All I can think about is Buck, and how I have the sinking feeling I’ll never see him again.
49
BUCK
Moreno! Moreno, can you hear me?
The words come from above me. They’re fuzzy, hazy.
No one calls me Moreno. Everyone calls me Buck.
Moreno! Damn it, wake up!
A cloud surrounds me. A cloud of fog, lodged in my brain. My eyes… I want to open them, but I can’t. Nothing but darkness exists in front of my face.
Darkness and those words—those words from far away.
Moreno! Moreno! Damn!
Something twitches in me. Like a nerve jumping in my fingers.
Then something against my neck.
Pulse. Good.
Am I moving? I feel like I’m moving, but that can’t be.
Then what little consciousness I have fades.
When I open my eyes, faces blur above me. All kinds of faces, and there’s something on my nose.
No, no. What’s going on?
Again, words.
Male, mid-thirties. Probable concussion, head lac. Pulse is strong, BP low.
I open my mouth to speak, but I can’t. Something’s covering it.
Oxygen.
Beautiful, sweet air.
Aspen? I try to choke out. But I can’t speak.
Aspen, Aspen! Where’s Aspen?
Then everything goes black again.
“Mr. Moreno. Mr. Moreno can you hear me?”
The words hit my ears like a sonic boom. I wince.
“I hear you,” I say, not recognizing my own voice.
“Good, good. He’s conscious. And he knows who he is.”
I open my eyes, but everything’s blurry.
“You had a laceration on your forehead, and you lost some blood, but you’re stable now. You also have a moderate concussion. But you know who you are. Do you know where you are?”
I try to move my head. Big mistake. I feel like a knife is stabbing me in my skull. “No. I don’t.”
“You’re at the hospital, Mr. Moreno. Cedars-Sinai.”
“How? How did I get here?”
“A man brought you in, but he left before we could get his name.”
Come on mind, work. I was at Gloria Delgado’s house. I sent Aspen to the car…
I searched the place, grabbed Edgar…
I don’t remember anything after that.
“Aspen! Where’s Aspen?”
“I don’t know. We can call her. Is that your wife?”
Aspen. I want Aspen. I want Aspen safe.
“Mr. Moreno? Do you have her number?”
“My phone. It’s in my phone.”
“All right. We’ll check your phone.”
Thank God. Check my phone. Find Aspen. I love Aspen.
“What happened to me?”
“Someone hit you on the head, enough to knock you unconscious. We stitched up your head wound. But like I said you did lose some blood. You need to rest.”
Rest.
Rest sounds sublime.
Rest is where Aspen is.
I let my eyes close.
50
ASPEN
“I want to go see him,” I say to Luke.
“I know you do. But it’s best that we all lie low right now. I have contacts at the hospital, and he’s stable. His injuries were not life-threatening. He’ll be fine.”
Every nerve in my body is jumping. Staying here? When Buck needs me? Not an option. “He needs me. He’ll want to know that I’m safe.”
“He will know. Like I said, I have contacts at the hospital. Once he’s lucid, they have instructions to let him know that you’re safe with Katelyn and me.”
“I don’t understand. Why are you being so cautious?”
“Because that’s how Buck would want me to be.”
I bite my lip. Luke is no doubt right. Through this whole thing, Buck has protected me at all costs. Even when I’ve made it very difficult for him.
“I just wish I could see him. Hold his hand.”
“I know you do,” Katelyn says. “But you need to trust Luke. He knows what he’s doing.”
Luke. Katelyn trusts him. In a strange way, so does Buck. I have no choice. I must trust him as well.
Hours have passed. It’s evening now. Luke is in his office, working apparently.
Katelyn and I sit in the back, sipping water, not talking.
“Until finally— “You need to eat something, Aspen.”
“I can’t. I feel sick. Anything I put in my mouth will come right back up.”
“Just some crackers or something. It will help the nausea.”
“I don’t think it will.”
“Does anything sound good to you?”
I shake my head. “Nothing.”
I take a sip of my water and then jerk when Luke comes out on the patio.
“Good news. I heard from my contact at the hospital. Buck is awake, stable, and the message has been delivered. He knows that you’re safe with Katelyn and me, Aspen.”
“Stable? He’s stable?”
“Yes. He’ll be released tomorrow or the next day.”
“What do I do?”
“Stay here with us,” Katelyn says. “Right Luke?”
“Absolutely. We have plenty of room here, and we have top-notch security.”
Top-notch security.
That means…
That means Luke thinks I may be in danger.
“What about Gloria? And Brian?”
“Aspen, I couldn’t alert the authorities,” Luke says. “I had to get Buck out of there and to the hospital.”
“So they’re still lying there? What about the dog?”
“Aspen…”
“No! That poor little dog! We can’t leave him there to starve to death! You wouldn’t leave Jed, would you?”
“All right.” Luke sighs. “I’ll go get the dog.”
“Is it safe?” Katelyn asks.