Slay Bells Ring (An FBI Romance Thriller Book 12) (46 page)

Hospital

Saturday Afternoon

Ethan hated making the call. It was the worst thing he ever had to do. Calling his father to tell him what had happened was going to be painful.

He already knew what the man planned on doing. He was going to want to come, and they couldn’t allow it.

They needed him out of harm’s way.

If he didn't call him, and God forbid something happened to Callen, Wyler would be pissed.

This was against his best judgment.

As the tablet pinged, he waited.

Then his father’s smiling face appeared on the screen. The second he saw his son, he knew.

“What happened?”

“Dad…”

The man began looking panicked. “Is it Elizabeth or Callen?” he asked.

“It’s Cal, Dad.”

Then he told him all about it.

“I’ll get there as fast as I can. I’m sure Livy and Gabe can handle the kids. I have to come.”

“Dad, it’s dangerous here. Callen wouldn’t want you to be here right now. He’d understand.”

“I don’t care. He’s my son. I turned my back on him as a child, and he was damaged. I know that he goes to therapy, and I know what happened to him. I’m not going to not show because I’m worried about my life, Ethan. He’s my child. I need to be there.”

“Is Gabe around?” he asked.

“Yes.”

The tablet traveled across the man’s home, and finally ended up in his office with their friend.

“Ethan, what’s wrong?”

He told him everything.

“Is Elizabeth okay?” he asked. “Is she able to do this? I can send in other agents to pick up the slack.”

Blackhawk glanced over at his wife. She was surrounded by their ME and anthropologist. While protected, she waited for news.

“She’s holding up. Once she finds out Callen is safe, she’s going to be pissed. Bonnie and Clyde just marked themselves for death. They won’t be walking away.”

“Save the taxpayers some money,” Gabe offered.

They all knew what that meant. It was cop code for pull the trigger.

“I’ll watch the kids. Your dad needs to get there.”

Ethan hated this, but what choice did he have. His father was right. Callen was his son, and he deserved to see him.

“Okay. Thanks, Gabe.”

“It’s no problem. He’ll be arriving on the Quantico jet, and I’ll have a car waiting to drive him there. I’ll make sure he’s safe. You just worry about your brother, okay?”

That took a little pressure off.

Not much, but a little.

“Go be with your wife and brother. I’ll make sure everything is handled. When he’s out of surgery, send my well wishes.”

Ethan saw his father appear back on the screen.

“I’m leaving now. It’s going to be fine, Ethan Jackson. I promise you.”

He hoped his dad was right. “Safe flight, Dad. I’ll see you soon.”

When he made it back to his wife’s side, she was sitting there saying nothing.

“Dad is coming. He wouldn’t stay away.”

“That’s okay. He should be here. Someone’s going to have to stay with Callen while we find these assholes.”

Ethan was glad she was able to focus.

At least someone was.

When Chris saw the doctors coming their way, he tapped her on the leg. The surgeon was still wearing his paper hat, and booties.

As he approached, he looked around. “Are you Mrs. Whitefox?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“He’s through surgery, but we’re not out of the woods yet.”

“How is he?”

“We managed to patch him back up, but where the bullet hit, it was the worst spot. There were nerves damaged.”

“And that means?” Elizabeth asked, feeling that revulsion rising up in her.

“He may never get the mobility back again.”

They all knew what that meant. If he couldn’t use his arm, he couldn’t carry a gun. If he couldn’t carry a gun, he couldn’t go out in the field. If he couldn’t go out in the field, their partnership was done.

Callen would be desk bound.

Well, shit!

Elizabeth closed her eyes.

Okay, this was bad, but she had other issues to worry about right now.

“What are our chances of him pulling through this and living? I’ll sweat his mobility later? Right now, I need cold hard facts, Doctor. I can handle it.”

“His chance of survival is around seventy five percent. We had to graft a new section to the artery, but it’s steady. As long as there’s no internal bleeding from the repair, he’s going to be good. As for his nerves, it’s going to be about a thirty percent chance.”

Ethan closed his eyes and began praying to the Great Spirit, and their grandfather.

This might take divine intervention.

There was no doubt in his mind that not having Callen in the field would damage all of them. He brought something special to the team.

He was their anchor.

“They’re wheeling him to recovery now. You and his brother can see him shortly. No other guests until we make sure he’s stable. For the time being, he needs to rest.”

The man walked away, and then stopped. “Oh, I thought you’d want this,” he said, handing them a jar with the bullet fragment in it.”

Elizabeth took it. “It’s Teflon coated. We have ourselves an armor piercing bullet.”

“Where did he get those?” Chris asked. “They’re illegal in this state.”

“Yeah, their prohibited unless you’re a cop. Then you’d have access to them. Bonnie and Clyde just killed a deputy. Want to bet they took a little trip down theft lane?”

They’d bet money on it.

“We need this analyzed. Maybe there’s a print, or something that will help us.”

“I’ll take it.”

Immediately, Elizabeth faced down her ME. “Okay, but before you go, I need you to tell me the real chances. I trust you. I don’t trust some hospital employee.”

Chris thought about it.

“Tony had the same injury. He bounced back, but he needed a lot of physical therapy for his arm. Callen’s going to be out of work a couple of months, but if he works hard, he should get enough back to requalify. If not, you’re going to have to teach him how to be a lefty when it comes to his sidearm. There are ways around the FBI regulations, you know that.”

