Abrupt Changes: A Second Chance Romance (O-Town Book 3) by Karen Renee (comprehension books .TXT) 📕

shirt was soaked from not my tears, but Mom’s tears. I squeezed her to get her attention. “It’s gonna be okay, Mom.”

She pulled back and glared at me. “Three gunshots, and you want to tell me it’s gonna be okay?”

My lip quivered and I clenched my teeth to make it stop. “Listen, Mom. We don’t know that all three hit him.”

“Tommy’s man said, ‘wounds,’ Rae.”

My argument fell by the wayside when two paramedics stood in the doorway. “We’re going to examine him.” He gestured at Carlos.

“Please do,” Mom said, all haughty. Had circumstances been different, I’d have found it funny, but it just wasn’t.

I heard the two of them murmuring to one another and declaring Carlos dead. They didn’t move him any further and then I realized they wouldn’t be able to move him until the crime scene investigators arrived.

“Where are they going?” Mom whispered.

“Let’s go to the living room, Mom.”

“No,” she said firmly. “I want to know about Clint.”

Uniformed police officers came to the door. “Is one of you the owner of the house?”

“I am, Penny Connelly.”

“We have to secure the scene. Is there another way for you exit the house?”

I nodded. “I’ll take her out through the side door of the house.”

AS WE SAT IN THE HOSPITAL waiting room, I couldn’t say who was leaning on me more, Mom or Juanita. Laura sat with Erica, who blamed herself for everything. Of course, Juanita flying off the handle didn’t help matters. I tried to tell them they needed to pull together at a time like this, but I couldn’t get a word in edgewise, and when they argued in Spanish, I really couldn’t cut in.

Brock and Gabe were standing sentry over us, wearing grim expressions.

A door opened and a doctor wearing scrubs and a bandana over his head called out, “Ramsey?”

Mom sat back, while Juanita and I stood. He came closer. “You’re next of kin?”

Juanita nodded. “His mother.”

The doctor smiled wanly. “Your son is very lucky. Two of the three wounds were flesh wounds, and only one bullet lodged itself in his shoulder. We removed it and after physical therapy, he should make a full recovery. However, he’s not entirely out of the woods. He lost quite a bit of blood; we had to give him a transfusion. We will be monitoring him for infection and blood clots.”

“Can we see him?” she asked.

He gave a curt nod. “One of you can. He’s not awake yet, but he’s in recovery.”

Juanita tried to push me forward, but I shook my head.

“You go. He’s not even awake.”

She leveled a motherly look at me. “He wakes up and you aren’t there, he won’t be happy.”

I nodded, and followed the doctor.

Seeing Clint, my first thought was how pale he looked. Pale didn’t look good on him. Yet, I knew things could’ve ended much worse for him, so I tamped down my inner freak-out.

For some reason a song Mom used to sing to me and Wynnie popped in my head, and I started humming “You Got the Silver.” Once I settled in my chair, I grabbed his hand and relief swept through me, feeling its warmth.

I heard him clear his throat. “You look like I feel, mamita.”

My humming stopped, my eyes flew to his, and a shaky grin split my lips. “Oh my God! Don’t speak. And I promise I’m not going to sing No Doubt right now but let me get you an ice chip or something.”

Frantically, I looked around for a pitcher but didn’t see one. I let go of his hand and stepped into the corridor looking for a nurse.

The expression on my face must have been something, because the first woman I saw knew something was up.

“He’s awake, but he needs something for his throat.”

Her reassuring smile settled me, a little. “I’ll be right there.”

The nurse came back with a pitcher and a Styrofoam cup. “I’m glad to see you’re awake, Clint. We’ll move you to another room soon.”

He made a grunting sound, but I squeezed his hand. “They’re going to take good care of you, honey.”

ERICA AND LAURA WANTED to spend some time with Clint, even though he was sleeping, compliments of his pain killers. I wandered out of Clint’s new room to give them some privacy.

Juanita cornered me in the hallway. “You have to go get some rest, mi querido.”

I shook my head. “I’ll be fine.”

Brock approached us. “She’s right, Raegan. You need rest, and Clint’s gonna need some clothes. I’ll drive you to his place, get a bag together, you can sleep in his bed.”

I squinted at him. “Did you two have this planned? Gang up on me to force me into getting some rest?”

A sheepish look crossed his face. “No, but I wish we had. And Gabe just texted. He’s dropped Penny off to stay with Tanya until the crime scene unit is done with the house.”

Juanita’s eyes were imploring. “Go. He’ll understand.”

I gave her a look. “And what about you? I’m not the only one who’s going to need her rest.”

She shook her head. “You don’t worry about me. It’s you he’s going to expect to be here bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning.”

I turned to Brock. “Okay, let’s go.”

Chapter 26

You’d Have to Stand in Line

Clint

“I WOULD KILL HIM AGAIN if the asshole weren’t already dead,” I heard Erica say, but I knew she wasn’t talking to me.

I opened my eyes and Laura’s eyes lit up with her smile.

“It’s about time you woke up!”

Erica glared at her. “Keep your voice down, Laura. People are sleeping.”

Laura ignored her. “You took at least a year off all of our lives, Clint.”

I smiled weakly. “Sorry about that. Where’s Rae?”

Erica squeezed my hand. “Mamá told her to go to your place and get some rest. Brock took her.”

My eyes widened. “She can’t be alone.”

“Carlos is dead, Clint. The threat is done,” Laura said.

I shook my head.

“Brock is staying with her, mi hijo,” Mamá said as she came into the room.

I didn’t like it, but