Chapter Five
Callie’s phone rang. It was two AM, and this time she recognized the hospital number.
The nurse told her that Damian had been in an accident.
Callie cried out, waking Ryan. They rushed to the hospital again and found Damian unconscious.
He had been placed in a private room in the ER, and the injuries were serious.
The nurse explained that he had been found unconscious on the sidewalk and that they believed he had been hit by a car.
The police were taking a report and assuming it was a hit-and-run.
Callie sat beside Damian’s bed. She wanted to reach for his hand, but both were heavily bandaged.
He was covered in cuts and bruises, though the head wound was the most serious.
The doctors were monitoring for a brain bleed, and Damian hadn’t regained consciousness.
“Do you know if he has family who can make medical decisions for him?” the doctor asked Ryan.
“He hasn’t spoken to them in months,” Ryan explained. “I’m his lawyer. I can help direct.”
“As his lawyer, you should know that we need to take direction from his next of kin unless you have something signed by him,” the doctor replied.
The doctor didn’t press the issue. Ryan knew that until they received proper direction from the next of kin, they would make every effort to save Damian’s life.
“We can’t let his parents make medical decisions for him,” Callie said through tears.
“I know,” Ryan said. “If I have to, I can fight it in court.”
They stayed in the ER, waiting for any change.
The nurse confirmed they were waiting for a bed to transfer him to the ICU.
When the police arrived to question Ryan and Callie, they were given the limited information available.
It took a moment for Callie to realize which part of the city Damian was in.
“He was with Annie,” Callie said. “I can’t think of any other reason he’d be in that area.”
“Annie?” the officer asked.
Callie gave the officer Annie’s contact details but wondered why Damian was at Annie’s apartment, as she didn’t think they were friends.
She texted Annie to explain what had happened and that the police would be calling.
Ryan embraced her tightly, trying to stay composed.
The situation was approaching one of his worst fears—being in a hospital with someone he cared about in a life-threatening condition.
Memories of his wife’s passing flickered through his mind, and he desperately tried to push them away.
Callie was softly crying against his chest. He didn’t know how to comfort her because he was also worried about Damian’s chances.
He had avoided hospitals since his wife's death. The smell, the laminate halls, and the beeping of the monitors all triggered him, bringing him back to the most painful moment of his life. He tried to tell himself the circumstances were different, but the truth was he was terrified for Damian.
Then they heard Annie’s voice, nearly shouting, asking for Damian. Ryan hurried out of the room to calm her down. When she saw him, she ignored him and rushed to Damian’s bedside.
“Where’s his phone!” Annie said without acknowledging Ryan or Callie.
“His personal items are in the bag beneath his bed,” the nurse replied.
Annie grabbed the bag and started pulling out the items until she found his phone. It was locked, and Annie looked frustrated for a moment. Then she pulled at Damian’s hand, exposing his thumb so she could unlock the device.
“Annie, what are you doing?” Callie protested.
“Give me a minute,” Annie replied, almost in tears.
She started searching through the phone until she found what she wanted, then shoved it into Ryan’s hands.
Ryan started to read, then scroll, then read further.
His hands began to shake as he realized what the messages said.
Damian knew he was in danger and never said anything to him.
Callie watched as his expression hardened. He looked at Callie.
“Did you know?” he asked her.
“Know what?” Callie replied, confused.
“He was being threatened.”
“What?” Callie said, shocked. “No! He never told me! Who was threatening him?”
“Brittnay’s family,” Ryan replied, then he looked at Annie. “What did he tell you?”
“Nothing else,” Annie said. “He just showed me the messages tonight.”
Ryan’s head was spinning with so many questions.
Why would Damian keep this from them? If he knew he was in danger, why didn’t he do more to protect himself?
Ryan could see that Callie was struggling with the same questions.
He confirmed he was going to speak to the police again, leaving Callie and Annie alone.
“What was he doing at your place?” Callie asked suspiciously.
“I hadn’t been feeling well,” Annie replied. “I had asked him to come over.”
“You seem to be feeling better now?” Callie observed.
Annie didn’t reply, and Callie knew she was lying.
But she didn’t know why. Was Annie using again?
Was Damian there to help her get sober? It was the only thing Callie could think of that would make Annie lie to her.
