Page 50 of Any Kind of Life
Hannah landed in front of her, placing her hands on Paige’s shoulders. “Caz says Juliet is going to be okay. Why don’t you go home and get a shower? We could always wait here in case there is any more news.”
“That’s okay. The doctor says it’s going to be a while before I can see her, so you two should go home and do whatever you need to do. I’ll call you once I’m back here and I have more information.”
“Are you sure?” Hannah asked, taking Caz by the hand. “We can stay if you’d rather that.”
“I’m sure.” Paige chewed her lip as she looked back at the double doors keeping her from Juliet. A tear slid down her cheek, but she suspected she was going to have a lot of tears for some time yet. “I just…I need to be with her.”
Hannah moved towards Paige and took her hand. “I get it. Completely. You’d have to drag me from here kicking and screaming if I was in the position you’re in. But she’s going to recover, and you’ll be back with one another before you know it.”
“I know.” Paige moved towards the window at the end of the corridor, staring out at the city below. Someone was out there, someone who had tried to kill the woman Paige loved. Paige’s nostrils flared as she clenched her jaw. “I’ll kill you with my fucking bare hands if I find you.”
Paige sat in silence, staring at the coffee table in the apartment. Everything felt out of place, and what was left of the day was really beginning to weigh heavy on Paige. She shouldn’t be here; she should be at the hospital. Still, she hadn’t received a phone call, so that was something positive to cling to while she scrubbed Juliet’s blood from her body in the hottest shower her skin could manage. At least, she would try to shower when she found the strength to move.
If I could just see her eyes…
Even if only for the briefest of moments, Paige needed to see those eyes. Even if only for the briefest of moments, Paige desperately needed to know Juliet would wake up. Then she could sleep this all away until she was better.
As she sat imagining her fingertips across the back of Juliet’s hand, her phone started to vibrate on the couch beside her. It was Henry. She’d been waiting for a call from him since the moment Paige had climbed into the back of a cab twenty minutes ago.
“Henry, hi.”
“Any changes?” Henry’s voice shook, even if he did try to hide it.
“No, nothing. She’s in safe hands, though.”
“That’s good. And I’m outside the apartment, so you’re safe, too.”
Paige hadn’t even thought about her own safety since all of this happened. She didn’t feel in danger, but she didn’t suppose Juliet had felt in danger either…until she was. God, she must have been so frightened in that moment. Paige closed her eyes, and her nostrils flared as she fought back the constant emotion she felt. “I-I don’t know how she’s alive, H. If I hadn’t got there when I did?—”
“But you did get there, Paige. You made it in time, and you saved her life.”
Paige couldn’t think about all of that right now. They had to figure out who’d done this. She had spoken to the detectives very briefly when she was leaving the hospital, but they had given practically nothing away at all. “Did you check the CCTV?”
“I did.” Henry cleared his throat. “You won’t believe what I found.”
Paige’s stomach sank. Since she’d had time to think, the first thought she’d had was that it was James coming back. It made sense. He’d been silent since the court hearing. Surely, he wouldn’t have just disappeared and given Paige the peace he knew she wanted. Life was never that simple. “What? Who was it?”
“Paige, it was Cara.”
Paige frowned. How the hell could it be Cara? Why would it be Cara? She’d been working at the bar for what? Well, since it had opened. “You have to be wrong. Why the fuck would she do that?”
“Paige, I’ve watched the footage over and over. It was Cara. No mistake.”
Henry had to be right. He’d been the one to see her doing it. But Paige couldn’t make sense of this at all. Cara had really excelled over the last several months. She’d covered shifts, she’d worked late, she’d even had a slight say so in the plans for the new bar. Surely, they couldn’t have fallen out that much that she would try to kill Juliet. Because she had. She’d tried to end Juliet’s life.
“S-so what now?” Paige asked, her hand clenched into a fist as she slowly started to rage inside. “The police are waiting to speak to Juliet, but I don’t know how long it’ll be before they get the chance.”
“I could handle it, but I think it’s best if we let the police deal with it. While they’re doing that, I’ll look into who she is. The police are actively looking for her, but they’re going to put officers on Juliet’s door. We don’t know if she’s going to come back when she finds out Juliet pulled through.”
“She’ll have to get through me first. Fucking bitch!” Paige couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Cara Swinson…had tried to kill Juliet. “If this is true, there has to be a reason.”
Henry sighed. “This is my fault. I should have done a check on her the moment Juliet employed her.”
“Did you look into me when she employed me?”
“No. Of course not.”
Paige smiled. “Then why would you look into Cara? I know you want to blame yourself for not being there, but this isn’t on you, H. Juliet thought she was safe. I had no issues with her being alone with Cara.”