She did.

If Callen survived this, they’d make it their mission to help him.

“What do you want us to do?” Chris stated.

“I need to be with him until he wakes up. I want you to get that bullet back to the lab and take this paper with you,” she said, tugging the list from her back pocket. It was the one Filip Howe had given them before they got the news.

“Okay.”

“It’s a list of people who purchased vacations through Sunshine Travel. Right now, they’re our biggest suspects. The only issue is, they had a laptop stolen. We might be getting our chains yanked.”

Tony made notes. “Do you want them to run the two people who own it?”

“Yes. I want our team to run everyone we’ve come in contact with since we got here. I don’t care if they’ve eliminated them, run them again.”

“Sure thing, boss.”

When the nurse appeared, they had to go.

As they headed toward the door, Elizabeth stopped and turned around. Both men were standing there, and in that moment, she loved them very much.

“Forgive me, Ethan,” she said, before heading back toward them.

He watched as she went up on her toes and first kissed Chris on the mouth, and then Tony.

They stared at her like she’d lost her mind. Her mouth touched theirs, and Ethan wasn’t trying to kill them.

“I love you both. Thank you for loving me, even when I’m a hot mess. You’re both my brothers. Don’t forget it.”

They watched her walk away.

Ethan was grinning when he dropped his arm over her shoulders.

Chris said the only thing he could think of. “Tell Callen to get well,” stated the ME.

As the door behind them closed, Tony started to laugh. “That was a letdown. I always fantasized about that moment, and it was like kissing a sister. My last kiss as a single man, and I didn't even get tongue.”

Chris snorted. “She’ll come back here and kick your ass—brother or not.”

He didn't disagree.

“Let’s go help our family find these two.”

With that, they headed out.

It was time to take care of business…for the Blackhawks.

                 
* * *  B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x   * * *

Callen’s Room

When they entered the room, the first thing they heard was the breathing machine and the beeping of a heart monitor. Before she even saw him, she wanted to weep.

Her poor, sweet Callen was going to be a mess.

Then she saw him.

There weren’t words to express what she was feeling. Immediately, the tears began rolling down her cheeks.

“Oh God,” she whispered.

Ethan thought the same thing.

His brother’s long brown hair was matted and a wreck. There was blood on his hands, and he looked like he’d been in a battle.

Elizabeth stripped out of her blazer and vest. They hit the floor with a ‘thunk’. Immediately, she was at his side, leaving kisses across his cheek. If his mouth hadn’t been obstructed with a tube, she would have been placing them there too.

“He’s a mess,” she said, stroking the silky brown hair from his cheek. Callen took great pride in his hair. He’d brushed it and braided it to keep it from tangling.

Seeing him like this killed her inside.

She leaned down to his ear and whispered, “I love you, Callen James. You can’t leave me. We have so much life to live. I swear that if you pull through, I’ll keep you safe for the rest of our lives.”

Ethan headed into the bathroom. He pulled a few towels off the rack and wet them. He couldn’t bear to see his brother a mess like this. When he got back out to the bed, he handed one to his wife.

“Let’s clean him up,” he stated.

She didn't mind catering to his broken body. Gently, she used the towel to wipe the blood from his cheek and hair. With light caresses, she washed away the splatters that told the tale.

There was no way he’d want to be in this condition. Callen liked to be clean. He wouldn’t want to wake up like this.

Ethan took his brother’s hand in his. Carefully, he washed around the IV. With sure strokes, he removed all traces of the blood.

Blackhawk leaned down to kiss his brother on the forehead. He paused, feeling the emotion overwhelming him. This wasn’t just his brother. This was his partner at work and marriage. They’d come together as a couple, and this was a strike to his heart.

“I love you, Cal. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when this happened. I’m just glad you weren’t alone.”

They both knew the truth.

Had Dakota Rakin not been there, Callen would have bled out.

It was rare for Ethan to be overwhelmed with tears. Elizabeth had only seen him cry once or twice. She knew that the two men shared something special. All of Ethan’s life, until he left the Rez, Callen was his charge. He’d watched over, guarded, and even gone to jail for his flesh and blood. There was no doubt that this was a personal affront.

“He’s going to be okay,” she said, placing Callen’s now clean hand on her abdomen.

“Callen James, you have a child to see born. I need you to fight for all you’re worth. You have to come back.”

He didn't move.

Ethan washed some of the blood from his brother’s hair. It ran through his fingers like silk. If Callen survived, he swore there wouldn’t be a day where he didn't hug the man before they left the house.

“I need you, Cal. I can’t be who I am without you,” he admitted. “You’re so much more than my brother. You and Lyzee are my heart. Stay with us. I’ll keep you safe.”

Callen didn't move.

Elizabeth handed Ethan her towel. She didn't care how long a road it was going to be. She was going to fight the entire way, no matter what.

They’d circle around their weaker member, and they’d build him back up—until he was so strong he could carry himself again.

“Ethan, will you go make sure no one is getting assigned to this room?” she asked. “I want Callen in here by himself. When we’re back to work, I want the agents and Wyler babysitting.”

He was more than okay with that. It was the perfect plan.