CHAPTER TWO
IONA BYRNE SKIDDEDto a stop in the parking garage of Vanderbilt Hospital, backed into a space, and scrambled out of her SUV. She locked her vehicle with the key fob as she ran toward the emergency room entrance.
She rushed toward a clerk. “An ambulance crew brought in Elias Knight a few minutes ago. I need to see him.”
“Name?”
“Iona Byrne.” She was prepared to insist. No one would keep her from his side. If she had to, she’d slip in the back and get to him that way.
“Your relationship to the patient?”
“Girlfriend.” He probably wouldn’t mind her claiming a relationship that wasn’t real.
“Have a seat while I see if he’s allowed to have visitors.”
Sit down? Her hands fisted. There would be no sitting until she saw for herself Elias was alive and kicking. Instead, she paced the length of the waiting room and back until her name was called a million minutes later.
The clerk left her cubicle and motioned for Iona to follow her. The woman approached a locked door and waved her identification card in front of the scanner, and the door’s tumblers shifted to allow them to pass through to the ER bays. “This way.” She led Iona into a corridor that soon intersected with a hallway, where they turned right. Straight ahead weredouble doors that also required an ID card to allow access to the interior rooms of the ER. “He’s in Bay 7.”
“Thanks.” Iona walked into a long hallway with numbered bays. She followed the signs to Bay 7 and settled herself before she entered the bay. She knocked lightly on the door and peered inside without stepping into the room.
There he was. Elias Knight in the flesh, pale, bloody, and arrayed in a hospital gown on top with his cargo pants and tactical boots covering his lower half.
He opened his eyes, and his gaze locked on her. “Iona.” Elias struggled to sit up, grimacing at every movement.
Iona rushed inside. “Hey, stop. You shouldn’t do that on your own. They gave you a remote for a reason. Take advantage of it.” When she reached his side, she picked up the remote and pushed a button to raise the head of the bed enough for Elias to see anyone who walked into the bay.
He gave a nod of thanks, then studied her face.
She knew what he had seen. Pale skin and eyes filled with worry. She ought to know. She’d been looking in the rearview mirror plenty while she raced across town to get to Elias. “Are you okay?”
He dragged a hand down his face. “Nope. They’re scheduling me for surgery in the next hour when one of the operating rooms opens up.”
“The bullet is still in there?”
“That’s what they tell me. What are you doing here, Iona?”
She stared. Really? They were playing this game now? “You need someone to watch your back and stand guard during surgery and while you recover. Grant will be here in a few minutes to give me a hand.”
“You’re staying?”
“Of course I am.”
“That’s unnecessary. Grant can handle guard duty alone.”
“He can’t be inside the room and in the corridor guarding the door at the same time. I’m staying.”
“I don’t need you, Iona. You should go.”
Ouch. That hurt. Good thing she was as stubborn as Elias Knight. “Tough. Suck it up and deal, Knight. I’m staying in your room. That’s the end of the discussion.”
His eyes narrowed. “Hand me my phone.”
Oh, she knew where this was going. He was in for a surprise. Keeping her mouth shut, Iona picked up his phone from the nearby rolling table and handed it to him. Instead of leaving to give him privacy, she remained in place, arms crossed over her chest. She wouldn’t give Elias any wiggle room to get rid of her. She wasn’t leaving. Period.
Elias hissed in pain as he took the phone from her outstretched hand. Teeth clenched, he called up his contact list and hit one number. As soon as the person on the other end answered, Elias put the call on speaker. “This is Elias. You’re on speaker with Iona.”
“Sit rep.” Maddox practically barked the command.