Chapter 22

Voight was not the only person to linger in the hospital. Dante made an excuse to the team about leaving his phone in the waiting room. In fact, he followed Voight and Will to see which room they entered. He walked around aimlessly for a few minutes before slouching down in a chair in the corner of a nearby waiting room. From there, he could observe anyone who entered or exited Hailey's room. However, they were unlikely to notice him.

His left knee bounced up and down as he wondered what Hailey may have endured. There was no telling what those ruthless Russians might do to a pretty female cop. Was she tortured? Or worse? It was too awful to even consider.

He clenched his fist. He felt he'd let Hailey, and even Jay, down by not being there to protect her. Never again, he vowed. Never again.

Voight stood at Hailey's bedside in the dimly lit room. She was sleeping peacefully while monitors beeped on the opposite side. He picked up her right hand in both of his, mainly to reassure himself she was okay. "I'm sorry, Hailey. So sorry about a lot of things. Sorry you got hurt and that my actions caused Jay to leave you. You don't deserve any of this. I don't know how, but I'm going to make this right."

He hoped that somehow she heard his apology and understood. She moved her head slightly and frowned. Is she in pain? Did she hear me? As he watched, her features relaxed and he was left wondering.

Then he noticed something. He turned her arm over and saw the tattoo. It didn't take an Einstein to interpret it. The door opened quietly and Will came in. "I saw that, too. It's still a litte pink at the edges, so it's recent."

Sighing, Voight said, "She's not the only one who misses Jay."

Will nodded. "I'm afraid I have to kick you out now, Sarge."

"Of course. What's her prognosis?"

"Excellent. She just needs time and rest."

Voight put her hand back under the covers and tucked it in. "We have to get our old Hailey back. The team needs her . . . and so do I," he said.

"We're going to do everything in our power to make that happen."

Will watched as Voight's back disappeared through the door. He didn't know the particulars of the fight between Jay and Voight. He probably didn't want to know. But it was clear that Voight was upset and worried about Hailey. With Jay absent, Voight depended on Hailey a great deal.

Will turned back to Hailey and examined the lump on her head. It was already blue and purple. Then he noticed some dried blood near her hairline. He went to the sink and wet a paper towel. Gently, he wiped the blood off.

"Now Hailey, you have to stop getting into these dust-ups. Especially when Jay's not here. I promise I won't tell him about this if he calls. I don't want him yelling at me all the way from Bolivia."

For a second, he thought she was about to wake up. She didn't. "Okay, sleep well. I'll see you in the morning." Just before he opened the door, he glanced back and smiled, "You know, you're my favorite sister-in-law."

After Dante saw Voight and Will leave the room, he waited five minutes. He didn't want his boss doubling back for some reason and catching him there. Once everyone at the nurses' station was busy, he slipped across the hall and entered the room. As he got closer to the head of the bed, he was shocked to see swelling and bruises on the right side of Hailey's face.

Tension rolled through him as he clenched his fists. He couldn't do anything about the situation now. She was sleeping and breathing quietly, so he decided he should probably leave before some doctor or nurse threw him out. At least he'd been able to see her.

"I wish I'd been there to have your back, Hailey," he whispered. "Next time . . ."

Her eyes fluttered open. "Dante?"

"Yeah. It's me."

"I think I was dreaming. But I'm not sure. People were talking to me, and I thought Voight was here." She frowned as she tried to recall.

"He was. And Will, too. The team wanted to see you, but Will only let Voight come in."

"Ugh." She rubbed the side of her head. "That's really sore. So . . . how did you get in?"

"Waited until they left."

Hailey managed a little smile. "Sneaky. My kind of cop."

Dante nodded. "I had to see for myself that you were okay."

"I will be. Trust me, I've experienced worse."

"Now you'll say it goes with the job," said Dante.

"You know as well as I do that it does." Hailey studied him and sensed that something else was bothering him.

He looked at the monitors on the other side of the bed. "Hailey, were you, uh . . ."

"I was not raped or anything like that. As for Irina, I couldn't say."

Dante blew out a sigh and relaxed. "Gracias a Dios. Because real men don't treat women that way. They respect and protect them."

"You're absolutely right," nodded Hailey. "Too bad it's the disrespectful ones we usually encounter." Her eyelids felt heavy as she tried to suppress a yawn.

"I should go. You need to rest."

"Appreciate you sneaking in. I won't tell the others you were here," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, especially Voight. He might put me in time-out to do a bunch of filing."

Voices were heard in the corridor. Nurses were making rounds. The door started to open. Hailey pointed and whispered, "In there."

Dante nodded and slipped into the small bathroom. He left the door slightly cracked.

A nurse in dark green scrubs approached and looked at Hailey's face. "How are you feeling, Detective? Your respirations and heart rate are elevated."

"I was having a weird dream and that woke me up."

"Understandable. It's hard to get a good night's sleep in a hospital. I should know. I had gall bladder surgery last year. Never got a wink of sleep." She consulted her iPad. "Let's see. You're due for another sleeping pill, if you need it."

"No, thanks. I prefer not to take a bunch of medicine."

The nurse grinned. "Dr. Halstead said you'd say that. Very well. Let me get a blood pressure and then you can get back to sleep."

The blood pressure was done, other monitors checked and notes entered on the iPad. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to use your call button."

"I will. Uh, do you know when I'm being released?"

The nurse smiled. "Your doctors will reevaluate you in the morning. That's all I can tell you."

"Of course. Thank you," nodded Hailey. She fell back against the pillow and sighed. She disliked hospitals almost as much as her husband.

Dante emerged from his hiding place after the nurse left. "Don't rush it, Hailey. If they want to keep you longer, don't argue with them."

Her eyebrows rose. "Oh, are you Doctor Torres now?"

He grinned. "No, I'm still Officer Torres and I'm leaving now."

"You better before I throw something at you," laughed Hailey.