Page 80 of Murder in Calusa Cove
“You here for Hayes Bennett?” he asked.
Chloe stood so fast her chair scraped loudly behind her.
“He’s stable,” the doctor said. “The bullet passed through clean, missed major organs. He’s lucky—if it had gone even a centimeter to the left…” He shook his head. “But he’s strong. He’s in recovery now. You can see him in a little while.”
Chloe felt her knees weaken, but she stayed upright. “Thank you.”
The doctor nodded once and disappeared back through the doors.
Behind her, Fletcher, Keaton, and Dawson stood in the hallway, giving her space—but keeping close.
Chloe sat back down, letting out a breath that felt like it had been lodged in her lungs for hours. She rubbed a hand over her face, then looked up at Fedora and Betsy. “When it’s time, you can go see him first,” Chloe said quietly.
“Oh, no.” Betsy shook her head. “You should?—”
“I insist.” Chloe smiled at Fedora. “He’s going to want to see Fedora. To know she’s really okay. That will be important to him.”
Fedora sank into the chair beside her, reaching out to squeeze Chloe’s hand. “But you’re the woman who stole his heart. He needs you, too.”
“He needs us both,” Chloe said softly. “I’m not going anywhere, and you both need to get back to St. Augustine. This isn’t negotiable.”
“Is this what having an older sister is like?” Fedora teased. “Because if it is, I’m gonna like it.”
Chloe stole a glance toward Betsy, who just smiled and nodded.
A couple of hours ago, Chloe had thought her entire identity had changed, but in reality, it hadn’t. All that had changed was that she had more people in her world to love.
The steady beep of the heart monitor was almost hypnotic. Hayes lay back against the pillows, the pain in his side dulled by meds but still persistent enough to remind him he was alive.
And grateful to be.
The door creaked open.
For a second, he thought it would be Chloe. But it wasn’t.
Fedora stepped in, her movements tentative. She wore a hospital blanket draped over her shoulders like armor.
“You can come in,” Hayes said. “I don’t bite.”
“You used to say that when I was a kid.” She gave a small laugh, then moved to the chair beside his bed, leaned over, kissed his cheek, and sat down, fingers worrying the edge of the blanket. “Chloe wanted me to come see you first,” she said softly. “I thought she should, but she’s a tough one to argue with.”
“I’m glad you came. I wanted to see you.” He looked at her—really looked. “How are you holding up?”
She shrugged. Her eyes were glassy but dry. “I don’t know. Lots to figure out. Lots of new information to deal with. Mom doesn’t know what to say to me about my dad—the man who raised me for the first five years of my life. That man out there…” She waved her hand. “He’s not anything to me. I don’t care what a piece of paper says, but Mom’s struggling with it all. The lie she told me, my dad, herself…it’s eating at her, and I wish it wasn’t. I don’t blame her for what she did. Of course, she didn’t know what kind of man she had a one-night stand with.” Fedora spoke quickly, but softly. As if the words didn’t register, but they did. They hung heavy between them.
“Your mom loves you. You’re her world, and she’d do anything for you.” He let the silence settle for a moment. “You’re tough. You’ll get through this. I hope you know that.”
“I get it from my mom,” she said, then hesitated. “And maybe a little from you. I know you were only in my life for a short time, but you made a difference.”
That hit harder than he’d expected. He shifted in bed, trying not to wince. “I’m sorry for everything that happened. For what you went through. For the role I played in... your past.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Fedora’s voice was quiet. “You were kind to my mom. I know that. She never said a bad word about you. She defended you when I got angry over you leaving and cutting off communication. I was a kid and I?—”
“Felt abandoned by another father figure,” he finished her statement. “I wanted to be more,” he admitted. “Back then. But I was running from things I didn’t even understand. I hurt you both by leaving, and I’m sorry.”
“You’ve said all that before.” She smiled. “Thank you for saving my life.”
“It wasn’t just me,” he said. “You have Chloe to thank for that, as well as the rest of the guys. They all played a part.”
