The New Husband(91)

Did Simon get the injection into me in time?





CHAPTER 50


A young female ER doctor took forever to complete a battery of tests that confirmed what Nina could tell merely by observation: Maggie was healthy enough to go home. It was a relief for everyone, especially Maggie, who was dreading the thought of spending the night in the hospital—the same hospital where Dr. Wilcox was still a patient.

There’d be no visiting her therapist this time. Nina’s focus was on her daughter—and besides, she felt too guilty to pay a visit. After all, it was her husband who had administered the savage beating. Glen was out there somewhere—profoundly, violently angry with her, and anytime, day or night, he could show up.

Nina had been at work when she got Simon’s panicked phone call about Maggie and had driven to the hospital at a reckless speed. She kept Simon on the phone with her as he followed the ambulance with Maggie inside. He knew Nina was coming from The Davis Center. As a concession to ease his worry for her safety, Nina had agreed not to leave the office for client visits and was now getting home before sunset.

The police continued to conduct random patrols during the day and kept a single unmarked car parked outside their home at night, but that hardly seemed a long-term solution. The only answer was to find Glen, to catch him, but how? They were no closer to knowing his whereabouts even with the information extracted from Maggie’s phone. According to Detective Wheeler, Glen had expertly hidden himself using technology that turned him into a digital phantom. Nina didn’t know Glen to be particularly tech-savvy, but he certainly was smart enough to have picked up the skills. He could be anywhere, Nina was told, which she had interpreted to mean he could have followed her to the hospital right now.

“You really need to make sure you have your EpiPens on you at all times,” Maggie’s doctor had instructed, taking a sterner tone than Nina thought necessary.

“The pen case was actually in the backpack, in a zippered pouch Ben didn’t check,” Simon said. “There was a lot of confusion, so it’s completely understandable he missed it. Lucky for us, the nurse keeps a supply on hand.”

Nina could picture the scene in her mind, the utter pandemonium in the cafeteria as Maggie’s breathing slowed while her scarlet rashes deepened.

“Ben feels terrible about it,” Nina told her daughter. “He’s really upset and blames himself.”

“I called the Odells to let them know you were going to be fine,” Simon added.

“Do you know what caused the reaction?” Nina asked the doctor, who returned a somewhat indifferent shrug. Her job was to stave off death, and so as far as she was concerned, this was mission accomplished.

“It’s hard to say. Could have been cross-contamination from a food-processing plant,” the doctor offered. “It’s rare, but I’ve seen it before.”

Nobody was going to analyze what Maggie had for lunch that day. In the rush to get to the hospital, it had been left behind and then discarded by custodial staff. Even so, Nina would carefully revisit every scrap of food she’d prepared and contact any company she suspected of cross-contamination in case a recall was in order.

She phoned Ginny and Susanna to update them on all that had happened. Both friends offered to come to the hospital for moral support, but Nina assured them she was fine on her own.

There was another matter weighing on her, one Nina could not discuss with Simon, or her friends: Hugh Dolan had reached out to her again. In his message, which had come to her via text earlier in the day, he had offered more information on Simon, including files containing his personal research into Emma’s death, along with a promise that there’d be no fee attached. Hugh claimed to like Nina, said that he’d appreciated her kindness, and wanted to clear his conscience that he’d done everything in his power to keep her safe.

Hugh’s sudden altruism was not entirely convincing. Of course, Nina wanted to see those files of his, scour them for something the police might have missed, but she doubted he had anything for her apart from plans for another shakedown. Besides, Simon had once again shown himself to be a loving, supportive, and concerned partner, everything she could have hoped for in a moment of crisis.

The next call Nina made was to her parents, who were understandably distraught to hear the news. Nina assured them as best she could that Maggie was going to be okay, and described Simon’s heroics in detail.

“It’s good to know there are still good men out there.” Her father’s jab was obviously directed at Glen, and it was the first indication he was warming to Simon. Nina took it as a good sign, but doubted it would be enough to convince Simon to put aside his issues with Maggie and come to Nebraska with them for Thanksgiving. Perhaps Maggie would be grateful to Simon, though, and would come around all on her own.

Since they’d arrived at the hospital separately, Nina and Simon had to get home separately. Simon drove his truck while Nina followed in her car. Maggie, her voice a bit weaker, complexion paler than normal, talked about Laura Abel, specifically the kindness she’d shown.

“Nothing like a near-death experience to make you realize that stupid things are stupid, I guess,” her daughter said.

Maggie’s observation brought Hugh to mind again. Maybe she should reach out to him, check out those files he’d offered. Maybe it wasn’t another attempt at extortion. Maybe there was good in him, too, because there really was some good in most everyone, including Laura Abel.