She decided not to push the issue. If Annie was on drugs again, Callie didn’t have the emotional capacity to handle it. Her priority was Damian.
“The police will look into Blake,” Ryan confirmed when he returned.
Callie couldn’t believe the night was real. Damian was in a coma, and it was possible it had been an intentional assault. Callie went to Ryan for comfort and strength. He pulled her close and held her, but when she looked up at his face, she saw he was just as tormented by the situation as she was.
“Ryan, what are we going to do?” Callie asked. “His trial is in a few days!”
“I’ll take care of it,” Ryan tried to assure her.
“I don’t know when my client will recover,” Ryan told the judge. “He’s been in a coma for two days.”
Ryan was furious. The past few days had been an emotional rollercoaster.
Damian was still unconscious, and the doctors were cautioning that it would take time for his brain to heal.
They were intentionally keeping him in a medical coma.
The police had interviewed Blake, who insisted he could account for his whereabouts at the time of the accident.
“Perhaps it’s best we delay this,” the judge replied.
This was a generous offer, considering they could force the trial to start or even throw out the appeal entirely.
Although Caleb agreed he was ready to argue the appeal himself, Ryan wanted to delay it.
He wasn’t focused because Damian was hurt, and he wanted to hold the person responsible for hurting Damian accountable.
Despite the police’s investigation, he was sure someone connected to the Ryder Family was responsible.
“Do the plaintiffs agree?” the judge asked.
While the Ryders discussed with their lawyer, Ryan looked behind the bar and noticed another man sitting nearby.
He thought it was Blake, who was giving him an intense stare, likely because Ryan had sent the police to him.
Ryan was convinced that, even if Blake wasn’t driving, he was involved in the hit-and-run.
He then looked at Callie, who was a few rows behind him, also watching Blake across the courtroom.
“My clients agree,” the lawyer advised the court.
“OK,” the judge replied. “Mr. Grant, please let us know when your client is ready to continue.”
As Ryan packed up his things, he saw someone approaching him. When he looked up, he saw it was Blake.
“Mr. Grant? Could I have a moment?” Blake said in a calm yet nervous voice that surprised Ryan.
“Mr. Ryder,” Ryan replied.
“Mr. Grant, I had nothing to do with the assault on Damian,” he said softly, clearly not wanting his parents to overhear.
“Maybe you didn’t drive the car, but I know you were involved,” Ryan replied. “I saw the emails and texts you sent.”
“What emails and texts?” Blake replied.
He replied so suddenly that Ryan almost believed Blake didn’t know what he was talking about.
“Someone’s been threatening him for weeks,” Ryan snapped back. “They claimed to be you.”
“Mr. Grant, I promise that wasn’t me,” Blake replied. “I have no idea who sent those messages.”
Blake quickly turned and left. Ryan watched the Ryders exit the courtroom, but their lawyer approached Ryan next.
“If you keep making false allegations that my clients had anything to do with your client’s accident,” he said. “We will be suing you next for harassment. I don’t give a shit what your last name is.”
He left without giving Ryan a chance to reply. Callie approached cautiously, gauging Ryan’s reaction. He took a deep breath and explained what Blake and the lawyer had said to him.
“Do you believe him?” Callie asked.
“I don’t know,” Ryan said. “He seemed to be telling the truth. But then, who was sending the messages and ran Damian down?”
Ryan returned to the office to get some work done, while Callie returned to the hospital.
He was having trouble focusing. His conversation with Blake kept replaying in his mind.
He still had Damian’s phone and pulled up the messages again.
The police didn’t seem overly concerned about finding the person who had done this.
Maybe if Damian died and it became a murder investigation, they would care more.
Frustrated, he started packing up, intending to head back to the hospital.
But as he approached the elevator, he found Amanda at the reception desk asking for him.
“Amanda?” Ryan looked at her, confused.
“You haven’t returned my calls,” she said.
“I’m sorry. It’s been a bad week,” Ryan replied as she followed him into the elevator. “What brings you here?”
“I wanted to ask you about Damian,” Amanda said.
“So you’ve heard?” Ryan said, pressing the button for the ground floor. “There’s no change.”
“Heard what?” she asked.
“He’s in the hospital,” Ryan said, confused. What else would Amanda be asking about?
“What happened?” she demanded.
“He was hit by a car,” Ryan explained. “He’s been in a coma since.”