Sharon Sala - Dark Hearts

* * *

It was beginning to rain as Trey left the parking lot and headed back into the hospital. Lee’s text stated ICU visiting hours were from 10:00 a.m. to noon, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00, and from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00. Tough. Even though it was midnight, he wanted to see his sister’s face.

He took the elevator up to the third floor and was on his way to the ICU waiting room when Lee stepped out into the hall.

“I was just coming to look for you,” Lee said.

“Why? Did something happen? Is she worse?”

“No, but we aren’t going to get to see her until tomorrow.”

“No, we’re going to see her now, even if I have to throw my weight around to do it,” Trey said.

Lee shoved a shaky hand through his hair. There was something he needed to say to Trey before this day got any older.

“Wait a second, okay? Before we go in, I need to apologize to you.”

Trey frowned. “Why?”

“For being such an ass...for hurting Trina like I did. It all had to do with shit from my childhood, but that’s no excuse, because I’m no longer a child. I apologized to her at the memorial service. We were going to meet tomorrow and talk.” Lee’s voice was starting to shake. “When I think of how close she came to not having a tomorrow, it makes me sick. I love her, Trey. So much. I’m with her for the long haul and, if she’ll have me, for the rest of our lives.”

Trey had new respect for Lee. Those words couldn’t have been easy to get said.

“I appreciate your honesty, man. Now let’s go see our girl. She might not know we’re there, but I need to know she’s still breathing.”

Lee managed a brief smile and walked with Trey to ICU. It was two minutes after midnight when they entered. Lights were on, and nurses were moving in and out of the patients’ rooms. Trey paused at the front desk.

“Which room is Trina Jakes in?” he asked.

Clarice Powell, the RN on duty, was about to send the man packing when she looked up.

“Oh, hello, Chief. You know this is past visiting hours.”

“Yes, ma’am, I do.”

She was sympathetic to all his family had been through, and wasn’t about to push the issue.

“Your sister is in 12B.”

“Thank you, Clarice, and to give you a heads-up, she’s going to have to have guards around the clock and a no-visitors sign on her door. No one except for immediate family. I’ll give you a list of names.”

“Dr. Lowell told us. We’ll take care of her, and we’re very sorry for your loss. Your mother was a good friend to everyone who knew her,” she said.

“Thank you, Clarice. Oh...just so you know, this is Lee Daniels. He’s Trina’s significant other, so he’ll be in and out as much as the rest of us, okay?”

Clarice eyed Lee closely. “I know you from somewhere.”

“I work for Peterson Heat and Air.”

“Right! You worked on my central air last May.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lee said. “You said 12B?”

“That way,” she said, as she pointed to her left.

They started down the aisle, trying not to stare at the patients inside the glass-walled cubicles. The beeping of so many heart monitors accompanied them down the hall. Between the steady stream of nurses moving in and out of rooms and the occasional groan or cry for help from someone sick or dying, it was a depressing place to be.

The last time Trey had been in a place with this many seriously ill patients was the VA hospital right after they’d flown Sam stateside. He wondered about the PTSD that had haunted Sam for so long and if this place would trigger a flashback. He’d witnessed a couple of them during the first year Sam was home, and they’d given him pause. They’d also helped him understand why Sam had chosen to stay away. At that time in his life, he could easily have hurt someone he loved.

But while Trey was lost in thought, Lee was looking for the woman he loved.

“There!” Lee said, and lengthened his stride as he darted into the next bay.

Then he stopped just inside the doorway, too stunned to go farther, as Trey hurried past him. Trina was as pale as the sheet on which she was lying, and hooked up to a half-dozen machines. He didn’t know which ones were keeping her alive and which ones were monitoring her vital signs. The room looked like a lab scene from a bad movie. He couldn’t think. He forgot to breathe.

Trey, on the other hand, had seen her covered in blood and been sure she was dead. The fact that he could hear her heartbeat made all of this reassuring.

The nurse who had just finished checking Trina’s vitals and was adjusting the drip on the IV heard footsteps behind her. She turned and quickly recognized Trey.

“Hello, Chief. Really sorry about your mother.”

“Hi, Annie. We’re all sorry about Mom. Our gift is that Trina is still alive. How’s she doing?” he asked.

“Holding her own,” she said.

Lee took a breath and moved closer. Those were the words he needed to hear.

“Annie, this is Lee Daniels. Lee, Annie Dixon. Annie and I grew up together.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Lee said.

“Not ma’am, just Annie,” the nurse said. “I’m going to get her another blanket. I’ll be right back.”

Trey moved to one side of the bed while Lee went to the other. Trey reached toward Trina and rubbed the back of his finger against her cheek.

“Hey, Trina. It’s me, Trey. Just want you to know that you’re safe. You’re in ICU. Sam is on his way home. We love you. Just rest and get well.”

Lee was struggling for words and fighting back tears as he slid his hand beneath hers so that he could hold it.

“Hi, baby. It’s Lee. I just want you to know I love you. Like Trey said, just sleep and heal.”

The stillness of her body was frightening. Even though they both knew she was in a drug-induced coma, she looked as close to dead as a person could and still be breathing.

Trey and Lee kept talking to her, but when Annie Dixon came back with the blanket, she ran them out.

“Sorry, guys. Visiting time is over.”

“Bye for now, sis. I’ll be back,” Trey said as he patted Trina’s shoulder, and then walked away.

Lee leaned over the bed rail and kissed her forehead.

“Love you, baby,” he said softly, and then caught up with Trey, who was writing down the names of the people who were allowed to visit for Clarice.

“Under no circumstance is anyone else to see her. Not even a preacher, okay?”

The nurse’s eyes widened. “Surely you don’t suspect—”

“Right now I suspect everyone,” Trey muttered and pushed the doors wide as he exited.

Lee caught them and slipped out before they shut. “There’s no one on guard yet,” he said.

Trey stopped short, his shoulders slumping. He should have noticed that, but he was so tired and so stressed he was losing focus. “You’re right.”

“I can do it,” Lee said.

“A security team is on the way. They’ll be here within a couple of hours.”

“Then, let me do it until they show. Please, Trey. I need to do this for her.”

Trey went back into ICU with Lee beside him.

“Clarice, I have a security team on the way, but until they get here, I’m assigning Lee Daniels to the job. He’ll sit in a chair just outside her room without bothering her or any of your medical staff in any way. His job will be to follow anyone who goes into her room and observe everything they do until they leave, understand?”

“Yes. Come with me, Mr. Daniels.”

Lee glanced back at Trey. “Thank you,” he said and hurried to catch up.

Trey left ICU again, but in a different state than when he’d entered. His horror at what had happened was slowly being replaced with rage. Three people had been killed on his watch. Now Trina was in as much danger as the others had been. Even as he was thinking about the guards who would be with her, he realized there was a weak link in his plan to keep her safe. If the killer worked in the hospital, he had just unwittingly dumped her back in the bastard’s lap.