Defenseless (14 page)

“How do you know?” Bridget pulled away to look into Sonya's eyes.

There was so much trust and hope in the young girl's eyes when she held Sonya's gaze. “I just know,” she whispered.

Bridget embraced Sonya again and cried. Moments later, Sonya gave in and cried, too.

D
wayne felt as if a freight train had run over him. His temples throbbed, his face ached and his tongue felt like dried leather. When he strained to open his eyes, it caused his head to pound. He attempted to ask for water, but no words would come, just a deep burning sensation that scorched his throat.
Someone's crying.
He tried again to open his eyes, this time succeeding. He saw a blurred vision of two women crying at the foot of his bed.
Why are they crying?
He tried to open his mouth to say something, but pain throbbed in his jaw.

“Look!” one of the ladies cried before she ran over to take his hand.

He recognized the woman who gazed lovingly at him. “Theresa,” he whispered.

“No, Daddy. It's me, Bridget.” She leaned in and kissed his forehead.

Dwayne's eyes closed. Theresa was gone. When he heard the other woman step behind Bridget, he slowly opened his eyes. A beautiful mixed shade of green and brown stared down at him through eyes brimmed with tears. He gave a lazy smile. He wanted to comfort the beautiful woman. It wasn't until she reached for his hand that he realized her grief was for him. He looked over at Bridget to see love shining in her face. When he looked back at the other woman, there was a similar look in her expression.

“Water,” he managed to say, but the effort sent him into a coughing frenzy.

Bridget ran to the bathroom and returned with a small Dixie cup filled with water.

“It's good to have you back,” the woman—who he swore was an angel—said.

Bridget helped him tilt his head to drink the water. It felt wonderful as it slid down his parched throat. Images of two cars racing down a lone highway filled his head. Then a horrible vision of a car crash brought his memory back to the present.

“Sonya?” he asked, testing his memory.

“Yes, I'm here.” She smiled.

The door to his room opened, and a doctor strolled in. The doctor looked at him, at first startled, then with a proud grin that covered his entire face. “Welcome back, Mr. Hamilton.”

Bridget and Sonya stepped back and allowed the doctor to examine him. Satisfied with the results, he turned to Sonya and Bridget.

“Mrs. Hamilton, if you and your daughter would step into the waiting room, I'll call you when it's okay to visit.”

Mrs. Hamilton?
Maybe he didn't remember everything.

 

Sonya and Bridget walked into the waiting room where Sharon and James were just waking up. Bridget ran to the comfort of her aunt's arms.

“How is he?” Sharon asked, smoothing the child's hair.

“He's awake,” Bridget answered, still shaken.

When Dr. Hillion walked into the waiting room, he was bombarded with questions. He held up his hand to quiet them. “He's fine. He's resting.”

Relief swept through Sonya's body. She was visibly shaken. What if it had been fatal? It would have been her fault. She was the one who had put everyone's life in jeopardy. She listened intently as the doctor continued to talk with the family.

“Mr. Hamilton will probably be able to leave Friday. That will give us enough time to monitor him. It appears he's suffering from a severe concussion. We'll keep him for observation.”

Sharon hugged James as tears glistened in her eyes. Bridget did the same. Sonya needed comforting, too, but didn't want to intrude on the family. She stood there not knowing whether she should cry from relief of guilt. Instead she returned to Dwayne's room.

He was resting again, so Sonya pulled a chair closer to his bed and sat beside him. She wasn't sure how long she just stared at his stilted figure. All she could do was think of what to do next. Should she keep a low profile? Where should she go? She didn't know who she was hiding from. She also thought about her sister. Was there a chance that she was still alive? Was she in any danger? Sonya allowed her tears to flow because she had no answers.

Everything was out of control. She no longer knew what to do or how to do it. Dwayne had offered to protect her but look what happened. She was on her own now. Laura was her responsibility, not Dwayne's. Tomorrow she would think of something, she promised, before drifting to sleep.

 

“You finally decided to wake up?” Sharon teased.

“Where am I?” Sonya asked, sitting up.

“Gwinnett Hospital,” Sharon said, squeezing her hand.

“I feel awful,” Sonya commented, rubbing her head.

“You should, girl. You had quite a night.”

Sonya glanced to the empty bed beside her. “Where's Dwayne?”

“They moved him into another room a moment ago,” Sharon said.

“How is he?”

“Better. He can probably leave tomorrow. You need to wake up. Bridget and I are going to treat you to lunch.”

“Is that a safe idea?”

“Maybe we should sneak you into the back of McDonald's,” Sharon joked.

“I'm serious, Sharon. Maybe I should go to Sergeant Freeman. Someone means business.”

“What do you want to do?” Sharon asked seriously.

“I don't know, but I can't put anyone else's life in danger. First, it was you, and now your brother.”

“So you're going to hide until when?”

Sonya shook her head. “I don't know, Sharon. I don't have any answers.”

“Aunt Sharon?” Bridget peeked around the door.

“Come in, Bridget.” Sharon motioned for her to enter.

Bridget entered the room, wearing a blue and pink pastel dress. She'd brushed her hair into a tight ponytail at the nape of her neck. She's pretty, Sonya thought.

“How are you feeling?” Bridget asked politely.

“I feel better now that I've had some sleep. How are you doing?”

Bridget took a deep breath and nodded. “I went home to take a bath and tried to relax. I think it helped.”

“A bath. Now that sounds wonderful,” Sonya commented.

Bridget held out a Macy's bag and handed it to Sonya. “Aunt Sharon asked me to pick you up something on my way back to the hospital. A size six, right?”

Sonya looked over to Sharon.

“I figured you needed some clean clothes. I wasn't about to go to your house. Who knows what I would have found there?” Sharon said, shrugging her shoulders.

