37. Chapter Thirty-Seven
ANNA
Anna awoke to the sound of a low, soothing voice speaking to someone nearby. Cracking open her lids, she peered around and realized she was in a hospital room. Things came back to her in a rush—the arrest, the abduction, the threats. Manny knew who she was.
“Welcome back, Anna,” the soothing voice said. A tall man with dark hair and bright blue eyes was looking right at her. “I’m Dr. Callaghan.”
She blinked at him. Callaghan, like Kieran and Faith. One of Kieran’s many brothers? The resemblance was certainly there.
“You’re in Pine Ridge Hospital,” he continued. “You’re bruised and banged up, but you’re going to be okay. Right now, you just need to rest and relax and leave the rest to us, okay?”
A dull ache radiated through her body, and her face felt like it was twice its normal size. She tried to lift her hand up that way, but it was difficult. The doctor put his hand on her forearm and coaxed it back down.
“We’ve immobilized your shoulder to reduce the swelling. We’ve also got an IV line keeping you hydrated and providing a little happy juice to keep you comfortable.”
That explained the muted pain and general fogginess.
“Do you have any questions for me?” he asked.
So many questions. Like, Where is Manny? and, When are they taking me back to jail? But she didn’t know how much he knew about the situation that had put her in there. She didn’t want to say or do anything that was going to end up with her getting cuffed to the bed.
She shook her head slowly.
His smile was kind. “Okay, Anna. I’ll be in to check on you later. Do you feel up to visitors?”
Her mind immediately went to Matt. He was the one to find her. He was the one to rescue her. Had she thanked him before she passed out?
But it wasn’t Matt who entered. It was his mother, and she was pushing Mrs. Campbell in a wheelchair.
“Oh, child,” Mrs. Campbell said, drawing closer to the bed. “What did that animal do to you?”
Tears welled up in Anna’s eyes. She was so happy to see the older woman alive and well. “You’re okay,” she whispered.
“Right as rain,” Elsa said.
“I’m so sorry.”
“None of that now,” Elsa scolded.
Anna hadn’t switched Elsa’s meds, but if she’d been paying closer attention, she might have noticed. That would weigh on her conscience forever. As Elsa’s caregiver, she had failed.
“Hi, Anna,” Faith said, her face a mask of concern. “How are you feeling?”
She was alive, in large part due to Faith’s son, who was, very noticeably, not there. “I’m okay.”
The look in both Elsa’s and Faith’s eyes told her they knew she was full of shit.
“Michael is setting me free today,” Elsa said. “He’s such a nice boy. So handsome, too, like the rest of them.”
“You’re going home?”
“Not exactly,” Elsa said. “Michael has arranged for me to go to a rehab facility for a week. He believes physical therapy can help me with my balance problems. After that, well, you’ll be back on your feet, and we can go home together.”
Anna blinked. Was Elsa confused? Did she not remember that Anna had been arrested and in the midst of being taken to the correctional facility when she was abducted?
A nurse came in to take Anna’s vitals, and Faith and Mrs. Campbell left. Anna spent the day dozing, trying to figure things out. She expected the police to show up at any minute, but they didn’t. In fact, besides medical staff, no one came to see her.
While disappointing, the lack of visitors wasn’t surprising. She didn’t know anyone besides Mrs. Campbell. Well, except for Matt, of course. She’d hoped he’d stop by, if for no other reason than to thank him, but that didn’t happen.
Anna had been alone for a long time, but this was the loneliest she’d ever felt. She supposed that was what happened when your job became more than a job and you began to care about the people you worked for on more than just a professional level. It sucked that her past had to resurface now, in this place, around these people, but life wasn’t always fair, was it?
Around dinnertime, she asked that her IVs be removed, reasoning that she’d been hydrating all day and her pain levels were such that they could be kept under control with tablets. She honestly didn’t expect the request to be granted, but within the hour, a nurse was disconnecting everything. She was even allowed to use the bathroom and get a seated shower with only minimal assistance.
Anna knew she had to get out. It was the only viable option. Get out, get far away, and start creating a new life.
Again.
She had no idea what had happened to Manny. Had he gotten away? Had he reached out to DiGiorgio? The only thing Anna knew for sure was, as long as Manny was alive, he was a threat to both her and her brother.
There wasn’t much she could do about that. She wasn’t a killer, and even if she were, she wouldn’t know the first thing about how to find him. Hiding she was good at. Seeking? Not so much.
Conceivably, Manny could use the pictures on his phone to extort DiGiorgio, but that would only get him so far. DiGiorgio would demand proof, and without her, Manny had nothing to bargain with.
The night shift wasn’t as diligent about checking on her as the day shift had been, though by the sound of things in the hallway, they were having a busy night. After a vitals check shortly after midnight, Anna eased out of bed. A quick look up and down the corridor found it empty. Even the nurses’ station was unattended.
Anna stepped into the hallway, dragging her numb right foot behind her—the nerve damage a result of the zip ties cutting off circulation. She knew from prior experience that some hospitals had changing facilities for staff on each unit or floor. Hopefully, Pine Ridge was one of them.
She spotted two on-duty nurses wheeling their laptop carts from room to room, working their way down the corridor. The nurses’ station was still unoccupied.
She moved as quickly as she dared, away from the room checks, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the STAFF ONLY sign.
Bingo.
Toilet. Shower. Half a dozen lockers. And shelves of personal care products and scrubs.
Anna helped herself to a pair of scrubs, as well as a mask to cover part of her battered face. It would have to do. A quick search of the lockers netted her a hooded jacket and a pair of sneakers. She felt bad about taking them, but what other choice did she have?
She might even be saving lives, she rationalized. If word had gotten to DiGiorgio, he’d probably send people to the hospital, looking for her. Surely, a jacket and a pair of sneakers were a small price to pay to keep everyone safe.
Anna exited the changing room and looked both ways, pleased to find the coast clear. She made it to the bank of elevators, hood up, head down, and pressed the button. Stairs were the better choice, but with her foot as uncooperative as it was, she didn’t trust herself not to fall.
The car was empty when it arrived. Anna stepped in and pressed the button for the parking garage. She was less likely to be spotted there than the first-floor lobby.
Once there, she walked to another bank of elevators and took one down to the ground level. Only when she stepped out into the darkness did she take a full breath.
And promptly froze.