Page 45 of Final Approach

He wasn’t wrong.

“All right, let’s—”

A knock on the door stopped him. Hank froze, then relaxed a fraction. “You wanna get that?”

“Sure.”

Andrew opened the door to find a pale-looking Lainie on the other side. She’d been crying. “Hey.” He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

She ran her fingers under her eyes, cleaning up the smudged mascara. “I saw you come in. Did Kristine call or text you?”

“No, why?”

“She’s here, down in the surgery waiting room. Her sister was in an accident yesterday and is critical.”

A punch to his gut wouldn’t have hurt more. “Oh no. Second floor, right?”

“Yeah. Her father is with her and her brother is on the way from New York. I think her aunt Wendy is coming as soon as she can get here from Virginia.”

“Thanks, Lainie. The others know?”

“James does. He’s passing the word along. I didn’t want to send out a text, you know?”

“Of course.” He turned back to Hank. “Tim Jackson is the agent outside your room. He can take you to the Airbnb and stay with you while I hang here with Kristine. That okay with you?”

“Sure, man. Give Kristine my best.”

Andrew nodded, then followed Lainie to the surgery waiting room, where Kristine sat in an uncomfortable chair with her head tilted back against the wall. A man who must have been her fathersat next to her, eyes on the television hanging from the ceiling in the corner and playing silently with captions.

Andrew stood for a moment, hating to wake her. She obviously hadn’t been to bed yet. Before he could decide whether to walk away or sit or what, Kristine stirred and opened her eyes. Her father had yet to turn his attention away from the screen.

Kristine blinked and sat up straight. “Andrew? Lainie?” She stood. “Hey.”

“Hey, I was visiting Hank, and Lainie told me you were here. I’m so sorry. What happened?”

“She shouldn’t have been with them, that’s what,” her father said. “I warned her, but she didn’t listen. Now look what’s happened. I need some air.” He rose to his feet and stomped out of the waiting room.

Kristine blew out a low breath and rubbed her face. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. He’s hurting.”

“He’s ... something all right,” Kristine said. “Emily was heading to the airport for a red-eye flight with her friends, Dana and Tia, when they wrecked. The driver, Dana, ran a red light, lost control, and drove into a convenience store. I didn’t know until several hours later.”

Andrew blinked. “How awful.”

“It’s bad,” she whispered. “Dana’s in a medically induced coma, Emily’s been out of surgery for about an hour and we’re waiting for a room in ICU, and...” She pulled in a deep breath, then cleared her throat. “Tia died a few minutes ago.”

Lainie gasped. “No.”

“Dana’s parents are here somewhere and Tia’s haven’t been located yet.”

“I’m so sorry,” Andrew murmured. “Have you gotten any sleep at all?”

She laughed. A sound without humor. “No. But as soon as Emily gets into a room, I’ll try to grab a few hours in the sleeper chair next to her.”

“Okay, well, just let me know if you need anything.”

“Of course. Thank you.”