CHAPTER TEN
Lance glanced up as he saw movement in the doorway.
"Hey." He didn't even try to smile at Franks and Amy.
He didn't have it in him. His entire body ached and he was so tired that he could hardly keep his eyes open.
He'd napped off and on, but fear of missing something kept him from falling into a deep sleep. "What time is it?"
"A little after ten." Franks went to where Lizzy was sitting in a wheelchair beside Angus's bed. "How are you?" He bent and hugged her from behind, pausing to kiss her cheek.
"Sore and tired, but mostly worried about my boy." Lizzy stared at Angus.
"He's tough. He'll pull through this." Franks reached a hand over Angus's body to shake Martin's hand. "What can we do to help?"
Martin sighed. "Pray."
"Been doing that since I heard he was injured," Franks told them.
"They're going to need transportation to and from the hospital every day. Can you guys help with that?" Lance relaxed in the recliner, too sore to stand up and be social.
"Of course." Amy smiled. "We'll work it out. You just let us know when to pick you up and we'll be there." Amy stood at the foot of the bed. "Have you guys eaten?"
"Lizzy and I ate before they discharged her about an hour ago," Martin assured her.
Amy glanced at Lance. "You?"
"Not yet, but I can call down for something anytime. I'm just not hungry," Lance told her. "I will grab something later. Please don't nag me. Not today."
Amy sighed, but kept quiet.
"Has the doctor been in?" Franks asked.
"Yeah, she just left. Nothing new to report. His vitals are holding strong. It's just a waiting game now," Martin told them. "Lance probably understood more of what was said than we did."
Lance gave Martin a nod. "I was just asking about the damage to his neck and if it affected his vocal cords or anything.
She thinks if he survives the initial injury, he'll make a full recovery and be able to speak and swallow normally.
The glass was in the side of his neck, not the front, so if there is anything positive about this, it's that.
They're watching the swelling and keeping a close eye on the stitches for now.
" Lance sighed as he stared at Angus's motionless body.
"Any news on what caused the explosion?"
"Not yet. We're interviewing people today." Franks leaned against the wall. "You three feel up to answering a few questions now?"
"Not much to tell you." Lance shifted, trying to ease the pain in his shoulder. "I don't remember anything. I was sitting there one minute and on the floor the next." No matter how many times he played the event back in his mind, he didn't recall the actual explosion.
"I remember feeling something hard hit the back of my head, then pain in my leg. I don't recall falling out of my chair or hitting the ground, just realizing I was on the ground and my leg hurt like hell," Martin told them.
Lizzy nodded. "I felt the force of the blast, then was on the ground. I looked up, saw Angus's spirit leaving his body, Betty flying toward him, then they were gone. Lance screamed, we both rushed toward Angus, and he was all I could focus on."
"Wait, you saw Angus's spirit?" Amy asked, a look of confusion on her face.
Lizzy had never hidden her ability to see ghosts from people. "Yeah, his ghost was coming up from his body. My friend Betty, who is a ghost rushed at him, seemed to grab him, then they both disappeared."
Lance stayed quiet. He wasn't ready to out himself to Amy Burns yet. He had enough to deal with and didn't need to deal with her doubt or thinking he was crazy right now.
Franks smiled. "Lizzy can see ghosts. She's always been able to.
Betty is a ghost who's been her best friend for years.
Don't go thinking she hit her head, or that this is from her injury.
We'll leave that part out of the report, but I'm curious.
You said you saw him leave his body. Doesn't that usually only happen when someone dies? "
Lance closed his eyes. It did happen when someone dies which meant Angus had died, at least for a moment. He still couldn't wrap his head around how he was still alive and breathing in the hospital bed right now.
Lizzy's eyes filled with tears. "Yes. I don't understand what happened or why he's still alive.
He shouldn't be. I can't explain it. I can only hope that somehow he fought death and is still in there and will wake up and be the same boy I've always loved.
" She used the back of her hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
Amy raised a brow and glanced at Franks with a look that said she didn't believe any of this, but she didn't say a word.
"Did you guys smell anything before the explosion? A gas odor or anything like smoke?" Franks asked.
