Page 82 of Not the Bodyguard's Princess
“Doctor says you are lucky. The bullet grazed your liver.” Dad stood at the foot of the bed. “You also took a nasty hit to the head.”
“They want to keep you in for another day or two.” Mom patted his hand.
“How’s Jordan?”
Mom looked at Dad before answering. “She left you a letter. They let her come in yesterday before she flew back to California.”
Andrew processed the words. “What day is it?”
“Sunday.” His parents answered in unison
“What happened to Saturday?”
“You reacted to the pain meds and were hallucinating, so they sedated you to keep you from harming yourself.” Dad’s face hinted at a smile. “You thought there was a dragon in the room.”
Andrew closed his eyes. “Did I embarrass myself as badly as I did when I had my tonsils out?”
“You didn’t propose to anyone, if that’s what you mean,” said Mom.
“However, the nurses have nicknamed you Sir Andrew.” Dad chuckled.
A nurse tapped on the door. “Glad to see you’re back with us.” She proceeded to check Andrew’s vitals and bandages. “I’ll let the doctor know you’re awake. I know you are hungry. Start with the ice chips, and you can work up to other foods. With your stitches, we don’t want you eating something you aren’t ready for.” After making a note in the computer, she left.
Andrew took a deep breath. Ouch! He took another because he deserved the pain. “If I had followed my gut, it wouldn’t have happened.”
“Maybe, maybe not.” Mom smoothed his sheets. “The detective was pretty skeptical of Hannah’s story. Rod would have tried again. The news of the plane crash may have been mechanical error that unhinged Rod, thinking that everyone would blame his father.”
“Why?”
“His father owned the charter plane. Rod’s twin sister, Kittie, used his anger to fuel her revenge. She felt that Jordan and Claire Lee owed her a chance to make it big. Claire Lee didn’t know either of them was related to anyone that had to do with the plane. Kittie’s been ranting to the police. She claims she didn’t mean to shoot you.”
“Kittie shot me?”
“More like you got hit when she was trying to kill her brother for starting the fire and trying to kill Storm.” Mom shook her head.
“I know I’m in for a huge lecture. Can you get it over with now while I’m still on pain meds?”
Dad shook his head. “There isn’t much of one to give. Deidre, Adam, and I have been over things. Even if you had gotten your warning about Rod to Deidre, she wouldn’t have suspected Kittie of lying about shooting the snow scene up at the mansion. Paul was desperate for snow. Had Jordan known Rod was a possible suspect, she probably would have put up a struggle before leaving the lot. Then she might have been injured. The only change is Jordan would not have been left alone on the lot, even for the couple of minutes it took for Deidre to hand the dog over.”
She shouldn’t have been left alone anyway.Andrew knew better than to voice his thoughts.
“Before you go blaming Deidre, Stu was outside the trailer when she left with Princess. Only the driver and Deidre had been allowed to stay at the studio. You got on the call with everyone else within two minutes of realizing what happened. I’d say your only mistake was going off on your own, except you got the fire-suppression system started, which probably saved Jordan and Storm’s lives, giving them time to get out of the room they were trapped in. Deidre didn’t know about the fire riser or the secret passages. No lecture.”
“This story sounds too bizarre. Are you sure I’m not still hallucinating?” Andrew rolled onto his left side, searching for a more comfortable position.
Mom adjusted his pillows. “On her way out, Jordan joked about her life being written by an unemployed soap-opera scriptwriter.”
“May I have her letter?”
Mom handed him the envelope. “We’ll go call your siblings.”
Andrew opened the get-well-soon card. The illustration was of a dog resembling Princess.
Andrew,
I wish I could have talked to you before I left. I’m sorry you got shot. Most actors go through their entire life without a bodyguard getting injured, and I get two shot in a month. I’ve gone back to LA, but you probably know that.
I’ll miss you. Call soon.
