Sharing Hailey (24 page)

“Tony’s going to be fine,” Hailey murmured.

Mr. Adamo closed his eyes.

Mark grasped the back of Mr. Adamo’s neck and pushed down, saying, “Head between your legs.”

Tony’s dad complied without resistance.

Mrs. Adamo shook her head and rolled her eyes. “He passed out when Tony was born. They had to give him smelling salts.” She spoke to Hailey. “And how are you, my dear?”

Her gentle, caring question made Hailey think of her own mother, and she abruptly, desperately wished she were here or at least a phone call away. Her lower lip trembled.
I will not cry. I will not cry.

She smiled brightly even as her eyes watered. “I’m great,” she choked out.

Mrs. Adamo’s lips curved in a slight smile. “I don’t believe you.”

“Mom,” Tony’s raspy voice interrupted them.

Mrs. Adamo’s attention instantly returned to her son. “How do you feel, sweetie?”

“They won’t…let me—” he swallowed and grimaced with pain, “—leave.”

Mrs. Adamo laughed lightly. “Of course they won’t. Are you being difficult?”

“No,” he said, his voice weak.

Mr. Adamo lifted his head, and his color was better. Hailey left him with Mark to return to Tony’s side. She touched his arm. “How are you feeling? Are you in pain?”

“Hurts all over.” He took a breath. “What happened?”

“You were shot,” Hailey said gently.

“No. After.”

“The ambulance and police came,” she said haltingly, unsure of what to tell him.

Mark left Tony’s dad and stood next to her. “You had surgery. Chris Mills took the bullet out, sewed you up. Nothing major. He said you can go home in a couple of days.”

“Daniel shot me.”

“Yeah,” Hailey whispered.

“You and Mark?”

“He didn’t touch us.”

“He’s dead, Tony,” Mark said tightly. “You don’t have to worry about him. He’s dead.”

“Good,” Tony breathed, and his face relaxed a little.

“Your dad’s here,” Mrs. Adamo said softly.

“Passed out yet?” Tony asked.

“Almost.” She chuckled.

Mr. Adamo spoke up from his chair but didn’t stand. “I’m fine. Didn’t even need the smelling salts this time.”

Tony’s lips quirked in a smile, but pain glittered in his eyes.

Mark spoke. “Hey, bud. Now that you’re awake and your parents are here, I’m taking Hailey to get something to eat. If you need us, your parents have our numbers.”

“How long?” Tony asked, his expression quickly turning to panic.

“An hour, no more.”

“I’m not hungry,” Hailey said. “You go. I want to stay here.”

“You need to eat something,” Mark said. “We can go to the hospital cafeteria. It won’t take long.”

“We don’t have to go now,” she argued when Tony’s panic didn’t seem to subside. “Let’s wait a little while.”

“Don’t you worry about him,” Mrs. Adamo said. “We’ll take good care of him until you get back. I’ll bet you haven’t eaten anything today.”

“No, but he—”

“Dear, he’ll be fine. Won’t you, Tony? You don’t mind if Hailey takes a little break. She needs to eat something to keep up her strength.”

Tony looked contrite, but there was still a shadow of worry in his eyes. “Yeah…okay.”

“No, I’m not hungry,” she said. “I’ll go later.”

Tony’s eyes cleared a little, as if he were making an effort to reassure her and himself. “That’s okay.” He paused, catching his breath. “I’m fine. I’m sorry. I’m being an ass.”

“No, you’re not. You’re in pain. You’re scared,” she argued.

“Yeah, I am. I’m afraid of…losing…you.”

“Daniel’s dead,” she said in a low voice. “He can’t hurt us anymore.”

His eyelids drifted shut, his lashes dark against the unnatural pallor of his skin. When he opened them, he said, “Yeah, I know.” He swallowed and grimaced again. “Go eat.”

“I’m not—”

“Go.”

Hailey looked around the room for backup. She didn’t find it. “Promise you’ll call me if anything happens,” she said to Tony’s mom.

“Nothing’s going to happen, but yes, I’ll call if he so much as sneezes.”

As satisfied as she could be, Hailey nodded. “Can we bring you anything? Something to drink or read?”

“No, but thank you, dear. If we need something, I’ll send Tony’s dad. It will give him an excuse to stretch his legs.”

“We’ll just go to the hospital cafeteria. We won’t be far.”

“It wouldn’t hurt you to step outside for a few minutes,” Mrs. Adamo said. “Get a little sunshine.”

“I’ll make sure she does,” Mark said. “You’ll need your coat, babe.”

