Breathe (27 page)

I dried quickly then pulled on my lounge pants and a t-shirt. Knowing I was spending the rest of the day lounging next to Kathryn I chose not to put any socks on. I used the toothbrush and toothpaste quickly then threw everything in my bag and went to join Kathryn in the other room. She was lounging on the bed, her Kindle, which Cora must have also packed, on her knee when I walked in. Even in yoga pants, and with hair I had finger combed before bed last night, she was the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen.

(Kathryn)

When he came out of the bathroom he had on simple black lounge pants, a grey t-shirt and was barefoot. Holy hell, never realized how hot a man’s feet are until he was standing in front of me.

“Hey woman, my eyes are up here. Hell my cock is even further up then the ground.”

I looked up into his sparkling eyes and I felt myself blush, making him laugh even more.

“Now I have to know what you were thinking about.”

I bit my bottom lip and I saw his eyes darken which made me smile flirtatiously, looking up at him through my lashes. “I wasn’t thinking about anything but how sexy your feet look.”

“Seriously? My feet get you all hot and bothered?” I nodded my head, not looking up at him. I felt the bed shift as I concentrated on the book I was reading. After about five minutes and having no clue what I was reading I finally looked over at him. He was pretending to concentrate on his phone but he must have been waiting for me to turn because as soon I did he winked at me, leaned in closer and spoke against my ear.

“Every inch of you turns me on too, especially your blushes. Feel free to get turned on anytime.” I smiled and went back to my book, and he went back to his emails.

We settled into an easy routine. I curled up with him and read on my kindle, and he pulled up a reading app on his phone once all his emails were answered and he had made a few necessary phone calls. Nurse Sandy came in a few more times before her shift switched back to Nurse Betty. Joey and Dante brought us dinner and checked on Tyler, staying only a few minutes before Betty came in and got all huffy that there were too many people in the room. We sat by Tyler’s bed telling him stories and letting him know that we were there and what was going on.

Then Daniel made sure I took my meds before we climbed back into the bed, talking about our lives until we both went to sleep, wrapped up in each other’s arms.

(Kathryn)

After a long night of being woken up several times by the nurses coming in and checking on Tyler, I finally fell back to sleep when the sound of African drums beating woke me back up. I felt Daniel shift beside me and reach over me to where our phones sat charging on the little night stand between the two beds. I heard his gruff greeting then he was silent for a few minutes, listening to the high-pitched female voice on the other end of the phone.

“Okay Mandy, I will swing by in about an hour.” He paused for another minute. “No, that is fine. I will come in for that. See you in an hour.” He slid back in place behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, his head in my neck.

“You awake my grá?” I murmured, and he nuzzled my neck. “I have to go to the producer’s office and sign a few papers and then I have an event tonight I completely forgot about. I need to run by home and take a proper shower and get dressed in proper clothes. I am going to call Josh to come sit with you while I am gone. Will you be okay for just a bit?” I nodded and he placed a gentle kiss on the spot right behind my ear that always made me shiver and melt. He chuckled which made the goose bumps worse. I turned to face him, his blue eyes full of laughter and love.

“I’ll be fine Daniel. Go do what you need to. We’ll be here.” He pulled me into a deep kiss that had my toes curling, and I would definitely need new underwear. He pulled back, his eyes now dark sapphires as he got up and walked into the bathroom. He made the call to Josh as he was putting on his shoes and socks. Then he came back to the bed to press another quick kiss to my forehead. I smiled sleepily up at him, watching him pocket his phone and wallet. He turned once more before he left, giving me a wink.

“Love you Kathryn.”

“Love you too Daniel.” He sighed then closed the door closed behind him and I drifted back off to sleep, only to be woken up a few minutes later by Nurse Sandy and her cheerful good morning. I grumbled and stumbled to the bathroom with my bag. I took a record breaking shower using the toiletries that Lily and Cora had brought the day before and changing into a clean pair of jeans and t-shirt. I was just walking out when Dr. Carter walked in.

“Hey momma, time to take this boy down to get his fresh scan. He will be back in about an hour.”

“Okay, I will just walk down to the cafeteria and get something to eat while he is gone.” The doctor nodded then turned to focus on getting Tyler to the scan. I watched the two orderlies, Nurse Sandy, and Dr. Carter as they moved around him, unplugging some machines and hooking up portable ones. Then they were ready for transport. I said a silent prayer as they moved him out of the room and down the hall. I stood where I was for a few more minutes, then grabbed my phone and headed to the cafeteria.

