“This is just as much my fault for not telling someone.” Asher squeezed my hand, and his voice was determined. “I promise we’ll fix this. But I don’t want you worrying about this right now. Focus on your dad.”
“I want to worry about it now. I don’t want to sit here scared to death for the rest of the afternoon. I want to be doing something.” Coffee sloshed down my wrist, and I snatched a tissue from one of the many boxes scattered around the room to blot at it. If Branston had someone inside who could make this happen, what else were they planning?
I wadded up the tissue in my fist. Freaking out was not going to help. “Right. Sorry. I just want to do something. To fix this.”
“We all do,” agreed Max. “Asher, your dad said he’d be here in a little while. He’s just finishing his reports at QT. Are you guys hungry? Zella and I can grab some snacks from the shop downstairs.”
Asher nodded. “Some food would be good. Thanks, guys.”
Max and Zella took off, and Asher turned to me. “What can I do, Lexie? It’s killing me to see you like this.”
“Make my dad better? Rewind time so we can stop this from happening in the first place?” I shook my head. “I just want to see him. Hear his voice again.”
“You will. And we will figure this out. I promise.”
His eyes glittered with anger, and I knew he meant it. I wanted to spill everything to him about Grant’s email, but before I could, there was a commotion at the door and my mom rushed in.
“Lexie!”
I ran to her, squeezing so hard neither of us could breathe. “Mom! You’re here!”
“Honey, I’ve missed you so much.” She brushed a strand of hair from my cheek. “What’s happened? How’s Will?”
I pulled away and shook my head. “I don’t know much. They’re still trying to patch him up.”
She squeezed my arm. “How are you holding up?”
I glared at her, my relief suddenly swamped by anger. “Better if I could have gotten a hold of you. Where have you been? Why haven’t you been answering my phone calls or emails?”
She frowned. “I couldn’t risk it. I had to finish a sensitive project. Branston couldn’t know where I was. I’m sorry, honey.”
“I was worried sick.”
Mom pulled me into another hug. “I know. I was, too. But things are going to be all right now.” She stepped back and noticed Asher for the first time. “And who’s this?”
“Asher Rosen. A…friend.”
“Asher Rosen?” Her eyebrows rose for a moment before she held out a hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Asher. I was friends with your mother a long time ago.”
He shook her hand. “I remember. I wish we were meeting again under better circumstances.”
Mom wrapped an arm around my shoulder and squeezed. “So do I.”
They wheeled my dad to the ICU around seven that night. Five hours of surgery and three transfusions later, but he’d made it. The doctors had removed as much shrapnel as they could find, set his broken arm and leg, and stitched up the gashes on his face. It looked like he’d been through a battlefield instead of just a regular day at QT, but I didn’t care.
At eight o’clock, I sent Asher home. He looked as tired as I felt, and Dr. Rosen had finally arrived to see how we were doing. He and Mom shook hands, taking a few minutes to catch up while Asher and I wandered toward the elevators.
He leaned against the wall while we waited. “You going to be okay? You and your mom should go home and get some rest.”
“We’re going to stay for a while. I don’t want Dad to wake up here alone.” The hall was quiet; most of the patients’ visitors had gone. I stared at the computer carts for a moment before turning back to Asher. “You know this wasn’t an accident, right? Branston did this. And as soon as I know Dad’s okay…”
Asher shook his head. “As soon as he’s awake, you’re going to get some rest. I’m decrypting the rest of Avery’s files as we speak. I’ll let you know as soon as I find anything out.” Wrinkles formed between Asher’s eyebrows as he frowned. “Right now, the most important thing is your dad. You need to be there for him.”
I nodded, guilt twisting my insides. “I know. But I can’t help feeling this is our fault. If we’d just told someone, Branston could never…” Part of me wanted to blame Asher for keeping this secret, but I’d agreed with waiting to tell Danvers until we had more proof.
A frown formed between his eyebrows, and Asher shifted his weight. “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t think they would have believed us, but maybe I made the wrong call. At least one good thing came out of it. Danvers announced the project is on hold while they investigate.”
“For how long?”
“Long enough for us to figure out who’s helping Branston from inside.” He leaned forward and brushed a piece of hair from my cheek, his fingers leaving a trail of heat that made my skin tingle. “I’ll call you in the morning to see how your dad’s doing.”
Dr. Rosen joined us as the elevators swished open. He studied me for a moment before saying, “Call us if you need anything.”
They got into the elevator, and a jumble of conflicting emotions swirled through me, though one thing stood out. I wouldn’t have gotten through the day without Asher.
“Hey, Asher?”
“Yeah, Lexie?”
“Thank you.”
He nodded, and the elevator doors slid shut. I slowly walked back to Dad’s room where Mom was already curled up in one of the armchairs, her eyes framed by dark smudges.
“Asher seems like a good kid,” she said. “It was nice of him to keep you company today.”
“Yeah, he’s not too bad.” I sank into the other chair and tucked my feet beneath me. I’d missed our girl talks, but there was no way I was getting into a conversation about the guy I liked with her right now, no matter how much I was tempted. And even though I’d wanted to tell her everything as it had happened, email hadn’t seemed like the best way. She’d had more important things to worry about.
“Where have you been? What’s been going on since you left?”
“Where haven’t I been?” She gave me the ghost of a smile. “I hit almost every major city in the Southwest, but I ended up in Seattle at one of the other QT facilities. Branston followed me at every turn, and I had to finish my own research before I could come home. I’m sorry for not contacting you more often.” She paused. “Dad told me about them finding you here. I’m so glad he was able to get to you in time.”