Sonya agreed with Sharon. She couldn't go home, and the police weren't exactly helpful. Sonya hoped the nurses wouldn't find her sneaking a shower as she stood and walked to the bathroom. When she stepped out, wearing a pair of button-fly jeans and white T-shirt, she felt better.

“I don't think I've ever seen you in jeans before,” Sharon said.

“It's been years,” Sonya agreed. She brushed her hair back into a tight ponytail.

“I'm sorry. I didn't know what you would like. I figured I couldn't go wrong with jeans and a T-shirt,” Bridget explained.

“You did fine. Besides, if I have to do any more running, I'm dressed appropriately,” Sonya said, stepping into a pair of Reeboks.

“Do they fit?” Sharon asked. “I had to guess your size.”

“Perfect.”

“Are we going to see Daddy before we leave?” Bridget asked, looking at her aunt.

“You go on ahead. We'll be right behind you.”

Bridget left, and Sharon turned to Sonya. “Dwayne wants us to take you to his house. We've talked this morning.”

Sonya shook her head. “I don't think that's a good idea. Look what happened when he tried to protect me last time.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

Sonya started to argue further, but she realized she didn't have a better plan. The only thing she knew was, she was frightened. “No.”

“Then let Dwayne help.”

“All right.” She held up her hands in mock surrender.

“Come on, let's go see Dwayne.” Sharon looped her arm around Sonya's shoulders.

“Did you cancel your flight?” Sonya asked as they walked toward Dwayne's room.

“James went alone. I couldn't leave with Dwayne like this. But I'm joining him tomorrow after Dwayne's discharge from the hospital.”

As they entered Dwayne's room, Bridget's soft laughter greeted them. Dwayne was smiling at his daughter, but his smile grew wider at the sight of Sonya.

“If I didn't know better, Mr. Hamilton, I would think that you're faking all of this just to get attention,” Sonya teased.

Dwayne held his hand over his heart. “Oh, you wound me to the quick, Mrs. Hamilton.”

Sonya blushed while everyone in the room started laughing. “They wouldn't let me ride here with you. I had to be a family member,” she offered as an explanation.

Carmen and Anthony knocked, then entered the room.

“I see you're recovering just fine.” Anthony laughed. “You're surrounded by beautiful women.”

Dwayne smiled. “It's heaven, Anthony.”

Sonya saw Carmen's bloodshot eyes. Had she been crying? “Oh, Dwayne, when I heard the news I was devastated.” She headed toward him.

Bridget stepped between Carmen and her father.

“I'm sorry to have worried you both,” Dwayne answered, giving Bridget a bewildered look.

Everyone exchanged pleasantries, but the room soon grew uncomfortably silent. Sonya didn't miss any of Carmen's evil glares.

“Maybe we should be leaving,” Sharon said, after no one spoke.

“Yeah, me, too,” Anthony agreed. He looked at his watch but accidentally knocked the flowers from Carmen's hands. “Excuse me.” He bent to pick up the flowers at the same time as Carmen, which caused their heads to bump.

“Anthony!” she muttered.

“Sorry.”

Dwayne hid a smile and winked at Sonya.

Sonya felt flirtatious and winked back. Sharon leaned down and kissed Dwayne's forehead. “We'll be back later.”

Bridget hesitated, then followed behind her aunt. “Check you later, sugar-daddy.”

Dwayne watched his family leave the room and sighed. At least by tomorrow, he would be back home. After everything that happened, he was concerned about his family's safety.

“I think you need to drop this case,” Carmen complained. “I mean, look at you. You're a lawyer, not some superhero.”

Anthony stood behind Carmen and shook his head. Dwayne couldn't fault Carmen. She was just concerned for his welfare. He blocked out the rest of Carmen's ranting and concentrated on what happened last night. One thing he was sure of—he wasn't going to get any answers sitting in this hospital bed.

“Carmen, could you leave me and Anthony alone for a minute? I want to talk to him in private.”

Carmen looked insulted that he had cut her off in the middle of a sentence.

“Please?” he added.

Picking up the purse she had laid on the bed, she left the room without another word. Dwayne and Anthony shook their heads.

“She's quite a woman,” Anthony commented, grinning.

Dwayne found Anthony's infatuation with Carmen humorous. “If you say so.” Dwayne continued to shake his head. “Look, I need you to do me a favor. Can you do some investigating for me? You think you can handle that?”

“Sure thing, boss.”

 

Sonya, Bridget and Sharon arrived at the Hamilton residence later that evening. Sonya admired the beautiful two-story home as she entered. Just moments after she opened the front door, an excited black Lab jumped onto Bridget's legs.

“Hey, Buffy!” Bridget smiled, happily petting the dog. “Did you miss me, girl?” Bridget continued to coo.

Buffy wasted no time jumping from Bridget to Sonya. Sonya laughed at the dog's eagerness.

“I think she likes you,” Bridget observed.

“I believe I like her, too.”

“Did you put some food down for her?” Sharon asked, going into the kitchen.

Bridget twisted her face into an amused frown. “I forgot. Come on, Buffy,” Bridget called, patting her leg for the dog to follow her.

Sonya trailed behind everyone into the kitchen. She found the western-style kitchen a cute decorative idea. Bridget followed her gaze. “Do you like it?”

“Yes, it's different.”

“Dad let me decorate it. I also did the bathrooms, his study and of course, my room.”

“So you like decorating?” Sonya asked.

Sharon lifted a curious brow.

“I never thought about it really. I had a good time decorating the rooms, so yeah, I guess I do.” Bridget pulled out a large bag of dog food and poured some into Buffy's bowl. Buffy immediately buried her face in the bowl.