Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 132962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
“The surgeon just told me he can identify him. Aaron’s got us a good visual from the street view and proof he’d been in town this weekend.”
“You know we can’t use his video work.” Connors and his stupid rules.
“He’ll tell us where to get the best shots. Look, man, take it as a gift and be thankful we have it,” Mitch said. It wasn’t until he felt all eyes on him that he realized he’d probably said those words a little too loudly, perhaps a little too roughly. “I’m heading to the local office as soon as I’m done here. I’ll get the footage myself.”
“It’s gonna blow things up around here to arrest a Secret Service agent. We need to have our argument ready,” Connors stated.
“Don’t fucking say a word to any other department until we have him. When I get done here, I’m heading back there. I want to talk to him myself.” He made his way to the bank of seats facing the waiting room door.
“Mitch, I’m not sure that’s wise.”
“You’ll be there. You’ll stop me if I take it too far, but we gotta get him to say something to tie him to those other cases.” He sat in the chair away from everyone. He didn’t want anyone listening in on the phone calls he needed to make.
“Then get back here today. Sunday’s our only excuse for not advising everyone,” Connors said. “I gotta go. I’ve got to pull this arrest together.”
“Get him, Connors,” Mitch said.
“Got it.”
~~~
By the time he got through the phone calls, Mitch found himself alone in the waiting room. Not completely alone, the two FBI guards stationed by the door were the only other people left in the room. Completely confused, he took a second look around the room again.
“They went through that door. They tried to get your attention,” one of the guards said. Mitch didn’t hesitate. He gave a nod and hurried through the swinging doors that had earlier kept him separated from Cody.
The freedom of shoving the doors was fleeting when he came face to face with a wall. He could go right or left, with no direction as to what was down either long hall. Mitch stood there a minute before sticking his head back through the swinging door.
“Did you see if they went right or left?” Mitch asked.
“Left,” the guard said, fighting back a grin.
Mitch was off, going left. Several missed doors and wrong turns later, he found a back entrance into the recovery area. He walked in on what had to be ten people lined against a wall. There was a security guard stationed by this door, a nurse’s station in the distance, and rows of curtains to his right. Mitch nodded at the guard by the door and looked the people over who stood to his left. They all stared at him. After a quick assessment, he guessed some of these were the Turner siblings. Every other one was blond. Mitch could pick out some of Cody’s features in everyone with blond hair.
Sheila stepped out from around the curtain and caught sight of him. “Mitch, come in. He’s here,” she said, ushering him around the curtain as the rest watched. Cody lay in bed, his eyes closed, with his mother and father on either side of him. Cody’s mom was crying, and Mitch had no idea what that meant. She held on to Cody’s hand.
“Has he woken yet?” Mitch asked quietly, staring at Cody. His hair was a mess, his skin very pale, and he was bandaged around the shoulder and chest. He breathed evenly, and his eyes were closed, but moving. Mitch thought he was beautiful.
The overwhelming relief was staggering, and he wondered how many more times his heart could go through the high and lows of today and still continue to beat. He walked to the end of the bed, rested a hand on Cody’s foot, and squeezed.
I love you, he mentally told Cody.
“They haven’t said anything else. The nurse is going to let him sleep a little while longer, then wake him up,” Mrs. Turner said.
“I’m gonna have to head back to DC,” Mitch started.
“Did they find the person who did this?” Mrs. Turner looked up at him, her eyes full of hope.
Right when Mitch was going to have to say he couldn’t discuss the case, her husband stepped in.
“Connie, it’s an open investigation. He can’t tell us anything,” Mr. Turner advised his wife.
“I’m sorry,” Mitch added, not entirely certain why he apologized, but he did with the crestfallen look she gave him.
“Mom, Dad, can we give Mitch a minute alone with Cody?” Sheila asked. “I think Cody would want that.” Mitch looked up, surprised, and cut his eyes between the three of them, until his mother finally nodded. She kissed Cody on the forehead and squeezed his hand before leaving the small room. Cody’s dad followed along after them.
“Take your time, but we can hear everything you say. The curtains don’t provide much buffer,” Sheila warned him before she left. Mitch turned back to Cody, and his heart seized a bit in his chest. He hated seeing him in this condition. And then the guilt that had been lingering on the outer surface of his frantic thoughts finally came crashing down on him.
Cody wouldn’t have been here had it not been for Mitch.
“We know who it is. He’s not gonna hurt you again,” Mitch whispered as he reached out the palm of his hand, stroking Cody’s cheek, and he leaned farther down to Cody’s ear. “I’m sorry I let this happen. I haven’t been able to see well enough on this case. I should have anticipated this.”
Mitch kissed Cody’s cheek, and then kissed his lips. He let the tears he’d been holding back, fall freely. “I love you. You do everything the doctors say to do. Don’t be stubborn. I’ll be back as soon as I can. You’re protected, Cody, you don’t have to worry about another attack.”
Cody’s eyes fluttered before they slowly slid open. Mitch kept caressing Cody’s face with his palm. He sniffled and wiped at his nose as Cody’s eyes focused in on him.