Week 133 – Sitting in the hospital corridor waiting

Connor couldn’t stop thinking about the woman, who’s name he had finally learned was Lacey. Lacey Bentley, aged twenty-three, parents deceased, no siblings, and a recent divorce. That was what he had managed to learn about her while he was sitting in the hospital corridor waiting to speak with her.

After admitting that it might have been her husband who sent someone to kill her and bursting into tears she had kind of drifted off into a trance.

He’d bundled her into an ambulance, waited at the scene to give a statement to his colleagues about what had gone down, then driven to the hospital as quickly as he could. Connor had spoken to her doctor and learned that her leg hadn’t needed surgery but that they were keeping her overnight to treat her for shock.

He wanted to see her again. He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to . . .

“Detective Zaal?”

“Yes?” he asked the doctor who had walked down the corridor towards him. “How is Ms. Bentley?”

“She’ll be alright, physically at least, psychologically, well thats going to take time.”

“Can I go in and speak with her? She is a witness in a shooting that lead to seven deaths,” he added when the doctor looked to be wavering.

“Okay, but I don’t know how much you’ll get out of her.”

“Thank you,” he said. Standing he walked towards Lacey’s hospital room a little brisker than was strictly necessary but he really wanted to see her again. Back at the crime scene she’d wanted to kiss him, he had been able to read it written all over her face.

What was worse was that he had wanted to kiss her too.

That was completely inappropriate. He was a cop, she was the victim of a crime, one who was probably still in danger. He had to shut down this attraction he felt for her before he did something stupid that they would both regret.

“Lacey, its Detective Zaal,” he said as he opened the door and stepped into her room.

Which was empty.

She’d run.

No doubt afraid that her ex-husband would track her to the hospital she had decided that she was safer on the run.

On her own.

“Lacey,” he groaned. How could he keep her safe when he didn’t know where she was. She’d just made his job a whole lot harder.

But he would find her, and he would protect her from her ex. And then for once in his life he might throw caution to the wind and win the girl.