Page 63 of Evidence of Secrets

CHAPTERFORTY-FIVE

The drive to the hospital was a half hour of silence. Laura was twisting her ring the whole time, and Hank didn’t have the heart to ask her to stop before she chafed her finger.

It was still warm and sunny, and Hank would have loved nothing better than to be at the beach, lather Laura’s back with suntan lotion, watch her jump the waves in her bikini, then sit under the umbrella, kissing every inch of her body and wishing they were the only ones there.

Instead, they were on their way to the emergency room to find out what had happened to Levi.

There were so many unanswered questions. Why? How? Who?

Something weird was definitely going on at the bistro. First, the thefts, and now Levi was hurt. The cops found the robber who attacked Laura, who claimed someone paid him to rob her. What was the connection? What else could happen? Damn, he wasn’t going there.

Hank found a parking space near the emergency room when they got to the hospital. Levi’s wife, Nancy, was already there and would meet them. He’d called Sam and Hailey, who promised to get there as soon as possible. Danny was sure to be with them. Laura needed all the support they could give.

“Oh, God.” Laura was hyperventilating, her chest pumping in and out. “I can’t. I can’t get enough air.”

“Sweetheart, take a deep breath.” Hank rubbed her back. He was concerned she wouldn’t get control of her breathing or she’d be a patient. He could feel her heart racing. “When you’ve caught your breath, we’ll go in. Come on now. Deep breath.”

Laura inhaled and exhaled a few times deeply. Her hands were shaking, and Hank’s heart was breaking. Sure, he’d seen things in the Army he’d like to forget, but when the woman you care about is hurting, it’s different. More painful.

“Laura, cup your hands and breathe into them. Everything is going to be okay.”

She gave him the side-eye but cupped her hands. After five minutes, her breathing was back to normal. Laura closed her eyes and opened them.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

Hank tipped her chin towards him. “Sweetheart, you have nothing to be sorry about. You care about Levi. The worst part is not knowing what happened.” He kissed her forehead. “Are you ready to go in?”

She nodded. Hank got out and walked to the passenger side. Opened Laura’s door and helped her out. She was unsteady on her feet for a few seconds, and he held her until she gained her balance.

“I’m okay now.”

They stopped at the desk, got name tags, and followed the nurse down the hall. Some beds were empty. A couple of men were in other beds, bandages on their bodies. They heard a moan coming from down the hall.

“Oh, God. I hope that isn’t Levi.”

Hank did, too, but they’d know soon enough. A short, dark-haired woman was standing in front of one room.

“Nancy!” Laura raced over to Levi’s wife and hugged her. Nancy had been crying. Her eyes were red and swollen.

Laura introduced them.

“What happened?”

“All I know is that he’d gone into work early. Something about trying out a new recipe.” Nancy wiped a tear from her eye. “The next thing he knew, he woke up on the floor, confused. He thinks someone hit him, causing him to pass out.”

“Oh, my God. Does he have any idea who hit him?” asked Laura.

Hank could see her pulse racing, and she lost color on her face. He looked around for a chair and brought two over.

“Sit. You’ll feel better.”

“Thanks, but I’m okay. I’ve been sitting with Levi for a couple of hours,” said Nancy.

Laura sat and blew out a breath.

“In answer to your question, Laura: No, he didn’t see who hit him. His back was turned. When he came to, he called me, and I called an ambulance.”

“Has the doctor said anything?” asked Hank. Concussions were not good. He remembered a couple of guys who had been fighting. One suffered a concussion. He was out for a couple of weeks.

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