It was late, after eleven o’clock, and Rue and Royce still sat in the waiting room at the hospital. Mitch had been transferred to recovery more than an hour earlier, and the surgeon had promised to let them know when he was coherent enough to talk.
The precinct needed answers, and the only person who might have them was Mitch, and time was of the essence. If the person who’d rammed the back of the Corvette knew Mitch was still alive, they might make another attempt on his life.
“I can’t take this waiting around,” Rue said.
Royce chuckled. “Now you’re sounding like Cannon.”
“Well, we are partners. Something is bound to rub off sooner or later.”
When he saw a doctor walking toward them, Royce leapt to his feet.
“Sergeant Royce and Detective Rue?”
“Yes, that’s us,” Royce said.
“Detective Cannon is awake. I can’t say he’s fully alert, but you can go see him for a bit. Please, keep it under a half hour. He needs his rest.”
“Thank you, Dr.…?”
“Adams. It’s Dr. Adams. I was his surgeon. Right this way.”
The doctor led Royce and Rue to the elevators and up to the second floor. They exited and walked to room 214.
“I’ll give you some privacy. Remember, he’s not one hundred percent. He’s had a concussion, and his mind is foggy from that and the surgery. He might drift off.”
“Understood,” Royce said.
Royce and Rue walked in. Mitch’s right arm and leg were set in casts, and a monitor on his head connected to a machine at his side. When they walked in, he stared at the two men as if confused.
“Hey, buddy, how ya doing?” Rue asked. He knew Mitch wasn’t in his best form. Devon pulled a chair to Mitch’s side, and Royce sat on the oversized windowsill. “Do you know what happened, what caused the accident?”
Mitch tried to speak, but his voice cracked. Royce picked up a cup of water and held it to his mouth as Mitch took in a big gulp through the straw. He nodded a thank-you. “It wasn’t an accident.”
“Meaning? What did you see? What do you remember?” Royce asked.
“Didn’t notice anything, just looking for a way to avoid all the stoplights on the way to Sparky’s. Nobody was tailgating me that I noticed, and then suddenly, I was slammed from behind and propelled into the intersection. It happened so fast that I didn’t even see the vehicle that T-boned me. All I remember was my head hitting the window.”
“So you’re pretty sure it was a deliberate hit?”
“Positive. Anyone who knows the area knows that there’s a stop sign there. They wouldn’t be going that fast without any intention of hitting the brakes.”
Royce looked at Rue. “And there weren’t any skid marks behind the Corvette. The vehicle that hit you wasn’t trying to stop. You didn’t get a glimpse of the vehicle at all?”
“I didn’t even know a vehicle was there. It came out of nowhere.” Mitch looked at his casts. “Shit. These are going to set me back for a while.”
“Don’t worry about that now. Just get better. You took a hard hit to the head. Lucky you’re hardheaded,” Royce joked.
Cannon’s voice cracked again. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, my middle name should be Lucky. Do Marie and my mom know?”
“They’ve been informed. Actually, Marie was here. She’s the one who called me and told me about your injuries,” Devon said.
“Really?”
“Yep. You’ve got a loving family, Mitch, so I’d say you really are lucky.”
“When am I getting out of here? Whoever rear-ended me is still a danger to my family and to the public.”
“We’ll handle that,” Royce said. “According to the doctor, you’ll be here for a couple of days. They want to make sure there’s no swelling in that noggin of yours.”
“Great. And then what?”
“And then you’ll be on medical leave for a while.”
“But—”
Royce held up his hands. “But nothing. If Rue wants to keep you updated every few hours, that’ll be up to him. You’re going to be at home resting. Doctor’s orders. We’ve got a murderer to catch.”
Rue huffed. “And an attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.”
“Right. That too. Now get some rest. That’s an order.”
Mitch sighed. “Fine, but it isn’t going to be easy.”
“It’ll be easier than you think. I’m sure there’s still plenty of drugs in your system. We’ll check in on you tomorrow, and your family will be here to visit you too. Good night, Cannon.”
“Night, Boss. Night, Rue.”
“Good night, buddy. Glad you’re still alive.” Devon chuckled as they walked out.