Page 43 of Andy

“Time for some scans,” one of them said.

“I’ll be here when you get back,” Andy said.

She nodded, and he watched her get wheeled away. His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out, seeing that Peach had sent a note to the team about what had happened. The first responses were questions about Mel and how she was doing.

He typed out a note, updating everyone. It was hard to just sit in this room, but if he left, the nursing staff might not allow him back here again. After more notes telling him to wish Mel well, Ava asked if the bank robbery and the shooting were tied together.

Andy always knew Ava was smart. She had a good point. Mel’s roommates had been killed, and now this. It seemed way too suspicious.

Mel came back in, and the doctor wasn't far behind. He had a serious look on his face.

“So, there’s something in your arm. We’re going to go in and remove it. It doesn’t look like any of your tendons were damaged, so I’m going to try doing a local shot so we don’t have to put you under. You’re a little underweight, and we don’t want to cause any complications.”

“Complications?” Mel asked.

“It’s always safer if we don’t have to put you under. This won’t be super complicated. We’ll block your view so you can’t see what we’re doing. It’s not going to take a long time.”

She nodded, but Andy thought she looked really worried. "Can I be there with her to hold her hand?" He knew it was a long shot, but he hoped the doctor said yes.

Doctor Haas screwed his lips up to one side, then shrugged. "You'll have to put on protective clothes, and you'll be seated on the other side so you can't see either. But you can be there to hold her hand and tell her she's doing good."

He was grateful for this doctor. “Thank you.”

"Okay, we're going to start in about ten to fifteen minutes. Get ready, and I'll have someone come in and give you something to wear over your clothes. And we'll get started. Don't worry about it, Melrose. We'll take good care of you."

Andy noticed how Mel flinched when the doctor used her full name. He wanted to ask her about that but decided now wasn't the time. The doctor left the room, leaving them alone.

Mel turned to him. “Is everyone else really okay?”

He nodded. “Yes. No one else was injured. Ava and the kids are over at the house cleaning for us. She said she would make dinner, so we didn’t have to later.”

She looked like she might tear up, and he didn't want her to be upset when she went in for surgery.

“Now you’ll have a badass scar like me,” Andy said.

Someone had entered the room and handed him something to put on over his clothes. “What type of badass scars do you have?” they asked.

“He was almost blown up a month ago and got shrapnel in his skull,” Mel said.

“Wow, that’s not a great track record for you two. We don’t need to see you again,” the guy laughed.

“Yeah, I hope it all stops,” Mel said.

"We're going to keep you safe," Andy said. He'd made a promise but didn't know how they would make sure she wasn't shot at or killed. If she was in the military, he would make sure she lived in on-base housing. He needed to figure out how to protect her. Whoever was after her seemed to be throwing caution to the wind and doing things out in the open. He had to figure out how to stop them.

It was weird being awake while the doctor did stuff to her arm. She didn’t know what he was doing, but she could feel him tug at something every once in a while. Having Andy by her side made it all better.

He smiled at her as he squeezed her other hand. “When we get you out of here, I want to make sure you have plenty of snacks at home.”

She smiled. “I’ve been trying.”

"I know. It's hard. I think I'm going to be put back on the team full-time in the next few weeks."

Worry for Andy washed over her, but she wasn’t going to be upset. “I know that’s what you want. And I want it for you, too. I’m going to worry.”

“I’m sure you will. It’s normal to worry.”

A weird look passed over Andy's face. She wondered if he was thinking like she was. This shooting had something to do with her roommates being killed and possibly the bank.

---