CHAPTER TWELVE
“Mom, did Tessa say she was going to the restroom?” Derek asked, walking around his father’s bed to the set of chairs that were positioned up against the wall. Spending hours in the emergency room hadn’t been the way he’d planned to pass this evening, but he wouldn’t be anywhere else. His parents had needed him, and he was just grateful that he was still here to be a support system for his mother. He hadn’t thought twice about bringing Tessa, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried about being in a building that most likely held the person responsible for her troubles. “I told her she shouldn’t go far, especially considering the police haven’t been able to close her case.”
“Tessa went to get me a cup of tea,” Helen said, her sparkling brown eyes telling him that she had something more she wanted to say. She stood and placed her hands on his arms, just like she used to do when he was little and she wanted his attention. “Derek, she is just lovely. I knew the moment I set the two of you up to attend the reunion that there would be a connection. She is—”
“Mom, don’t do this right now,” Derek cautioned, shaking his head upon hearing his mother’s advice. “It isn’t the time.”
“And when will that time ever come?” Helen asked, sharing a look with Ben, who was listening intently to what his wife had to say. He didn’t appear so inclined to disagree with her either, leaving Derek in somewhat of a difficult place. “Will it be next year when you finally decide to come home? Or will you reenlist with the Marines for another four or five years? Honey, we are so proud that you’ve served your country, but you aren’t in a field that would afford you a life outside of your profession. You’re always on deployment, your focus is always on your current mission and your fellow Marines, and your life is always in harm’s way. When do you make time for yourself?”
Derek ran a hand through his hair in frustration, taking a step back from his mother. He needed the space. What he didn’t need was his mother telling himself something he didn’t already know. He had many choices ahead of him. Yes, some of those even needing to be addressed before he flew out on Sunday, but not right this minute.
“Tessa shouldn’t be going anywhere in this hospital alone, not even to go get tea,” Derek said, sidestepping his mother’s lecture. The only thing that mattered right now was keeping Tessa within his line of sight. He hadn’t been able to make one connection between the high school graduates of 2007 who had been at the reunion and the list of hospital employees. That didn’t mean there weren’t a lot of staff who had been graduates of Catfish Creek High School. There were, and quite a few at that. It didn’t change the fact that none of them would have been invited to the masquerade ball unless he or she were invited by a classmate who graduated with them, and that alone opened up a whole spectrum of possibilities. “You stay here with Dad. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Derek opened the heavy door, immediately noting that Tessa wasn’t in the hallway. He gritted his teeth together in frustration, knowing full well she wasn’t safe in these corridors. Someone had made it his or her mission to threaten Tessa to the point of police involvement. The initial ante had already been raised, so what made her think she was safe wandering around inside of this building?
She would have used the elevator versus the stairs considering the cardiac unit was on the tenth floor. It was the only place that he knew of where she would go to get tea, unless she went to the cafeteria. She’d mentioned numerous times that she kept a stash of Earl Grey Tea in the nurse’s lounge, so Derek gambled and headed toward the elevator banks. Maybe he could catch her before she ran into any trouble.
Unfortunately, Tessa was nowhere to be found. Derek jabbed the button with the arrow pointing upward a little harder than necessary, but he didn’t like that time was running out and there was nothing he could do to slow it down.
Derek also didn’t like the fact that his father had spent the evening in the emergency room. That frantic phone call from his mother hadn’t been expected, and all his thoughts had centered on the possibility that this could be the end of a life…one who wasn’t done living. It was like whiplash to see his father clutching his chest in pain, only to be laughing at something the nurses said an hour later. All that told Derek was that life was fleeting. Luck could change on a dime, so maybe it was time for him to cash in his chips with the Corps.
The elevator doors swooshed open, though Derek had to wait to enter as a family of four exited. It didn’t take long to reach the tenth floor, though he wasn’t quite certain of the location of the nurse’s lounge.
“Excuse me,” Derek said, interrupting two nurses who were on duty. He recognized the older woman from his father’s time here, though she’d never been assigned to Ben’s room. The other nurse must be the one who was filling in for Tessa this evening. “Have you seen Tessa? She’s getting tea for my mother.”
“No,” Margaret said, shaking her head after confirming with the other nurse that she hadn’t seen Tessa either. “I haven’t seen her since last night.”
“She must have gone to the cafeteria then,” Derek mused, nodding his head in appreciation. “If you do happen to see her, would you please send her down to the emergency room? My father’s about to be released, and we’re going to be heading out soon.”
“Of course,” Margaret replied with a smile, though it faded slightly when she rested her hand on the tall counter in concern. “How is she after last night? We couldn’t believe what had happened, especially after her being so excited to be formally offered the position.”
“I’m sorry?” Derek must have missed something. Tessa hadn’t said anything about being offered a position, though he was aware that Margaret was talking about the nursing director position. Tessa had mentioned the opportunity a few times, but she hadn’t known when a decision was going to be made. Of course, last night’s events had taken the spotlight off such a remarkable announcement. “Are you saying Tessa was awarded the position?”
“Yes, she was told at the beginning of her shift yesterday.” Margaret turned to another nurse who had called out to her. It appeared her small break was over and that Derek would have to get more information from Tessa about such a momentous career incentive. “It’s a shame we were all too busy yesterday to celebrate. I’ll have to get the girls together for a small celebration at The Grange.”
“I’m sure Tessa would love that,” Derek replied, already turning on his boot to head back to the elevator bank. He called back over his shoulder, “Thanks, Margaret.”
It took at least another five minutes before Derek had entered the cafeteria. That was more than enough time for Tessa to have gotten a tea for his mother and returned to the emergency department. Sure enough, she was nowhere in sight. He would have called his mother before coming this far, but she was one of those people who followed the rules. He’d literally seen her take her cell phone and shut it down so that she couldn’t receive any calls…just as the sign had instructed.
“Hey,” Derek greeted upon entering his father’s room. His dad was already dressed and sitting sideways on the bed with a somewhat tired smile in place. Helen was standing next to him, reading the very fine print of his release papers. Unfortunately, Tessa wasn’t in attendance. “Did Tessa not come back? She wasn’t up on the cardiac floor, and I just came from the cafeteria.”
Helen and Ben exchanged worried glances, both of them shaking their heads in response.
“No, son,” Ben replied with concern, automatically reaching for his wallet that had been set on the rolling tray. Helen didn’t object in the least, quickly folding the papers she’d been given and shoving them inside her purse. “Could you have missed her? Are you sure she wasn’t up in the nurse’s lounge?”
No, he wasn’t sure, because he’d taken Margaret’s word for it that Tessa hadn’t been by the nurse’s station. Damn it. Derek turned back to the door, pulling on the handle and waiting for his mother and father to join him before giving them specific instructions.
“Would you please go back to the cafeteria? Ask any personnel you run into if they’ve seen Tessa.” Derek joined them out in the hall, all three of them heading in the same direction. “I’ll go back upstairs. Mom, turn your phone back on in case I need to reach you. Call me with updates, and I’ll do the same.”
Derek veered off once more at the elevator bank, slamming the button so that it lit up. He’d known the second Tessa had left his father’s room that something wasn’t right. He should have immediately called out to her, but he’d thought her intention was to use the restroom across the hall.
“Come on, come on,” Derek muttered, watching the lighted display above the doors in earnest. Had Tessa’s stalker finally made his move? Was she in danger, or was he making something out of nothing? Maybe she was simply making his mother a cup of tea. The knot in his stomach told him otherwise, and his instincts had never steered him wrong. The doors finally drifted open and he found himself once again ascending in his search for Tessa. “I’m coming, sweetheart. Just hold on.”