The Body Thief (31 page)

“What can I do for you?”

“I’m Rohan Coleridge. I’m asking about my
dad, Bill Coleridge. He was brought in by ambulance not long ago
and was apparently rushed to surgery. Do you know anything about
his condition?”

The nurse regarded him seriously. “Yes, he’s
been taken to the operating theater. They’re trying to save his
life.”

At her solemn words, Rohan’s heart sank like
a stone to the bottom of his chest. A part of him rejoiced that his
father was still alive, but it terrified him to realize the
situation was so grave. He forced himself to continue. “Do you know
what happened?”

“I understand he’s suffered a brain
aneurysm. It’s a bleed on the brain,” she added.

The words bounced around inside Rohan’s
head. “
A bleed on the brain.
” It sounded bad. “Is he… Is he
going to be all right?”

The nurse’s eyes filled with sympathy. “I
don’t know. I’m sorry, but that’s all the information I have.”

Rohan’s nod was curt, but he understood the
nurse’s position. She didn’t know what the hell was going on in the
theater.

“Is there somewhere closer to the operating
room where we can wait?”

“Yes. Go down to Level Two. Turn to your
left as you step out of the elevator. You’ll find a waiting room
down the hall.”

“Can you let the theater staff know where
they can find us?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll phone down there
now.”

“Thank you,” Rohan said and meant it. Then
he turned on his heel and strode back to his mom. Taking her by the
hand, he gently pulled her to her feet.

“Come on, Mom. I’ve found out where they’ve
taken Dad. Let’s go.”

Matching his steps to her much slower ones,
Rohan tried hard to curb his impatience. He wanted to race through
the corridors, shouting for someone to take him to his dad, but he
couldn’t and wouldn’t do that. Instead, they found the elevator and
punched in the button for the second level.

A moment later, the doors slid open and he
and his mother stepped out. It was cool and quiet and there didn’t
seem to be another soul around. He guessed that all of the theater
staff were busy in the operating rooms. He only hoped someone would
come out and find them and give them an update before he was driven
mad.

The phone in his pocket chirped and he
tugged it out and checked the screen. It was a text from his boss
congratulating him and Bryce on the good work they’d done that day.
Ignoring the message he went to put his phone away and then once
again thought of Samantha. It would be nice to have her here with
him, adding support. Yesterday, he’d been sure they loved each
other enough that she’d want to be by his side in times of
distress. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

With a sigh, he found the waiting room and
settled his mom in a comfortable chair. Coming to a decision, he
excused himself and left the room. He dialed Samantha’s number
before he changed his mind and then paced the corridor, waiting for
her to answer. When the call went through to voicemail, hot tears
burned behind his eyes.

“It’s me. I… I just wanted to let you know
I’m at the Sutherland Hospital. My dad’s suffered a brain aneurysm.
He’s in surgery now. We not sure if…” His voice cracked, but he
forced himself to continue. “We’re not sure if he’s going to pull
through.”

Biting his lip against another surge of
emotion, he ended the call and slid the phone back into his pocket.
With the weight of the world on his shoulders, he made his way back
to his mother and the task of calling family members with the sad
news.

* * *

Sam heard her phone ring and a few moments
later, it beeped, indicating the caller had left a message. She had
left work immediately after watching the YouTube video and had
headed straight to her mom’s. It would only be a matter of time
before Enid Wolfe saw Alistair’s arrest on the news and Sam wanted
to tell her before she found out that way.

Telling her was one of the most difficult
things Sam had ever done. Her mom stared at her in shock and
confusion and then collapsed in a fit of distress. “I don’t
understand how the police could think Alistair capable of something
like this!” she cried.

Sam thought back to the last conversation
she’d had with her brother and remained silent. She didn’t want to
believe he’d done it, either, but she was terrified it might be
true. He’d as much as admitted to forging signatures on consent
forms and she knew Rohan well enough to know he was a good cop. He
would never have acted rashly, without substantial proof.