Hailey grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair and her purse from underneath it. She dragged her feet as Mark took her hand and led her from the room.

“Mark,” she said irritably, “I really don’t want to leave him. I’m not a baby. I don’t need you to feed me every two hours.”

He thrust a plastic bag at her. “I picked this up at the hospital gift shop. You need to change shirts. Every time he sees the blood on you, he freaks.”

Hailey examined her shirt and winced. She hadn’t even thought about her appearance. Of course, the blood upset Tony.

“There’s a restroom near the elevator where you can change. Then we’ll eat.” He stopped in front of her, forcing her to focus on him. “Listen to me, Hailey. I know you’re worried about him. I am too. But you can’t stay in that room twenty-four seven. You’ve got to take care of yourself. With Tony’s parents here, you can do that. It would be different if we didn’t have them.”

“You think he’ll be okay without us?” she asked, knowing it was a ridiculous question. She didn’t have the power to heal Tony. Only the doctors could do that. All she could do was sit with him, watch him, hold his hand.

“His parents will call if they need you, but I think they took pretty good care of him for the first eighteen years of his life. We can trust them to look after him for an hour while you get something to eat.” He paused. “And Hailey, if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of him.”

His logic lifted some of the worry, and she felt a little lighter. She might even be able to eat something.

“Thank you,” she said.

His grin was bemused. “For what?”

“For making me feel better.”

He squeezed her hand in response.

She changed into the gray sweatshirt with the hospital logo embroidered in the pocket area and stuffed the bloodstained sweatshirt into the bag. As she was sipping her green chile chicken soup and Mark was eating a hamburger, Mark’s cell rang. He answered it, but she couldn’t tell from his end of the conversation who he was talking to. When he closed his cell, he said, “Beth’s coming to the hospital at one. She’s going with me to the police department to finish up some stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?” she asked warily.

“The arrest and bail stuff.”

Her heart stopped. “They’re arresting you?”

“Yeah, but don’t tell Tony. He doesn’t need the stress. I should only be there for a few hours. I’ll be back at the hospital by this evening.”

Panic sent her voice up an octave. “How can you be sure of that?”

“Beth spoke with the police. They don’t want to arrest me. That’s why they didn’t take me in this morning. But they have to do their jobs. A man was killed. They know who did it. They have to make an arrest. The police can’t judge me. They can only investigate and provide evidence to the DA.”

Outrage and helplessness filled her. “I can’t believe this. You were just protecting us from Daniel.”

“Like I said, it’s a formality. The DA will probably drop the case.”

“Probably?”

“I could say definitely, but nothing’s definite—” he grinned, “—except that I love you.”

Her heart melted. Yes, that had been his intent. And yes, she knew he was trying to distract her. But she wanted to believe him. Not that he loved her—she was already certain of that—but that the DA would drop the case.

“Come on. Let’s go outside for a few minutes before we head back to the room.”

At the thought of the frigid air awaiting her, she shivered. “Couldn’t we just
tell
Mrs. Adamo that we went outside? Do we really have to do it?”

“Yes, we ‘really have to do it,’” he said in a perfect imitation of her whine. “She’s right. You need some fresh air and sun, and then I’ll let you hibernate until tomorrow.”

Her arms and legs suddenly heavy, she dragged herself out of the chair with Mark’s help. The brisk walk outside revived her, and when they returned to Tony’s room, his partner was there, checking Tony’s IV and chatting with him and his parents. Well, not actually chatting with them. More like lecturing Tony on staying in bed and taking care of himself and instructing Mr. and Mrs. Adamo in his care. Mr. Adamo appeared shell-shocked. Mrs. Adamo was listening and nodding intently. Tony was frowning and trying unsuccessfully to get a word in edgewise.

Jennifer Medina was a force of nature. Hailey had never seen her sit still and wondered how she’d gotten through college lectures. She was Hailey’s height, but there the resemblance ended. With black hair and dark brown eyes, Jen was stunning. Even without makeup and dressed in something as conservative as the khaki slacks and white blouse she wore now, she could stop traffic. A lusher version of Penelope Cruz. And if she’d ever shown the slightest interest in Tony as anyone other than a friend and surgeon, Hailey would have been crazy jealous of her.

When Tony saw Hailey and Mark, his expression lightened.

Jen followed his gaze. “Ahh, good,” she said brusquely, her Spanish accent heavier than Hailey had ever heard it. “I was afraid I would miss you.” She nodded toward the sink in one corner of the room. “Wash your hands. Everyone who enters this room must wash their hands. Even the doctors and nurses. If they forget, you remind them.”

