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Dawson flanked his left, Fletcher and Hayes his right. These men were as much his family as his blood relatives. He’d be lost without them.
Audra and Baily inched closer.
Her father jumped in front of all of them. “How’s my little princess?”
“She’s a fighter,” Doctor Emily Sprouse said. “We were able to remove the bullet.”
“I’m going to need that for evidence.” Dawson looped his fingers in his belt as if he were standing there in his uniform—which he wasn’t.
“It’s been bagged, and we’ll need your signature.” Emily nodded. “Trinity has been taken to the recovery room. There was some damage done to the shoulder joint, and she’s going to need rest and lots of rehab. Her body temperature is back to normal. Her vitals are strong. I suspect she’ll be awake soon.”
“When can we see her?” Monty asked before Keaton could untie his tongue.
“I don’t want to overwhelm her,” Emily said. “We have no idea what happened to her out there since shenever regained consciousness before surgery, except to utter a couple of words. So?—”
“She spoke?” Keaton’s heart throbbed in the center of his chest. Mindlessly, he rubbed it as if to make the odd sensation go away. “What did she say?”
“Not much. She muttered ‘Mallary,’” Emily said.
“That’s her friend who was out on the boat with her that we believe was either taken by pirates or lost at sea,” Dawson said somberly, glancing at his wristwatch. “I need to head out soon to meet with the Coast Guard.”
“That’s terrible.” Emily lowered her head for a brief second. “The second name was Keaton.” She gave him a weak smile. “She repeated your name when we were rolling her to recovery, along with something about her jewelry.”
Keaton shot Dawson a glance.
“What about seeing her?” Monty asked again.
“Two at a time and not for long periods, especially while she’s sleeping. She needs her rest.”
“Most of us can come back later,” Baily said. “We’re just glad she’s going to be okay.”
“Monty, you should go see your daughter.” Keaton ran a hand over his unshaven face. His legs had turned to putty. It was as if he’d been underwater for hours, and they could barely hold his weight a second longer. He found a chair and eased into it.
“Before I do, I’d like a word with you and the chief,” Monty said. “Thank you, Doc. I appreciate everything you’ve done for my little girl.”
“My pleasure. We’ll keep her here overnight. But ifall goes well, she’ll be able to go home sometime tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” Monty squeezed Emily’s biceps.
“I’ve got to get back to the marina,” Baily said.
“I’ll drive you.” Fletcher rested his hand on Keaton’s shoulder. “Stay and visit with Trinity. We’ll check in on you later.”
Keaton lifted his head and watched Audra, Baily, Fletcher, and Hayes disappear down the hallway.
Monty stepped away from the sliding doors and put his hands on his hips. “I don’t pretend to know what the hell is going on between you and my daughter.” He pointed his finger at Keaton. “But I know whatever that is, it’s too early in the game for a ring.” He arched his brow.
“Sir, I?—”
“Don’t ever call me that. The name’s Monty.” He let out a puff of air. “While my child doesn’t need to tell me everything she’s up to, I do know she was hell-bent on helping Mallary. I know what Mallary’s half-brother was accused of. So, I’m guessing she found something down there yesterday, and either we’re all just finding out about it, or you didn’t think I should know.”
“Mr. Stevenson—” Dawson began.
“It’s Monty.”
“Okay.” Dawson nodded. “Monty, my time is limited. I need your word that this conversation stays right here. It’s not only because we’re dealing with two different active investigations, but because I haven’t had the chance to interview Trinity, and until I know exactly what happened to her, I’m not telling anyone aboutwhat Keaton found when he located Trinity clinging to that buoy.”
“My daughter and her big heart,” Monty muttered, pulling up a chair and sitting down. “When she was a little girl and we first moved back here, she saw it as one big adventure. Of course, her mother hated it here. It wasn’t posh enough for that woman. But Trinity loved it, at first. I think deep down she always loved it here, even when she was acting like her mom.”