“Seven,” she huffed at me, and the red in her face seemed to fade away.
“Seven, wow! I could have sworn John said five.”
“No, it was seven. John tried to get me to put two back, but I didn’t.” She shrugged.
I glanced over her shoulder at Kelly, who was watching us she mouthed a thank you with a hand on her chest, relieved she had a minute to focus on her other child.
The elevator opened, and Oliver came rushing over when he saw me with Ellie. “I’m sorry, Sloane. I just heard that Ellie was having a hard time down here.”
“No, we are all good here. Ellie was just clearing something up for me.” I almost welcomed this distraction, and I knew how much Kelly needed a minute for herself too.
Kelly and Mike joined us now that Ellie was calmed down and busy watching a show I had lured her to on the lobby TV. We all talked about John and what had happened and where things were now. I assured Oliver that the moment any of us heard anything, we would come downstairs. They both agreed it was best to stay in the lobby with Ellie. I knew they were torn, but they also were confident we would keep them updated.
Mike and I said our goodbyes and headed back upstairs. When the elevator door closed, Mike cleared his throat as though he wanted to say something.
“It’s not my place to share something that isn’t mine to share,” I shuffled my feet on the elevator rug, “but thanks for helping back there.”
“Sure thing.”
It was hard enough to digest what was happening with John, but then to walk into the storm Ellie brought nearly sent me over the edge. My head felt like it was about to come unglued, spilling in multiple directions. John, Ellie, the whole shitstorm with the cartel, and not to mention the fact that my face still felt like a swollen balloon. I knew Frank and my father were dealing with that situation back in Washington, and as much as I wanted to know what was going on, I frankly didn’t care right now.
“Sloane?” Mike’s voice stopped the whirlwind of thoughts in my brain, and I looked up to see him holding the elevator doors for me. “You okay?”
“Ah, yeah.” I forced a smile and headed back to our waiting room.
Abigail and June took shifts to help Dell with the kids and did their best to keep Sue and me occupied as the time rolled on. Mark insisted on making sure we ate. For a man who needed a lot of taking care of, he sure was great in situations like this, or maybe he was feeling better because Mia had arrived. Either way, it was nice.
My email sent a vibration through my phone, and with a foggy head, I saw my father had responded to my email.
“The test can only be taken once,” I whispered under my breath. “Interesting.” I sent a quick response thanking him, then I tried to get my mind back to work.
“How long has it been?” Sue finally broke the silence.
“Three hours and fifteen minutes,” Cole and I said in unison just as the door opened and Nurse Lilly walked in.
“Hi, folks. Thanks for being so patient. I’ve got good news. Daniel is in recovery, and he did just fine through his surgery. His doctor will update you on exactly what was done in surgery later, but you can see him soon.” She stumbled while looking around at our group. “But one at a time, please. As for John Black, I’m pleased to pass along that he is now stable.”
The whole room broke out in cheers, and the relief was evident in their smiles.
Lilly held up her hand for us to listen. “He gave us concern for a while there, but he is strong and in excellent physical condition, and that helped a lot. He’ll have to spend about week in hospital on IV antibiotics and, if all goes well, he can go home. But,” she turned her pointed gaze to Cole, who I was sure she heard was the team leader, “he must rest. No work or heavy lifting. His body needs time to heal.”
“You have my word,” Cole promised as Abigail nearly plowed us over to share the news with John’s parents downstairs.
“Can we see him yet?” I was nearly weightless with the news.
“He’s still in intensive care, but once he’s brought down to his room, and as