Saving Grace

A few more
hours passed before the doctor reemerged.
In that time, Harold had gotten Sands to calm down, eat something, and
agree to the surgery he was going to be given.
Sands sat in a chair next to Grace’s bed, holding her hand in his.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> She was unconscious, but he didn’t mind – he
simply had to be near her.

In a voice
that had lost every bit of its edge, Sands asked. “When will she wake up?”
Harold sae doe doctor’s face, it didn’t hold the amount of hope he
wished it would have.

“Well,” the doctor began, “the
wounds were…”

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“Wounds?” Sands interrupted.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “What do you mean wounds?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> There were only two shots – I only heard
two shots. One hit the door and one hit
Grace.”

“No, señor, you must have missed one.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> There are two entrance wounds in her back.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> One punctured her lung and…”

“That fucking son of a bitch…”

“Easy, Sands,” Harold warned.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “What are you thinking?”

“Michael…he fucking shot her.”style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Reluctantly, Sands let go of Grace’s
hand. “Dr.n wen we finish this
conversation in a few minutes?”

Unaware of what Sands was planning,
the doctor said, “Of course.”

“He’s here, isn’t he, Harold?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> He has to leave with you, so he’s here,
right?”

Harold shook his head.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “I can’t let you…”

“Take me to him.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> I’m not asking you to leave me alone with
him. I need to know it was him first.”

“Sands…”

“You know I’ll find a way to get to
him – at least this way you don’t have wonder what I’m up to.”

A sigh of surrendering came from
the man’s mouth. “Fine.”style="mso-spacerun: yes"> He took Sands arm and guided him out of the
room. At least I won’t fire myself
for this…

The men went to a different floor
of the hospital and approached a heavily guarded room.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> After clearing who they were, the guards let
them in. Michael was propped up in his
bed, his face bruised and swollen from Sands’ beating.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> The man had the gull to smile.

“She dead?” he asked.

“What the fuck did you just say?”
Sands asked, not able to believe what he had just heard.

Michael raised his voice.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “Is your whore dead yet?”

Sands walked toward Michael’s
bed. “You shot her,” he said, his teeth
all but gnashing together.

Michael smiled.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “You were looking right at me when I did
it. I aimed for you, but I missed.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Thought you didn’t care since you didn’t try
to stop me.”

“Used a fucking silencer and
already had it fucking cocked…”

“What?”

Sands tore of his glasses.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “I couldn’t fucking see you!”

“Fuck! Where the hell are your eyes?”

“Uh, Sands?” Harold said.

“I’m going to fucking kill you!”
Sands screamed, he lunged towards Michael’s voice, but Harold grabbed a hold of
him. “Let me the fuck go!”style="mso-spacerun: yes"> He got out of Harold’s grasp and reached
out, finding Michael’s throat. He had
only just begun to squeeze when Harold succeeded at pulling him back.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “She could die because of him!”style="mso-spacerun: yes"> His voice had become desperate.

Michael rubbed his throat.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “She’s better off dead, you fucking freak.”

A sound that was nearly inhuman
escaped Sands’ lips and Harold knew that trying to stop him again would only
result in getting injured himself. He
turned his back and closed his eyes. Sands
put one hand on Michael’s forehead, the other over his nose and throat, the man
couldn’t move, or breathe. Killing
someone never had any consequences that Sands worried about before, but
suddenly his mind was racing.

What if I get locked up for
this? Wha>What if they think I’m fucking
insane and lock me up for killing him?
He’s in a fucking hospital bed, he can’t defend himself…style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Gracie…
Michael passed out again and Sands let up. He turned away and Harold turned around, relieved to hear the
heart monitor was still registering life.

“He’s alive?” Harold asked.

Sands shook his head.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “He tried to kill me, Harold, and he’s why
Grace is here…but I can’t do it anymore.
She took my edge from me.”

“She didn’t,” Harold insisted.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “She’s just made you – pardon the word – see
that things actually have consequences.”

“If she dies…”

“I’ll bring you back up here
myself, no questions asked.”