Chapter Eighteen
Kate and Haley were talking and being very cordial to each other, being joined by their common sadness. Kate didn't hear the captain walk over to her until he cleared his throat and she looked up. He reached out his hand and she knew what for. She reached over and took her Glock out of its holster and handed it to him. She knew the drill, her gun belonged to the department pending the conclusion of the investigation.
The captain said, "Really, three shots to the head?"
Kate replied, "He was in the shadows of the house, I wasn't sure I got him."
The captain replied, "You knew, you are the best marksman we have."
Kate said, "I was a little emotional at the time, my partner was bleeding in the street and we needed to get help in there."
The captain said, "Internal affairs will be wanting to talk to you."
Kate replied, "They know where to find me."
The captain said, "Kate, you need to talk to the shrink before you return to work, talk things out. You can't come back without a release."
Kate said, "I will do it but you know how I really feel about it. I give no credence to shrinks."
The captain asked, "Have we heard anything about Sean yet?"
Kate replied, "They are still working. We are waiting for someone to come tell us where we are now."
Haley switched between sitting and fidgeting and pacing in the waiting room. Neither activity seemed to calm her much. Kate wished she had brought a bottle of Jameson with her. Kate was not known for being a patient person and she always hated having to wait.
Kate was thinking about what would happen next. She had no worries of not being cleared to return to work but she knew things would be different. She knew that even if Sean survived, he wouldn't be able to return to work very soon. It was possible he would never return and she had to face that. Whatever that was between them had to stop now and she had to give her support to Sean's wife. In spite of some of the things that happened between the two, Haley clearly loved her husband.
Kate asked, "Can I get you anything to eat? You need to keep your strength up, it may be a long while before we know anything."
Haley replied, "That is a kind offer. I am not very hungry right now but I know I will need to eat."
Kate said, "I am going to run and grab a burger, I will bring you back something."
The hospital had a cafeteria but she had been in enough hospitals to know what she could expect from there. She decided on a burger from a joint nearby and she asked for two when she placed the order.
When Kate returned with what would be their dinner she found Haley with her head bent down in her hands with tears clearly visible.
Kate asked, "Is everything okay, have you heard anything new?"
Haley replied, "No I haven't heard anything, I guess the stress has just caught up with me. I don't know if I can handle this."
Kate replied, "Haley, no matter what happens, you won't have to face it alone. I will be here."
Haley replied, "Thanks. I was impressed that you shot the guy three times in the head."
Kate smiled and said, "It was a safety thing. I had to protect the public and besides, I didn't want this guy to lawyer up and get out on a technicality, but that is between you and me."
Haley replied, "Noted, for my ears only. I want to confess something. I was jealous of you two working together."
Kate responded, "I know. He told me. Let me address that. He and I worked closely together in a very dangerous profession. We saw things no human should ever witness and we had that in common, but you have to know that Sean is a good man. He isn't a perfect man but he is a good one."
Haley stood and gave Kate a warm hug. Kate said, "Just know we are both on the same side. I know how selfish some men can be, I was married to one and my profession didn't help matters any. The job will break a relationship that isn't strong. I need to sleep some, I have to pick my daughter up in the morning. She was very fond of Sean and she was devastated by the news."
Haley said, "I need to doze some myself. I heard about you sending Megan away for her own protection, are things safer now?"
Kate replied, "I don't have any idea where the attacker is now. Megan wants to be here now and I doubt I could keep her away."
The chatter slowed and the sounds of heavy breathing replaced it. Kate set an alarm on her phone but she was pretty sure she would wake before it went off. It was the loud sounds of sirens outside that woke Kate as she watched more bodies being delivered to the hospital. It was time to get ready to go to the airport. It would be cheese crackers and coffee from a machine for breakfast.
Kate left Haley sleeping. She knew there would be plenty of sleepless nights in her future, there was no need to wake her now. She ate the crackers quickly and carried the coffee with her as she made her way to her car. Traffic would be heavy and she anticipated that when she decided to leave when she did.
Kate made it to the airport in plenty of time to extract Megan and get back to the hospital. There was a big hug upon meeting and then Kate hurried them both to the car, threw the luggage into the trunk and sped away like they were on fire.
Megan asked, “I guess you have been getting along with Haley?”
Kate replied, “Yes she has been very nice and I know it is a difficult time for her.”
Megan was surprised given all of the bad things her mom had said about Haley but she let it drop. She wasn’t in a mood to fight right now, there were some very important things happening at the hospital.
Megan asked, “Has there been any new developments?”
Kate replied, “We haven’t heard anything from a doctor in hours. I am sure if there is any improvement it would be so small it would be hard to catch. This is going to be a very long road, assuming he makes it at all. He is very badly hurt.”
When they made it back to the hospital Kate couldn’t see any signs of things changing. Haley and Megan gave each other a hug that Kate thought almost looked genuine. There was nothing anyone could do at the moment but wait.
While the three women sat immersed in small talk a doctor finally came out and asked for the family of Sean McCarthy and the three women stood up.
The doctor said, “Follow me to the family room.”
They went into a room just outside the patient area and it had couches, chairs, tables, a refrigerator and microwave. The doctor said, “You can stay in here while you wait, but now we sit and talk. Mr. McCarthy is gravely injured and there are some things we won’t know for a long while. He is improving but in very small increments.”
Haley asked with the fear clearly visible on her face, “Is he going to make it?”
The doctor answered, “I think the answer to that question is yes, but he isn’t out of the woods yet and it will be a long road back. We aren’t letting him have visitors for another couple of days so I suggest you go home, get some rest, eat and live as normal a life as you can for now and let his body work on repairing itself. The bullet fragment slightly grazed his spinal cord and it may be a long while before he can walk again, but I think in time he will.”
The women sat speechless with tears streaming down their cheeks. Kate said, “Sean is a fighter and he can beat this, we just have to show him we are in his corner.”
When the doctor left, the three women stood and embraced in a group hug. Haley said, “I guess we aren’t doing any good up here, so I am going to check on our kids and try to sleep.”
Kate replied, “If you need anything and I mean anything, give me a call and I will be there. I can help with the kids, help with food or laundry. I am going to be confined to a desk for a few days so no long hours for a while.”
Haley grabbed Kate’s hand and said, “Thank you and thank you for getting that guy. I have never wanted to harm another human but with that guy it’s different. Let’s just say I feel better knowing he is gone.”
Kate just replied, “You are welcome, let’s go home.”