An hour later, Isaac glanced around the waiting room and saw nothing but cops. There were a handful of uniformed officers milling about, but mostly the place was packed with detectives. It was like the entire detectives section had relocated for the day. Isaac spotted detectives from every corner of the fourth floor — homicide, violent crimes, cyber crimes, burglary, narcotics. Even fraud.
Everyone liked Pete, and they were all here to show their support.
The doors whooshed open and Sidney hurried inside and into his arms.
The instant his arms closed around her that pervasive cold he’d felt from the moment Pete was shot finally began to ebb away, and Isaac stood for a moment letting it leach into his system.
“Baby what happened?”
“We were approaching the house of a suspect and they just opened fire out the windows.”
“Oh, my God. Is Pete going to be okay?”
“We don’t know. He’s still in surgery and no one’s come out yet to tell us anything. But I wanted you here for Jada.” He glanced over to where Jada sat in a corner of the waiting room with Pete’s mother. They were holding hands and it looked as if Julieta was quietly praying. “I figured she might need a friend right now.”
Sidney looked at the two women for a moment, compassion for her friends playing out across her beautiful face. Then she turned back to Isaac and placed her palm flat against his cheek. It was a gesture that he relished and found great comfort in. Her touch was like a balm. He took what felt like the purest, deepest breath he’d been able to draw since the first shots rang out.
Sidney smiled at him and then she turned and headed for Jada and Julieta.
Isaac shivered when she walked away, as if she’d taken all the warmth with her.
The clock seemed to tick by in excruciatingly slow increments. One hour drifted into two.
And then three.
Now seated in an uncomfortable chair in the corner near Pete’s family, Isaac took hold of Sidney’s hand. She squeezed his, and he leaned over and kissed her temple.
“I’m glad you’re here, darlin’.”
Sidney rubbed the back of his hand with her free one. “Where else would I be, baby?”
Isaac opened his mouth to respond when a doctor wearing scrubs and a surgical cap entered their midsts.
All the cops closed in.
“Okay, I know you’re all Detective Vega’s blue family, and I respect that. But is his blood family here?”
“Yes!”
“We’re here.”
Jada and Julieta answered at once.
The doctor turned toward them and came closer.
All the cops did the same.
“Pete is currently stable and I have every reason to believe that he’s going to make a full recovery.”
A collective sigh of relief went around the whole waiting area, and Isaac was suddenly flooded with gratitude.
“The bullet penetrated the right side of his abdomen and went clean through. We did minor exploratory surgery — which is why it took so long. We were hunting for bullet fragments that could possibly wreak havoc at a later date. But we’re confident that we got everything, okay?”
Julieta nodded, while Jada stared wide-eyed.
“We did place a drain tube to try and keep fluid from building up at the wound site,” the doctor continued. “We’ll monitor that over the next day or two. Now, Pete lost a lot of blood, and we did give him two units of blood during surgery, but by some minor miracle nothing vital was hit by the bullet.”
“That’s incredible,” Isaac mumbled.
“Yes, it is,” the doctor agreed. “He’s a very lucky man. Just a couple of centimeters to the left and the bullet might have nicked his intestines or even possibly punctured his right kidney. But, thankfully, none of that happened. I’d say someone was definitely looking out for him today.”
“Ay, gracias Padre Dios.” Julieta called out.
“Oh, my God. Can I see him?” Jada asked, wiping tears.
“He’s still in recovery right now. But as soon as we get him into a room we’ll come get you, okay?”
“Thank you. Thank you so much!” Jada launched herself into the doctor’s arms.
“Yes, thank you, Doctor.” Gavin sounded as relieved as Isaac felt.
Pete was going to make it. Now, Isaac could get on with nailing the bastard who shot him, and catching his two cohorts.
* * *
The waiting room immediately began to empty out once news that Pete would make a full recovery began making the rounds. Sidney sat next to Jada and looked around at all the relieved faces.
