Chapter Twenty-Nine BEX
Chapter Twenty-Nine
BEX
I hated waiting rooms. With four brothers who found trouble, then the military and after that, they each managed to find a different brand of trouble, so waiting rooms were not unfamiliar territory.
The smell of cleaning detergent, flowers and old people’s perfume somehow always permeated each and every waiting room, no matter where it was.
It wasn’t even the first time I waited for Logan in a waiting room. He’d broken his arm falling out of one of the trees that lined our property when he was ten and my dad rushed him to hospital. I hated the wait then and I hated it just as much all these years later.
I knew the bullet wound was not fatal. But they needed to put him under to remove it from his abdomen. He was going to be pissed as hell to be booked off work. Especially since he was in line for a promotion. Hopefully, it would not be impacted by his absence.
A doctor walked through the swing door and frowned at me and my family.
He was the doctor who’d done my surgery a while back.
I was almost certain he was the same doctor who had operated on Mason when he’d been shot nearly two years earlier as well.
Marina De Ferrier Medical center was not exactly a big hospital, and I doubted we had that many surgeons.
“Ms. Salinger.” He didn’t smile. Did he ever? “I think your family alone keeps my lights on. Though, Dr. Evans isn’t really family, is he?”
My Dad stood up behind me but I waved him off.
The last thing I needed was for my family to antagonize the man fixing the love of my life.
“Doctor, I’m sure you remember that Logan was the one at my bedside when I got shot.
He was also around when my brother got shot before that.
He is the man I’m going to marry. And above all of that, he is the father of my children.
I am his family. Also, I called his mother and she put the phone down on me. I doubt she’s going to show up.”
“Very well.” The man looked as nonplussed as he normally did.
“I removed the bullet, he is very lucky. It barely hit muscle. Never went near anything vital. He’ll make a full recovery but it will take a few weeks.
He’s in the recovery room and should be awake soon.
I’ll allow two visitors at a time.” He eyed the sleeping children in my parents’ arms and the teenagers on the side sitting with Dom.
“But no one under twelve. The young man with the bandage is his son, right?”
I could only nod.
“I’ll allow him. I’ll send a nurse out in a moment to lead you through.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” I nodded again and he walked away without another word. I turned to my family and let out a long exhale. “I think it’s… it’s over.”
I sank to a chair and lifted my hands to my face. I ignored the shuffling next to me until little hands patted my knee. “Bets is okay.” I dropped my hands and smiled through my tears as I pulled Landon onto my lap. He looked up at me with big blue eyes and patted my arm. “Bets is okay.”
I smiled at my little boy. “I’m more than okay, kiddo.”
Mason came up to me and bent down to Landon. “Why don’t we go and see if they have cookies in the cafeteria and maybe we can share them with everyone.”
Landon nodded and turned back to me. “You want a cookie?”
“I’d love one, sweetie.” He slid off my lap and I looked up at my brother and mouthed, “Thank you.”
He winked at me. “Anytime.”
A nurse I recognised walked up to us. Lieutenant Avery Nelson often took shifts at the hospital, filling in wherever she was needed. Her mint green scrubs was pristine with no creases. She’d obviously just started her shift. Or maybe she had changed after being in the operating room.
“Family for Logan Evans?”
I stood and lifted my chin over at Dom. “Come on, kid. Let’s go.”
We followed the nurse down a long hallway. The dull gray walls reminded me it wasn’t just waiting rooms I hated, it was hospitals in general. That mixture of antiseptic and medicine made my stomach roll. And the fucking beeping was just downright annoying.
Walking into Logan’s room was nerve wracking. He was hooked up to machines and despite the small bed, he still looked a bit too fragile. Nothing like the man I loved. His eyes fluttered like he sensed us in the room with him.
I held Dom’s hand and we walked closer to the bed. “I think he’s starting to wake up.”
“Do you think… uhm.” Dom turned to me. He didn’t look uncertain, just a little curious.
“What sweetie?”
He smiled at me. “My Mom used to call us that.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. “Would you rather I didn’t?”
“No.” His smile never left. “Not at all. It feels right that you call us that. I heard you say it to Landy too.”
“Good.” I tilted my head to him. “What were you going to ask?”
“As long as I could remember, I wanted to be a doctor.” He fidgeted as he moved closer to the bed. “Do you think I get that from him? I mean my dad worked at a bank, I think. And my mom was a teacher. Neither of those things ever held any appeal.”
