I Know Who Holds Tomorrow by Francis Ray Read Free Book Online Page B

across his face and swallowed. He’d give anything for this not to have happened. “Madison. I think this may be Wes.”
    Her head came up. She pushed away from the wall beside him, then followed his gaze down the hall. She started toward the gurney, but Zachary’s hand on her arm stopped her.
    â€œIf it’s Wes, he may look different,” Zachary warned, recalling how battered and bruised Wes had been when they wheeled him into the operating room.
    Her heart shot up to her throat. On trembling legs, she walked to the gurney. At first she thought Zachary was wrong. This wasn’t Wes, this man whose face was swollen and marred. Then his eyelids fluttered open. Light-brown eyes that had once teased and cajoled, were now glazed and unfocused.
    â€œWes.” His name came out in a choked cry.
    â€œLet’s get him in his room, then you can come in for just a few minutes,” said one of the men pushing the gurney.
    Madison bit her lower lip. “His mother can’t see him like that.”
    â€œThis time Vanessa won’t have a choice.” Zachary took Madison’s trembling hand in his and followed the gurney.
    In the ICU room machines beeped. Every inch of Wes’s body that Madison could see was bruised. An IV line ran from each arm. Another tube ran from the side of his neck. There were wires on his chest connecting
him to a heart monitor. A clamp on his fingers monitored his temperature and respiration. A catheter bag dangled near the floor.
    Silently, a cold knot in her stomach, her heart thudding erratically, Madison approached the bed. Zachary was close behind her, his presence providing an oasis of calm in the turmoil. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she stopped at the head of the bed.
    Trying to stop trembling, Madison leaned to within inches of Wes’s face. Her heart clutched at the pitiful sight. Biting her lips, she forced the words out past the constriction in her throat. “Wes. I’m here. You’re going to be fine.” She swallowed before she was able to continue. “Your parents are here, too. Wes, please wake up.”
    His eyelids fluttered then opened. She tried to smile and discovered the muscles in her face wouldn’t cooperate. “You’re going to be fine. When you get out we can go to Chicago just like you wanted.”
    â€œMa—” he gasped. The machine beeped louder.
    â€œDon’t try to talk, Wes,” she pleaded, positive he was trying to say her name. “I’m here. I’m here.”
    Wes closed his eyes, then opened them again. Pain and frustration shimmered in his hazel eyes. The machine beeped louder.
    â€œM—an …”
    â€œI’m here. Everything will be all right,” Madison said, her worried gaze going from Wes to the beeping machines.
    The beeping sped up. Wide-eyed, Madison shot a quick look at the climbing numbers that monitored his blood pressure, then anxiously back at Wes, then Zachary. “What’s the matter? Can’t he see that I’m here?”
    â€œI’m not sure, unless …” The frown on Zachary’s face cleared. He leaned down and spoke softly to Wes. “She’s fine. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything. I promise. Just get well.”
    Wes’s eyelids drifted shut. The machine quieted. The numbers on the blood pressure monitor started to descend.
    â€œWhat was that all about?” Madison asked, her puzzlement growing.
    â€œI’ll tell you on the way back to his parents.”
    Grasping her arm, he led her away. He didn’t speak until they were standing in front of the elevator. “The motorist Wes stopped to help was a woman. There was an infant in the back.”
    Her stomach clenched. “She’s not …” She couldn’t form the words.
    â€œNo. She’s fine,” Zachary said quickly. “Luckily, she was properly
strapped in a car seat. She’s in Children’s