Page 87 of Blood Money

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

CARMEN

When I open my eyes, I’m confused for a second before remembering where I am. Pushing myself up in the narrow bed, I look around in the dim light. My door is open, and sure enough, Tony is still there. I groan internally. He isn’t intrusive or rude, but knowing he’s there alone makes me feel weird and worry about what the cops are thinking.

Throwing my legs over the bed, I stand and make my way to the bathroom and close myself inside. I splash some water on my face and try to tame my wayward hair with my fingers. As I’m staring at myself in the mirror, I hear Lydia’s voice call out.

“Carmen?”

I open the door and smile when I see her. “Hey.”

She flips on the light. “Got you some breakfast.” She tilts her head toward the bed and holds up the plastic bag.

I move back and sit on one side as she takes the other. “Any news on the lawyer?” I whisper.

She nods. “Yeah. I made some calls last night and found someone. Apparently, he’s the best in Bexley. I gave him a rundown of things without major details. He wanted me to advise you not to speak.”

I nod and grab one of the Styrofoam boxes from the bag. “What am I supposed to do, then?”

“Nothing as of now. If they’re not arresting you, they can’t keep you. The lawyer is ready to meet whenever they release you, which should be soon. I stopped by the nurses’ station on my way in, and they were getting your paperwork together.”

“Okay.” I open the box, then tear open the plastic utensils and start shoveling eggs into my mouth.

“Have you heard from him?” she whispers.

Him. She doesn’t have to elaborate because I know exactly who she’s talking about.

I frown and shake my head. “No.”

She reaches across the bed and rubs my knee. “I’m sure he’ll get in touch soon.”

I set my fork down and close the box. “We’ll see.” I don’t tell her how I told him not to.

Both of us drop the topic and turn when someone taps on the open door. Dr. Sullivan steps inside the room with a stack of papers in his hands. “You’re officially discharged, Miss Shultz.” He smiles.

Standing from the bed, I take the papers he extends to me. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure. I went ahead and added a prescription for some anxiety medicine, along with a sleep aid. Witnessing something so traumatic can have quite the impact. I suggest meeting with a therapist or coming back here if you have any issues.”

Thinking back on the events of last night, I don’t even know how I feel. Sad? Yeah. Angry? Definitely. But above all of that, I feel… lonely. I don’t have William, and now Cyrus is in the wind too. Within minutes I lost the two people who brought me so much comfort, and I don’t even know how to process it. One minute I feel completely gutted, and the next I’m raging, then I’m void of all emotions. Maybe that’s how grieving works, or maybe I’m just more broken than I thought.

“Thanks.”

He gives me a curt nod, then leaves the room.

Lydia loads the boxes back in the bag and looks around the room. “Do you have clothes?”

I look down at my body. “What’s wrong with my gown and sick grippy socks?” She stares at me with a blank face, doing her best not to smile. “Cops took them. This is as good as it gets.” I run my hands down the gown.

“Well, you can’t meet the lawyer like that, so let’s go get you some clothes from my place.”

Nodding, I round the bed and link my arm with hers. “Okay, and thanks for everything, Lydia.”

She gives me a tight smile. “It’s what friends are for, Carmen. And you know you don’t have to pretend around me, right? It’s okay to be weak sometimes.”

“Weakness isn’t an option. I just need to get all of this worked out first.” I try to start out of the room, but she stops me.

“You can’t bottle things up forever.”

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