“I don’t know when Logan decided he wanted to be a doctor. But the need to help people is something you can be born with or taught.”
There was a croak and a gravelly voice answered. “When I realized my grades were good enough to get a scholarship.”
We both turned to the bed and I nearly cried again. “What?”
Relief flowed through me and tears rolled down my face.
“That’s when I started dreaming of being a doctor.” He swallowed and his voice was slightly stronger. “When I knew the dream was within my reach. I even considered being an army doctor.”
“You did?”
He nodded, then looked over at Dom. “How’s that arm?”
“The pain meds help.” He stepped closer to the bed. “Your work colleagues are scared of you, by the way. One nurse told me to stop swearing and then someone said I was Dr. Evans' son and she apologized to me. What did you do to them?”
He smiled and I could tell he was more pleased Dom hadn’t flinched at the idea of being his son than the actual swearing part. Then he sobered and looked at me. “What is happening with the case? Is the guy that shot me hurt or dead?”
I nodded at him. “He ignored the warning shot. I couldn’t take the chance. The other one is in surgery. He took one to the ass and one to the shoulder.”
Dom stepped forward. “The one who was in the house was the one I saw getting out of the car that night. Agent Lamb, who is way too intense, by the way, should know that.”
The kid was clearly relieved.
“Slow down, sweetie.”
“Anyway. He showed me more pictures and I recognized one. He was the guy Bill was arguing with. I thought they were arguing over cleaning supplies but maybe I was wrong.”
Logan looked up at me. “There’s no need for that cognitive interview is there?”
“No.” I shook my head, knowing Logan would be pleased at that.
“But he may still need to answer a few more questions. And Dom won’t need to testify if they can get Samantha Lang to confess to everything.
She was the leak. It's only a matter of whether or not they can get her to turn on her brother.”
Since there were still disputes over jurisdiction, Mason intended to warn Samantha Lang that she messed with the wrong family.
That she would never be safe unless she confessed and did everything to stay out of our wrath.
Usually, it was Nick who made threats like that, but since he was away, Mason took it upon himself to step up for my kid.
Maybe it should’ve been me. But I had other things to concern myself with.
The man I planned on marrying as soon as he asked me, had just had surgery.
My kid was still reeling from being shot and watching Logan being shot as well.
Dom had seen more blood and violence than any individual outside of law enforcement or the military should.
I was not about to threaten violence while he was following me everywhere I went.
I took a deep breath and turned to Dom. “Give us a few moments.”
He nodded and without a word, he left the recovery room.
“I was so scared.” My tears rolled down my cheeks. “I cannot face the next fifty years without you Logan. I love you so much.”
“I love you to Becky.” He winced and reached for my hand. I pressed the pump for his pain meds. “I’m glad you had our backs. Now and always.”
We chatted a little more. Holding each other’s hand
Logan started nodding off since I pumped his pain meds after he had winced for the sixth or seventh time but insisted that he was fine. What he needed was rest and to get better. I could take care of everything else.
I took my little girl from Mason and Dom took Landon. I let out the longest sigh as I looked at my mother. “Mom, can we have a room or two at the B&B. I’m not in the mood to take them back to a house riddled with bullet holes.”
“Of course.” My Mom picked up my handbag and the small diaper bag Jared packed before the police could process the house. “We can go together in my car. It’s big enough. You really need to consider getting a new car, Rebecca. You want to be able to travel as a family.”
“Grandma.” Dom spoke to my mother. “Do you think I can get my own room? I don’t really want to spend the night with the babies.”
My mother was so stunned that Dom had called her grandma that she stopped her lecture to me immediately. I understood she was only concerned about me and my family but I just couldn't handle it. Dom, my sweet boy, read the situation absolutely correctly and intervened.
I smiled over at my oh so smart kid and mouthed, thank you.
As we walked out of the hospital. Landon looked at me. “We go home?”
“Not today, sweetie.” I rubbed my knuckle along his cheek. “Our house is a little broken.”
Dom stopped. “I don’t want to move though.”
“What?” I’d planned on calling a realtor and ensuring we never needed to go back.
“Bex, that’s our home. It's where Landon started speaking to you. It's where I started to feel like I had a dad again. Not that I can’t think of you as Mom. It's just my dad died a long time ago and Bill never felt right. But Logan does. And so do you. Am I making sense?”
I blinked away the tears. “It makes sense. All of it. You don’t have to worry about me wanting to replace your mom. I’m just happy to have you in my life.”