Chapter 8

Bang! Star's heart started to beat a mile a minute. She pushed her hands against her ears to drown out the sound echoing in them. She was too afraid to open her eyes; she didn't know what she might find.

When the echoing stopped, she moved her hands to her sides. She was a little surprised by what she felt; it was soft and warm. She had expected to feel the cold hard cement.

This finding gave her the courage to open her eyes. She slowly lifted her eyelids and then blinked a few times. She saw the lights above her and could hear the machines behind her. She knew she was in the hospital but she didn't know how she had gotten there.

She looked around the room, looking for someone who could answer her questions. And she found it in the form of her brother in the corner.

"Joe," she called hoarsely to him.

He looked up at the sound of his name. "Star," he sounded relieved. He stood up and walked over to the side of her bed. "How…how are you?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," she replied.

He let out a little laugh, happy she still at least had her sense of humor. "You've been unconscious for a while."

Her eyes got wide. "What? What happened?"

"That's what I was hoping you could tell me," he responded.

She shook her head. "I remember leaving the bar."

"You were at a bar? Alone? Star, this is Las Vegas!" Joe chastised her.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not a kid anymore. Anyway, I left and started walking. Then I remember a loud noise…a bang like a gun shot, and then…nothing."

"Nothing else?" he questioned.

"Nothing," she repeated.

Elsewhere in the hospital, another woman was waking up.

Tina's eyes fluttered open. Her body ached, especially her chest. She took a couple looks around, trying to make sure she was actually in the hospital and not dead. Warrick saw her movement out of the corner of his eye and was quickly by her side.

"Tina, baby," he said softly, grasping her hand.

Tina looked up at Warrick. "Hey," she responded. "I made it."

"Yeah," he replied, stroking her hair. "You made it."

"What…what about the other girl?" she asked.

"Other girl?" Warrick wasn't sure he heard her correctly.

"Yeah, she was, uh, a brunette, young," Tina replied. "She…I wouldn't…" she was having a hard time saying the words. "She stepped in to help me."

"Wow," Warrick exhaled. It was a relief to know Star hadn't been the one to do this. Having not found out she was awake, he responded to her question, "The other girl is alive, in a coma."

"Do they know who she is?" Tina asked, always the doctor worried about the other person.

Warrick nodded but hesitated in his response. "Star Rand," he finally stated.

Tina's eye widened with a flash of anger. She realized she had let her emotions show and quickly tried to recover. "Joe's sister?" she attempted to sound surprised.

"Yeah," Warrick confirmed. He wondered about her reaction.

"What a first meeting," Tina mused aloud. Then, under her breath she added, "I guess it's a fair trade."

"What?" Warrick looked incredulously at her. Against her expectations, he'd heard her.

She closed her eyes and chastised herself silently in her mind. "Nothing. I'm just tired, hurting."

Warrick wasn't ready to let it drop. "You said it was a fair trade."

She just turned her head, not wanting to answer.

"Tina," Warrick kissed her hand. "I'm just glad you're alright." He decided the fact that she was all right was more important and he could find out what she meant later.

She turned back to him and gave a weak smile. "I'm glad you're here."

There was a knock on the door, and both turned to look. It was Brass.

"Hey, Brass," Warrick greeted the man.

"Is it ok if I come in?" Brass questioned.

Warrick looked to Tina and she nodded. "Sure. Tina's awake."

Brass walked over to the bed, on the opposite side of where Warrick stood. "How're you feeling, Tina?"

"I'm sore…hurting, but I'll live," she replied to the man she'd met only a few times before.

"Do you think you can answer a couple questions for me?" Brass inquired.

She nodded. "I'll try my best."

"Tell me how you got shot."

Tina let out a deep breath. "I was at a club, getting drinks with some co-workers."

Warrick tried to hide his emotions. He knew which co-worker in particular she was out with: her ex-husband, Robert. They'd had some disagreements in the past about her still hanging out with him.

Tina continued, "I walked out of the bar to get some fresh air because all the smoke in the club was bothering me. As I walked down the sidewalk a guy came up behind me and stuck a gun in my back, forced me down the alley."

Brass broke in, "It was a man, not a girl?"

"Y-yes," she replied. "When he pushed me down the alley, I got a look at him. He was white, 5'10" with dark eyes. He had on some sort of baseball cap, jeans, and a dirty t-shirt."

Brass scribbled notes as Tina spoke. "What about the girl?"

"The man cornered me down the alley, and he didn't want my purse," her eyes started to well with tears at the remembrance of her would-be attacker. "I'm trying to stall and then we both hear footsteps coming down the alley.

"The girl appeared and he pointed the gun towards her. She had her hand in her purse and it made him nervous. It was almost like it was his first time." She shook her head. "Anyway, it distracted him long enough, that I jumped towards him, but he pushed me away. I fell and hit my head on the wall.

"So the other girl took the opportunity and grabbed for the gun. They were wrestling over it and it went off."

"And that's when you were shot?" Brass asked.

"Yeah," Tina confirmed. "Before I passed out from the pain I saw the guy knock the girl down. She looked like she hit her head pretty hard."

"Very hard," Brass replied. "She doesn't remember anything."

"She's awake?" Warrick broke in.

Brass nodded. "About an hour ago."

Warrick's relief showed in his face. Tina noticed and didn't like it.

"Did you see which way the man left?" Brass got back to business sensing the coming tension.

"I didn't," Tina responded.

"Do you think you could recognize him again?"

"Most definitely."

"Ok, thank you, Tina," Brass closed his notebook. "Well, I'll let you get some more rest. If I have any more questions I'll let you know."

After Brass had exited, Warrick couldn't stop his curiosity any longer. "You were having drinks with Robert, weren't you?"

"So?" was her only response.

"Tina, he's your ex," Warrick stated. Then, something dawned on him, the meaning of her earlier statement. "Oh Tina."

"What?" she noticed the change in his tone.

"You think I've been seeing Star on the side," Warrick told her. "Is that why you've been having drinks with him?"

Tina rolled her eyes. "Don't lie to me. I know how much time you've been spending with her."

"Tina, I have not cheated on you," Warrick responded, looking her straight in the eye.

The sincerity of his words struck her and tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. He had a bad feeling about what her response meant.

"Tina, you didn't," Warrick didn't really want to know the answer.

The tears ran down her cheeks and she just slowly nodded. His heart broke. They might not have had the perfect marriage, but he did love her. Things hadn't been easy, but he was faithful to her. And to know she cheated—and with her ex-husband—he couldn't take it.

He slipped his wedding band off and placed it on the nightstand next to her table. "I'll be out of the apartment by the time you're out of the hospital." He silently walked out.

She couldn't think of anything to say. She'd done the unthinkable and actually cheated. When she thought she was evening the score, it didn't seem so bad. But to know he was faithful—she was disappointed in herself. She let him go, knowing he wouldn't be back.