Page 32 of Tracing Her Stolen Identity (Secure Watch #2)
“Where’s Reece?” Skylar had asked the same question for an hour and a half, but no one would answer. “Lucas!” she exclaimed in frustration as he stood guard at the door of her room.
Haven whined and nudged her hand with his nose until she smoothed a hand over his soft head, each stroke calming her. She drew a deep breath and let it out again, reminding herself it wasn’t Secure One’s fault that Reece got hurt. That was her fault.
Her room had turned into pandemonium when Silas stuck that needle into Reece’s hand.
Security had wrestled her brother off Reece while the nurse administered Narcan to the man she loved.
EMTs ran in and hauled Reece away before she got a chance to see if Narcan had reversed the effect of the drug.
It had been an excruciating ninety minutes waiting to hear if Reece was okay.
Added to the worry was that no one could confirm if Camille was actually dead or if she was waiting in the wings for their final swan song.
There were voices in the hallway, and then Lucas spoke. “Haven, return.” The dog gave her one last nose boop and then trotted to his handler before they disappeared out the door. Selina walked in with a smile on her face, which, in some way, gave Skylar hope that Land would be all right.
“Hi,” Selina said, grabbing a chair and pulling it over to sit by her. “Has anyone given you an update on Reece?”
“No,” she answered, her lip trembling. “I don’t even know if he’s alive.”
“He’s doing fine,” Selina assured her immediately, patting her hand.
“They need to observe him a bit longer in the ER before he can be with you. They’re currently testing the syringe to see what the drug mixture was that Silas gave him.
Narcan reversed it, so it was certainly an opioid, but they’re often mixed with other things these days, and it’s important to know what.
Since it was injected into his hand, they’re worried about abscesses or injury to the soft tissue.
His hand will be wrapped to prevent infection until they know.
I wanted to warn you, but it’s just a precaution until they know what drugs Silas gave him. ”
“My brain is struggling to wrap itself around all of this,” she admitted.
“It’s probably the concussion,” Selina said with a wink. “Bottom line—Reece will be fine in a few hours. He’s in the ER yelling about getting back up here, so my medical opinion is he’s out of the woods.”
Her head was definitely sore after the number of times she’d smacked it on the metal of the cargo van, but that wasn’t the problem. “My brother hated me so much that he caused trauma to an entire team of teenagers to get revenge. How do I live with that?”
“Don’t forget he changed your life in irreparable ways when he hatched that plan,” Selina added.
Forcing back an eye roll, Skylar huffed. “Gee, thanks for the reminder.”
The woman beside her bed shrugged. “I like to keep it real, and this is about as real as it gets. You have to know this wasn’t your fault, though, right? Your brother had serious mental health issues that caused him to hallucinate things that weren’t true and then fixate on them.”
“I know what schizophrenia does to the brain, Selina. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel responsible for every injury and death that’s occurred since that day on the field.”
“You shouldn’t,” Selina said firmly. “First of all, he’s not your son.
He’s a sibling who abused you and caused you unbelievable pain and suffering throughout your childhood.
Your parents failed you and your brother multiple times over the years, but even they aren’t responsible for his choices once he was an adult. They got him help, right?”
“Yes,” Skylar agreed. “The gamut, including a stint of inpatient therapy. Nothing seemed to help for very long.”
“Not unusual,” Selina agreed. “But here’s the thing, Skylar. Everything that happened was the result of his choices, not yours.”
“You’re saying I’ve suffered enough and waging psychological warfare on myself about this is unjust?”
“Yep,” she agreed with a wink. “You deserve a little bit of happiness in life. I hope you’ve found that now and never let it go.”
If Selina was talking about Land, she had to be delusional.
There was no way he was going to be with her after this.
Not only had her family tried to kill him twice, but now everyone in this town would know what Silas had done and how many people he maimed and hurt.
She moaned, throwing her hand over her eyes in despair.
“What is it? Are you in pain?” Selina asked, standing from the chair to check her machines.
“No.” Skylar moaned the word more than she spoke it. “I realized there’s no way I can stay in this town. There’ll be a trial, and our skeletons will be paraded around for the world to see. No one will host or buy my art here ever again.”