Isaac was standing nearby talking to his lieutenant and another man she didn’t know but recognized as someone in a position of authority. Ike’s entire demeanor had changed the instant the doctor told them the good news. Sidney had felt it. It was like his whole body had let out a deeply held breath.
She got it.
The bond between partners was a strong one, and she knew that Ike had come to not only depend on Pete, but also to respect and admire him. In truth — not that she thought Ike would ever admit to it — he was fond of Pete.
Somewhere over the last year that they’d been partnered up, they had become friends. Close friends. She would even say the best of friends. And Sidney knew that for Ike, that sort of thing didn’t happen everyday.
He glanced over and caught her eye, and Sidney smiled at him.
He returned her smile with a covert wink.
God, what would she have done if he’d been the one shot today?
Shame pooled in her belly and she looked over at Jada. How could she think such a thing while her friend was so worried?
“You okay, hon?” she asked Jada.
Jada looked pale, her eyes red and puffy from the tears. She nodded. “I just can’t believe this has happened. When Ike called me I was so scared. All that kept going through my mind was memories of the day those Army guys showed up at the house to tell me that Carlos was dead. Charlie was a baby and I was holding him on my hip. I just remember hitting the floor and rocking my baby boy in my arms.”
Her voice broke and the tears came again.
Julieta took Jada’s hand, and Sidney reached for the other one.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Jada.” Sidney held on to her hand, rubbing the back of it. “But this situation isn’t anything like that one. Pete is going to be just fine.”
“Es verdad, mija,” Julieta chimed in. And Sidney didn’t need a translator to understand that phrase. It’s true, daughter. “The doctor said Pedro will make a complete recovery. My boy is strong. And he knows that he has so much to live for.”
Julieta patted her hand, and Jada smiled at her future mother-in-law. But Sidney could see that Jada was still very upset.
Several moments later when Julieta excused herself and ventured off to the bathroom, Jada turned to Sidney.
“How do you do it, Sid?”
“Do what, sweetie?”
“How do you stay so calm everyday knowing that Ike is out there chasing bad guys and anything can happen? How do you build a life with a man who has such a dangerous job?”
Jada sat wiping tears and fidgeting with the tissues in her hand, and Sidney stared at her for a long moment.
“I know that the danger is there, Jada. And I know that there are a lot of crazy people out there. But I also know that Ike is a good cop. He’s a great detective. And sometimes he’s all that some desperate person out there has. He’s their only hope. I know that because he was my only hope when I was the desperate one. So, I know firsthand that the danger exists, but I can’t dwell on that danger. Instead… I focus on the man that I love. The man underneath the badge. Because that man has a hard, thankless job, and it’s up to me to give him a soft place to land. A safe place away from all that danger and crime. That’s how I do it.”
Jada stared at her and shook her head. “I don’t know if I can do that. I don’t want to lose him again.”
“Again?” Sidney could hear the concern creep into her own voice.
“I can’t go through that again, Sidney.”
“Jada, Pete is not Carlos. You—”
“There’s a beverage station near the bathrooms, mija,” Julieta said as she returned. “Can I get you some nice soothing tea?”
“No, thank you Julieta.”
Julieta sat back down, and Sidney wanted to resume their troubling conversation, but she had a feeling this wasn’t the time or place.
“Is there anything that I can do for either of you?” Sidney asked, a sad sense of helplessness seeping in. She knew there was nothing she could do to make this all right for her friend. “Anything at all. I can go pick up the boys from school and take them back home with me and Ike tonight. That way you two won’t have to worry about anything.”
Jada smiled at her. “Thank you, Sid. I appreciate the offer, but I already called my mom and told her what’s going on. She’s going to get the boys from school since she’s on their approved adult list for pick ups.”
“Okay. Well my offer still stands if you need some help with the boys. And if you need anything, even if it’s just to talk, please don’t hesitate to call me, Jada. Anytime.”
