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“He’s going to be okay?” Vickie asked.
“Yes, I believe so. We’ll keep him here for a few days to monitor his condition and the wound, but barring any complications, he should recover. He’ll likely need some rehab when he’s discharged to regain some mobility in his arm. He’s young, strong, and in good health, so we don’t foresee any problems at this point,” Dr. Berrey explained.
The relief sweeping across the room was palpable. Vickie hugged her husband while Autumn collapsed against her father, fresh tears streaming down her face.
“Thank you, Dr. Berrey,” Mathew managed to say.
The doctor nodded and turned to leave. Gennessey pulled away from BB to follow the doctor. He suspected why and tagged along. They stopped the doctor’s retreat once they were out in the hallway away from the rest of the family.
“Dr. Berrey, about the bullet you removed,” Gennessey began.
The doctor looked from one to the other in confusion. “Are you law enforcement?”
BB stepped forward, his hand outstretched. “We’re private investigators working with local law enforcement on this case. I’m Brennan Beckett, and this is my partner, Gennessey Croft.”
The doctor shook his hand before repeating the gesture with Gennessey. “But they just said you were part of the family.”
“I am. Cohen is my cousin, so this case is personal. But we are as Mr. Beckett says. We work for Knight Security and Investigations, and our company often partners with law enforcement on cases, so they aren’t stretched too thin with the investigation. Could you tell us if you were able to salvage the bullet?”
The doctor hesitated, probably second guessing the wisdom of sharing any details with anyone she had not verified to be who they said they were. Maybe something in their faces or mannerisms convinced her they were genuine, because her confusion disappeared from her face.
“Yes. My nurse passed it along to a police detective who was waiting. It was damaged a bit, obviously, but he seemed to think it would be useful to the case. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have another surgery to get to.”
“Of course,” BB told her. “Thank you.”
The doctor hurried away, and BB pulled Gennessey close to his side. “Go and spend some time with your family. I’ll check in with Jay and the team to see what ballistics information we can get.”
Her arms snaked around his middle, and she squeezed him tightly. “Thank you. I just want a chance to see Cohen, and then I’ll go back to my grandparents’ house. I want to walk the scene and make sure I remember as many details as I can.”
“The scene is secure, Gen. It will keep until tomorrow. Your family needs you.”
She pulled away and stared into his face. “They need me to find the shooter and figure out why he targeted our family. I need to find out who did this to Cohen.”
She walked away, and BB watched her, admiration flooding his chest.
Chapter Twenty-One
Gennessey hadn’t expected to have a moment alone with Cohen, not with so many people waiting to see him. As she stood in the small hospital room in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, she was thankful no one but her cousin to witness the fear in her eyes. This wasn’t the first time someone she knew was shot. This wasn’t the first time someone she was close to was shot. This was the first time she felt helpless and afraid.
Knowing Cohen was shot when she just was standing next to him, in a position to keep it from happening but didn’t, that shook her like nothing else.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
Gennessey stepped closer to his bedside, trying to smile as she studied his face. But she couldn’t get her lips to curve up high enough to fool him. “Look at you like what?”
“Like you’re at my funeral instead of my hospital room. I’m going to be okay. The least you can do is look happy about it.”
She wanted to fire back with a sarcastic quip. Words failed her, and her typical sardonic wit was lost in the moment.
“I’m sorry.”
Cohen’s expression turned stern. “This isn’t your fault. Stop apologizing. Did you catch the guy?”
She shook her head. “I don’t even know if the shooter’s a guy. BB’s team is here to run down leads, and we have investigators back home doing what they can there. Our people are the best. And when it hits this close to home, they pull out all the stops. We’ll find the shooter. I promise you.”
“Don’t promise. I don’t need it to know you’ll do your best. Just tell me I was the only one hurt. I couldn’t bear it if someone else…”
“You saw Autumn and your mom for yourself. They’re just like everyone else. Shook up but fine. Some of your guests got minor abrasions and bruises in the melee, but you were the only man down.”
