Chapter 19
How could
this have happened?
That was the thought that refused to leave Kevin’s mind, as he sat
with his band mates in some random hospital waiting room, awaiting word on
AJ.
He did not know the answer to his question. They had top bodyguards, the hotel had
seemed safe and secure, and AJ had been in his suite, which locked from the
inside and only he had a key too. So
how could anyone have gotten in? When
did they get in?
The questions just kept running through his mind. Nothing like this had ever happened to them
before. It was terrifying.
Kevin glanced down the line of his solemn-faced brothers. Nick and Howie had their heads in their hands,
and although he could not see their faces, he knew they were crying. Kevin’s own face was tearstained as
well. Brian was the only one who had not
yet shed any tears. He sat at the end
of the row, staring blankly into space, his chin resting on his palm.
Kevin wondered why his cousin wasn’t weeping along with the rest
of them, but he shrugged it off.
Everyone had their own way of grieving.
You didn’t have to be crying on the outside to be upset.
Kevin looked away from Brian and took to staring down at his hands
instead. He had them clasped tightly
together in his lap, and still, they trembled.
His whole body felt shaky.
And again, his mind went back to that same question.
How could
this have happened?
***
Leighanne sat still at her kitchen table, her head bowed, her eyes
closed, her hands clasped tightly together.
Please, God,
let AJ be okay. Please, God…
She repeated the simple plea silently over and over again, praying
that AJ was all right. It had been an
hour since she had called Kevin, and she had not yet heard back from him. She wanted to call, but something stopped
her. She knew Kevin would call her back
eventually. But with every minute that
passed, her hope slowly faded.
Opening her eyes, she glanced at the clock. It was two in the morning already, but in
California, where the Boys were, it was only eleven. Still, she sat up, knowing she would not be
able to sleep anyway.
Her thoughts suddenly drifted back to the reason she had called AJ
in the first place. Brian. Or rather, Brian’s twin. Leighanne wasn’t sure, but the idea that the
twin had somehow taken Brian’s place seemed more and more realistic. But then, where was Brian? If the Brian in California was an imposter,
what had happened to the real Brian?
The new question made Leighanne begin to tremble, and suddenly,
she feared more for her husband than for AJ.
What had happened to him? What
had the twin done with him? She had not
realized it until just then, but the twin had to have somehow gotten rid of
Brian to do what he had done.
Leighanne absently chewed at one of her long nails. What was she supposed to do? Call the police? But it was two in the morning. And what would she tell them? She had no real proof of anything.
Suddenly, another thought came to her. If the twin had done something to Brian, had
he done something to AJ as well?
Leighanne’s blue eyes widened in terror. If he had, then all the Boys could be in
danger!
Immediately, she grabbed the cordless phone that sat on the table
and punched in Kevin’s cell phone number.
She got the busy signal.
Sighing, she turned off the phone, turned it back on again, and
tried Howie’s. It came up with a
message saying the phone was not turned on.
She tried Nick’s. It rang over
and over again, but no one answered.
Leighanne hung up the phone again in defeat, sighing
miserably. Feeling helpless, she buried
her face in her hands and began to cry.
***
Four heads shot up as the door to the waiting room opened, and a
nurse walked in.
Since they were the only ones in the room, Kevin figured she had
come to talk to them. He felt
immediately relieved and scared at the same time, not knowing if he wanted to
hear the news or not.
But he had no choice.
“How is he?” Nick asked immediately, looking ready to pounce on
the poor nurse.
“Mr. McLean was just taken up for emergency surgery, sir,” she
said. “The doctors stabilized him as
best they could in the ER and now need to operate to try to fix his injuries.”
“Do you think he’s gonna make it?” Nick asked anxiously.
The nurse shifted uncomfortably.
“Uh… well, I’m not a doctor, sir.
I really can’t say,” she replied haltingly.
But that was enough for Nick.
He could already tell she didn’t think AJ would live.
“How long will the surgery take?” Kevin asked.
“It could take a long time, sir,” she said. “It’s a very delicate procedure. I suggest you all go back to your hotel and
get some sleep. There’s nothing you can
do right now.”
“No,” Nick said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest. “We’re not leaving.”
But Howie was more sensible.
“Come on, Nick,” Howie said gently.
“She’s right. We’ll just make
ourselves sick staying here all night, just waiting and worrying. Let’s head back and come back in the
morning, when they’ll be able to tell us more.”
Kevin nodded, his head telling him to side with Howie, but his
heart wanting to stay there with AJ, even if he wouldn’t be able to see
him. His practical side took over
though, and he took charge, insisting they go back to the hotel.
“You’ll be sure to call if anything goes wrong though, right?” he
made the nurse promise.
“Of course,” she said sympathetically.
“Okay,” Kevin said.
Sighing, he turned to his three band mates. “Let’s go, guys.”
***
