I glance at my phone again, checking to make sure the sound is on and that I haven’t missed any messages.
“You’re really worried about this,” Laiyla says. “You check your phone every five minutes.”
“Yeah,” I admit. “I expected one of them to call by now. I’ve left several messages for them both. Maybe I should have offered to mediate the discussion. I mean, in a way, it’s really none of my business, but I know Xavier isn’t going to take this news well. He can be so rigid when it comes to rules and ethics, shoulds and shouldn’ts. Everything for him is so black or white. I hope he’s letting her talk and not shutting her down.”
“What time does Xavier’s shift end?” KT asks.
“It ended over an hour ago.”
“They’re probably just having a heart-to-heart,” she says. “Take it from me, sometimes dad and daughter’s heart-to-hearts can last days. And Xavier is as close to a father as Piper has.”
“Yeah, probably.” But I won’t feel better until I know the result. Only a few more days and this will be over. Maybe Xavier and I can slow down and really start to enjoy our relationship.
KT’s phone rings. She pulls it from her pocket. “Speak of the devil.” She taps the speaker and says. “We were just talking about you. You’re on speaker.”
“Is Chloe with you?” Ben asks.
A chill rolls through my stomach. Maybe it’s the words or the tone or just my amped sixth sense, but I know something bad has happened. “I’m here. What’s wrong?”
“Have you spoken with Z tonight?”
My hands fist. “No, I’ve been waiting. What happened?’
“I’ve got this confidentiality thing to work around,” Ben says, “but I can tell you that Z’s walking these halls like a caged animal.”
“Is he okay? Is Piper with him?”
“He’s fine—physically. That’s about all I can tell you. Not sure if you want to come down or not, but I wanted you to know, well, as little as I can tell you. If you come, check the waiting room on the fourth floor first. If he’s not there, text me, and I’ll page him overhead.”
I’m already on my feet. I push into my flip-flops and run to my boat to grab my keys, then back to the parking lot, muttering, “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” the whole time.
Laiyla and KT are waiting at the car.
“Let one of us come with you,” Laiyla says.
“No.” I slide behind the wheel with a brief “I’ll call you” before launching out of the parking lot.
The drive is quick, maybe eight or ten minutes, but in those minutes, my mind has conjured up terrible scenarios. Scenarios that are crazy and unthinkable. Xavier would never hurt Piper. He’d step in front of a bullet for that kid.
Had there been an accident, leaving Piper hurt? Had Piper anticipated the tough conversation and tried to hurt herself? I haven’t seen any signs of self-harm or depression, but in hindsight, her anxiety has been pretty high.
God, did I go too far? Had forcing her to show her hand to Xavier pushed her over some ledge I didn’t know about?
Tears blur my vision by the time I reach the hospital’s main entrance. I’m shaking as I hurry to the elevators. I push the Up button, then glance at the directory and find that the fourth floor is the surgery suite.
“No, no, no.” I press my fingers to my trembling lips. I get on the elevator, push Four, then close my eyes and whisper, “All beings of the highest truth and compassion, please, please, please let Piper and Xavier be okay.”
I walk off the elevator into a small, vacant lobby. To my right is an empty hallway, and to my left there is a wall with a plaque directing visitors to surgery.
Surgery.
I can’t believe this is happening, but all my denial falls away when I turn the corner. Xavier is crouched against the wall, elbows on knees, hands clasped and pressed against his mouth, eyes closed. His uniform shirt is untucked and his body armor lies on a neighboring chair, which is when I notice another cop in the room: Sergeant Lucero.
“Z,” Lucero says, dragging Xavier’s eyes open before he pushes to his feet.
I don’t know what I expected, but I’ve never seen the dark expression or the cold look in his eyes.
Lucero stands and nods to me. “Chloe.” Then to Xavier, he says, “I’m going to refill my coffee.”