He turned and grabbed the paramedic’s attention. “We need to get to the hospital now.”
CHAPTE
R
TWENTY-SEVEN
Gavin paced outside Sarah’s hospital room, phone pressed to his ear. “She can’t talk right now, I’m sorry.”
“She gave me her number, you know. I have her permission to call her.”
“Kaylynn, I’m not keeping you from talking to her out of any kind of spite. The truth is, she had an accident and is in the hospital. I promise as soon as she wakes up and feels like talking, I’ll have her call you.”
A pause. “An accident? Really? Is she going to be okay?”
“Yes. Yes, she is.”
“You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself.”
He sighed. “I just have to pray she will be okay.”
“Then I will too.”
“Thank you.” He was still reeling that Kaylynn had reached out to him. She must really want to talk to Sarah.
“Okay, then I guess I’ll go,” she said.
But she didn’t sound like she wanted to hang up. “Kaylynn, I’ll help you if you need help.”
For a moment, silence. “Thanks, Gavin. I’m not sure that I need help exactly. But maybe some advice. From Sarah.”
“Got it.” Must be some kind of girl thing.
“I called for one other reason.”
“What’s that?”
“I kind of owe you an apology.”
Could the day hold any more surprises? “Uh. No, I think I’m the one who owes you the apology.”
“He was a jerk.”
The druggie boyfriend. “At least we agree on that.”
“So . . . I couldn’t say it back then, but thanks.”
“Of course.”
She let out a little puff of sound that could have been a sigh or laughter. He couldn’t tell which. “Okay, I’ll be waiting for her call.”
“Bye, Kay.” The nickname she hated slipped out. “Sorry. Kaylynn.”
“You can call me Kay. Bye.” She hung up.
Still off-kilter from the conversation with his sister, Gavin watched Caden on his phone, pacing the small area in front of Sarah’s room. When Caden finally hung up, he sighed.
Gavin narrowed his eyes. “What is it?”
“Kilgore’s dead.”
“How?”
“He hung himself in his basement.”
Gavin flinched. So much pain, so much death. “It’s hard to feel sorry for him.”
“Yeah. I wanted him to pay for what he’d done, but I didn’t wish death on him. Donna will live to stand trial.”
“Good.” They fell silent for a moment, eyes on Sarah’s room. “Did you see her? In the parking lot?” Gavin asked.
“I saw her.” Caden shook his head and wiped eyes that had teared at the memory. “I’ve never seen anything like that. Is that what Dustin felt in his last moments?” His voice roughened with his effort to control his emotions.
Gavin understood the feeling. “I don’t know. I don’t want to think so.”
“Yeah.”
“It was like someone flipped a switch,” Caden said. “She was fine one minute—well, safe and happy to be that way—but then it was like a terrible sadness came over her and there was nothing she could do to stop it.”
“But absolutely had to stop it.”
“Any way she could.” A pause. “She would have run straight out into the road if you hadn’t caught her. It was blocked off, thanks to all of the law enforcement vehicles, but I have no doubt she would have kept going and . . . found a way to kill herself if you hadn’t grabbed her.”
Gavin drew in a deep breath. “Well, it’s over now. We just have to pray Heather’s right about the treatment.”
As though she heard him speak her name, Heather slipped out of Sarah’s room and let the door shut behind her. He caught her gaze and simply waited.
“She’s going to be all right,” Heather said.
“How do you know?”
“Because she has to be.”
“That’s not helpful.”
“I’m sorry. It’s all I can offer right now. But she’s very peaceful. Calm. No nightmares or restlessness. I’m very hopeful.”
Caden crossed his arms, then rubbed his chin. “I hope you’re right.”
“I’m not going to deny it was a long shot, but without the antidote, I thought it worth taking. All the people who survived the drug with no more effects had undergone anesthesia for surgical procedures. One who slashed her wrists, one who tried to run through a sliding glass door, one who needed his stomach pumped . . . and more. I’m just praying that’s the case with Sarah.”
“But that was after they actually attempted suicide,” Caden said.
“Wilmont didn’t.” Gavin shifted, his worry meter set at high. “When he came out from under, he was fine.” He paused. “But his dose was an overdose—which caused him to go crazy in a very criminal sense. Maybe once