"No, nothing like that. It was a normal night out. The place was busy, and there were those fake candles on every table, but not real flames. No one was in a panic or warning about anything. I'd think if someone smelled gas, they would have said something." Martin shifted in his wheelchair.
"Nobody was fighting or arguing?" Amy asked.
"No. It was a nice peaceful beginning. We'd only sat down and got our drinks.
We hadn't even ordered yet, so we hadn't been there for long.
Lizzy made a toast to Jackson being home, we all clinked glasses, and then everything exploded around us.
I don't even remember if I managed to take a drink.
" Lance reached for the glass of water beside him.
He took a long drink, then looked back at Franks.
"It was quiet walking in. There were people around, but no one that looked suspicious or seemed to be fighting with anyone.
Nothing inside or out seemed off. It was all normal, until it wasn't."
"Did anyone notice anything after the explosion? Someone out of place? A person who wasn't in shock or injured?" Franks asked.
"My first thought was to check on Angus, and once I did that, he had all my attention. Until the firefighters arrived and I started begging them for help, I didn't see anything except Angus and those who were with us," Lance told them.
"Pretty much the same for me." Lizzy sighed. "Once I saw Angus, he had my full attention."
"I couldn't see Angus but knew it was bad from the way Lizzy and Lance were reacting.
I looked around, but all I saw were people on the ground.
A few got up and tried to stumble around the debris or help others, but no one stood out.
We all looked in shock and like we'd just been in the explosion.
Police and firefighters took us out one by one, leaving the most severe for the paramedics to deal with.
Honestly, there was so much going on at once, it was hard to focus.
My main concern was for Angus, then for Lance when I saw him pass out. "
Lance closed his eyes. He didn't remember falling.
One minute he was trying to walk through the cluttered, broken parts of tables and chairs to get help, then there was nothing until he woke in the hospital.
It was probably a good thing he'd passed out, because he'd have refused to leave Angus's side if he hadn't.
Like it or not, he would have made the whole situation harder had he been alert to everything going on.
"You passed out?" Amy glanced at Lance.
"I was trying to get help for Angus. I tripped over something on the floor, jarred my shoulder, and I guess the pain knocked me out.
I don't recall anything after tripping until I woke up in the hospital and Jackson was able to tell me what was going on.
" Lance stared at Angus's still body. "My only thought at the time was saving him. "
"The whole place was in chaos. I know you're hoping for us to recall some major thing, but everyone was stunned and in shock.
People were focused on the people they were with.
I remember hearing crying and screams, but I couldn't tell you where they were coming from.
And once police and fire were there, the noise and insanity got even worse.
" Martin shifted uncomfortably in his wheelchair.
With one leg extended in a cast, he sat with his side to Angus, but he kept his hand covering his son's.
"I fear that's going to be the story we hear from almost everyone," Franks told Amy.
She nodded. "But it only takes one person to give us a lead. There were a lot of people there last night. One of them might have seen something."
"Which means we have a lot of interviews to get through." Franks stared at Angus. "You'll call me if there are any changes?"
"Of course. But none of us have our phones. Can you leave me your number? I'll call from the nurse's desk if I need to until I get a new phone." Lance held out a notepad and pen the nurse had given him earlier.
"You mean you don't have my number memorized?" Franks teased.
Lance rolled his eyes. "Do you have mine memorized?"
"Fair enough." Franks grinned as he wrote down his number. "I also put the captain's number there. He'll want an update. I'm sure he'll drop by as soon as he's able. It's a bit crazy at the station right now."
"I can only imagine." Lance had yet to turn on the TV in the room. He didn't want to see it all yet. He had enough to deal with without reliving the explosion. "I'll have Jackson get me a phone as soon as he can, but it could take a day or two with all the other stuff going on."
"We're here to help. Just tell us what you need," Amy offered. "In fact, we're going to be here for a while doing interviews. When we're done, we'll drop by and see if you need anything or if anyone wants a ride home." She focused on Martin and Lizzy. "It's been a long night for all of you."
"Thanks. We'll see what time it is when you finish up. I hate to leave him, but you're right, we are exhausted." Martin smiled across the bed at Lizzy. "We both need to sleep and as long as Lance is here, we know Angus is in good hands."