Allen knew something was happening the instant he started out of the ER after Virat had arrived to take his place.
People were moving. Far too quickly for a normal day at FCGH. He grabbed Gwyn when she passed him. “What’s going on?”
“Hostage situation.” Her eyes were wild and panicked. “I saw him. I saw him myself. He had his wife with him. And a gun.”
“Who?” His first thoughts would always be with Izzie and Shelby. “Where?”
“Fifth floor. I…it was Dr. Henedy! We’re following standard operating procedure now.”
Allen cursed and ran. He knew. There were only two people in the world that Wallace Henedy could be looking for with a gun.
Izzie. And Nikkie Jean.
The doors to each floor could be locked from the security department now.
He had to get there before that happened.
His world was on the fifth floor.
Izzie wasn’t going to lose her cool now. She couldn’t. There were people in this hospital who would come for her. Unless he killed her first. That was a real possibility.
“Dr. Henedy, what are you doing?” She didn’t know how she did it, but the question came out without two much wobbling. Calm. She had to stay calm.
She was close to the surgical department’s door. The instant someone reported the gunshot to security, every floor would be locked down until the TSP arrived and cleared each floor.
They were on the fifth.
There were only six floors at FCGH.
It was going to be a while.
Izzie sat down gently in the chair.
He kept staring at her. He had his hand wrapped around his wife’s elbow.
There was blood all over her. Other fluids she didn’t want to think about. Smeared over her purple silk robe.
“Is she hurt, Dr. Henedy? Your wife?” She didn’t think so, but Izzie had to keep him talking. Talking was better than shooting.
“No. She’s not hurt. It’s not her blood. It was his.”
“Who?”
The woman sobbed. Izzie looked at her. There was a wild look of grief in the woman’s eyes that hadn’t been there before. “It was Kyle’s. He didn’t deserve this, Wallace.”
“None of our kids do. We made it happen.” Henedy started pacing in front of the door.
Like he’d done before. Izzie watched. Waited. Last time she’d been in his direct line of fire. This time…she wasn’t.
His own wife was.
There had to be a way to get away from him. There was a back exit out of the surgical wing. She had to get there. The patients in surgery right now were too close to what was happening, too. If she ran that way and he followed—he’d know every inch of that wing, too—she risked putting vulnerable patients and people she knew at risk.
Including Shelby. And Nikkie Jean.
Nikkie Jean was back there; he had to stay away from Nikkie Jean.
Izzie stood. She put herself between him and the door to the operating rooms. “What did the two of you do? You tell me. Then…you tell me why me. Why did you do it to me?”