3am

Chapter 18

We sit in silence as the information sinks in for Liam. "He said that the killer looked like you?" Liam finally asks incredulously. "And you believed him?"

"He did, I did, and I still do," I answer. "You weren't there, Liam. You didn't hear how he spoke about the Winthrops. He had genuine admiration in his voice for them. I don't think he'd lie about what happened to Richard. If he says the guy looked like me, then I'm willing to bet the killer looks like me. Besides," I add as a novel idea dawns on me, "it would explain a few unexplained details."

"Like what?"

"Well, like why those home invaders that targeted your family slipped up and mentioned my name. Someone could be impersonating me. And it would explain why Graham reacted the way he did when he first regained consciousness..."

"What do you mean?" Liam asks.

"When he first woke up, Graham freaked out on me," I explain. "He was thrashing and screaming for me to get away from him. It took me screaming back at him before he calmed down. At first I thought it was just that he was scared, and didn't know what was going on. But he locked eyes with me, then started freaking out. He had to have seen who I was. So if the same person is behind all of this, they must look something like me to trigger such a powerful reaction from Graham."

"I don't know..." Liam says skeptically. "I still don't buy it..."

Just then, Elaine returns from consulting with the doctor. She sinks slowly into the chair beside me and stares numbly into the distance. I rest my hand on her arm. "Elaine?" I ask softly. "Are you okay?"

She turns toward the sound of my voice. Tears pool in her eyes. My heart sinks. My only thought is Graham's gone. Elaine stares at me for a moment before breaking down into huge, body-shaking sobs. I slide off my chair and kneel down in front of her, wrapping my arms gently around her shoulders. She sobs into my shirt for a few minutes before finally regaining control. When she looks up, it's with a hint of a sheepish grin. "I probably scared you both just then, didn't I?" she asks.

"Well..." Liam says just as I say, "Yeah... just a little bit..."

"I'm sorry," Elaine replies, wiping her eyes. "The doctor told me Graham's in critical condition. His chances of surviving are..." Elaine trails off, visibly fighting back tears. "...about 30%," she finishes. "He's still in surgery. The doctor said he'd been stabbed at least three times. One damaged his liver and lower part of his lung, one got his right kidney, and one got part of his ascending colon."

"Three times?" I ask, stunned. "I only saw the one!" I feel panic begin to rise and I fight to hold it down. What if he dies because I only treated the one wound?

"The doctor said all three were layered over one another," Elaine says. "So it would appear as a single, albeit unusually large, wound."

"Oh." I move back to my seat and take a sip of my coffee. It's starting to grow cold, so I take the opportunity to refresh it by offering to go grab Elaine a cup. "Or whatever you want to drink," I add.

"I'd love a cherry coke and a bottle of water," Elaine says with a slight smile. I excuse myself and head down to the cafeteria. I needed a moment to myself, I think as I discretely wipe my eyes. The hallway there seems to take forever, and after a while, I begin to wonder if I took a wrong turn. And, unlike most of the rest of the hospital, this hallway is eerily silent. Eventually, I find the cafeteria. I push through the swinging doors of the cafeteria and step into a cacophony of sound. I stand bewildered for a minute, my eyes roving around the room until I finally spy a vending machine off in the corner. I head over and inspect it. It has a nice selection of drinks, including a couple of foreign-sounding ones. I feed my money into the machine's slot and press the buttons for a Cherry Coke and a bottle of water. Then I press the button for a Root Beer. I gather the three drinks in my hands, along with some disposable cups, and make the long trek back to the ER waiting room.