“How are you doing?” Kade, who she hadn’t seen sitting on the other side of her, asked.
She put her hand on her heart.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“I’m feeling okay.”
Kade nodded; his eyes were hooded.
“What? Has something happened to Tabon?”
“He’s in intensive care, sweetheart.”
“Is he going to be okay?”
“He’s on life support.”
She lowered the guardrail on her bed and sat up. “I have to see him.”
“Ava, that isn’t a good—”
“What’s happening?” asked Merrigan.
“I told Ava that Razor is on life support,” Kade explained to his wife.
Ava turned to her. “I need to see him.”
“Of course you do,” she said, walking over and pressing the nurses’ call button.
“Can I help you?” said a voice through the speaker.
“We need a wheelchair as soon as possible.”
“Give me a minute,” said the voice.
“I can walk,” Ava told her.
“Who said it’s for you?” Merrigan said. She smiled, but Ava knew she was equally worried about Tabon.
She avoided eye contact with Kade, knowing he might try to talk her out of going to see him—not that there was any chance in the world he’d be successful in doing so.
When Merrigan explained why Ava wanted to be taken to the intensive care unit, the nurse asked them to wait another few minutes.
When she came back, she wheeled Ava to the elevator and took her up one floor.
“I brought your chart,” she said. “Otherwise, they probably wouldn’t let you in to see him.”
“Thank you,” Ava murmured.
“I’ll be right back,” the nurse said, parking her in the ICU waiting room where Monk also sat.
“Any word?” Kade asked him.
Monk shook his head. “No change.”
A few minutes later, the nurse came back out. “I’ll take you in now.”
She wheeled her up to the closed door of a room and stopped. “I’m going to warn you, it looks bad.”