Until Then (Cape Harbor #2) - Heidi McLaughlin Page 0,51
Is your dad on board yet?”
“Possibly. I think Dr. Field scared the life out of him.”
“Good. I’ll clear my schedule and see when I can get up there. Call me if anything changes, okay?”
“I will, Ren.” They hung up, and relief washed over him. He felt confident Rennie would get Grady the help he needed. When the bar had been broken into, Graham wanted his brother in jail, but after seeing the difference of what two weeks of sobriety had done for him, Graham knew rehab was the best place for Grady.
Graham went back to Grady’s room and suggested his parents take a walk, at least to go and get something to eat and to get some fresh air. Johanna took George by the hand and led him out of the room.
The blue plastic chair next to Grady’s bed was as uninviting as cleaning the bathroom at the bar after a busy Friday night. Still, Graham sat down in case Grady woke. Even though phones weren’t allowed in the ICU, Graham slipped his out of his pocket and pulled up a game he often played to pass the time.
He sat there, with nurses coming in and out of Grady’s room, and waited. He spoke to his brother, telling him about the weather and how he had to tighten down the houseboat the other night because the waves made him seasick. At some point, Graham rested his head on Grady’s bed and fell asleep.
Graham felt something brush through his hair. It reminded him of when he was little, and he would lay his head down on his mother’s lap, and she would comb her fingers through his hair. He lifted his head, and Grady’s hand fell away. Graham glanced at his brother and saw his eyes fluttering open.
“Grady,” Graham said his name softly. “Can you hear me?”
Grady groaned and tried to speak. He reached for the solid tube coming out of his mouth, but Graham stopped him. “Let me get the nurse.” He pressed the call button, and immediately, a nurse came in. She smiled at Grady, turned the switch off, and started talking.
“I’m going to remove your breathing tube, but you have to wear oxygen for a little bit. Nod if you understand.”
Grady nodded.
The nurse instructed Grady to breathe out as she removed the tube and encouraged him to cough. Graham gagged while watching the procedure. “I’ll page Dr. Field and have him come check on Grady.”
As soon as the nurse left, Grady reached for Graham and beckoned him to come close. He tried to ask “What happened?” but could barely say either word. Graham sensed his request and sat back down in the chair. He contemplated waiting for their parents, but he had something to say to his brother.
“You messed up, Grady. The gig is over. The drinking, the drugs—it’s all done. You’re going to rehab if Rennie can keep you out of jail.”
“Jail?” Grady’s voice was scratchy and barely above a whisper.
Graham leaned forward. “You’re going to be arrested. Honestly, it’s the only thing that can save your life right now.”
THIRTEEN
The drive from Seattle to Port Angeles would take three hours. With traffic, Rennie looked at a four- or possibly five-hour drive. In the early hours of the morning, long before the sun rose, she got in her car and headed west. Her client Grady Chamberlain would be arrested in his hospital room and arraigned the next day. He faced multiples charges, all of which Rennie hoped she’d be able to plea down to misdemeanors as long as her client went to rehab. Their encounter today would be the first time she’d interacted with Grady since his outburst over the summer, and she wasn’t sure how their meeting would go. Graham had done his best to prepare her for his brother’s defiant attitude and the woe-is-me mentality Grady had. She had also spent considerable hours with Jefferson, going over the game plan. If this case went to trial, he would sit second chair with Rennie, in case she needed him. One thing was for sure—Grady’s case reminded her why she had never gone down the criminal route; she was torn between what she felt was an obligation to the Chamberlains and taking someone who could harm another off the streets. Her ethics told her Grady deserved jail for breaking the law, even though it was unlikely he’d ever see the inside of a cell. Meanwhile, her heart told her Grady needed help and a second chance, and she