She gave Jada a pointed look because she was worried about her friend’s state of mind.
“All right. I’m going to go back to work now, but if you need me—”
“I know. Thank you, Sidney. Truly.”
Sidney hugged both of them and then went to find her husband. He was standing near the the elevators still talking to his superiors.
“Excuse me.” Sidney slipped in close to him and Isaac wrapped his arm around her.
“Hey, darlin’. How are Jada and Señora Vega doing?”
“As well as can be expected. They’re both a lot better now that we know Pete’s going to be okay, but…” She let that sentence dangle and glanced back at Jada.
“But what?” Ike looked concerned.
“I’m just a little worried about Jada. I think this incident has reopened some old wounds for her.”
“Mmm.” Ike nodded. “I didn’t even think about that.”
“I think she might be having trouble separating the two.”
“That’s rough.”
“Yeah. Well, listen, now that Pete’s out of surgery I’m going to go back to work. Unless you need me to stay?”
“Well, you know I always want you close by. But no, I don’t guess it’s necessary for you to stay.”
She looked him over. His dress shirt was covered in drying blood.
“Why don’t I run home and bring you a clean shirt?”
“Oh. You don’t have to do that. I have a spare shirt in my locker at work.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”
“Well toss that one when you take it off, okay? I’ll see you at home.”
“About that,” Isaac seemed to hesitate a split second. “I don’t have any idea how long I’ll be tonight. A cop was shot today. That usually means all hands on deck and some guaranteed overtime to find the shooter.”
Sidney nodded. “I get it. Just keep me posted okay.”
“All right. I love you.”
“I love you back. Stay safe, baby.”
He kissed her lips, and then Sidney left him to his job.
* * *
Jada fidgeted with the tissues in her hand. Then she tossed them into the small wastebasket situated nearby.
She hated waiting. Waiting always gave you way too much time to think. Too much time to replay old memories that get stored deep in the dark recesses of the heart.
“Family for Pete Vega?”
The nurse smiled at them and Jada and Julieta got to their feet.
“Yes, that’s us,” Julieta’s voice was eager.
“I’ll take you up to see him now.”
They followed her over to the elevators, and Jada fought hard to push the fog from her head. Fought to keep it from pulling her under. She felt like she was sleepwalking. Functioning and going through the motions without really being present. Like her life was happening to someone else while she was trapped on the sidelines, watching helplessly.
“So are you a nurse?”
Jada heard the question, but it took a few seconds to register in her mind. She stepped into the elevator trying to make herself focus on the nurse asking the polite question.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“The scrubs and name tag.” The nurse gestured to Jada’s attire and Jada glanced down at her pale pink scrubs and matching jacket.
“Oh. Yes, um… nurse and office manager at the Women’s Health Clinic. Dr. Linda Bailey.”
“Oh, sure, I’ve heard good things about her. You like working there?”
“She’s a great doctor. Really good to work for.”
“Good.” The elevator doors opened and the chatty nurse led them through the hallways.
“How long will Pedro have to stay here?” Julieta asked.
“Now, I don’t know for sure, but I’d imagine it would probably be at least a day or two because they’d want to make sure the drainage tube is working and that those fluids wicking away are running clear.”
The nurse stopped outside a closed door and gestured toward it. “You can go on in now. If you need anything I’ll be at the nurses station.”
“Thank you,” Julieta pushed open the door and hurried inside.
Jada took slow, measured steps, almost dreading going in. She wasn’t certain what she was expecting to see, but what she got wasn’t it.
Pete was awake. His skin was pale, and he looked worn out, but he was awake and alert. His dark brown eyes sparkled to life when he saw them.
“Hey. Quien te dejo entrar aquí?”
Who let you in here? He was awake and alert and joking with them. And the relief in Jada’s belly bubbled and grew, like the fizz of a soda pop. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
She stood against the wall across from the hospital bed and watched as Julieta hugged her son.
