"It's me," Carson replied.
"Carson. I just got in and heard the news. Are...?"
"Yeah, Sabrina and Dylan are fine. They're about to leave the hospital. Listen, I need to see you. But first I need to get some sleep. It's been a rough morning. So wait a couple of hours. Then get yourself over here. That'll give me time to rest and you time to finish whatever the hell it is you're shredding."
A taut pause,
"Okay," Stan said finally. "I'll be there. What do you need me to bring?"
"Yourself." Carson hung up. "Damn fool," he muttered, already drifting off. "He must have kept notes or something... and now he's shredding them...." One heavy eyelid lifted. "By the way... you're getting that bodyguard, like it or not...."
"Okay," Sabrina conceded quietly.
The eyelid slid shut. Carson was asleep.
Sabrina and Dylan exchanged glances.
"Shredding papers?" Sabrina murmured. "This is getting dicey."
"Yeah," Dylan agreed. "But let's keep two things in mind. One, this is Stan. He's paranoid enough to be shredding love notes. And, two, this is Stan. He's Carson's oldest friend. So let's do what we can—for Carson's sake."
Nodding, Sabrina stood, walking around to grab hold of the back of the wheelchair. "Let's get going. I'll stop at the nurses' station and tell them to hold Carson's calls. He needs to sleep."
No sooner had she spoken than the phone rang. Sabrina made a dive for it, so it wouldn't disturb Carson.
"Hello?" she said hoarsely.
A tiny hesitation. "Sabrina? Is that you?"
"Yes. Who's this?"
"Susan." She sounded totally freaked-out. "I heard the news. Thank God you're all right. What about Dylan—is he okay, too?"
"We're both fine. Very lucky, very grateful, and very much alive," Sabrina assured her.
"Why didn't someone call me? I'm beside myself." Susan's voice quavered, and she gave a hard swallow. "I saw the news. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to call Carson right away, but I was terrified that I'd upset him if for some reason he was still asleep and didn't know about the break-in. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to know if you were all right."
Sabrina felt a pang of guilt. "Susan, I'm so sorry. We should have called you. Things were just so hectic. We were in the emergency room until a little while ago and then we came up here to calm Carson down because he'd just seen the clip on TV. I'm sure he would have called you afterward, but he just drifted off. I think the emotional upheaval really wore him out."
"The poor man." Susan sniffled, and Sabrina realized she was weeping. "He must have been berserk."
"He was. But he's calm now." Sabrina glanced at the bed, saw that Carson's breathing was deep and even. "He's sleeping peacefully."
Another pause, followed by the sound of running water and a gulp. "I'm here. I just had to take something to help me calm down. I'm not big on tranquilizers, but in this case—" Susan broke off, taking another gulp of water. "This whole nightmare is really beginning to get to me. One thing after another. My nerves are shot. I don't know how much more I can take before I crack." Abruptly, she stopped herself, as if realizing how unglued she sounded. "Forgive me, Sabrina. You sound terrible. You must feel worse. You just went through hell, and I'm going on and on about how upset I am. I'll hang up now and give you a chance to go home and rest. I was going to visit Carson this morning, but under the circumstances, I think I'll wait. He's exhausted and I'm a wreck. I won't be any good for him. I'll head into YouthOp, get some work done. Maybe that'll help me get myself together. I'll drop by the hospital later this afternoon."
"Good idea." Sabrina's wheels were spinning. It was a good idea, and not only because of Susan's frame of mind. But because when Carson woke up, he had an unpleasant confrontation to face. His meeting with Stan would, no doubt, drain the hell out of him. The last thing he needed was a social visit, even from Susan, and especially if she was as overwrought as she sounded now. By later today, he'd be restored and, hopefully, so would she.
"Susan, we really are fine," Sabrina reiterated, trying to soothe her in the interim. "Again, I apologize for not calling you."
"I understand. And I'm sorry for overreacting. We'll talk later today. In the meantime, you take care."
A click signified she'd hung up.
Sabrina frowned as she replaced the receiver.
"What was that all about?" Dylan asked.
"Susan was checking up on us. She was practically hysterical. It's like she's coming apart at the seams."