Page 129 of Heartstruck at Dawn
She smiled with a chuckle. “I can help you with that. Are you okay to walk?”
I nodded. “Do you have any information on William or Caleb?”
“I don’t, but I’m sure we can ask someone. Let’s take you to the bathroom first.” She opened the curtain, and the two agents posted outside of my cubicle nodded at me. I nodded back. “Aaron and David will be back soon,” she said as we stepped out. “Your father asked them to—freshen up.” Aaron’s clothes were stained with blood, too. “Your father left word that he will also return shortly.”
Agent Johnson escorted me to the nearest restroom. When we got back, I sat on the edge of the bed. I didn’t want to lie down anymore. I was ready to move on to what was next, even though my head felt heavy. Ineededto know if William and Caleb were okay. Enough sleeping.
“How’s my favorite patient doing?” Dr. Lindström said, walking in. I felt relieved when I saw him smiling. That meant William had to be okay.
“I’m doing fine and feeling ready to leave this bed,” I replied with a modest smile. “Any news on William?”
“Yes. He’s in the recovery room. His surgery went well,” Dr. Lindström said, clutching my shoulder for a couple of seconds. “The bullet hit in his descending colon. It took the surgeons a few hours to fix the damage. They were done with the procedure a bit past four a.m.”
“When can I see him?” I asked with a frown, already expecting a negative as an answer.
“Once he’s back in his room,” he said with a pursed smile, looking at his watch. “In about thirty minutes or so.”
Yes!
“And when will I be discharged?”
“You’re good to go. I’ve had someone take care of the paperwork. I can take you to see William’s family if that’s what you want.”
“That would be great. Thank you,” I said with a hopeful smile. “And Caleb? He’s part of my security detail. He was shot too. They told me he was in surgery. Do you have any information?”
“I—wasn’t aware there was an injured agent. I’ve only been monitoring William’s progress, but I can check that for you.”
Dr. Lindström called a nurse to help take my IV out of my left wrist and excused himself. The nurse offered to help me change afterward.
Agent Johnson placed the bag with my things on the bed and unzipped it. William’s scent spiraled out and filled the cubicle in seconds.
What the?
That was William’s green Hammarby hoodie. Not Nathan’s.
“Wha—why did they bring this hoodie?” I asked, confused.
“I brought it,” Agent Johnson replied with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, is it not the right one? David said I should bring you underwear, leggings, tennis shoes, and a green Hammarby hoodie. It took me a while to find it. It was inside a green box in the bottom drawer.”
I wore Nathan’s hoodie so much that David might’ve thought I’d appreciate the gesture of bringing it over. But Mimi hadn’t returned my clean clothes, and Nathan’s hoodie was included in such laundry.
Agent Johnson was a go-getter, wasn’t she? She’d found it in my not-so-secret hiding spot.
Damn it.
“No, it’s okay. Don’t worry,” I replied with a smile, feeling a little panicky on the inside. “But I might need to change before ten a.m. It’s—a long story.”
“I’ll send someone over and grab something else for you,” she said matter-of-factly. “Anything in particular?”
“Any other hoodie from the closet is perfectly fine.” I felt embarrassed about sending someone to my apartment again, but I couldn’t wear this when Nathan arrived. It made me feel even worse to have to keep it a secret from him. But I didn’t want to get rid of William’s hoodie either.
I’m the worst.
“I’ll take care of it,” Agent Johnson replied as the nurse helped me into the hoodie. It washuge! I asked the nurse to help me roll up the sleeves to my elbows because they completely covered my hands if I left them untouched.
I finally left the cubicle smelling like William. Dr. Lindström waited nearby for me to come out. He took me to see William’s family in a private waiting room.
“Billie!” Lily cried and ran in my direction when Dr. Lindström opened the door for me. We hugged each other tightly. “I’m so glad you’re okay. How’s your wrist? We were told it was fractured.”