As Mark and Hailey moved toward the sink, Jen continued with instructions. “I do not want him left alone, not even at night. You may stay with him in shifts so you can sleep. If you have any questions or concerns about what the doctors or nurses are doing, you must call me. There is no need for you to go to Texas now. I am right?”

Hailey blinked.

Mark answered. “Right.”

“Then you will care for him when he leaves the hospital. That is good. Continuity is important.”

“Are you his doctor?” Hailey asked, confused. Jen was a pediatric surgeon. What was she doing taking over Tony’s care?

Jen pursed her lips. “I am making certain his doctor does not screw up. I will come by again tomorrow, but you must call me if something goes wrong. Do you understand?”

Hailey nodded.

“Good. You will tell me if Tony does not follow doctor’s orders.”

Again Hailey nodded, though it was a command, not a question.

Tony finally managed to speak. “Jen, you don’t have time to check in on me. You need to take care of our patients.”

“I have ten minutes to check on a friend,” she said. “If it makes you feel better, I will bring flowers. Or would you rather have balloons? A stuffed animal, perhaps?”

Hailey tried to suppress a giggle. Tony’s gaze snapped to her when a tiny snort slipped out.

“I will see you tomorrow,” Jen said then hugged Mark and Hailey before leaving the room.

Hailey followed her out. “Thank you for stopping in,” she said. “I’m sorry about all of this.”

Jen touched her arm. “Tony will be fine if he doesn’t do too much too soon. That will be difficult for him. The doctor will probably remove the catheter tomorrow. Then he will need to walk, but don’t let him do too much.”

Mrs. Adamo joined them. “They found a sports channel to distract them.”

“It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Adamo,” Jen said. “I will see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Jen. I feel better knowing you’re looking out for him.”

As Jen started down the hall, she said over her shoulder. “Remember, wash your hands when you reenter his room.”

Hailey turned toward the door, but Mrs. Adamo’s words stopped her.

“What are your intentions toward my son?”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Hailey blinked, stunned at the straightforward question.

Mrs. Adamo linked her arm through Hailey’s. “Let’s take a walk around the floor.”

She balked, “But Tony—”

“Is bonding over sports with his father and Mark. Don’t worry. Now that he’s gotten his bearings, he’s calmed down quite a bit.”

Reluctantly, Hailey let Tony’s mother lead her away from the room.

“So the three of you finally worked things out?” she asked.

Uh-oh.
Hailey didn’t know what to say, didn’t even know if Mrs. Adamo actually knew what was going on yet. She hadn’t known two days ago when they’d talked to the lawyer. And Beth had been very clear that they weren’t to tell anyone else. Was she fishing? Had Mark said something when he’d picked them up at the airport? Was Tony ready for his parents to know?

She decided to proceed with caution, as if Mrs. Adamo didn’t know that her son was involved in a ménage. “Um. They’ve been helping me deal with Daniel. He started making threats while we were in Hawaii. It really worried Mark and Tony, and they were trying to protect me. I’m so very, very sorry about Tony.” She couldn’t express how sorry she was, but she could damn sure try. “We were trying to be careful. Mark had a security system installed. But it couldn’t protect us outside of the house. I still can’t believe Daniel shot Tony…that he was even at the house so early in the morning. I mean, I know he did it. It just seems so unbelievable, so extreme. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Violence like that is hard to understand,” she said. “But I was referring to the relationship between you and Tony and Mark.”

Hailey forced a laugh, though it sounded nervous. “We’ve been friends for years.”

“But you’re more than friends now.”

Hailey swallowed the panicky lump in her throat. “Tony told you that?”

She chuckled. “He hinted at it. I’m glad you finally found a solution. The three of you have been dancing around each other for too long. I worried about how it would affect Tony’s friendship with Mark. You seemed blissfully ignorant of their feelings for you.”

“I wouldn’t say I was ‘blissful,’” Hailey countered. “But it’s true, I didn’t know how they felt.”

“You’re right. ‘Blissful’ wasn’t the right word. You went from little sister to head-over-heels in love with both of them almost overnight.” She paused. “I thought it was a crush at first. I hoped it was a crush. It’s difficult enough loving one man. I can’t imagine loving two, especially when you’re afraid of losing their friendship or ruining their friendship with each other.” She sighed. “And then there’s Jake. Does he know?”

Hailey grimaced.

“Ahhh, it went that well, did it?”

