The Sacrificial Lamb (52 page)

The days following the shooting were a blur of emotion. Alex felt like she was being torn in a hundred pieces, each one assigned a different feeling. Her life was still in complete chaos, and the one thing that kept her grounded was the man lying in that hospital bed.

She had refused to leave Domenic’s bedside that first night. The next day she was unceremoniously shooed out by Miles who’d said her blood-spattered countenance was scaring the staff and demanded she go back to the safe house to clean up. He assured her that Domenic would remain unconscious while she was gone, but they would let her know right away if there were any changes.

Dufresne came to escort her to the safe house where she said brief hellos to her father and Shane before rushing to her room, grabbing some clothes, and taking a shower. Alex had to admit it was nice to clean up. When she went back to her room, she found Shane waiting for her.

“Hi,” she said hesitantly, standing in the doorway.

“I wanted to say goodbye. I’m flying back home today, Alex.”

“So soon?” she squeaked. Although rationally she knew he wouldn’t want to stick around while she was at the hospital with the man she loved, it still hurt to have to say goodbye.

“Yeah. Our neighbors have been helping my parents run the farm, but since I’m not going with you and John, I should get back now.”

Alex walked in the room, shut the door behind her, and sat beside Shane on the bed. Both of them stared forward instead of at each other.

“You know this is the right thing to do, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I know,” he said sadly. “It’s just hard, Alex. I mean, you go around thinking you know how your life is going to end up, it gets to a point you don’t know how to live any other way.”

“This isn’t easy for me either, Shane.”

“Isn’t it?” he asked, turning to look at her. For a moment she saw a hint of anger cross his normally sweet face.

“Of course not! I have no idea what life holds for me right now. I don’t know where I’ll be living, or what I’ll be doing. I don’t even know what my name will be!” Alex didn’t tell Shane that as scared as she was, this secretly thrilled her. “And I won’t even have my best friend to talk to and tell me it’ll be okay,” she said with a gentle smile.

“That’s all I am to you now, your best friend?”

“You’ve always been my best friend, Shane.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“I know.”

“Alex, are you
sure
about this? What if you change your mind?” His eyes searched hers in futility, looking for any hint of doubt, but not finding any.

“I’m sure, Shane. But if I change my mind, you’ll be the first to know.”

They both knew that Alex wouldn’t change her mind. She was nothing if not stubborn and never made decisions lightly. Even if things didn’t work out with Domenic, she refused to hold on to Shane like a lifeline to keep her afloat. That would be unfair, and she wouldn’t do it to him.

“I have to go,” she said in a soft voice and stood up. Shane stood up with her, and they looked at each other awkwardly for a moment. “I don’t know if I’m allowed to get in touch, but if I can, you know I will. Okay?”

His eyes began to tear, and he opened his arms to her. Alex stepped into his embrace, and they held each other for a while.

“I’m going to miss you, Lexi,” he said, his chest rumbling underneath her cheek.

“I’m going to miss you too, Shane.”

Swallowing back tears, she let him go and walked out of the room. Headed to the front door, she heard her father call out to her.

“Alex? Where are you going?”

“Back to the hospital, Dad.”

“Wait one second, young lady!” he said in his most fatherly tone. Sighing, she turned back to see him striding toward her. “Do you mind explaining to me what the hell is going on?”

“I can’t right now. I have to go back to the hospital. I promise that I’ll explain everything when I get back.”

With that, she pulled open the door and rushed out to meet Dufresne, who had been waiting for her outside in the hallway.

“Alex!” her father called out after her.

“I’ll be back later, Dad!”

Alex rushed out, leaving her father standing in the hallway, bewildered and upset. There was no time to explain to him the true nature of her relationship with Domenic, not until she knew he was going to survive the surgery. Eventually she would have to tell her father everything, and it was not a conversation she was looking forward to.

That thought was pushed aside as it seemed Alex hadn’t much room in her head for anything besides Domenic.

That night there was no change in Domenic, and the second day was the same as the first. He lay there still as a statue and just as lifeless. Alex tried to hold on to hope, but it was difficult. Miles assured her that this was normal, and it was just his body’s way of healing itself. All the tests and X-rays had come back looking positive, and he was certain that Domenic would wake at any time.

Russell kept her company a lot, and they talked about various things. He was excited because Bianca was coming back home in a couple of days. Security had been increased for the Sutherland family as well, and he felt safe bringing his wife and mother back to Chicago now that the larger Liseni threat was minimized. Alex was pleased and nervous to be finally meeting Domenic’s sister. Everyone seemed somewhat scared of Bianca, and she expected her to be quite formidable.

That night she remained in Domenic’s room again, drifting in and out of sleep. Both Russell and Miles tried to get her to leave, but she refused. In the early hours of the morning, she began talking to Domenic again about inconsequential things. Alex leaned her arms on the bed and put her head down. Soon the words came slower, and she was fighting off yawns. Eventually her eyes began drifting shut, and she succumbed to the sweet call of sleep.