I read the texts that had come in while I slept. My dad was coming in tonight at eight and my mom was coming in tomorrow morning around ten. As I sat there in the cafeteria eating a bowl of fruit, I felt eyes on me and turned thinking I would see Josh or someone else but there was no one there. I rubbed the back of my neck where the little hairs were still sticking up.

“Maybe I need to start drinking coffee, clearly I am not awake.” I finished the bowl of fruit and grabbed a coke before I headed back up to the room. Josh was pacing the hallway outside of my room, his phone up to his ear when I stepped off the elevator. When he caught sight of me he hung up the phone and moved quickly towards me.

“Where were you?” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye as I passed him and walked into the room.

“I got something to eat. Is that not allowed?” He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Kathryn, you shouldn’t be walking around without someone with you. We don’t know who this whack job is yet or what they are capable of.” I sat down in one of the two chairs in the room. I rubbed a hand across my eyes.

“I’m sorry Josh. I was hungry and they moved Tyler to get his scan and I just didn’t want to sit up here alone and wait for them to get back.” He sat down on the other chair facing me.

“I understand, just please don’t leave again without at least letting someone know where you’ll be if you can’t wait for them to be with you which I would preferred you did.” I nodded then leaned my head back against the wall behind my chair and closed my eyes.

“So we haven’t heard anything about that brick from Dante?” Before he answered Nurse Sandy came in with a manila envelope in her hands and a confused look on her face.

“Ms. James? This envelope was left at the nurse’s station. I just got back from making my rounds and it was there. It has your name on it.” Josh stood up quickly, grabbing a pair of gloves from the boxes hanging on the wall and reached for it. I nodded when Sandy looked towards me so she handed it to him.

“Thank you Sandy.”

“You’re welcome. Tyler should be heading back up soon.” I nodded so she knew I heard but my focus was all on Josh as he opened the envelope. He pulled one picture out of it and cursed loudly. I grabbed gloves as well and snatched the picture out of his hand before he could stop me. Instead of fighting, he turned, pulling his phone out of his pocket and calling Dante.

I looked down at the picture in my hands, which were suddenly shaking violently. It was a picture taken of Daniel and I as we left the benefit dinner just a few days ago. It showed me on the back of his motorcycle, my red dress bunched around my legs. It was right before we took off because Daniel’s hand was on my thigh and his head was turned towards me. It would have been a very good pic if not for the bulls-eye drawn on my back with what looked like red nail polish and the words scrolled along the bottom.

“Your son was collateral damage. You are next.” I sat back down hard, handing the pic back to Josh who put it back in the envelope and laid it on the foot of the bed.

“Dante is on his way. He has some news about the fingerprints they found. I am going right outside this door to see about the security footage, surely it caught something at some point.” I nodded numbly, looking down at my hands blindly. My phone started ringing and I answered it automatically.

“Kathryn! Are you okay?” I closed my eyes at the sound of Daniel’s deep voice. Dante must have been at the townhouse when Josh called while Daniel was there changing.

“I’m okay, Daniel just hurry up and come back please.” He cursed softly.

“I just got out of the shower and Joey let me know. I will get someone else to do the event tonight, and screw paperwork. If they really need it today they can messenger it to me. I will be back in ten minutes my grá.”

I nodded then realized he couldn’t see that. “Okay.” I hung up and waited silently. They brought Tyler back in before Josh came back. Dr. Carter walked in with the orderlies and helped them get Tyler settled again before he came over and sat in the chair next to mine.

“Good news. The bleeding has stopped and seemed to have righted itself. The swelling has also decreased significantly. In about thirty minutes I will come back and get him off all his machines and we will let him start waking up on his own.” I grabbed his hand and squeezed.

“Thank you.” He patted my hand then stood up and left just as Josh came back in with Dante. Josh grabbed the envelope off the bed and handed it to Dante who automatically put it in another evidence bag he pulled out of his back pocket. I was beginning to think the man always walked around with evidence bags sticking out of his pants. The thought made me smile slightly until I remembered why he always seemed to have those bags around me.

(Daniel)

“Just do it Mandy, don’t tell me they don’t have messengers in this city. I am at the hospital now, room 423. Let them know I won’t be at the Vogue event tonight either. Family emergencies are valid reasons to back out and this is a family emergency. Mandy. I don’t give a FUCK, just do it!” A few heads turned to look at me at that but I didn’t care. I hung up and headed straight for the elevator, needing to get to Kathryn now.

I tapped my fingers against my jean-clad leg, watching the number of floors moving slowly upwards. When it stopped I practically ran down the hall to Tyler’s room, skidding to a halt outside and earning a glare from a passing nurse. When I entered the room Dante was slipping an envelope into an evidence bag. I grabbed his arm to stop him from sealing it.