She didn’t want Mrs. Adamo to know just how badly it had gone, so she simply said, “He came around when Daniel started threatening me.”

“Smart boy.”

Hailey stopped when they reached the end of the hall and pulled away, looking Mrs. Adamo in the eyes. “I’m not marrying Tony. I won’t choose between him and Mark.”

“I think that’s a wise decision.”

Her words left Hailey speechless for a few moments. But then she was so relieved to talk to someone other than Mark and Tony about their relationship that she blurted, “They’re worried that I’m missing out—that I need the ring and the ceremony and the name. I don’t. I just need them.”

“I didn’t bring this up to convince you to marry Tony. I brought it up because I don’t want you tiptoeing around us while we’re here. I realize the relationship is unconventional, but if Tony’s happy, then his father and I are happy.”

“I think he’s happy.”

“I
know
he is,” Tony’s mom replied. “And now, you can stop calling me Mrs. Adamo. You must call me Sonia.”

“Sonia?” Hailey tested the name hesitantly.
Weird
.

Mrs. Adamo nodded. “And Tony’s father is Roman.”

Hailey didn’t know if she could do that. Maybe she’d just avoid saying their names.

Mrs. Adamo’s lips curved in a knowing smile. “You can try getting away without saying our names, but it could be difficult.”

So Tony got his mind-reading ability from his mother. Good to know.

* * *

Fortunately, Tony was sleeping when Mark left with Beth, so they didn’t run the risk of upsetting him with explanations. After he left, Hailey stepped outside to call Jake. He was laughing when he answered, and Hailey winced when she realized she was about to ruin his good mood.

“Hey little sister, what have you done?” he sang.

“Um…” Shit, she should have written down what she was going to say or at least practiced it in her head.

The laughter in his voice became alarm. “Hailey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said hastily. “We had some trouble with Daniel early this morning.”

“What happened? Are you hurt? Did that bastard hurt you? I’ll kill him!”

“Too late for that,” she said under her breath then raised her voice so he could hear her. “He didn’t touch me. He didn’t get near me.” She swallowed hard. “He’s dead. Mark shot him.” She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t bring herself to say Mark
killed
him.

“Tony? Mark?”

“Mark’s fine.”

“What aren’t you telling me? Where is Tony?”

“Tony’s alive, and he’s going to be fine.”

His voice pitched an octave higher. “‘Going to be’? What does that mean? What happened?”

“Tony was leaving for the hospital, and Daniel shot him. It’s not bad. The doctor removed the bullet and—”

“Hang on. I’m looking for a flight to Albuquerque.”

“Jake, that’s not necessary. Mark and I are here, and Tony’s parents are here. His surgeon’s an Aggie, so he’s in good hands.”

He ignored her. “Nikki and I can be there by tomorrow.”

“Jake, listen to me. You don’t need to drag Nikki to Albuquerque. Tony is fine. He’ll probably be out of the hospital before y’all can get here. His partner is checking on him. Everybody here knows him. No one’s going to let anything happen to him.”

Jake was quiet, but Hailey could hear the
tap, tap, tap
of the computer keyboard. Finally, “Is he conscious? Can I talk to him?”

“He was sleeping when I left the room to call you. But when he wakes up, I’ll have him call if that’ll make you feel better.”

“I could leave Nikki here. Meredith can stay with her.”

Hailey knew good and well that it would just about kill Jake to leave Nikki when he was so worried about her pregnancy. “Jake, what would you do if you came to Albuquerque? Hover over him and watch him heal?”

“Yeah, I can do that. Ask Nikki. She’ll tell you.”

Hailey laughed. “Sorry, that’s my job, and I’ve already got competition from Mrs. Adamo.” Remembering she was supposed to call her “Sonia” she scanned the hall to make sure she hadn’t followed and overheard.

“Let me talk to Mark.”

“He’s not here.” She explained about Mark’s trip to the police station so he could be arrested.

“This just gets better and better,” Jake grumbled. “Is his lawyer any good?”

“I guess. He’s using the woman who was representing me for the protection order, so she knows what’s going on, and she has experience with domestic violence cases.”

“As long as he isn’t trying to handle it himself.”

“No, he’s not. You know Mark. He’s smarter than that.”

“God, Hailey, it could have been you. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you too.” Her brother sounded suddenly exhausted, and for the first time since their parents died, she thought he might cry.

“Jake, do you ever have dreams about them dying?” she asked softly.

“Not in a long time. I did for a couple of years after they died. You?”

