Truth or Lies? by A. Gomez (book club recommendations txt) 📗

freaked him out. Instead, I hugged him goodbye and told him to say hello to his wife for me.

A nurse finally materialized. Since I already knew about Caroline, I asked her about David Summers.

“…Yes, he’s here. He’s still in ICU, dear.” She eyed me from head to toe, confused as to why I was dressed like a clown. “But you can’t go in there, dear. Only family.”

My heart sank. I must have looked pitiful because the next thing I knew, Agent Cortez flashed her badge and got us all in.

“Thank you,” I whispered, smiling thankfully. She smiled warmly, nodding.

We walked in his room. Todd closed the sliding glass door. David had a tube in his mouth going to a machine. He was on a breathing machine. He had several other machines beeping around him, one to take his blood pressure, one to take his pulse oxygen level, one to monitor brain activity, and several others that I didn’t know exactly what they did. He was on too many to count. I grabbed his chart and began to read it. Coma. Minimal brain activity. Laid unconscious without oxygen for an undetermined amount of time. Non-responsive. The list went on and on.

I shut the chart not wanting to read anymore. I pulled a chair close to his bed and sat down next to him, holding his hand. Tears were streaming down my cheeks.

“David,” I choked. “David, I want to say thank you for saving my life.” I squeezed his hand, hoping he could hear and feel me. “I wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for you.” I began to cry softly, placing the back of his hand on my cheek. I didn’t know how long I cried for. It must have been long enough for the two agents to give me privacy. They were both standing outside the door. One of them must have drawn the curtain just enough to give me privacy yet still keep an eye on me.

I dried my tears and continued to talk to David about how I drugged Chang and how Caroline got shot, and all the other things that transpired on that same day. I even told him how I inadvertently got drunk. I laughed at myself and then noticed a louder beep from one of the machines. It lasted just a few seconds.

“David? Was that funny to you?” I stared at him, my eyes flashing to the machines then back to him. “David? Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me.” Two of his fingers ever so slightly pressed against my hand.

“Oh my gosh!” I exclaimed. “Do it again, David!” The same machine beeped louder again but he was only able to press one of his fingers to my hand this time. I pressed his hand to my cheek. “Don’t stop, David! I’ll get a nurse!” I pressed the button for the nurses’ station and called for someone to get in here.

One second later a petite redhead with short hair walked in. Wow, that was freakishly fast. She walked around the curtain with a stethoscope around her neck. It was Ginger. She had changed her hair color and had gotten a haircut and she was also sporting a fake-looking tan. She was no longer the cute, short blonde I remembered but a new, ugly, orange version. She looked thinner, gaunt almost, completely unrecognizable. She walked right past the two agents. We locked eyes. She looked down at my hand, releasing my stare, and saw that I was holding David’s hand. Her expression contorted from what she saw. She pulled something out of the pocket of her scrubs. It was a small, shiny revolver and she was aiming it straight at me.

“Ginger? You look awful! I thought you were long gone from here.” David’s machine was beeping a bit louder and a bit faster. I took a fleeting look at him.

“Shut up, Isabel,” she spat. “I knew you would come here, I just didn’t think it would be this soon or this easy.” She closed the curtain more so no one could see in. “I’ve waited for this day since the first time David moaned your name in the middle of our lovemaking. I’ve hated you for so long, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t.”

I sat frozen, holding David’s hand, lightly squeezing it, wondering if he could hear us. He pressed two fingers against my hand again. I gasped.

“David called my name out?” Surprise etched all over my face. No wonder she hated me so much. It all made sense. I began to feel a little sorry for Ginger. She actually loved David and he was just using her. I couldn’t imagine being in Josh’s arms, in the middle of making love and then to hear him call another girl’s name out. I would be more than heartbroken.

“Oh, not just once but several times and in his sleep too. I knew he loved you but I thought if I gave him what he wanted he would want me more. Now I get what I want. I get to kill you and leave him to die a slow miserable death,” she hissed, a slow evil smile spreading across her face.

Well, son of gun. Josh was right. Ginger was dangerous and still out to get me. I kind of hated that he was right. I supposed it was too late for me to say I’ll listen to him from now on. I had the most inappropriate urge to laugh at that point. I was staring down the barrel of gun, holding David’s hand—the man who saved my life not too long ago. He stepped in front of me so I wouldn’t get shot. He was lying in a hospital bed in a coma in the ICU and it was going to be all for nothing.

I began to laugh, loud uncontrollable giggles. Josh