A fresh wave of anger and helplessness
washed over her
. Why, oh, why did it have to be Alistair?
A
brother she admired and respected and loved with all her heart. She
wanted so desperately to believe it was all some horrible mistake;
that someone else was to blame. Perhaps Richard was the brains
behind it? From what she’d seen and heard, her boss was most
definitely involved.

She thought about the angry confrontation
she’d interrupted between her brother and her boss. Alistair had
been furious; Richard looked scared and appeared to be doing his
best to pacify him. Their body language spoke volumes. No matter
how much Sam wanted to believe otherwise, it was obvious her
brother was the one in charge. Rohan must know it, too.

So why had she treated him so badly,
ranting at him over the phone?
He was only doing his job. Along
with Hannah, Sam had been the one who’d drawn the whole terrible
situation to the attention of the police. Then, when the
investigation hadn’t panned out the way she hoped it would, she’d
laid the blame squarely on Rohan. She couldn’t help but wonder if
she’d have reacted so angrily if the alleged perpetrator had been
anyone other than her brother. It shamed her to admit the answer
was no.

With a sigh, she stood and moved across the
living room to retrieve her phone from where she’d left it on the
coffee table. There was no doubt about it: She owed Rohan an
apology. Glancing at the screen, she noticed she’d missed his call.
Keying into her mailbox, she listened to his message.

A second later, she gasped. Her heart went
into double time as images raced through her head. His father was
gravely ill; possibly dying. She had to go and be with him; to
offer comfort and support to the man she loved. Turning to face her
mother, Sam opened her mouth to tell her she was leaving and then
closed it again. Enid was in no state to be left alone. Panic
tightened Sam’s chest until all of a sudden, she came up with an
easy solution.

Dialing her sister’s number, she waited for
Ava to pick up.

“Have you heard?” her sister said by way of
greeting.

Sam drew in a breath and eased it out. “Yes.
I’m just as shocked as you.”

“I can’t believe it! It’s all over the news!
The police must have gotten it wrong! There’s no
way
Alistair could be guilty of what they’re saying.”

“We need to talk, and Jessie, too, but right
now, I need a favor.” Sam explained her situation and was relieved
when Ava agreed to come over and sit with their mom. She lived only
a short distance away and it wasn’t long before Sam’s sister
arrived at the house. They greeted each other with fierce hugs.

“Thanks for doing this, sis. I really
appreciate it.”

“No problem. How long will you be gone?”

“I’m not sure, but it might take all night.
Are you all right with that?”

Ava pointed to an overnight bag by her feet.
“I came prepared. I figured you’d want to stay with your friend as
long as he needed you and you could do without having to worry
about Mom and whether she was okay.”

Tears burned behind Sam’s eyes and she
swallowed a lump that had lodged itself in her throat. Hugging her
sister again, she led her into the living room to their mother.

“Mom, there’s been an emergency at the
hospital. I have to go. Ava’s come to stay with you. Is that all
right?”

Enid looked up from her position on the
couch and nodded vaguely. “Will you come back?”

“As soon as I can, I promise.” Kissing her
mom on the cheek, she collected her handbag and hurried toward the
front door. With a last hug and a whispered thank you to Ava, Sam
left.

* * *

The hard plastic chair dug into Rohan’s
butt, but he was beyond caring about the discomfort. With his
forearms on his thighs and his head in his hands, he stared at the
worn linoleum floor of the waiting room. It felt like hours since
he and his mom had arrived at the hospital, with fear and panic in
their hearts. He’d called his brothers and sisters. Shocked and
tearful, they were all on their way to the hospital. For some of
them, it involved a twelve-hour drive, but every one of his
siblings had expressed their desire to be there; to see their dad;
to lend their support, no matter the outcome.

As far as Rohan knew, his father was still
in surgery. Nobody had come near them to tell them any different.
He tried hard to believe no news was good news, but his heart
wasn’t buying it.

As if his thoughts had conjured up the
doctor, a middle-aged man dressed in blue surgical scrubs appeared
in the open doorway. Rohan stared at him for a second and then
jumped to his feet. His heart thumped hard in his chest. He glanced
across at his mother where she sat in another chair. She’d also
noticed the surgeon and stood and rushed to Rohan’s side.