She swallowed back the tears that clogged her throat. “Yeah. Still.”

“Maybe you should talk to someone.”

“Maybe.” But she knew she wouldn’t. Talking wouldn’t change the fact that her parents were dead. “I never told you, but I did see a psychologist after they died.”

“Yeah?”

“Uh-huh. She said it was the natural order for parents to die before their children.”

“What?” he shouted. “Did you tell her they weren’t eighty? That Mom was forty-four and Dad was forty-six? How is that natural?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t go back. It just seemed like a really stupid thing for a professional to say.”

“You got that right.”

Time to change the subject. “So, how’s Nikki?”

“Well, I synchronized our scale with the doctors.”

Seriously?
Hailey choked back a giggle.

“And she’s gained four more pounds since her last visit.”

“I hate to say I told you so.”

“But you will anyway,” he said. His voice turned serious. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

She tried to sound upbeat. No sense in Jake worrying about her. “I swear, I’m fine. Not a scratch, thanks to Mark.”

He groaned. “Yeah, that sucks. Now I owe him one. I’m indebted to a bleeding-heart liberal tea sip.”

“I don’t think you can own as many guns as Mark does and be a bleeding-heart liberal.”

Jake grunted. “You can if you’re a Texan.”

Hailey grudgingly conceded that point. “I want to get back to Tony, so I’ll let you go.”

“Thanks for calling. Listen, Hailey, I’m sorry about all of this. I wish I could be there for you.”

“You’re here in spirit, and I know I can call you any time and you’d be here in body if I needed you. That’s what’s important. But I’m fine, and Tony’s going to be fine, so don’t worry it. Okay?”

“Easier said than done,” he muttered. “Have Mark call me when he gets back to the hospital, and I want to talk to Tony when he’s awake.”

“I will. Give Nikki a hug for me.”

* * *

As promised, Mark returned that evening. After chauffeuring “Sonia” and “Roman” to Tony’s loft to spend the night, he came back to the hospital to join Hailey for the night shift. With pillows and blankets under one arm, he managed to snag another recliner by charming the nurses, so they could both doze when Tony wasn’t being poked and prodded.

By the next morning, Hailey felt like a zombie. Eyes gritty, body stiff, head aching, she probably hadn’t slept more than five or ten minutes at a time. Mark left around seven to pick up Tony’s parents. When they got to the hospital, Mrs. Adamo took over. Her first order was to send Hailey home for a shower and some sleep.

Hailey argued, but when Tony and Mark ganged up against her, she lost. She didn’t think she’d be able to sleep, but as soon as she fell into the bed in Tony’s loft, her eyes closed and she was gone. A sharp pop jerked her awake.

Mark was beside her, but didn’t touch her until she moved. He rested his hand on her hip and squeezed gently. “What’s wrong?”

“Did you hear that?” she asked, her heart pounding.

“What?”

“Sounded like a gunshot.”

“Must have been a bad dream. I’ve been awake the last thirty minutes. I didn’t hear anything.”

“What time is it? Has anyone called?”

“Two-thirty. Jake called.”

“Oh, shit. You were supposed to call him when you got out of jail.”

“Don’t worry. He was cool about it.”

“Jen or Tony’s parents?”

“No, but that’s a good thing. We’d only hear from them if something went wrong.”

“I’ll take a quick shower so we can get back.”

“Wait, babe.”

She stopped with her legs over the side of the bed, her feet on the wood floor, and looked over her shoulder expectantly.

“Jake says you’re still having nightmares about your parents’ deaths.”

She sighed. Her brother had such a big mouth. “Not often. Just when my life is in upheaval.”

“He thinks—”

“Yeah, I know what he thinks,” she said sharply, more sharply than she’d intended. “Look, Mark. I don’t want to talk about this right now. I want to get a shower and deal with our current problems, not problems from the past.”

“Doesn’t sound like it’s in the past,” he said.

She stared at the dark hardwood floor. “There’s nothing I can do about it. So yeah, it is in the past. Done deal. You and Tony are right now. I can do something about y’all.”

“Okay, but later, we deal with the nightmares.”

“Later we won’t need to. They’ll be gone.”

“How can you be sure about that?”

“Look, there are some things you can’t fix. Nobody can. My parents are dead. Talking about it won’t bring them back, and nothing anyone can say will make me feel better about it or make me miss them less.”

He sighed. “I get that.”

“Good.” She headed toward the bathroom. “Give me fifteen—no, wait—twenty minutes. Gotta dry my hair. Can you get an update while I’m in the shower?”