The Whole Truth (A. Shaw 1)

Katie was momentarily frozen. She hadn’t thought of that one. What was she doing here, other than because of Anna? Her mind suddenly snapped into action.

“I called your cell phone and a nurse answered. She said you’d been hurt, so I came to, um, check up on you. See that you were okay.”

“You came to Paris?”

“Well, I was just over in London,” she lied. “It was a quick trip.”

Katie pulled up a chair, placed her purse on the nightstand, and sat down next to him. She slipped her hands through the side rails of the bed and took his large hand in hers, squeezing it. She saw the huge bandage covering his left arm, and the stain of blood streaking its outer edge, and also the bruises and cuts on his face and neck.

“Boy, you look like a train wreck, but they say you’re going to be fine.”

“Where’s Anna?” he said groggily.

She started to speak, but couldn’t say it. She couldn’t. The news might kill him. “I’m not really sure. Has she been contacted?”

Shaw nodded absently. “I told Frank. He took care of it,” he said vaguely.

He suddenly winced and clutched at his wounded arm, his left side obviously seizing up in pain.

Katie looked frantically around, saw the call button and hit it. A voice came on, Katie spoke to the nurse, and a minute later she arrived. More medication was sent through his IV drip and Shaw slowly drifted off.

Katie held on to his hand, kicked her shoes off, and leaned against the rail, watching the rise and fall of the man’s chest.

She sat there, unaware of the time passing. Exhausted by her travels and lack of sleep, her eyes finally closed. More time skipped by as she and Shaw slept heavily. Katie finally opened her eyes and found Shaw’s gaze locked on her. She slowly let go of his hand and sat back.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Why did you come here?” His tone was harsh and cut right into her. The meds-induced fog was clearly gone now.

“I told you. I heard you were hurt. And I mean, you know, you saved my life. One good deed deserves another,” she added lamely instantly, wishing she hadn’t said the stupid words. He seemed to stare right through her skin, peering directly into her soul of souls, a place not even she had ventured that often. It was completely unnerving.

“Are you hungry or thirsty?” she asked quickly, hoping to find shelter from his withering gaze in mundane matters.

“Where’s Frank? You had to get past Frank to get in here.”

“He’s around somewhere.”

Shaw tried to rise from the bed, but Katie gently forced him back down.

“You’ve got tubes coming out all over the place,” she warned him. “Just lie still or you’ll really do some damage.”

“I want to see Frank,” he said firmly. “I want to know where Anna is!”

“I’ll go and see if I can find him.”

“You do that!”

She found her mouth running dry as he stared at her accusingly, as though she’d committed some crime. And in truth Katie felt as though she had. She had lied to him and knew he could sense it.

She nearly ran from the room.

“So you didn’t tell him?” Frank said with the same accusatory tone Shaw had just used. They were back in the small room.

“He’s hurt and vulnerable and depressed enough,” Katie snapped. “It’s not right to tell him now.”

Frank didn’t look convinced, but he also didn’t argue the point.

“He wants to see you,” Katie said.