“Doctor, can you tell us what’s happening?”
he asked.

The man looked drawn and tired. A surgical
mask hung loosely around his neck. His hair was still covered by a
scarf.

“Are you the relatives of William
Coleridge?”

Rohan’s arm went instinctively around his
mother and drew her close. He nodded in response to the doctor’s
question.

“He’s my father. And this is my mother.”

“Please, Doctor,” his mom whispered.
“Please, tell us what’s happening. We… We’ve been here so long.
Please, we need to know.”

Her voice hitched and Rohan’s throat went
tight. He squeezed her shoulder in wordless comfort.

The doctor looked at them kindly. “Please,
why don’t you take a seat?”

He indicated the chairs they’d recently
vacated. Rohan guided his mother over to one and sat beside her.
The dread in his gut increased.

“I’m afraid I have bad news,” the doctor
murmured and pain stabbed through Rohan’s heart.

His mother began to shake her head from side
to side. “No! No! No! It can’t be.” She implored the surgeon.
“Please, tell me he’s still alive.”

The doctor’s lips compressed and his face
filled with sadness. “I’m sorry, Mrs Coleridge. We did everything
we could, but…your husband didn’t make it.”

A keening howl of pain came forth from
Rohan’s mom and she buried her face against his shoulder. Sobbing
uncontrollably, she clung to him like she’d never let him go. The
realization that his father had died slowly sank in. Tears pricked
his eyes and his chest went tight. He’d never felt so helpless.

“I’m so sorry,” the doctor continued. “He
had a bleed on his brain and…” He shook his head. “It was left
unchecked too long. We tried so hard to save him, but there was
nothing we could do.”

Despite Rohan’s shock and grief, he could
see how hard it was for the doctor to speak to them about the
terrible news. With his jaw clenched against the pain in his heart,
he offered the doctor his hand.

“Thank you for telling us, Doctor. We
appreciate everything you’ve done.” He glanced across at his mom
who was still quietly sobbing. “What… What happens now?”

The doctor drew in a deep breath and exhaled
slowly. “He’s still on the respirator. Though his brain is
clinically dead, the machine is keeping his other organs alive. I’d
like to have someone come and speak to you about organ donation.
Was William a registered donor?”

Rohan froze. A moment later, his heart
pounded in his chest. After all that had happened over the past few
months, he couldn’t believe he was facing this decision. His mom
pulled away and wiped at her eyes and then looked somberly at the
doctor.

“Yes, he was.”

Rohan reared back in surprise. He’d never
discussed organ donation with either of his parents. He turned to
his mom. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” his mom said quietly. “We saw a show
about it a few years ago on TV. It was one of those hospital
dramas, but we started talking about it and we both agreed it was
something we’d like to do. They aren’t going to be any help to us
after we die, we thought someone else might as well have the use of
them.”

Rohan sucked in a breath and held it deep
inside his lungs. Exhaling on a heavy sigh, he once again drew his
mother close. Pressing a kiss against her hair, he whispered, “I
never knew.”

His mom offered a tiny, sad shrug. “We
should have told you. I guess it just never came up.”

* * *

An hour later, after driving as fast as the
traffic allowed, Sam made it to the car park of the Sutherland
Hospital. She’d sent Rohan a text while she was stopped at a set of
traffic lights. The message simply read:
I’m on my way.

She found a vacant parking space and hurried
from her car. The lights of the hospital beckoned and she sent up a
silent prayer that Rohan’s dad would pull through. The automatic
doors opened upon her approach and she moved as quickly as she
could. A brief enquiry at the patient information booth gave her
the information she sought. She half-ran to the elevators and then
punched in the button for the second level. She stepped out a
moment later and almost collided with Rohan.

“Rohan!” she gasped, clutching at his shirt.
His arms came out automatically to steady her.

“Sam! Thank God you’re here.”

She stared up at him and couldn’t help
noticing the bleak expression in his eyes. She tightened her
fingers on his arms. “How is he?”