I don’t want to wait for Leo and Celeste to return though. I’m too antsy to find out how J.J. is doing, so I scoot out of bed, wincing at the jolt of pain that lances through my side. I lift my gown. A fresh white bandage covers my side just beneath my ribcage. One more scar isn’t going to make much difference. I’m just lucky Gustavo’s aim was shitty when he pointed the gun at me.
J.J. wasn’t so lucky, so I find the IV stand, hook the bag onto it, and pad out into the hallway, squinting into the brighter lights. The world is a little wobbly but steadies as I take a few deep breaths and head off in search of the ICU, worried as hell about what this will do to Mom when she finds out.
I only have to pass through two doors before I can belly up to the nurse’s station like I’m just visiting and not carting an IV stand along like I have a new pet. “I’m looking for Julian Santos, Jr. I’m family,” I say. I have no idea whether it’s visiting hours or not, so I glance at the analog clock on the wall, which reads six o’clock but doesn’t tell me whether it’s morning or evening. All I know is it’s dark outside, and based on the level of staff activity, I can only guess it’s evening, which means I can’t have been out that long. Half a day at most.
The nurse looks at me and starts to answer when a cacophony of alarms sounds from somewhere past the desk. The nurse bolts, along with half a dozen other staff, so I take the opportunity to peek into the windows of each glass-walled room to see which one J.J.’s in.
But when I round the corner, a familiar, tall, willowy woman stands at the end of the hall, and I stop in my tracks. Mom is already here. Leo and Celeste are both here too, along with Sam and Elle. All five of them stare into the room where the ICU staff are frantically working on reviving the person in the bed. The resident in charge barks something about surgery and an OR, and before I can announce myself, they disappear in a rush with the patient.
Mom sees me a second later and rushes over.
“Maddox, mon chéri, I’m so glad you’re okay.” She wraps her arms around me and squeezes so tight my wound protests, but I don’t care. I return her embrace and stare past her at the others, who all register my presence with stricken looks.
“What’s happening?” I ask.
She shakes her head, touching her cheek and lifting her shoulder. “I don’t know. He just got out of surgery and now he’s going back in. The bullet perforated his lung and grazed his spine, and there’s other internal damage. My God, what those men did to him! It’s so awful!”
That man is probably somewhere else in this hospital. I know he didn’t get away, and there’s no way he was in any shape to go anywhere else under his own power. But I can’t leave Mom to go hunt the bastard down. Arturo has to have plans for him though, so I’ll let the old man deal with him for now.
Leo and Celeste are at my side a second later, and I bury my face in Celeste’s hair as she wraps her arms around me. “Papá’s taking care of everything,” she whispers, then pulls away, glancing around as if she’s afraid the others heard. Leo stands just behind her and nods. I don’t know what that means, exactly, but hope it refers to Gustavo’s fate.
Leo’s in a set of blue scrubs, and Celeste has managed to change into jeans, boots, and a sweater since I last saw her. They both look tired and wrung out, but I’ve never been happier to see two people in my life.
“What happened? He didn’t come for you, did he?” I ask Celeste.
She shakes her head. “He was after J.J., not me. We think he got to J.J. first, then came for the guns and took out the two of you. Someone broke into your apartment too, but when I heard the noises, I ran. It all happened so fast. I’m sorry, Maddox . . .” She trails off, tears welling in her eyes, and I haul her to me again, holding her close.
“It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re safe.”
I catch my mother’s look of surprise over Celeste’s shoulder, but there’s no point in explaining. We make our way to the waiting room and when we get there Sam hands me a bundle of blue cloth.
“Pants, brother,” he says. “You’re kind of flashing everyone your assets. I think half the nurses just spontaneously combusted.”
I put them on and sit. A little later a nurse arrives, admonishing me for going AWOL from my own bed, but she graciously removes my IV and returns a little later with a couple prescriptions and strict instructions to care for my wound. I assure her I can take care of myself just fine and explain my own medical background and she leaves, mollified.
Celeste and Elle are seated side by side and I can’t help but stare, because this close, there’s a clear resemblance. It’s particularly evident around the eyes, but other features too. Even though Elle is tall and slim like Mom, with thick, black hair and delicate, fair skin, she has the same cowlick at the peak of her forehead that Celeste has, and they both have small indentations at the tips of their noses. It isn’t much, but the eyes tell the tale, and I can’t stand the secret anymore.
“Mom, can I talk to you?” I say under my breath. She sets down the magazine she’s been staring blindly at and follows me into
