Page 88 of Call Sign: King
“Abigail! I didn’t recognize you with your hair down. Thank you too… so much… for everything.”
“I know what you mean. You look different too. You look good as a redhead.”
“Thanks. The hair color I don’t mind, but I’m glad I’ll be able to wash off the added twenty-five years of makeup.”
“You’re really looking good,” MacGyver said. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m great,” she answered, truthfully.
Dakota was about to say something else when Ryder scared her, throwing his arm around her waist as he added, “I caught up to you. I thought you were anxious to see Trevor?”
What was that look her husband just shared with MacGyver? Since when was Ryder jealous of her talking with one of the guys?
She almost called him on it, but Ryder nudged her forward. “You go ahead. I’ll catch up. I need to chat with MacGyver for just a second.”
Weird, but anxious to see Trevor, she let it go, following Hawkeye the final distance down the corridor that ended in the Intensive Care Unit.
Madison’s distinctive voice was her first clue they were in the right place. Khloe would recognize her California-girl accent anywhere.
Hawkeye nodded at the curtain drawn across the entrance to Trevor’s suite. Suddenly nervous, unsure of what she was going see, Khloe pulled the fabric aside just enough to peek in and see Chase and Emma sitting together quietly just inside the room.
Pure joy filled her heart seeing them there, helping to care for their mutual friends, the McLeans, when Khloe couldn’t be there herself. Just as they glanced up to see her standing outside the curtain, Khloe raised her finger to “Shhh” them. Their eyes widened as they recognized her despite the costume. Once she knew they wouldn’t give her secret arrival away, she then glanced deeper into the room where Trevor laid motionless in the hospital bed.
Before Khloe could enter, Emma jumped to her feet and practically ran to tackle Khloe in the hallway.
The friends hugged so hard it hurt, and when one of Emma’s husbands, Chase, joined them, Khloe didn’t bother holding in her tears of joy. Not long ago, she’d been sure she’d never feel this hug ever again.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us you were coming!” Emma said, louder than Khloe would have liked.
“Shhh. I’m trying to surprise Trevor,” she answered softly, swiping away some of her happy tears before they could make her heavy make-up run. “I heard they took his intubation tube out this morning.”
“They did, but I think Madison is about to ask them to put it back in. I’m warning you, he is super grouchy,” Chase warned, hugging Khloe after his wife gave up her spot.
“Didn’t she tell him the team saved me?”
“Oh, she did, but he’s still upset because he wasn’t there with them. He’s taking your kidnapping super hard… like it was all his fault,” Emma explained.
“I understand how he feels,” Ryder said from right beside her, once again having caught up to her. “But it was no one’s fault but my own.”
Khloe turned to her husband to confront him, but Doc jumped in to do the honors. “I thought we talked about this. What happened was no one’s fault but Vladimir Volkov’s, and that bastard paid for his error with his life. I’m not going to let anyone, and that includes the King, get away with playing the blame game.”
“Well said,” Khloe agreed. “I told him the same thing,” she told Gretchen.
“Yeah, well that includes you too, missy. I’ve heard you tell two people already that this was all your fault for asking Ryder to go to the premier with you a few weeks ago, which is bullshit.”
Oops. Guilty as charged.
“Maybe after we’re all home again we can plan a party. We can play a drinking game where everyone takes a shot if they try to take on blame they don’t deserve.” Always the one to help smooth things over in tense times, it was Chase to the rescue with his jovial suggestion. “Jaxson has been getting in on this game, too, second guessing how he’s been handling the press conferences.”
“Then point me in his direction next. I’ll be happy to set him straight too,” Doc said bravely.
The group all broke out laughing. She’d clearly never met the third member of the Infamous Trio.
“Good luck with that,” Emma said before adding. “Be sure to tell me when that’s happening. I’ll bring the popcorn.”
As much fun as they were having — and it was truly amazing to be having fun again — a fresh wave of anxiety hit Khloe. She didn’t deserve to have fun. Not yet. Not until she’d put Trevor’s mind at ease so he could get busy recovering.
Moving toward the curtain to Trevor’s suite, she again raised her finger to her lips to remind everyone to hold it down while she went inside.
