Page 52 of A Burning Rage

I attempt to shift my position in the bed, but the slightest movement is agonizing, and I grimace in pain.

“Don’t move, sweetheart,” Beth says a bit frantically as she grips my shoulder in an attempt to keep me in place. “Just lie still.”

“Where am I? What happened?”

“You’re at Northwestern,” Cooper says. “In the ICU. You don’t remember what happened?”

I try to shake my head, but even that small movement hurts. “No.”

I notice tears pooling in Beth’s eyes, and when I try to squeeze her hand to reassure her, I don’t even have the strength to do that. I’m shaky and weak.

There’s a beeping sound, and then the black cuff around my right arm tightens. There’s an IV in my left arm. “I’m in the hospital?”

“Yes,” Beth says.

I glance down at my torso and spot the edge of a bandage peeking out from beneath the bed sheet.

“It’s all right, honey,” Beth says as she gently brushes my hair back. “Just relax. Everything’s going to be all right.”

My eyes grow heavy, and I’m having trouble keeping them open. “You’re all right?” I ask her. There’s a niggling thought in my head that she might have gotten hurt. “You’re sure?”

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine.” She gives me a teary-eyed smile. “Just rest, please.”

* * *

I must have fallen asleep because when I open my eyes again, Beth is reclining in a chair beside my bed, fast asleep. I scan the room and spot Cooper sitting on a sofa reading The Chicago Tribune.

When he notices my eyes on him, he lays the newspaper down and rises to walk over to the bed. “Hey,” he says quietly, probably not wanting to wake Beth. “How are you feeling?”

“Like shit. I feel groggy and weak. How long was I out?”

“About forty-eight hours post surgery.”

“Surgery? What for? I guess that explains the bandages and why my gut hurts like hell.”

“You had two operations, actually. The first one was to repair damage to your spleen and repair a nicked vein.”

“And the second one?”

“When you were in recovery, your blood pressure started dropping. Turns out, there was still some internal bleeding. They missed a nicked vein that needed to be stitched up.”

I glance at Beth, who’s still sleeping. “And she’s really okay?”

“She’s fine, just anxious about your recovery. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know. I can’t shake the feeling she’s in danger, or that she could have been hurt. Cooper, what the hell happened?”

“You don’t remember anything?”

“No. Nothing. Right now, my brain feels like mush. I’m lucky to remember my own name.”

“When you arrived at the psych hospital for a hearing, Andrew pulled a gun on Beth, intending to shoot her. You stepped between them, and Andrew shot you instead.”

“Shit.” I’m feeling pretty dazed at the moment. “What happened to Andrew?”

“He’s dead.”

“How?”