Rejuvenate | Spruceworth 5.2

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Holden

       Waiting for my husband to wake up in the hospital was probably the worst feeling I had ever experienced. Even though the doctors assured me that everything was going to be okay, I knew I wasn't going to actually believe it until Shaw woke up.

       I didn't even know how long that was going to take.

       I had been going back and forth between home and the hospital the past couple days, starting to feel more and more worried. Out of all the victims, Shaw was the closest to dying. And I felt like it was my fault. I should have gone looking for him as soon as I noticed he was late coming home. I should have known something was wrong.

       But I didn't.

       And Shaw could have lost his life. I could have lost my husband. Four kids could have lost their dad. Jaime could have lost his son.

       If there was anything that would cause Spruceworth to go up in flames, it would be Shaw being killed. Jaime was already close to snapping waiting for Shaw to wake up in the hospital. He was, admittedly, a dangerous person and if he lost his son, all hell would break loose.

       At least Horatio was back on the case. I felt bad that Horatio's attack wasn't going to count when we caught the guy, but he was okay with it. He was such a selfless person and that was what made him the best police officer.

       Even though I hadn't been able to sleep the past couple nights, I ended up falling asleep in the chair beside Shaw's hospital bed. It was weird. I couldn't sleep at home in my comfortable bed, but I was able to fall asleep in this uncomfortable chair.

       Probably because I was by Shaw's side and that gave me more comfort than a chair or a bed.

       I suddenly woke up when I heard someone say my name a few times, and once I opened my eyes, I looked over at Shaw to see him finally awake. I quickly got off of the chair and went to his side. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked.

       "Yeah, I think so," Shaw said. "Why am I here?"

       "You don't remember?" I asked. "You... You were attacked by the serial killer."

       Shaw was silent for a bit before sighing. "I still don't remember. The last thing I remember was leaving the restaurant to head home. After that, it's all a blank. I hope it comes back to me soon. For all we know, I could have seen who did it."

       "I doubt it since they always have a mask on," I said. "I'm just... I'm really glad you're okay. I thought... I actually thought I was going to lose you. The doctors said if you were found even a few minutes later, you might have not made it, and even after they told me you were going to be okay, I still didn't know because you've been asleep for days and..." I had to stop to take a deep breath and wipe some tears away that formed around my eyes. "You're okay. That's all that matters. Even if I've never felt so lonely in my life."

       "Hey, come here," Shaw said, holding his arm out that was closest to me and pulling me into a hug. "It's going to take a lot more to get rid of me."