Page 49 of Any Kind of Life
“Y-yes.”
Dr Nunez smiled. “You’re on file as Juliet’s next-of-kin. And to be quite honest, given the condition you were in on arrival, it’s pretty obvious how much you love her.”
“Thank you. For saving her life.” Paige reached out and shook Dr Nunez’s hand.
“We did the serious stuff. But you were the one who saved her life long before she arrived on my table. Juliet is lucky to have you.” Dr Nunez took a step back, removing his scrub cap. “It’ll likely be a couple of hours before you can see Juliet. May I suggest that you go home and shower…perhaps have something to eat.”
No. Paige couldn’t do that. She had to be here. What if something happened? “I’m okay. It’s best if I stay here.”
“Paige, Juliet would want you to look after yourself.”
Paige understood that. Usually, she would agree. But she couldn’t shake the dread she still had sitting deep in her stomach. “I know, but what if I come back and she’s…dead.”
“Juliet has a fantastic team of doctors and nurses looking after her. She’s going to be exactly where she should be when you come back. If I thought for one moment that it was touch and go, I wouldn’t advise you to leave the building.”
“O-okay.” Paige wrung her hands as she blew out a breath. “Okay. Maybe I’ll go home and shower.”
Paige smiled as a satisfied Dr Nunez walked away, her mind reeling with all of the possibilities she’d allowed herself to imagine. But Juliet was going to be okay. She…was alive.
“Let’s sit back down for a minute.” Caz guided her towards the same row of plastic chairs as before. The air didn’t seem so charged now. Which was good. But with the knowledge that Juliet was going to live, Paige’s mind instantly went to who could be responsible for this.
Her phone started to ring in her pocket. As she reached for it, she saw Henry’s name on the screen. “She’s alive, H.” Before he said anything, Paige had to speak those words. “She’s in intensive care.”
“Thank God.” Henry’s voice shook. Paige knew he would be beating himself up because he hadn’t been there to stop it, but that wasn’t what any of them needed right now. “I have some information. The police are aware, I’ve just left the bar, and forensics are still there. They…think I work at the bar. Mostly security.”
“Okay. What information do you have?”
Henry cleared his throat. “First of all, you’ll likely notice that there will be a police presence at the hospital soon. Specifically at Juliet’s room.”
Paige’s stomach sank. She hadn’t known it was possible to feel terrified all over again…all of a sudden. “Why? What’s going on?”
“Are you alone?”
Paige cleared her throat. “No. Caz and Hannah are with me. They came to the hospital as soon as I called.”
“Well, that’s good. I don’t like the thought of you sitting there alone,” Henry said, melting Paige’s heart a little. He was generally stone cold, but occasionally, his heart did show.
“Henry, what is it?”
“Will you be going home at any point? Will you…be alone so we can talk?”
Paige frowned. “Yeah. I’m heading home soon.”
“Then I’m going to call you back once you’re home. And alone. It’s important that people don’t know who I am, you know?”
Paige understood. She would do anything to protect Henry, given the fact he’d practically saved her life where James was concerned. “Okay. I’ll let you know once I’m home. Bye, H.”
“Everything okay?” Caz’s gentle voice pierced Paige’s thoughts. Her inner turmoil.
“Yeah. Just Henry.”
“I always wondered about him. He seems very shifty. And he rarely says more than two words.”
Paige lifted a shoulder. “He’s security. He doesn’t really need to say much.”
“That’s fair enough.” Caz stood when Hannah returned with drinks. “Does anyone keep a flask of whiskey on them? I think I may need something stronger after the day we’ve all had so far.”
Paige started to pace the corridor, desperately wanting to be with Juliet. Why couldn’t she sit quietly with her? She wouldn’t bother anyone or get in the way. Why couldn’t they be at home right now, cuddled on the couch? Why…had this happened?