Chance and Reason

Chapter Thirty-One

A/N: Once again, thank you so much for every vote and comment. I don't feel like I can say it enough! I've got a lot of homework and revision to handle at the moment, so I am having to ration the amount of time I spend writing (which I hate, but it can't be helped), so thank you for bearing with me on that.

As Lauren slowly lowered her phone, resting it down onto the table in front of her, expression blank, Vero knew that something was wrong. She approached her tentatively, and pointed at the abandoned device on the desk.

"What's happened?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm going to need to head out," Lauren murmured, not looking up.

"Is it part of the investigation?"

"Something like that," the agent replied vaguely, "It's regarding Austin Mahone,"

"More information?"

"Quite the opposite," Lauren told her, standing to grab her coat, "He's in a coma,"

"A coma?!"

"That's all I know," the agent explained, "I need to go to the hospital,"

"Yes, of course. I'll manage things here, so do what you need to do. Email me any updates, if you can,"

Lauren nodded, hurrying out of the office, and making her way through the building. Her mind was racing, trying to establish what could be happening, and she was blind to everything around her.

She yanked her coat on as she left through the main front doors, and rushed over the piece of concrete where, not that long ago, Dinah Jane Hansen had lain unconscious. The memory of that attack injected a stream of fear into her veins. How many more people would fall victim to these people before she could put a stop to it?

Nothing had been confirmed yet, but from the sounds of it, Austin had been on the receiving end of strike that sounded both planned and deliberate. Injuries like this did not simply occur by accident; clearly his enemies had caught up with him... and who had a vendetta against him like the gang he had betrayed to the police?

Orange lights flashed on her Mercedes as she unlocked the door, and swung herself into the driving seat. Over the phone, Dinah had informed Lauren that Austin had been transported by helicopter to the biggest hospital in the city. This was the very same hospital that Dinah herself had been taken to, and a similar, heavy dread to the one that had manifested itself into Lauren's gut that fateful day returned as she started the engine.

She reached the hospital quickly, and recognised both Normani and Shawn's cars in the parking lot. She parked beside them, and crossed the tarmac, and entered the hospital reception. A nasty sensation of déjà vu hit her as the overpowering smell of disinfectant invaded her nostrils.

"Austin Mahone?" she asked the receptionist.

"You'll need police clearance to visit," the woman told her, reading off the computer screen.

"I am the police," Lauren rolled her eyes, holding open her identity badge.

"My apologies. He's in the intensive care unit on the third floor, ma'am,"

Lauren nodded her thanks, and found the elevators. Pressing the third button, she watched it glow brightly, and the lift soared upwards. Her foot tapped anxiously throughout the short journey, and the moment she arrived at her destination, she hurried straight out into the corridor.

A nurse pointed her in Austin's direction, and she half ran through the hall. Unlike when Dinah had been admitted, Austin was not held on a main ward, but had his own private room. She managed to locate it without much trouble, and peered through the window in the door.