out.
Dallas nodded and got out of the car, telling them to stay put until he came back. Dallas walked through the emergency entrance and was met with chaos. There were men in suits flooding the lobby, screaming at the receptionist. He was shocked at the level of chaos. He pushed his way forward to join the mess. He heard the men asking about the female agent who had been wounded. The nurse was trying to explain to them she could not release any information until they called next of kin. She finally got through to the group to go to the waiting area until she could get clearance to talk to them. She turned to him and frowned. He knew she was ready to yell at him too, so he held up his hand.
“Ma"am I am looking for information on Jolly Vincent. I have his family outside, but they are a mess right now. Can you please tell me if he is still alive at least?” Dallas asked.
The nurse looked at him and read the desperation in his face. She sighed and shook her head. “Give me a minute. Who is listed as his next of kin?”
“Steve Wade and Calli Bergen.” Dallas responded because he knew Jolly was a stickler when it came to keeping his insurance info up-to-date. He watched the woman go into the emergency room, hoping she would at least be able to tell them something. He felt a hand slip into his, looked over and saw Ginny next to him.
“I have Calli"s Nextel. Noah and Bailey are waiting.” She whispered and squeezed his hand in encouragement.
They stood in front of the desk stiffly, waiting for the nurse to come back. He saw a doctor come out of the corner of his eyes and go into the waiting room filled with police officers and agents. After a few moments of silence, he saw the doctor walk back out again. He could not tell if it was good or bad news though because there was no other noise in the waiting room. He crept to the corner and looked around the wall. He could see, all the men struggling to keep control, they looked pissed and sad. He did not know whether that was a good or bad thing. He whispered to the man closest to him. “How is she? My friend was with her.”
“Surgery, she was hit three times and her seat belt caused internal bleeding. We have to wait. Yours?” He asked and Dallas told him they did not know yet.
Dallas felt Ginny pull against his hand and he turned in enough time to see the same doctor come out toward them, his eyes refused to give them any indication of what was to come. He shifted from one foot to the other waiting for the news his friend was dead.
“Mr. Vincent made it to the hospital alive. He was rushed to surgery because the damage was so extensive. I will tell you what I know, but before I do, I have to warn you it does not look good. He was shot at least five times at close range. His arm and leg on his right side are broken from the collision. He has lost a lot of blood, and was drifting in and out of consciousness. When he had a brief moment of lucidity, he asked the nurse to write a note to a Steve and Calli.” The doctor handed it to him and Dallas closed his eyes when he saw it was covered in blood. “I am sorry, the surgery team is doing what they can, but it will be a long time before we know anything. It would be best under the circumstances if his next of kin are close in case they have to make a decision. Mr. Vincent signed a DNR with his insurance agency. So no one will not have to make that decision, but there are many other things they may need to be decided.” Dallas nodded and lowered his head, trying to gather himself to be able to speak.
Thankfully, Ginny was here and she was amazingly calm and in control. She asked questions of the doctor and wrote the answers down. She then went back to the desk and gave them a list of numbers to call. She explained she was taking the next of kin across the street to the hotel, until they had more news. Ginny walked into the waiting area and extended an invitation for the agents to set up a staging area across the