To Become A Con Artist

Chapter Thirty-Four

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"Is she awake?"

"No, the doctor said it would-"

"Shhh, look she's awake mama!"

I could hear the voices near me but I didn't know who they belonged to. Until my eyes slowly opened and regained focus of the four bodies beside me.

My mother stood beside Mr. Jameson who held a sleeping Peter in his arms. Mary was on the other side of me, leaned in close to my face.

"Where am I?" I asked, my throat dry and my head throbbing. The pain was unfamiliar but persistent causing me to readjust myself.

My mother draped her arms over me so that she could embrace me but when I winced, she quickly removed herself.

"The hospital. You've been asleep for eight hours." I couldn't tell if Mary was exaggerating and before I could ask she added, "We thought you were dead." Mary said. My mother glared at her then swatted her arm.

"How are you feeling Claire?" Mr. Jameson asked in a low voice as to not disturb the nearby patients in the beds that lined the room.

"I-I don't feel well." I tried to lift myself but as I felt pain shoot through my temples I dropped back down.

"Miss Manor." A doctor announced my name as he entered the room. He was an older man with a tall stature and graying hair. "I'm glad to see you're awake. I'm Dr. Seymour."

"She's in pain." Mary said as if she were the expert in the room.

"As I expected. We'll get you some ibuprofen and you should be home by no later than this afternoon."

"What happened?" I knew that Leo and Clyde had fought after I was hit in the head but had I heard a gun shot? Or had that been part of my daze? I was sure that I had actually heard the gun shot. Which meant...

"You were hit in the head outside of The Plaza Hotel. Do you recall if you were robbed?" I was going to respond but my mother interjected almost instantly.

"What on earth were you doing last night at The Plaza?" She insisted.

I saw Mr. Jameson become uneasy as he hoisted Peter up more for a steady grip.

I was quiet. No one, not even the doctor knew what had happened or what had been happening in my life. If I had in fact heard a gun shot, and Clyde was the only one with a gun, then Leo was dead but no one would be able to tell me for sure. Because how would they know that I knew him? It hurt more knowing that I was going to be okay and Leo wouldn't be.

"Mama, I can explain-"

"No," she held her hand up and took a breath. "My mother use to say that as long as you have your health, nothing else matters." She shook her head. "So I think it's best that you say nothing." She caught my eyes with a soft expression the leaned to kiss my forehead and smiled down at me. I'd never seen her this tender toward me and it made me smile in return. I hadn't wanted to tell her and now she didn't want to hear. My smile was a silent "thank you" since I'd been through enough.

"Well, let's leave the girl to rest." Dr. Seymour suggested after the moment. "The nurse will bring your medication." The doctor lead the way and my mother and Mr. Jameson followed behind.

However, before Mary could follow them out of the room, I grabbed her hand and tugged her back in my direction.

"Ouch! Claire!" She snatched her arm away.

"Mary, I'm scared and I don't know who to talk to about this."

"About what?" She rose her eyebrows. "And why were you at The Plaza? You were with Leo weren't you?"

"Yes, I was with Leo and I don't know what happened to him but there was a loud gun-gunshot and I-I think he's-dead." I felt my throat tighten and my eyes fog over with the anticipation of tears. Even the word was hard to say in the context of Leo. How could I have been so careless of his safety? He'd always made sure I was safe but yet I couldn't return the favor.

I had to do something. Maybe I needed to write to Tony and explain to him why he wouldn't be seeing his best friend again. Or maybe I needed to find his mother and father to explain to them why their son was gone and wouldn't return to Columbia. His blood was on my hands and I couldn't bare to face the reality.

"Calm down Claire." Mary sighed, sitting at the side of my bed. "I got lost on my way to the powder room and happened to stumble upon the men's ward." Even I knew she hadn't "stumbled upon" anything. She was ever the curious one and always found adventure in any place she went. However, I didn't interrupt because I anxiously awaited what she would say next. "There weren't many people in there but I saw Leo being treated by a nurse. I think he's okay." She grinned. My eyes widened.

"Mary, don't lie to me. How did you know it was him?" I had to be sure.

"Well, I didn't see much but I knew it was him." She touched her heart and gazed upward. "I'd notice that handsome face anywhere."

I didn't even care what else Mary said at that point. I had the most expressive grin on my face and I felt my eyes tear up for a different reason this time. I hadn't killed Leo. He was going to be okay and I wasn't going to lose him. Which meant that the gunshot might have hurt Clyde instead. Clyde?

Suddenly my smile faded, and my body was brought back to its current condition. What had I been so happy about? The truth was that if Leo was okay he wouldn't want to be near me because of my carelessness with the con and with Clyde.

Could I blame him? I shook my head to respond to my own question and let out a heavy sigh of defeat.

"Thank you Mary." I sunk back into the bed and turned away from her. I didn't bother to turn back around even when I was sure that she continued to sit beside me to ensure silently that I was okay.

The bad news was that if I wasn't able to see Leo, then I wouldn't be okay for a very long time.