“We were forced off the road. They’re working on finding those who did it.”
“The baby?” She clutched at her stomach.
“Relax, my love. He’s okay.” Hope closed her eyes and smiled gently. “Oh my goodness. What about Ethan? They could be going to the house.” Gage wondered about all that too, but hoped to God that the men at the Ranch were guarding his family.
Five minutes later the bed was brought in with the equipment needed to monitor Gage. He was placed in his bed which was moved next to his wife as close as they could allow for safety reasons. They rested for about ten minutes, but their minds were on their family. “I don’t have my phone,” Gage grumbled. “I feel so damn useless. I have to know what the fuck is going on with my family.” He slammed his hand down on the bed.
A knock at the door turned Gage’s cheeks red. “I wonder if they heard my complaint,” he said.
“Knock, knock.” Alex Savage came into the room, looking a bit worse for wear, damp and dirty. “I’m glad to see you both awake. I would have been in here sooner, but they wanted you to rest.” The look on his face was a mix of concern and something else that disturbed Gage. He’d been a prosecutor for a long time and understood what happened when someone had to break bad news to a family.
“Thanks. Any news for us? Please tell us our baby boy is safe.” Even as Gage asked the question, he feared the answer. He could practically smell the guilt rolling off Alex’s skin that he had to ask.
“A lot of news.” He grabbed a chair and sat on the opposite side of Hope and then began. “First, Ethan is safe.”
“That’s good, but I feel there’s a majorbutcoming.” Hope squeezed Gage’s hand, attempting to calm him down. He put his hand up and then paused as he took off his hat. His fingers pinching the rim.
“There is. Cummings is dead.” Hope released a sigh of relief so loud that they both turned to her with bemused expressions.
“How? When?” Gage asked.
Gage knew then why Alex was upset. “Cummings got into your home. He attacked and there was a standoff between him and Mike.”
Gage’s heart rate skyrocketed and set the monitor off. “What about my mother?”
“Calm down, my friend. She’s going to be okay. She was roughed up, but thankfully, she’s tough. They claim she’s refusing treatment.”
He chuckled as his heart moved back into a manageable range. “Sounds just like her.”
Alex went over everything he’d learned before he came to see them. Extra guards were outside their room with photos of the three missing actors: Sparks, Grieg, and Moran.
Another knock on the door brought Mike and Ethan. “I thought you two would want to see him.” Both of their heart rates jolted again as they saw their baby boy. This time it was from joy, so the nurses just monitored them from the nurses’ station.
“Ma…ma…ma.” Mike handed him off to Gage who held him close before bringing him to Hope for a kiss. He didn’t let her take the baby because he was too heavy for her right now and she was barely conscious.
“Thank you, Mike. We truly can’t thank you enough for protecting our family,” Hope said with tears in her eyes.
“Just doing my job.” A subtle blush filled his cheeks.
“How’s Denver?” Alex asked.
“They’re going to release him in about twenty minutes. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, and he’s refusing to stay in bed.”
“It seems none of you can behave,” the nurse remarked, coming into the room. “Ooh, who is this little cutie?”
“I’m Mike,” he teased, giving the nurse a wink.
“I was talking about the baby.”
“He’s our son, Ethan,” Hope said.
“So adorable. I’m sorry to break up the party, but my patients need their rest.”
“I’ll take care of the baby,” Mike offered.
“Willow and I will check in as well,” Alex offered. Willow had stopped by a couple of times over the past few months whenshe wasn’t busy and she loved babies even though they didn’t have any of their own yet.
“How long until we can get out of here?” Gage asked.