“Let me see it.” Dante and Josh exchanged a look. “Goddamn it just do it.”

Dante took the envelope out but looked meaningfully at the rack of glove boxes. I sighed and grabbed a pair, after I yanked them on he handed it over. I pulled out the picture, staring unbelieving at the bulls-eye painted on the middle of Kathryn’s back. Then I read the words and led out a string of curse words in both English and Irish. I shoved the picture back in and handed the envelope back to Dante who put it in the evidence bag and sealed it. I moved around the big black man and took the chair next to Kathryn, moving it so I was facing her, my legs on either side of hers.

“Look at me Kathryn.” She did and I was surprised to see her eyes were clear without any tears. She smiled softly at me.

“They are taking Tyler off the machines in a few minutes. Dr. Carter said the bleeding has stopped and fixed itself and the swelling has gone down enough that they can start letting him wake up on his own.” I heaved a sigh of relief. At least something good was going on. I took her hand then turned back to Dante and Josh who were waiting for our attention.

“So how the fuck did that envelope get in here without anyone seeing anything?”

“Apparently, they waited until all the nurses were gone on their rounds or dealing with patients and left it on the counter. The hospital director is getting the security footage for us, hopefully they caught something.”

“We don’t need the cameras to tell us who it is though.” That got all of our attention and we all turned to Dante. “The fingerprints came back, a little bit longer than I was hoping because it had to go international which I should have done first seeing as Daniel is an Irish actor and all.” Josh made the get to the point gesture. “So anyway, we know who it is, Lynn Collins.”

“For fuck’s sake!!” I let out another string of expletives, making all three stare at me like I had lost my mind.

“I am taking it that you know this Lynn Collins?”             

“She is my bloody psycho ex-wife. She had me come to the hospital from Paris about three months ago and I told her then that I was done with her and had found someone else who made her look like nothing.” I dropped my head into my hands, gripping my hair in my fists. I felt Kathryn’s soft hands come on top of them, making me release the fists. She took my hands in hers and raised them to her lips. I looked up and her amber eyes looked into mine, reassuring me without words.

Dr. Carter and two nurses walked in just then so Dante and Josh walked out in the hallway to make some calls, including sending photos of Lynn to every man on the James’ security detail. The doctor and his nurses moved quickly, unhooking all the machines but leaving the respirator. I stood behind Kathryn, wrapping my arms tightly around her waist as she watched them move around her son.

“We are leaving the catheter and the IV just in case he doesn’t wake up right away. We also are leaving the respirator in for just a little bit longer until more of the drugs that have kept him in his coma wears off and his body starts kicking back in. Does that make sense?” Kathryn nodded and the doctor smiled kindly at her before saying he would be back before he left for the day and to call if we needed anything. I thanked him and he walked to the door closing it behind him. I let Kathryn go and she walked over to Tyler’s bed. I brought her chair over so she could sit and she smiled over at me before sitting and bringing her son’s hand up to rest against her cheek.

“Okay Tyler, time to start waking up baby boy. I know you hate waking up but this is very important.” She continued to murmur to her son so I quietly left her alone, walking out into the hallway with Josh and Dante.

“Everyone has Lynn’s picture now so we have someone to look for at least.”

“One thing that concerns me though. Lynn isn’t a very bright girl. She wouldn’t have the means or the ability to get into a locked, alarmed vehicle.” Dante’s head came up and he narrowed his eyes at me. “Also, she isn’t strong enough to throw a brick through a window hard enough to break it let alone put a kid in a coma.”

As we all stood contemplating this, a woman with her hair pulled back in a tight bun, red high heels and an expensive looking black wrap dress under a white lab coat came up to our group.

“Mr. Anderson? I have the security footage you were asking for.” She held a set of CDs in her hands and Josh reached out for them, then sat down in a chair in the hallway, pulling a small laptop out of the messenger bag he carried. “If there is nothing else, I have a hospital to get back to running.” He waved at her dismissively, which pissed her off even more. He had such a great bedside manner. I glanced over at Dante who was grinning and I shook my head, covering a smile myself as the woman turned on her impressively high heels and headed back to wherever she came from.

We all turned back towards Josh when he booted his laptop up and slipped the first disk in, labeled 4
th
floor nurse’s station. He fast-forwarded to right before the estimated time of the envelope being dropped off. As soon as all the nurse’s cleared out, a tall form with their face covered by a black hoodie reached over the counter and laid the envelope on the desk, keeping their head turned away from the camera.