***Thirty minutes later***
Alex paced back and forth across the floor in the waiting room while both his and Ginger's parents sat in the chairs. Ginger had been rolled into the ER ten minutes earlier. Lance held his wife, Irene, who had tears in her eyes, close.
"Come and sit down," Alex's father said. "The doctor will inform us if there's any news," he said. Alex sat down in a chair beside his father and hung his head low. He lifted his head and said, "Dad, I want to have a chat with Thomas' wife," with determination in his voice.
"Do you think that he's behind all of this?" Neil asked.
"I don't have proof, but yes," Alex said, nodding his head.
They all turned their gazes to the front of the waiting room when a door opened. Dr. Lee stepped out and walked up to them.
"Our son, how is he?" Lance asked as he and his wife stood up.
"I think you should sit down," the doctor said. There was a concerned look on the doctor's face. Everyone sat back down and fixed their gaze on the doctor.
"Out with it; what's wrong with my friend?" Alex asked in irritation. Dr. Lee exhaled deeply.
"I don't know what caused this, but he's had a mental breakdown and isn't responding to anything we say," the doctor said.
There were shocked faces and whispers among the small group. Alex was the first to speak.
"This might be what caused it," he said, handing the doctor the piece of paper. Dr. Lee read it, then handed it to Ginger's parents to read. "There are also phone calls that Ginger has received," he stated.
"Do you think that it was his ex-boyfriend?" Lance asked.
"I suspect that it was him, but I have no proof," Alex admitted.
"May we see our son?" Irene asked.
"Yes, but be prepared for the worst," Dr. Lee said.
Alex and his father stood up, along with Ginger's parents. "Go to your son," Alex said. "I have an ex-boyfriend to hunt down and grill," he said.
"Here's the notice back," Lance said, handing Alex the note. "When you do find him, make him pay for what he did," he said.
"I will; count on it," Alex promised. Both families parted ways. Ginger's parents headed to his hospital room, while Alex and his father headed back home. Lance and Irene stood at Ginger's door.
"We've got to be strong for him," Lance said as he squeezed her hand.
Lance pushed open the door, and they entered the room. Ginger sat on the bed, staring blankly at nothing. His hazel eyes held no emotion. The cuts on his arms and legs had been cleaned and bandaged. Dr. Lee stood beside the bed and was checking his vitals when they walked up.
"Has he said anything?" Lance asked.
"Unfortunately, no," the doctor said, shaking his head. "It's like he lost a portion of himself when that incident happened," Dr. Lee explained. It was Lance's turn to start fuming.
"If I ever see Thomas again, I'll strangle him," he growled.
"Will our son recover?" Irene asked.
"There is no telling if or when," Dr. Lee said. "It depends on the patient," he admitted.
Alex was lying on his bed, relaxing, when his phone buzzed. He reached over and picked it up from his nightstand. The caller ID read "Lance May" on the screen.
"Hello, Mr. May," Alex said, answering the phone.
"Hello," Lance said. "Am I bothering you?" he asked.
"No," Alex said. "I was just thinking about Ginger," he said.
"That's why I called," Lance said. Alex heard a hint of sadness in Lance's voice.
"How is he?" Alex asked, sitting upright in his bed.
"Son, Ginger is not doing very well," Lance said. "He's mentally shut down, and there's no telling if he'll recover from this," he said.
Alex's blood boiled, and he clenched the phone in rage. "Do you know where his ex lives and works?" Alex asked after he took several breaths to calm down.
"As far as I know, he works at his father's company," Lance said. "I'll text you the address," he said.
"Thanks for helping me out," Alex said.
"We should be the ones thanking you," Lance said. "You're taking the initiative to deal with the idiot that caused this," he stated.
"I like your son a lot, and it infuriates me to know that some dumbass hurt him," Alex admitted.
"Well, let's hope that he recovers so you can tell him that," Lance said.
Alex glanced at the screen of his phone when it chimed, signaling that he had an incoming call.
"I've got to go; I have another call," he said.
"That's fine," Lance said. "Do what you need to do," he said.
***Click***
Alex ended the first call and switched over to the next. "Alex Stephenson speaking," he said, answering the second line.
"Hello, this is Mrs. Kara Hodges," the female voice said, introducing herself.
"Hello," Alex said. "It's a good thing you called; I need to talk to you about some issues," he said.
There was an awkward silence for several seconds. "Is there someplace we can meet?" Kara asked.
"Do you know where Duncan's Coffee Shop is?" Alex asked.
"Yes, I do," Kara said. "I pass it every day on my way to work," she said.
"Can you meet there this evening at 6 p.m.?" Alex said. "There are some things I need to talk to you about," he said.
"Sure; I'll head over after my shift," Kara said. "I'll tell Thomas that a friend is treating me to coffee since we had a good day," she said.
"I'll see you then," Alex said. After that, he ended the call.
Alex rested for an hour, then got up to take a shower. He opened his closet doors and grabbed a nice-looking navy blue casual shirt and dark gray slacks. He washed up and got ready to go.
"Dad, I'm going out to meet Thomas' wife," Alex said.
"Does she know anything?" Neil asked.
"She might, but I'll do some inquiring," he said.
"Do you want me to send Randy with you?" Neil asked.
"Just to be safe rather than sorry, it's best if I go alone," Alex said.