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Adam glanced around the hospital morosely, not quite sure where he was going. He was assaulted by the memory of his first time meeting Amy, as he had been admitted here following the explosion of her car. He'd smashed in the passenger's side window to get to her, torn up his hand.
He knew the guy's name. He'd looked it up in the newspaper in the article about the fire... Now, he had to inquire as to where to find him. He only hoped they were allowing visitors.
Spotting a nurse's station, the tall blond man approached. His gaze fixed on a nurse and he spoke to her.
"Excuse me... I'm looking for Mark Calloway? He was in that fire at the newspaper office."
"Yes, I know who he is... only survivor of the blaze." The woman made a clicking sound with her tongue. "He's in ICU... Are you a relative?"
Adam immediately knew he would never be allowed to see the man if he told the truth. He hated to lie, but what other choice did he have? He nodded.
"I'm his nephew," he replied.
"I'm so sorry," the nurse said. "You can go see him right away. ICU is on the fourth floor. You can't miss it - just follow the signs."
The blond man nodded. That had been too easy, but he was grateful.
"Thank you so much."
With that taken care of, he strode to the bank of elevators and immediately punched the 'Up' button. As he waited for the next car, he wondered what Amy was up to, whether her appointment at the unemployment office was over. Beyond that, he couldn't help but wonder how she would react had she known he was coming here to visit the man with whom she had worked. He guessed she would probably be upset that he hadn't brought her along.
A car came, and he got on. A few other people got in with him, and he hit the '4' button and patiently waited. He got off at the right floor and glanced up, seeking the signs the nurse had told him he'd see.
Sure enough, they were right in plain sight. He followed them and meandered his way to the ICU recovery area.
It was difficult not to miss Mark Calloway. Adam had never seen the man in the flesh before, but he'd seen his picture in the paper. In spite of his injuries, it was easy to tell who he was. Though he himself was tall, the injured man was even more so, and the fact that he was currently confined to a hospital bed didn't dwarf him in the least.
As he neared, he held his breath. The man's eyes were closed. Damn it, he was asleep... And he needed to talk to him, even though Calloway needed his rest after the hell he'd endured.
An electrocardiograph machine was bleeping, a line hooked up and in the man's arm. Adam was surprised there was no respirator and figured that the guy had to have been fortunate in that he had apparently suffered no smoke inhalation. He stood there, near the hospital bed and eyed the patient for a moment.
Calloway's eyes suddenly opened, and he stared up at the stranger.
"Who are you?" he rasped out.
The tall blond man stepped slightly closer, but he was concerned. He didn't want to get too near the man out of worry of upsetting him or spreading any germs. With bad burns, his immune system surely had to be somewhat shocked, and he didn't want to worsen Calloway's condition.
"Mark Calloway?"
The man nodded as best he could. Clearly, he could see that the visitor wasn't a doctor; he wasn't dressed like one. But he guessed it was possible he could be an investigator.
"My name is Adam," the blond man said softly. "A woman you worked with is a close friend of mine... Amy Dumas?"
The big man's face showed recognition.
"A-Amy..."
Adam ran a hand through his hair, hoping he wasn't aggravating anything by being here. But he needed to do this.
"I have reason to believe that the fire was set intentionally," he continued, making sure to keep his tone soft. "And I believe it was meant to hurt Amy specifically. I'm sorry to have to burden you with this now, but... Well, did you see anything suspicious that day? Anything at all?"
Calloway opened his mouth to speak, but he appeared to be having some difficulty. He coughed, swallowed, and then tried again.
"Nothing too... out of the ordinary. But Mr. Mc...Mahon stopped by and-" The injured man had a slight fit of coughing again. "-acting strange."
"Mr. McMahon?"
"Owner of... newspaper," Mark explained.
Adam frowned, his gaze taking a somewhat faraway look as he thought about that. Then, "How was he acting strange?"
"Nervous," Calloway replied. "Just very... very nervous."