Chapter 54
Troy
A s I held Monica’s hand, squeezing it every few minutes to ensure she was awake, the city sprawled out beneath us like a sea of concrete and glass. This would have been a perfect date idea had it not been that she was mildly concussed and had just survived a near death. I planted a kiss on the top of her head, gratefully memorizing that smell of jasmine that was so uniquely hers. I never wanted to lose that scent, or the feel of her hand in mine, or her head against my shoulder.
“You awake?” I whispered.
“Mhmm,” she said groggily. “The view is pretty great.”
I smiled down at her. It was dusk now. The sky was a watercolor of navy and lilac, the twinkling lights of the buildings the only warmth below.
The helicopter dipped slightly, and I hoped it meant we were nearing the hospital. Though the paramedics had looked over Monica and had concluded she most likely had a concussion and that was all, I wasn’t sure. The image of the red car’s hood wrapped around a tree was stuck in my head. She was lucky. So lucky. Someone had heard my prayer and saved her, but I just hoped the doctors found nothing else wrong with her.
I also hoped that she would heal from the emotional toil this must have taken on her. When I found her in the car, she was almost unrecognizable with her face drained of color and fear the only thing that filled the eyes that used to be so warm. I couldn’t help but think that I was the one who did this to her. I was the one who got her in the car that was wrapped around the tree. I squeezed her hand again, not to make sure she was awake, but because of the guilt that was coursing through me.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
“Hmm?” she asked, tilting her head up slightly to look at me. “For what?”
“For everything. For the mess I got you into…” I shook my head, fighting back tears as I took in the bruises on her face that were beginning to darken.
“You didn’t do anything,” she said softly.
“If it weren’t for me, Veronica would never have come into your life. She could have got you killed. I don’t know what I would have done…”
“I’m right here,” she said, squeezing my hand back. “It’s not your fault, Troy.”
“She will never hurt you again,” I said firmly.
She nodded, but I knew she wasn’t convinced. There would always be some small part of her that remembered this day and the horror she had been put through. I just hoped I could assure her she could move on with her life, with me, loved and safe. I wanted to protect her. Now that I had almost lost her, I didn’t know how I would ever be able to let her out of my sight.
I knew Veronica would be locked up, and hopefully put some place where they could help her. If I thought she wasn’t right in the head before, today just further solidified her mental state. I saw it in her eyes. The woman I used to know was no longer there anymore. What was left behind was a shattered version, desperate for a life that she could no longer have and it was breaking her in two. I shuddered as I remembered the break in her leg, the one she was unaware of because her anger was too strong for her to feel anything else.
The helicopter dipped lower and Monica groaned softly as she closed her eyes, the buildings getting closer.
“Hey, you okay?” I asked, worriedly.
“Mhmm,” she said, but she kept her eyes closed.
Her face took on a shade of grayish-green as she sucked in a slow, shaky breath. I thought she might be sick. I rubbed her back as I willed for us to get to the hospital quickly. We couldn’t be far now. I needed her to see a doctor fast. I knew a concussion could cause nausea, but I just prayed it wasn’t severe enough to cause long-term damage.
“We’re almost there,” I said softly, hoping I was right.
She groaned again, slumping forward and holding her head between her legs.
“You’re going to be okay, baby,” I said.
“How much longer?” I leaned forward and asked the pilot, a little too sternly. It wasn’t his fault.
“The hospital is coming into view now, Mr. Gunner,” he assured me.
I nodded and sat back in the seat, darkness washing over Monica and me. I could see the yellow X on the top of a nearby building, our landing spot. I let out a sigh of relief. The pilot slowly lowered the helicopter down, the rotors slowing to a stop. I could see nurses with a stretcher rushing toward us. The pilot came around and opened the door, and I lifted Monica out of the helicopter and placed her on the stretcher.
“We will take it from here,” said the nurse urgently, taking the handles of the stretcher and pushing Monica toward a nearby elevator on the rooftop.
“I’m coming with,” I said, trying to keep up.
“Are you family?” she eyed me.
“I’m her…”
“He’s coming. He has to come.” Monica grabbed the nurse’s arm and gave her a pleading look, her breath quickening.
The nurse looked from her to me and knew it was better not to argue than to cause any more stress. I followed her into the elevator, two nurses behind us. We rode down to the emergency room floor, and they pushed Monica into a nearby room.
“You will have to wait out here,” said one of the nurses, blocking me from coming into the room. “We have to run a few tests. It’s protocol.”
