Waves

Part 34

Thank you all for being so patient with me during my break! Work has been non-stop, but I'm catching up on my writing and look forward to you all reading these next few chapters!

"V-V-Vicki! You're here. Oh my goodness, Vicki, I'm so sorry about everything. How is Adam? Where is he?" Eve stammered, attempting to get herself out of bed but immediately being stopped by all of the clearer headed individuals in the room. "Get your butt back into bed Wilson. I need you to take a look at these photos from last night. Is this the man you noticed after the blast?"

Adjusting her glasses, Eve shuffled through the photos and nodded grimly; the flashbacks making her chest tight. "Yes. That's him," she said. Vicki shot what looked to be a glare at the uniformed officer who clenched his jaw before asking Eve if she recognized him from anywhere else.

Eve studied the pictures more carefully this time and tried to place the face staring back at her. After a few minutes, it suddenly hit her, conversations with Adam and Connie replaying vividly in her head.

"It's Uncle Bubba. Bobby Tonarely. He'd been visiting Joseph Franklin in the nursing home using the alias of Rob Tonarelli...he was pretending to be a priest. Vicki, Adam mentioned you had an old contact that he'd made contact with?" Eve turned towards Vicki who was already making a phone call, her eyes lit up.

"Why would this guy be hanging around? Who is he to you?" The uniformed officer went from incredulous to aghast while Eve gave him a brief rundown on the Rooks case and how Franklin and Tonarely fit into it. By the time she was done, the officer was excusing himself to go talk to his Lieutenant.

Hanging up, Vicki walked over to Eve's bed and maternally brushed back a lock of hair that had fallen onto Eve's forehead. "How are you feeling kiddo? Are you in a lot of pain? I heard that you took another big hit to the head," Vicki asked, concern on her face.

"I'm fine. Just lost a few years of middle school math and my social security number but the rest of my brain is good. What about Adam? Is he still in surgery?" Sitting on the edge of Eve's bed, Vicki took her bandaged hand and softly held it, pausing for a moment before answering.

"He's still in surgery. They ran into a lot of complications once they opened him up. The impact of the explosion did more internal damage than they initially thought, so they're trying to get him stabilized. His arm is...most likely a lost cause, but for right now they've only amputated the two fingers on his hand that were beyond repair."

Eve felt a wave of nausea roll over her before she let out a muffled sob. Her already blurry vision became even more clouded as she cried, heartbroken at the news. Though their introduction had been a rough one, she'd formed a bond with Adam; they'd turned into some sort of mismatched sibling set that were from opposite worlds but united in their drive to seek justice for those who couldn't fight for themselves. She knew that injuries like these would be life threatening but also career ending. It was devastating.

Shifting so she was closer to her, Vicki held Eve to her shoulder and rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. "I'm so sorry Vicki. I never meant for any of this to happen. I feel so guilty," Eve whimpered. Vicki frowned and shook her head, letting out a long sigh. "Eve, Adam has been shot three times, narrowly missed stepping on an IED in Kuwait, and has been stabbed more times than I can remember. You have nothing to do with what happened last night. There are sick fucks in the world, and unfortunately, the two of you have been made victims by one of them."

Eve tried to stop her tears but couldn't; the gravity of the situation ripping her composure into shreds. She stayed in Vicki's embrace as Andrea and Joe both huddled around them, the mood in the room impossibly grim. After a while, Eve's head and burned arm were both on fire, forcing her to calm down so she could rest. Vicki promised to call her room or stop by the second she had any updates on Adam or Tonarely.