Somebody to Hold (Tyler Jamison #2) - April Wilson Page 0,69

his call.

“Tyler, please tell me my baby girl is okay.”

“She’s alive, Martin. An EMT is assessing her now. Her insulin pump is missing, and she’s struggling emotionally. Ian’s doing his best to try to calm her. She’ll be taken to Cook County Hospital. You and Ruth should meet us there.”

“Right. We’re leaving now. Tyler—”

“Yeah?”

“I—we—” His voice breaks, and I hear a muffled cry as Ruth sobs in the background.

“It’s okay, Martin,” I tell him. My heart is hurting for both of them. “We’ll meet you at the hospital.”

“Thank you.” And then he ends the call.

I step back into the room just as the paramedic administers an injection in Layla’s thigh.

“He’s giving her insulin,” Ian says. “Her blood sugar levels are through the roof.”

“I just spoke to your parents. They’ll meet us at the hospital.”

Ian nods as he rocks his sister in his arms. With one hand, he cradles the back of her head as she leans into his chest. His other arm is wrapped tightly around her.

I know he’s not going to leave her side for a good long while. “You ride in the ambulance with your sister. I’ll follow in the car.”

Ian glances up at me, his emotions obvious in his eyes. His gaze locks onto mine, communicating far more than mere words ever could. You saved her. You saved me.

“Thank you,” he whispers. “I knew you’d find her.”

Chapter 25

Ian Alexander

I about lose it when I see my parents walk hand-in-hand into the ER waiting room. I’ve never seen them looking so distraught. They’re usually both so calm and collected. They stop and scan the room, and when they spot us, they rush over.

My mom pulls me into her arms, and then we’re both crying.

“We found her, Mom,” I say. “We found her.”

As my dad hugs me tightly, Tyler stands nearby, keeping one eye on us as he talks quietly with his police captain.

“She’s being examined now,” I tell my parents. “They had to sedate her because she was hysterical.”

“When can we see her?” my mom asks, her voice shaking.

I shrug. “I don’t know. They’re trying to determine exactly what injuries she has—there was a lot of blood on her, so it was hard to tell. And they’re having someone come in to do a psych evaluation.”

My mother pales. “I need to see her.” She turns her pained gaze to my dad, who’s just as shaken, and clutches his arm. “Martin, please do something. I need to see her.”

“I know, honey,” he says as he pats my mom’s hand. “I’ll go talk to someone. But first—” He extends his hand to Tyler.

They shake, and then my dad pulls Tyler in for a hug. “We can never thank you enough, Tyler. There just aren’t words.”

“You don’t have to thank me, sir.”

My dad tears up. “I was wrong about you, Tyler. I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”

“Already have,” Tyler says.

My heart swells with emotion at seeing my dad open up to Tyler this way. I knew he’d come around eventually, but I didn’t realize how much it would mean to me until I saw it with my own eyes.

My mom hugs Tyler, too, as fresh tears stream down her cheeks. “Thank you for finding my baby,” she says.

The automatic entry doors to the ER open, and Beth and Shane walk in, accompanied by Sam and Cooper. Tyler meets his sister halfway, and the two of them hug.

“That’s Tyler’s sister, Beth,” I tell my parents. “And that’s her husband, Shane McIntyre.”

My dad nods. “McIntyre Security. I’ve heard of them.”

After all the introductions are made, we continue our vigil, waiting for Layla’s doctor to call my parents back. My father paces anxiously. Beth talks my mom into sitting down with her.

Tyler brings me a cup of something hot from a vending machine. “Here. Drink this before you fall down.”

I take a sniff of something that smells really good, then a hesitant sip. “Mm.” Peppermint hot chocolate. “Can you be any more perfect?”

He grins. “We missed lunch and dinner. I don’t want you passing out.”

I look at Tyler—really look at him. He’s exhausted, too. He’s worked tirelessly since we got the word that Layla was missing. He jumped into action and did what he does best—unravel a mystery and track down those responsible.

I reach out and touch his hair. “You saved my sister. In fact, you saved my whole family.”

He catches my hand and holds it to his chest. “It was a joint effort. You were there with me every step of