silent prayer after silent prayer that the boy recovered. According to Ty, Christian had been snorting a mix of cocaine and methamphetamine when he keeled over and seemed to stop breathing. Ty was so shaken up as he told the story that it wasn’t clear how he had gotten Christian to breathe again.
“Hannah?”
She opened her eyes at the sound of the familiar voice. “Thornton,” she said, straightening. “Is Ty with you?”
Thornton took the seat John had just vacated. “No.” He picked up her hand. “Larissa called and told me what happened and that you had gone along in the ambulance, so I got here as quickly as I could. How’s Christian?”
“I don’t know any more than I did the last time I spoke to Larissa.” She turned in her seat so she was looking him in the eye and squeezed his hand tightly. “I’m sure Ty was high too. When he ran into the office, he was totally freaked out.”
“Did he tell you he was high or are you just assuming?”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” she said in a loud whisper. “We found an unconscious boy lying in the woods with white powder in his nostrils and no sign of any drugs or paraphernalia. Are you going to try to tell me Ty just watched Christian snort cocaine or whatever it was and didn’t participate?”
Thornton adjusted his red silk tie and glanced around the waiting room. “I don’t know what he did or didn’t do. I was hoping you could tell me, since I don’t know where he is at the moment.” He frowned. “Whose jacket is that?”
She leaned forward, alarmed. “You mean he didn’t go home?”
He narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. “No, he didn’t come home, but I’d really rather not announce that to the world. I’ve got people out looking for him. I just thought you might have some idea where he’d go.”
“Oh God, in all the excitement I didn’t realize… What if he’s had a bad reaction too? He could be lying somewhere—”
“Don’t overdramatize,” Thornton said. “Can you give me some names of kids from school he hangs out with?”
She had begun to do that when her attention was caught by a tall, lean figure in a dark suit walking purposefully through the sliding doors at the entrance to the ER. Bill Smythe’s dark eyes met hers, and Hannah sensed the violence behind his gaze. She stood and the jacket slid off her shoulders. He stalked over to her without a glance at anyone else.
“What the hell are you doing here?” There was alcohol on his breath. “You have balls, lady, for showing your face in this hospital.”
Hannah stepped back as though he’d slapped her. “I came with Christian, in the ambulance.” Her mouth felt suddenly very dry. “We tried to reach you but no one could find you. Your wife’s here.”
Smythe moved closer, causing her to take another step back. From the corner of her eye, Hannah saw Thornton come to his feet.
“If anything happens to my son, I will nail you to the wall, Hannah.” He poked his forefinger into her chest. “And I won’t quit until—”
What happened next was a blur. John came charging up from behind her, grabbed the front of Smythe’s shirt and pushed him up against the wall.
“You keep your hands off her, you bastard.” His voice was eerily controlled.
Hannah was so stunned that for several seconds she was speechless.
Smythe’s eyes were wide as they darted between John and the nurses’ station, where two nurses and a receptionist stood stock-still, mouths open. “Let go of me,” he said, but he had lost most of his bluster. John leaned into him.
“You’re Christian’s father, aren’t you?” he asked, his tone almost conversational.
Hannah grabbed John’s arm. “Let him go, John, he’s just upset. He hasn’t even seen Christian yet.”
John raised an eyebrow. “No? So it’s more important for you to harass the woman who’s been trying to help your son than to go in there and see him?”
“John!”
“Let’s all calm down,” Thornton
“Hannah?”
She opened her eyes at the sound of the familiar voice. “Thornton,” she said, straightening. “Is Ty with you?”
Thornton took the seat John had just vacated. “No.” He picked up her hand. “Larissa called and told me what happened and that you had gone along in the ambulance, so I got here as quickly as I could. How’s Christian?”
“I don’t know any more than I did the last time I spoke to Larissa.” She turned in her seat so she was looking him in the eye and squeezed his hand tightly. “I’m sure Ty was high too. When he ran into the office, he was totally freaked out.”
“Did he tell you he was high or are you just assuming?”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” she said in a loud whisper. “We found an unconscious boy lying in the woods with white powder in his nostrils and no sign of any drugs or paraphernalia. Are you going to try to tell me Ty just watched Christian snort cocaine or whatever it was and didn’t participate?”
Thornton adjusted his red silk tie and glanced around the waiting room. “I don’t know what he did or didn’t do. I was hoping you could tell me, since I don’t know where he is at the moment.” He frowned. “Whose jacket is that?”
She leaned forward, alarmed. “You mean he didn’t go home?”
He narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. “No, he didn’t come home, but I’d really rather not announce that to the world. I’ve got people out looking for him. I just thought you might have some idea where he’d go.”
“Oh God, in all the excitement I didn’t realize… What if he’s had a bad reaction too? He could be lying somewhere—”
“Don’t overdramatize,” Thornton said. “Can you give me some names of kids from school he hangs out with?”
She had begun to do that when her attention was caught by a tall, lean figure in a dark suit walking purposefully through the sliding doors at the entrance to the ER. Bill Smythe’s dark eyes met hers, and Hannah sensed the violence behind his gaze. She stood and the jacket slid off her shoulders. He stalked over to her without a glance at anyone else.
“What the hell are you doing here?” There was alcohol on his breath. “You have balls, lady, for showing your face in this hospital.”
Hannah stepped back as though he’d slapped her. “I came with Christian, in the ambulance.” Her mouth felt suddenly very dry. “We tried to reach you but no one could find you. Your wife’s here.”
Smythe moved closer, causing her to take another step back. From the corner of her eye, Hannah saw Thornton come to his feet.
“If anything happens to my son, I will nail you to the wall, Hannah.” He poked his forefinger into her chest. “And I won’t quit until—”
What happened next was a blur. John came charging up from behind her, grabbed the front of Smythe’s shirt and pushed him up against the wall.
“You keep your hands off her, you bastard.” His voice was eerily controlled.
Hannah was so stunned that for several seconds she was speechless.
Smythe’s eyes were wide as they darted between John and the nurses’ station, where two nurses and a receptionist stood stock-still, mouths open. “Let go of me,” he said, but he had lost most of his bluster. John leaned into him.
“You’re Christian’s father, aren’t you?” he asked, his tone almost conversational.
Hannah grabbed John’s arm. “Let him go, John, he’s just upset. He hasn’t even seen Christian yet.”
John raised an eyebrow. “No? So it’s more important for you to harass the woman who’s been trying to help your son than to go in there and see him?”
“John!”
“Let’s all calm down,” Thornton
Similar Books
