ride there? I can go right now."
"That's why I came. The other boy told us you were probably here alone."
"Corrigan's parents?"
"Have already been contacted. They're there, right now." She hesitated a second. "Bryce too. I called him, but he already knew. He was on his way to the hospital when I talked to him."
I couldn't react to Bryce. My insides were a mess. Everything was on full-blast. When I sat in Sheila's passenger side, she started the car and then waited for me to lock the gate once more. When I got back inside, I saw that three other cop cars had accompanied her.
"What happened to my car? You said the brakes went out?"
Sheila grimaced. "You can find out how Corrigan is first and then we can talk about that stuff. I'll need to contact my department for more details. They're looking over your car."
"You think it was the stalker? Whoever is after me did something to my car? That should've been me, not Corrigan. They intended that for me, didn't they?!" I heard my voice rising, but quieted. I couldn't get crazy, not now. "Corrigan was gutted because of me. Now he's in surgery because of me." My voice broke. "I am going to kill whoever did this."
Sheila reached for my hand. "Corrigan will be fine. As a cop, I'm not supposed to tell you that, but that's how I feel. You three have been through some tough stuff. This is just one more tough situation. He'll pull through."
Her face closed off, and she looked away. It was like she thought better of what she'd been saying to me and shut up before she said anything else. That's when I asked, "You don't believe any of that, do you? Is he going to die?"
She blinked a few times and watched the street. I watched her face as the streetlights passed over. Her face was illuminated and then cast in shadow, over and over again. There was a raw strength there, but there was also the truth.
Corrigan might die.
She didn't want to say those words to me.
When we went through the emergency doors, conversations halted. A waiting lounge of chairs was full of Corrigan's fraternity brothers. I recognized both Leah's and Grace's sorority sisters. All of them watched me as I crossed the room and headed straight to the front desk. Sheila went with me to explain my relationship with Corrigan. The nurse sent someone to retrieve a doctor and then gave Sheila directions to another waiting lounge.
When we got there, Corrigan's parents held their arms out for me. Katrice caught me first and hugged my head to her bosom. She swayed back and forth, her coat swished with the movements.
"Oh honey. Don't cry. He's going to be just fine," she soothed, wiping away my tears. It seemed like everyone was doing that now. Then she smiled, or tried to smile. Katrice's rosy cheeks were pale. The worry in her eyes was so strong it made her look gaunt. Then Corrigan's father pulled her against his side. "It's okay. He's going to be okay. Corrigan will pull through."
She turned into him and sobbed. The sounds wracked through me. They shouldn't have been crying. They shouldn't have been facing the threat of losing a son again.
Stephen sat in the corner with Luca. I was shocked for a moment. I'd forgotten the two had been best friends before. Stephen looked up at me and nodded. Luca didn't look. He sat there. Both of them just sat there. No magazines to look at. No talking. The television wasn't even on.
Then I felt him behind me. I turned and my eyes widened. Bryce had a crate of coffees in his hand. He froze in the doorway when he saw me and opened his mouth. Nothing came out.
"Hey." I reached for him, but caught myself. Retracting my hand, I felt…stupid and out of place. Things were off. We were a puzzle, but there were parts missing. We were trying to find how the pieces went together again, but they didn't fit. Something between Bryce and me didn't fit anymore.
Corrigan.
"Hey," he said back and slowly handed the coffees to Corrigan's dad.
A doctor came to the door and cleared his throat. "I was told that Miss Jeneve arrived. It's good timing because we just got out of surgery. Mr. and Mrs. Raimler, as I told you before, your son had some massive internal bleeding. We were able to locate the bleeding and stop it. It should heal up fine. There's bruising all over his body, but the most shocking will be on his face and neck. That will clear up in a week or two. We didn't find any fractures or internal lacerations, which is a good thing. All in all, your son is very lucky. He's in good health. The car he was driving protected him. He should be waking up from surgery in a few hours. If you have any questions, you have my card. Feel free to call. The nurse will come in a moment so you can check on him, but he is sleeping right now."
"Thank you, Dr. Lowery." Corrigan's father shook his head. Katrice hugged him. After a few seconds and a few more hugs from Katrice, he nodded again to us and left. It was surreal. We didn't know anything, the doctor came, it was all okay, and then he was gone just as quickly.
"Oh thank god." Katrice slumped onto a chair. "Oh thank God. Oh thank God."
Her husband sat next to her. Stephen took the other side. Each of them held her hands as she kept repeating the same words. It took me a moment before I realized that she had started to pray with her head bent down. The rest of the Raimlers prayed with her.
Bryce and I looked at each other. We were out of place. He jerked his head to the side, and I followed behind as we went into the hallway. When we were away and out of earshot, I breathed out in relief. "Oh my god. I didn't—" Slumping against the wall; I almost fell, but caught myself. I'd been so scared, then mad, then scared, and then I saw Bryce. "I don't know what I'm feeling anymore."
"Relief." Bryce's voice was strained. "You were so pale when you came in. Never mind. I'd imagine that you're still in shock. You'll be feeling it later, I'm sure."
"Yeah, maybe." Looking around, I noticed some of the nurses gazing at Bryce. That's when I realized he was dressed in his soccer casuals. "Everyone's going to be talking about you being here."
She stepped closer and wiped a tear from my face, then pulled me in for a hug. Her voice was muffled against me. "That son of a bitch is strong. He's the strongest of all you guys. He'll pull through. If anyone pulls through, it'll be him."
