Witness Undercover

“I won’t go inside, but I would like to look in on him.” She peeked inside the room, taking in the hospital bed flanked by an IV bag and a blood-pressure-and-heart monitor. Her gaze went to the man lying motionless under a light blanket.

Her breath caught. Nolan Prentiss, always trim and fit, looked emaciated. His normally ruddy coloring was gray, his blue eyes closed, his brow furrowed as if in pain. He didn’t stir.

Laura sent a questioning glance to her aunt.

“He’s on morphine for pain. He hasn’t been conscious since we arrived earlier, but it’s for the best.”

“What pain?”

“In his back and stomach. His back started hurting about two weeks ago and his oncologist confirmed it was a relapse of the lymphoma. Nolan called me today when the pain became so severe he couldn’t even stand up. I brought him straight here and they admitted him.”

Laura swallowed hard, keeping her voice quiet. “Mr. Devaney said Dad was diagnosed nine months ago for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

“Yes, a type called diffuse large B-cell.”

She had no idea what it was, but it sounded bad. Laura’s stomach knotted. She couldn’t remember ever seeing her father like this. She wanted him to open his eyes and look at her even though her emotions were a mix of love, regret and shame.

Torn between going in or leaving her father in peace, Laura shifted beside her aunt. Nolan’s raven hair had turned completely white. He was frail. For the first time in her life, she thought of her father as something other than strong and unyielding. Life had taken its toll on him, just as it had on her.

“Let’s come back later.” Her aunt closed the door and steered her away.

Devaney fell into step on Joy’s other side. The older woman gave him a quick hug. “Thank you for bringing Laura.”

Griffin smiled, his hard features softening, his blue-green eyes warming.

The change in his face made Laura a little weak in the knees, which completely shocked her. She jerked her gaze away. Oh, please. She was tired. That was why she’d felt that little wobble.

Retracing their steps, they made their way to the waiting area they’d seen when they stepped off the elevator. Among the groupings of chairs, there was a television on the wall. One section of chairs was broken up with a small table and phone in the middle. A long couch sat on the adjacent wall.

People clustered in groups of two or three along the near wall. Laura walked across to the less populated side of the room with her aunt and took a chair. Griffin eased down onto the gray sofa.

Joy dabbed at her damp eyes, lowering her voice. “The person who originally volunteered to be Nolan’s donor is ill. Thank goodness your blood sample was on file with the register. I was tested, too. Siblings have the best chance of having the same HLA molecules, but I wasn’t a match at all.”

“HLA molecules?”

“Antibodies that are proteins in the blood and could interfere with the success of the transplant. There’s only a twenty-five percent chance that I would be a perfect match. The chances are even more slim that the parents or children of a patient will match.”

Laura frowned. “But I’m a match?”

“Yes, praise the Lord.” A determined look crossed Joy’s face. “I’ve been praying that you would be able to help your father and now you are. God doesn’t pay attention to percentages.”

Still shaken by seeing her larger-than-life father in such a feeble state, Laura was hit with a sense of urgency. “What do I need to do? Shouldn’t we get started?”

“You’ll undergo some tests to make sure you’re healthy enough to donate.”

“What kind of tests?”

“Joy?” The red-haired nurse who had directed them earlier appeared in the doorway. Her name tag read Cheryl. “Sorry to interrupt, but I understand this is the visitor you want to be tested.”

“Yes.” Joy introduced Laura. “I told her she would need to be examined.”

Cheryl smiled, her brown eyes warm. “It’s just to make sure you have no issues. Even something that seems as inconsequential as a tooth infection can cause problems. Whenever you’re ready, we can get started.”

Laura recalled her father’s fragile appearance. “I’m ready now. How soon will you know if I’m healthy enough?”

“Pretty quickly. The lab processes donor candidates ASAP in case we need to continue searching for a match.”

Joy squeezed her hand and Laura met her aunt’s sober blue gaze. “I hope this works.”

“I have faith,” Joy said.

Laura should, too.

The nurse walked out and Laura followed with Griffin right behind her. An hour later, she and her bodyguard returned to the waiting area to meet her aunt. Once Laura explained about the tests she’d undergone, Joy patted her hand.

“I imagine you’re exhausted,” the other woman said. “We can visit on the way to my house. I fixed you a room.”

“No,” Griffin said. “She’s coming home with me.”

Laura jolted in surprise. “With you?”

“Yes. The one place I can guarantee your safety is my house.”

Though Laura didn’t like it, he had a point. She turned to her aunt. “He’s right. I don’t want to put you in danger.”

“I don’t want to put you at risk, either, but I wish we could spend some time together.”

“So do I.” Leaving her family behind had been much harder than Laura had anticipated. She had never realized how defined she was by whom she loved and who loved her, who was in her life. She glanced around the waiting area. “I could sleep here.”

Devaney was shaking his head before she even finished. “Not a good idea. Joy, you can stay at my house, too. In fact, I’d feel better if you did.”

“What if someone finds out?” Laura half whispered. “Won’t that put her in danger?”

“You won’t leave or arrive together.”

He turned to Joy. “Boone or Sydney will get you to and from my house without being tailed. Laura will be with me.”

“That sounds good.” Joy hugged Laura briefly. “Boone and Sydney work at Enigma. Staying with Griffin, we’ll be able to catch up. I’ll go home and get some things, then meet you at his house.”

“All right.”

The three of them walked toward the elevator. Griffin stayed close.

He’d said he would do his best not to let Vin find her and he hadn’t been kidding. Devaney hadn’t left her side since they’d flown out of Pueblo. As much as she hated to admit it, she found his presence reassuring. And now she was going to his home.

The elevator doors opened and the three of them stepped inside, moving toward the back. A husky boy who looked to be in his late teens slouched in one corner, hands in his jeans pockets, the hood of his red sweatshirt pulled over his eyes.

An athletic-looking man stood along the opposite wall between a young boy and young girl who each clasped one of his hands. Two older women filled that corner. Cheryl, the red-haired nurse who had taken Laura for her tests, moved to the back.