He floated in a sea of darkness, bodiless, uncaring of where he was. Occasionally Domenic heard what sounded like voices. One in particular sliced through the blackness, urging to him to the surface but not quite having the power to make him comply. The sweet cadence of the voice called to him, beckoned him home. Slowly he began to rise. The journey was long and arduous.

Feeling like a babe come from the womb, he opened his eyes to the brightness of day blinding him. He was suffocating. Something intrusive was in his mouth and down his throat. Seized by a moment of panic, he tried to recall what had happened to him and where he was, but his memories were hazy and incomplete.

Turning his head, Domenic saw her and calmed immediately. His angel. She was asleep with her head on her arms resting beside him on the bed. Flickers of what happened began emerging from the cotton batting that swaddled his mind. He remembered emotional pain, then running, and then physical pain that knocked him flat. After that, nothing more.

But she was safe. And that was all that mattered. Domenic wanted to reach out and caress her face, but he felt weak and helpless. He managed to move his hand enough so that one finger was able to trace the sweet curve of her cheek. She smiled just the tiniest bit, her lips pulling up on one side.

Alex.

As his memories became clearer, he recalled the cause of his emotional turmoil. She had chosen Shane over him. Sadness welled up inside of him once more, and he withdrew his hand.

Before Domenic could wonder why she was here at his bedside, her eyes began to open. It was just a series of slow, hesitant blinks, as if she were debating whether to wake at all, and then they opened fully. Their eyes met and time seemed suspended for ages. Everything and nothing was said in that solitary silent communication.

“You’re awake,” she said in a sleepy voice, and then her head snapped up. “You’re awake!”

In a flash, she was up and rushing to the door, leaving Domenic perplexed and alone. He heard her speaking with excitement outside of the room, and she hurried back in with a nurse on her heels.

“See? He’s awake!”

“Okay, Ms. Montgomery,” the woman replied in a pacifying manner before turning to him. “Mr. D’Angelo, I know you might feel a little disoriented right now. You’re in the hospital and have a breathing tube in your throat. I’ve called Dr. Sutherland, and he’ll be here soon to examine you. All right? Nod if you understand me.”

No shit, Sherlock
, he thought to himself and nodded briefly. The nurse was checking his vitals when Alex came back around the bed and sat on the edge of the chair.

“Domenic? How are you feeling? Shit.” She paused. “
How are you feeling.
Like he can even answer you!” she mumbled, frowning. “I’m so happy you’re awake. I was so worried about you.”

His mind was still fuzzy, and he tried to concentrate on what Alex was saying to him, unsure if he was hearing her correctly. He was happy that she was here with him, but Domenic didn’t want her to stay if all she felt was guilt about him being injured. She continued speaking, filling him in on what had happened and telling him that he had been unconscious for almost two days as his body recovered from the trauma.

Two days? She’d been here that long waiting for him to wake up?

Miles walked into the room with a broad smile. Domenic frowned. Something about this was wrong. Miles wasn’t supposed to be in the country at all. Perhaps this was some strange coma-induced dream. Did people dream while in a coma? He wasn’t sure, but it would explain Alex’s presence here.

“You’re awake! Wonderful! I’m glad I was on call.”

The nurse conferred with Miles for a moment before turning to the machines that were monitoring him. He came to Domenic’s bed and raised it to a sitting position. Standing by the bed, Miles took inventory of him and began removing the tape holding the breathing tube in.

“Let’s take this out. You don’t seem to need it anymore.” Miles took hold of the tube and looked at him. “Okay, Domenic. On the count of three, I want you to cough as the tube comes out. One, two, three.”

Miles tugged gently on the tube, and Domenic began coughing as it was pulled out of his throat. Once he was done, Miles slipped an oxygen mask over Domenic’s face and reclined his bed so that he was on a slight incline. Alex was watching him with anxious eyes, and he gave her a small smile to reassure her that he was all right. Domenic wanted to speak, but his throat felt rough and swollen, and he preferred to not talk to Alex in front of an audience.

“Alex?” Miles said, taking her attention from him. “We need to get Domenic down to X-ray his chest and do some other tests. Would you like to go home and come back later?”

Alex looked at him for a moment before answering. “Okay, Miles.” She came toward Domenic, leaned in and kissed his forehead. “I’ll be back later.” With one last smile and a squeeze of his hand, she turned to go.

They watched her leave. Miles turned back to him and sat on the edge of the bed. “Pretty close call you had.”

“What are you doing in Chicago?” he croaked out, and then cleared his throat.

“How nice to see you are your usual grateful self, Domenic.”

Caught between the desire to scowl or smile, he did the latter and smirked at Miles abashedly. “You were supposed to be out of the country, Miles.”

“My patients needed me, and with Russell here, I hardly saw the threat.”

“Are Diana and Bianca safe?”

“Yes, of course. They’re both fine,” he said, giving him a reassuring pat on the arm.