Josie reached through a mass of wires and IV tubes to find Lisette’s left hand. Squeezing it, she leaned in and whispered into Lisette’s ear. “Gram, I’m here. Everything’s going to be okay. I just need you to stay with me.”
Lisette slept on, the steady rise and fall of her chest of little comfort to Josie. As the surgeon had made clear, it was her insides that had been ravaged by the shooting. It remained to be seen whether her body would heal completely or fall victim to complications or infection. Noah put his arm around Josie, holding her from behind, resting his head on top of hers. Josie kept hold of Lisette’s hand until the nurse came in to shoo them out. Outside the room, Sawyer waited to see Lisette. He glared at them. She noticed some slight bruising under his left eye where Noah had punched him. Josie felt a sudden uptick in her heartbeat. Even though Lisette wasn’t awake, she didn’t want a scene right outside her room. Thankfully, neither Sawyer nor Noah spoke, and Sawyer disappeared into Lisette’s room.
The day was filled with waiting. Every hour, the nursing staff let her go into Lisette’s room to spend ten minutes with her. Josie spent the rest of her time in the ICU waiting room. Noah had found her spare set of clothes in the back of her car so she could change. The rest of her family, friends, and colleagues flitted in and out all day, trying to feed her, keep her hydrated, and get her to talk. Josie had nothing to say other than they shouldn’t have been there. She shouldn’t have had Lisette out near the woods. She didn’t say this to anyone because she knew they would have a thousand justifications as to why Lisette’s shooting was not her fault.
Josie believed none of them.
Finally, around three in the afternoon, Lisette woke. It was Sawyer’s turn to go into the room, so he went first. Josie hoped he wouldn’t say anything to upset their grandmother. She had no idea how lucid Lisette was or how much she remembered. When he came out, his face streaked with tears, she and Noah went in. Lisette lifted her good hand and Josie rushed to the bedside to take it. Josie met her eyes.
She said, “It’s not your fault, Josie.”
“I’m sorry, Gram,” Josie squeaked.
“No, it’s not your fault. You must remember that.”
For a moment, Lisette’s face went pale and a grimace of pain passed over it, deepening every line in her face.
“It’s okay, Gram,” Josie said. “We don’t have to talk. You need to rest.”
Lisette’s grip on Josie’s hand tightened. “I didn’t see his face,” she told them. “Only the barrel of the gun.”
“I know,” said Josie. “It’s fine. We’re going to find him. There are dozens of people out there right now looking for him. Mettner and Gretchen are handling it. Don’t worry about that.”
Lisette gave a small nod. Josie could see the toll it took on her body to speak. Josie didn’t press her. She was just happy to see her eyes open, to feel her warm hand. Lisette’s gaze drifted away from Josie and Noah and down to the foot of the bed. Then she looked back at Josie. “I’m not going to make it, dear.”
More tears streamed down Josie’s face. She couldn’t control the sob that erupted from deep within her. “What? No, Gram. Don’t say that. You can survive this. The worst is over, the surgery—”
Lisette squeezed her hand hard, and Josie stopped talking. “Two things: I don’t want you and Sawyer to fight. He’ll blame you but that’s his burden to bear, not yours. This was not your fault.”
She paused and her chest rose and fell more quickly as she tried to catch her breath. Josie waited.
“Second, I want you two to get married.”
“We will,” Josie promised.
“Absolutely,” Noah agreed.
Lisette shook her head, the movement small. “No. Now. I want you to get married. I want to see it. I don’t want to go without seeing you two get married. Josie, he’s the best one.”
Josie couldn’t help but laugh. “I know, Gram.”
“If you don’t do it now, before I’m dead, you won’t do it.”
“That’s not true,” Josie said.
Lisette’s hand squeezed hers again. “Yes, it is.”
Noah reached over and touched Lisette’s shoulder. “We’ll get married, Lisette. I promise.”
“I just want to see…” she said, eyelids fluttering. They waited to see if she would continue, but her eyes drifted closed. Josie felt her grip loosen. For a second, Josie’s heart skipped, thinking Lisette had passed. Then she looked up at the screen showing Lisette’s vital signs, comforted by the steady numbers.
They were ushered back out of the room shortly after that. As they approached the waiting room, Josie could see through the glass that everyone was waiting for news: Trinity, Drake, Shannon, Christian, Misty, Chitwood, and even Dr. Feist. She pulled up short, not ready to face anyone. Wiping away her tears, she looked up at Noah. “I have to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
She let him go ahead and found the nearest bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face and sucked in several deep breaths. When she had composed herself, she went back into the hall and ran smack into Mettner. She bounced off his chest and he grabbed her by her upper arms before she could fall backward.
Righting her, he looked down, his brown eyes deep pools of concern. “Boss,” he said. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to bump into you. I was looking for you, though. I’m really sorry about your grandmother. Chief says she’s still hanging on.”
“Yes,” Josie said. “So far. Thank you.”
“I came to tell you that, but also, I thought you and Noah would want to know—we found Reed Bryan at his farm. He was in the barn. Someone bludgeoned him to death.”
Thirty
Josie, Noah, Mettner, and Chitwood huddled in a corner of the hallway, out of earshot of the waiting room. Only