“Oh, mijo! Estaba tan asustada y preocupada. Estoy tan feliz de que estés bien.”
Julieta talked a marathon, expressing her fear and her worry, and her relief that Pete was okay. And all the while Jada stared at him. Looking at the man she loved, sitting there alive, and awake, and alert and alive.
Pete was alive.
The painful ache in her chest that she hadn’t acknowledged until this very moment suddenly evaporated.
“What are you doing hugging the wall, gorgeous?” Pete smiled at her and held out his hand.
The sound of his voice shook loose something inside her, turning on the tears again. Jada wiped her face with trembling fingers and stepped closer to the bed. She took his offered hand and leaned over to kiss him.
One of her tears hit his cheek.
“Hey.” He caressed her face. “You okay?”
“I should be asking you that.” Her voice was tearful, and Pete wiped her cheek with his thumb. “How do you feel?”
Pete appeared to think about that for a second. “Kinda hungry.”
Julieta laughed out loud. “Sí, he’s going to be fine.”
“Oh, honestly.” Jada pretended to be exasperated with him, but the fact that he was hungry was a very good sign. “You just got shot, you’ve been in surgery for over three hours, and you’re hungry?”
Pete grinned. “Well, my side does hurt like a son of a bitch, but yeah… I could eat.”
“You should sleep.”
Pete nodded. “Yeah, I could probably do that too.”
Jada stared at him for a long time, just taking in the fact that he was really alive. He was okay. She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair.
“I’m going to wait out here and give you two a little time alone.” Julieta kissed Pete on the cheek and then quietly left the room.
When they were alone Jada began straightening the room, fidgeting and avoiding direct eye contact.
“Hey. You sure you’re okay, cariña? You seem troubled.”
Jada turned to look at him and he patted the side of his bed, indicating for her to sit down. She sighed and walked over to the bed. Then she sat down, facing him.
“Talk to me, Jada,” Pete said, taking her hand again. “Tell me what’s going on in there.” He pointed to her heart.
Jada hesitated for a few seconds. “I was so scared when Ike called me. The whole thing just brought up some painful memories.”
“I am so sorry, sweetheart. I can’t even begin to imagine how scared you must’ve been. But surely Ike told you I was going to be okay, didn’t he?”
Jada shook her head. “No. He couldn’t. At that time you had just gone into surgery and the doctors didn’t know. All Ike told me was that I should get here. He sent a patrol car for me and your mom.”
Pete sighed. “I’m so sorry I worried you both.”
Jada nodded, but her mind was already preoccupied with something else. Something he probably didn’t want to hear. Something she definitely didn’t want to say.
“Pete, I don’t know if I can do this again.”
“Do what, Jada?”
She could hear the fear and trepidation creep into his voice. She felt those same spiders creep into her heart too.
“I don’t know if I can marry another man who has such a dangerous job. It’s… it’s too stressful. It’s too… terrifying.”
The tears came again, springing to her eyes in a silent sob.
“What? No. Jada, today was not a typical day. Okay, stuff like that does not happen all the time. I’m not out on the street like a patrolman anymore, I’m a detective. Mostly my job is sitting at a desk going through people’s financial records and social media footprints. The danger is minimal.”
Jada shook her head. “It happens often enough.”
“Jada… I am not Carlos, all right? And this job… contrary to what the news media and the TV cop shows tell you… this job is not a war zone.”
“Isn’t it?”
They stared at each other for the longest time, and Jada got the feeling he was searching for the right words that would finally persuade her. But there were none.
“Jada… our wedding is a week and a half away. We’ve got adoptions of the boys in the works. What exactly are you saying here?”
“I don’t know.” Jada shook her head again, confusion and sorrow beginning to mingle in her heart and mind. “I don’t know. I need to think.”
She stood and moved toward the door.
“Jada?”
She kept moving.
“Jada, wait!”
She walked out of the room and just kept walking.