Chapter 40 - Zach

“Sir, you’re at the hospital. You’ve been stabbed but we’re going to stitch you up. Everything is going to be fine.”

There’s a voice near my left ear and it keeps telling me things. You’re going to be ok. I feel like I’m moving and my eyes flutter open. The ceiling is rushing past me. I try to move my head but there’s something around my neck. Thick straps are holding me down to the bed.

“Get him to OR-B, it’s been prepped and the surgeon is ready. What’s his status?”

“Lost a lot of blood. Stabbed about an inch below the heart. If he hadn’t had a magazine in his pocket he wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Lucky.”

“Definitely.”

“Any ID?”

“In his wallet. Zachary Lockwood, 37 years old. No medical details. Called from his cell phone and found him alone on the street.”

Doors swing open and my bed rolls down another white hallway. Stabbed. Lost a lot of blood. I try to process the words as they reach my ears but I can’t make sense of anything. A new voice comes close to my ear again, a woman.

“Zachary, we’re going to operate on your chest. We need to sew you back up and get you healthy again, ok? You’re going to be fine.”

Why do they keep telling me I’ll be fine? Lights are flashing by on the ceiling as the bed rolls forward. I try to speak but all that comes out is a gurgled groan. There’s something in my mouth. Harper! I need to tell them about Harper! She’s in danger!

“Don’t speak, Zachary. You’ve been intubated. We’re going to fix you right up in no time.”

I’m wheeled into a room and I see multiple bodies around my bed. They count together and suddenly I’m lifted onto a hard surface. More voices, more movement. I try to catch their attention. I need to tell them about Harper! There’s no time. They’re telling me something and then I feel like the blood in my arm has turned to ice. The cold feeling travels up my arm and then I’m asleep.

“I think he’s waking up,” a low voice says. I open my eyes and squint. I try to move my head but everything hurts. My throat is on fire. My vision clears and I see a familiar face next to the bed.

“Mitch?”

“Hey, buddy. You gave us quite the scare. How are you feeling?”

“Horrible. Where am I?”

“You’re at the hospital. You were stabbed. What happened?”

I groan. One by one, the memories start coming back to me. Harper’s apartment. The blood spreading around me. The feeling of the knife sinking into my chest. Greg Chesney’s face just inches away from mine.

“I was stabbed,” I explain. Harper! My pulse jumps up.

Mitch chuckles. “Yeah, we gathered that. I mean what happened that led to you getting stabbed? Why were you over there anyways, that’s nowhere near your apartment.”

There’s a noise to my right and I turn my head slowly. Two police officers come into the room in full uniform.

“Mr Lockwood,” the burly man in front says. He’s clearly in charge. “My name is Officer Benson. This is Officer Green.” He nods to his partner. “We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

I nod. Even that slight movement makes the pain shoot down my spine.

“Do you know the person who stabbed you?”

“Greg,” I try to speak but my throat is too hoarse. “Greg Chesney. You need to get him. He’s dangerous!”

The officer jots down the name. “And who is Greg Chesney? How do you know him?”

“He works for me. Used to work for me.”

“What were you doing when he stabbed you?”

“Trying to go see my girlfriend.” The word comes naturally. I hear Mitch make a noise but I ignore him. She’s my girlfriend, and she’s in trouble. “He’s obsessed with her. He was stalking her last year and nobody ever did anything to it. He threatened me and then stabbed me. You need to find him. She’s in trouble. He said she was in her apartment in bed but I couldn’t get in. That’s when he stabbed me. You need to go! There’s no time!”

“Ok, sir, calm down,” Officer Benson says in a stern voice. “Can you describe Greg Chesney for us?”

I give them the best description I can and tell them what happened. They nod and write things down.

“Ok, thank you. If you remember anything else just call this number.” He leaves a card on the table next to me. They turn to leave and I make a noise.

“Officer?”

He turns to look at me, waiting for me to speak.

“She’s pregnant.” I say. “Harper is pregnant. Please find her.” The two officers exchange a glance and then look at me.

“We’ll find her,” he says with certainty before turning around and leaving.

I lie back in bed and close my eyes. Mitch clears his throat.

“So… were you ever going to tell me that you and Harper were.. together. And that you knocked her up?!”

“Just shut up, Mitch, please,” I say without opening my eyes. “It’s been a rough couple days.”

He says nothing and I open my eyes to look at him. His eyes are wide and he’s staring at me in disbelief. I try to grin but my face won’t let me.

“You’re looking at me like I’m from outer space,” I croak.

“You might be,” he replies with a laugh. “What the fuck, man! I don’t even know you.”

“I don’t know, Mitch. It’s been a crazy couple weeks. There’s something about her.” I try to sit up and wince as the pain shoots through my chest. “I’ve never met a woman like her before. They have to find her. I have to find her!”

“You’re going nowhere,” Mitch says sternly. “If I have to sit here and babysit you I will. Let the police do their job.”

“Mitch, you don’t understand. She thinks I hate her. She thinks I don’t want the baby. I have to find her and make it right.”

“They’ll find her, and you can tell her that yourself when they do. Zach, look at yourself,” Mitch says. “You look like hell, and you’ve got tubes sticking out all over the place. You can barely move without wincing. Let the police do their job. You just got fucking stabbed in the heart!”

I lie back on the bed and close my eyes. He’s right, I can hardly move. As much as I hate it, I won’t be able to get out of this bed. My heart has been through a lot these past couple days. I try to relax but all I can think of is Harper. They need to find her. She needs to be safe.

Mitch puts a hand on my arm as if he can sense my panic. “It’ll be ok,” he says in a low voice. “It’ll be ok.”