Wrapping my arms around her, I held on. She felt so sturdy. "Can you give me a ride there? I can go right now."
"That's why I came. The other boy told us you were probably here alone."
"Corrigan's parents?"
"Have already been contacted. They're there, right now." She hesitated a second. "Bryce too. I called him, but he already knew. He was on his way to the hospital when I talked to him."
I couldn't react to Bryce. My insides were a mess. Everything was on full-blast. When I sat in Sheila's passenger side, she started the car and then waited for me to lock the gate once more. When I got back inside, I saw that three other cop cars had accompanied her.
"What happened to my car? You said the brakes went out?"
Sheila grimaced. "You can find out how Corrigan is first and then we can talk about that stuff. I'll need to contact my department for more details. They're looking over your car."
"You think it was the stalker? Whoever is after me did something to my car? That should've been me, not Corrigan. They intended that for me, didn't they?!" I heard my voice rising, but quieted. I couldn't get crazy, not now. "Corrigan was gutted because of me. Now he's in surgery because of me." My voice broke. "I am going to kill whoever did this."
Sheila reached for my hand. "Corrigan will be fine. As a cop, I'm not supposed to tell you that, but that's how I feel. You three have been through some tough stuff. This is just one more tough situation. He'll pull through."
Her face closed off, and she looked away. It was like she thought better of what she'd been saying to me and shut up before she said anything else. That's when I asked, "You don't believe any of that, do you? Is he going to die?"
She blinked a few times and watched the street. I watched her face as the streetlights passed over. Her face was illuminated and then cast in shadow, over and over again. There was a raw strength there, but there was also the truth.
Corrigan might die.
She didn't want to say those words to me.
When we went through the emergency doors, conversations halted. A waiting lounge of chairs was full of Corrigan's fraternity brothers. I recognized both Leah's and Grace's sorority sisters. All of them watched me as I crossed the room and headed straight to the front desk. Sheila went with me to explain my relationship with Corrigan. The nurse sent someone to retrieve a doctor and then gave Sheila directions to another waiting lounge.
When we got there, Corrigan's parents held their arms out for me. Katrice caught me first and hugged my head to her bosom. She swayed back and forth, her coat swished with the movements.
"Oh honey. Don't cry. He's going to be just fine," she soothed, wiping away my tears. It seemed like everyone was doing that now. Then she smiled, or tried to smile. Katrice's rosy cheeks were pale. The worry in her eyes was so strong it made her look gaunt. Then Corrigan's father pulled her against his side. "It's okay. He's going to be okay. Corrigan will pull through."
She turned into him and sobbed. The sounds wracked through me. They shouldn't have been crying. They shouldn't have been facing the threat of losing a son again.
Stephen sat in the corner with Luca. I was shocked for a moment. I'd forgotten the two had been best friends before. Stephen looked up at me and nodded. Luca didn't look. He sat there. Both of them just sat there. No magazines to look at. No talking. The television wasn't even on.
Then I felt him behind me. I turned and my eyes widened. Bryce had a crate of coffees in his hand. He froze in the doorway when he saw me and opened his mouth. Nothing came out.
"Hey." I reached for him, but caught myself. Retracting my hand, I felt…stupid and out of place. Things were off. We were a puzzle, but there were parts missing. We were trying to find how the pieces went together again, but they didn't fit. Something between Bryce and me didn't fit anymore.
Corrigan.
"Hey," he said back and slowly handed the coffees to Corrigan's dad.
A doctor came to the door and cleared his throat. "I was told that Miss Jeneve arrived. It's good timing because we just got out of surgery. Mr. and Mrs. Raimler, as I told you before, your son had some massive internal bleeding. We were able to locate the bleeding and stop it. It should heal up fine. There's bruising all over his body, but the most shocking will be on his face and neck. That will clear up in a week or two. We didn't find any fractures or internal lacerations, which is a good thing. All in all, your son is very lucky. He's in good health. The car he was driving protected him. He should be waking up from surgery in a few hours. If you have any questions, you have my card. Feel free to call. The nurse will come in a moment so you can check on him, but he is sleeping right now."
"Thank you, Dr. Lowery." Corrigan's father shook his head. Katrice hugged him. After a few seconds and a few more hugs from Katrice, he nodded again to us and left. It was surreal. We didn't know anything, the doctor came, it was all okay, and then he was gone just as quickly.
"Oh thank god." Katrice slumped onto a chair. "Oh thank God. Oh thank God."
Her husband sat next to her. Stephen took the other side. Each of them held her hands as she kept repeating the same words. It took me a moment before I realized that she had started to pray with her head bent down. The rest of the Raimlers prayed with her.
Bryce and I looked at each other. We were out of place. He jerked his head to the side, and I followed behind as we went into the hallway. When we were away and out of earshot, I breathed out in relief. "Oh my god. I didn't—" Slumping against the wall; I almost fell, but caught myself. I'd been so scared, then mad, then scared, and then I saw Bryce. "I don't know what I'm feeling anymore."
"Relief." Bryce's voice was strained. "You were so pale when you came in. Never mind. I'd imagine that you're still in shock. You'll be feeling it later, I'm sure."
"Yeah, maybe." Looking around, I noticed some of the nurses gazing at Bryce. That's when I realized he was dressed in his soccer casuals. "Everyone's going to be talking about you being here."