Selina squeezed her shoulder gently. “Maybe it’s time for a new name and town then. Just keep an open mind. Remember, you didn’t do this and don’t carry any responsibility for it. You’re the victim and Silas is the perpetrator. The public will see that’s true once the trial begins.”
Skylar nodded, but it was more for show than agreement. She wasn’t sure Selina was right, but she meant well, and for that, she was grateful. “Thanks, Selina. I’ll think about that. It sounds like I’ve got at least a week in this place, so I’ll have plenty of time on my hands.”
“All of us at Secure One and Secure Watch are proud of you for being your own hero when the chips were down. Not everyone would have been that strong or quick on their feet.”
“Or, in this case, quick on their belly,” Skylar said, laughter escaping her lips. “I couldn’t let them win.”
“Because you didn’t want to die?”
Skylar tipped her head side to side for a few moments before answering.
“Death is always coming for us, Selina. I didn’t want to accept it before I had a chance at a life with Land.
That’s what drove me to grab that wheel.
The chance that we could be something despite all the history between us.
I might have made a different decision if I knew Silas was behind that mask and all the carnage he’d caused. ”
“No, you wouldn’t have,” Selina said, standing and squeezing her shoulder again.
“Everyone deserves a chance at happiness in their life, Skylar. When Reece comes to you, please keep an open mind and remember that he doesn’t blame you for what happened.
You’ve always been his hero. Today, you reminded him of why.
I’m going to check on him, and I’ll send Lucas a text with how he is. You get some rest.”
“Okay, thanks, Selina,” Skylar whispered, waving as the woman left her room and Lucas took his place outside her door.
Skylar gazed out the window at the lake beyond and sighed.
Selina was right. It was time for a new name and town, but they wouldn’t include Land.
He had suffered enough because of her. Despite their lifelong connection, she couldn’t let him throw the rest of his life away.
Resolved, she closed her eyes and let the tears fall.
They weren’t the first ones she’d cried for Reece Palmer, and they wouldn’t be the last, but she’d take the suffering if it meant he could be happy.
After all these years, he deserved that more than anyone.
* * *
I T WAS LATE when Reece returned to Sky’s floor, but he paused at the end of the hallway to look down the hill and out over the lake.
It was ironic that he could see the accident site from where he was, but he chose to focus on the thousand-foot laker that was headed into port.
It was an iconic image of the Twin Ports and one he’d grown up with, but things were changing, and he had to be willing to change with them.
He pushed the door open to Sky’s room and noticed only the small light to the side of her bed was on.
It cast a glow across her that reminded him why he always called her his angel.
Tonight, seeing her wearing a custom pelvic brace made at her bedside and connected to machines that beeped and hissed, he had never loved her more.
From what Selina had told him, he’d have to work hard to prove that to her.
Her eyes were closed and her face was blotchy, and he expected when she opened those sweet blue eyes, they’d be bloodshot from tears. Tears she’d cried over losing him for the second time in her life. That wasn’t going to happen. Not on his watch.
“Hi, angel,” he whispered, kissing her temple. “I know you’re awake, so open those beautiful eyes for me.”
“I need to rest,” she said, her voice raspy from the tears. “The doctors said I’ll heal faster.”
With a smile, he pulled a chair over and sat down. “Angel, look at me.”
When she opened her eyes, she proved him right, and his gut clenched to know she’d been alone, in pain and crying. He should have been holding her. “Selina said you’re going to be okay.”
“I am,” he agreed as he held up his hand. “The doctors bandaged it with some antibacterial wrap until they know what the drugs were in the needle. I feel fine, so I’m confident all will be well, but I’ll wear this until the results return.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her chin and lips trembling as she gazed at his hand rather than make eye contact. “I’m so, so sorry.”
He couldn’t stand the guardrail between them, so he lowered it and slid his hand under hers to hold it loosely.
“Sweetheart, stop apologizing. None of this was your fault. Silas is a disturbed individual. He’s the very definition of the criminally insane.
They’ve got him on twenty-four-hour suicide watch while they try to find someplace to send him that can handle his extensive needs. ”
“My parents,” she whispered, tears falling from her cheeks. “They’re going to be so torn apart by this.”