Page 123 of Aria

“I appreciate your cooperation, Miss Combs. Let me give you my card.” He reached into his front pocket and handed me a business card. “I hope we can talk more tomorrow.”

I watched the three men walk away, disappearing down the white corridor. Blinking back tears, I placed the card in the front of my dress.

As I took another sip of stale coffee, I heard commotion coming from the waiting room. My heart rate picked up when I recognized a familiar voice.

Brad.

“That celebrity prick is a dead man!” I heard Brad shout as I hurried through the double doors. A security guard was attempting to subdue him. “He pushed my goddamn brother—I saw him do it. He fuckingkilledhim!”

I stopped short of the scene, my chest heaving.

Ian was… dead?

My friends had moved away from the altercation, along with the rest of the waiting room occupants. I brought a hand to my heart as I witnessed Brad thrash around in the guard’s grasp. More guards bounded into the room to assist.

“Get the fuck off me!” Brad blared, kicking his legs and trying to throw punches. “I need to see my brother.”

“He didn’t make it, son. You need to leave and calm down.” The guards gained the upper hand and dragged Brad out of the hospital. Brad continued his threats and obscenities until the glass doors sealed shut and silenced him. I let out a relieved sigh as the tension in the room began to settle, and I returned to my previously occupied seat and closed my eyes.

Ian was gone. Thank God Ian was gone.

That’s where I spent the next five hours—curled up in the burgundy waiting room chair. Every time a door opened, my head shot up. Every time a nurse or doctor stepped out, my heart skipped a beat. My friends had all stayed except for Julia, who had to get back to her shift at The Pit Stop. Tad, Miles and Lisa were asleep, while Devon kept himself occupied with his video games. I hadn’t said a word to him for the remainder of the night.

As the sun began to peek through the hospital windows, a doctor emerged from the emergency room doors. The look on his face was unreadable. I straightened in my seat as a lump formed in the back of my throat, squeezing Devon’s arm.

“Are you here for Noah Hayes?” the doctor asked, approaching our group.

I stood on shaky legs as my friends stirred awake. Devon moved in beside me.

“Is he okay?” I barely recognized my own voice as it trembled. “Is Noah okay?”

The doctor smiled and held out his hand. “I’m Doctor Alverez. You must be his significant other?”

Swallowing, I glanced at Devon before accepting the doctor’s hand. My grip was weak as my body struggled to stay standing upright. “Do you have any updates for us?”

“I’m pleased to report that Mr. Hayes made it through surgery and is resting comfortably,” Dr. Alverez explained.

A sigh of relief resonated among the group. An enormous weight fell away, and I closed my eyes, thanking whatever higher powers existed.

The doctor continued. “He’s not out of the woods just yet, and he has a long road ahead. But he’s a fighter; I’m optimistic he’ll get through this. I want to mention that Mr. Hayes did suffer some extensive nerve damage. It’s too soon to tell how this will affect him, but there’s a chance he may lose function in his left arm. The bullet near his neck damaged his brachial plexus, which conducts signals to the shoulder. Some patients do lose complete function.”

My eyes widened at the thought of Noah unable to play guitar again.

It’s all my fault.

“… but I have high hopes that Mr. Hayes will make a full recovery. He lost a great deal of blood and went into hypovolemic shock, so we’ll need to monitor him for long-term side effects.”

“Can I see him?”

Dr. Alverez shook his head apologetically. “I’m sorry, not just yet. He’s under heavy pain medication and should not have visitors for a couple of hours. I’d suggest going home and resting, then returning later.”

“Thanks, Doctor,” Devon said, shaking his hand. “We appreciate it.”

“I’m just happy to have good news for you,” he replied.

I offered a grateful smile and took a deep breath.

“Chelsie, you should take a shower and get some sleep,” Lisa told me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Why don’t you come by my apartment, and I’ll drive you back here in a few hours?”

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