I saw Monica trying to prop herself up to see what was going on, a panicked look in her eyes. I gave her a reassuring smile.
“It’s okay,” I called to her. “I’ll be right out here.”
She looked like she was about to say something, but instead keeled over and puked onto the floor. I wanted so badly to go to her, hold her hair back, rub her back. Anything. But I knew the longer I put up a fight, the longer it would take for a doctor to see her. So I let the nurse shut the door and paced outside of it.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I ignored it. After a minute, it buzzed again. Another incoming call. I sighed frustratedly and slid it from my pocket. I noticed the screen had a long crack through it, probably from when I jumped out of the way of the car and landed on the asphalt. Through the crack, I saw my father was calling. I ignored his call, but he only called again.
I turned it off, knowing his incessantness would only continue. He was probably still livid from our conversation this morning, but now was not the time. My only focus was on Monica and making sure she was okay. The reckoning from my father could wait. It was truly the last thing I was worried about right now.
I watched as a doctor walked into Monica’s room and felt a small sense of relief. I then heard a familiar voice from down the hall and saw the same police officer from the scene of the crash. He spotted me and made his way over.
“Mr. Gunner.” He nodded. “I’m Officer Lundquist. I realize we were not properly introduced.”
I held my hand out and shook it firmly.
“How is she?” he asked, nodding to the closed door.
“Not sure,” I said, running my hand through my hair.
“I’m going to have to ask her a few questions. Get her statement. If the doctor allows me to.”
He turned and knocked on the door, before turning to me again.
“You’ll be next. So don’t go far.”
I nodded and watched him disappear into the room, trying to get a glimpse of Monica.
For the next twenty minutes, I paced outside the door, trying to hear anything from inside, but couldn’t. Officer Lundquist emerged from the room and led me down the hallway to a place more private. I told him everything about Veronica and how she had been borderline stalking me and harassing Monica. I told him I had suspected she sent the dead flowers to her, and we both decided it had been a threat against her life. I felt stupid for not seeing it before. I would never have expected her vengeance to turn violent. Deadly.
Once I was done giving my statement, the officer left back to the department, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I walked back to Monica’s room, but the door was still closed. I sighed and found a nearby waiting room, plopping down into an armchair. I put my head in my hands and closed my eyes. I wondered what was taking so long, and my worries were getting the best of me.
“Troy?” said a familiar voice.
I looked up and saw Erica walking toward me, worry in her eyes.
“Erica!” I stood up and she threw her arms around me, crying quietly.
“Oh, my God,” she said through her tears.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, confused.
“Are you kidding?” She pulled away and looked at me, her hands on my shoulders. “It was all over the news. The police chase. Dad’s helicopter. The accident.”
I groaned. Of course it was.
“I knew Dad was in New Jersey. Well, probably not anymore if he’s caught wind of this, which I’m sure he has. But anyway, I knew it was you up there. I just didn’t know why you were involved in a police chase, until I saw Veronica’s red car.”
“Oh, Erica.” I shook my head. “It was awful. Just awful.”
I felt my legs weaken as I sat back in the chair behind me. Erica took the seat beside me and I told her everything that happened. She listened wide-eyed the entire time. I couldn’t blame her. It sounded like something from out of a horror movie.
“Is Monica okay?” she asked, urgency in her voice as she looked around.
“Yeah. I think so. I hope so. They think she has a concussion, but she’s been in there so long. I don’t know what’s going on…” I felt warm tears threaten to fall.
“Oh, Troy. She’ll be okay.” She gave me an assuring nod as she took my hands. “I hate to ask, but…Veronica…”
“She’s alive, but got pretty banged up.”
Erica nodded in relief. She stayed quiet for a moment longer before putting her hand on my shoulder. “I hate to bring it up, but the news is speculating…”
“About?” I raised an eyebrow.
“A romantic connection between you and Monica.”
“Of course they are,” I muttered. “Only the news would take something horrific and spin it into something else entirely.”
Now I assumed my father was calling not because of our fight, but because his helicopter was on the news in a high-speed chase and the rumors broke about me being romantically involved with my assistant. He was probably more worried about the latter.
I groaned as I sat back in my seat. “I don’t even care. I just want to see Monica.”
“You will,” said Erica.
We waited in silence for what felt like hours, until the doctor I saw go into her room came to find me. I stood up quickly when I spotted him, eager for answers. Eager for anything he could tell me about Monica.
“Miss Durall is asking for you,” he said.
I took a deep breath and followed him to the room, leaving Erica in the waiting room.