“The police have footage of Cat coming in a side door, using her hotel issued key card, and she’s carrying what looks like an accelerant in her hand,” Zach was saying. Trent could hardly believe his ears. While he had been under the impression that it was possible Cat might have been responsible for this, hearing someone say there was proof of it was horrific. How would Bree handle hearing that someone she’d thought had been her friend had tried to kill her?
“That’s… disturbing,” he said, watching Bree’s eyes wide
Sleep was a welcome visitor as Bree rested her head back on the pillow, her eyes closed. The medicine was making her tired, so she decided to take a little rest while Trent was out calling her parents.Reality and a dream state were starting to mingle. She thought she was back on the beach for a moment, Trent’s hand in hers as they stared at the waves, deciding they were going to be together forever. She thought she heard the door to the hospital room open, but she wasn’t sure, and then she heard the pounding of the ocean surf and the birds squawking overh
Trent had only stepped away from Bree’s room for a few moments--probably not even two minutes. He’d only told her parents she was awake and doing fine and would be calling them after she took a little nap. But as he went back into her room, he had the strange feeling something wasn’t right.He glanced down the hall, and someone caught his attention. A nurse, almost at the end of the hallway, dressed unlike any of the other nurses, with a familiar cadence to her walk, had his eyebrows arching.
A nurse came out of the hospital room first, but Trent could tell she didn’t have anything to say that would make him feel better about the situation. She simply took him by the shoulders and walked him a little bit away from the door. “They’re moving her to the OR,” the nurse said. “The doctors are still working on her, but they’re afraid they may have to open her up in order to see what damage is being done to her heart.”Trent felt tears rolling down his cheeks as he ran a hand through his hair and tried to keep himself und
Minutes seemed like hours as Trent sat in the waiting room, praying that Bree would be all right, that he’d get an update soon, that her parents, who were on their way now, would arrive safe and sound. He’d had to tell them what had happened, even though it was difficult to articulate. It would take them hours to make the drive. With any luck, Bree would be just fine by the time they arrived.It had only been about an hour since he’d moved to the waiting room, but it felt like days. The same nurse who had brought him here was headed toward him. Trent
The world was fuzzy, and everything seemed out of place. Bree opened her eyes slowly, the beeps and whizzing sounds of machines letting her know she was still in the hospital, but she couldn’t remember why.She tried to move her hand and part of it came back to her. She remembered the fire, the surgery, and waking up worried about her hand. Nothing after that made much sense.
Trent had put off going to the police station for a few days while he was waiting for Bree to come out of her coma. When the officer he’d been in contact with, a sympathetic man a few years older than him named Det. Jessie Duke, had called him earlier that morning and said they needed him to identify the woman he’d seen in the hallway so that they’d have more evidence to keep her locked up for the time being, he’d had no choice.Now, he was sitting in a chair next to Det. Duke’s desk, waiting for him to come back and get him for the lineu
Bree’s eyes were glued on the door as she impatiently waited for Trent’s arrival. Since she’d woken up, they’d transferred her out of the ICU and given her a larger, private room, which she was thankful for because the intensive care units were so small and scary. She wasn’t sure how long she’d have to stay in the hospital, but if she was going to be there, she wanted it to be with her family in such a way that they would be comfortable. This new room had a couch and a few cozy chairs, as well as a wide window she could see out of from her bed. It was a hundred times better than her ICU room, but until Trent got there, none of that would matter.
Sitting in the bed in her very own apartment, Bree looked out the window at the bright blue sky, thankful to be home. After four days in the hospital, having tests run and undergoing all kinds of other evasive exams to make sure she was all right, Bree had come home a few hours ago and immediately fallen asleep. Now, awake and ready to get on with her life, she could hear the sound of her parents’ voices filtering through the door. Occasionally, she’d hear Trent’s voice as well, which made her smile. Her parents had insisted on making sure she got home okay. It seemed as if they were also insisting on making sure she woke up okay.