Code Blue With Intent

by Marilyn Esper Kelsey

  The fog was lifting. Megan! He mentioned Megan! Where is she? Where am I? Why can’t I move?

  Ben Lucien rushed into the recovery room, looking for Jake. “What happened to Kate? It’s all over the hospital that she was shot.”

  Flushed with anger, Jake shouted, “Some fucking bastard shot her in her house!”

  “Do the police know who shot her?” Ben asked.

  “No. Apparently, the son of a bitch escaped before the police arrived. However, according to the police, Kate injured him before she ran to her neighbor’s house. They said there was a blood trail from the house down the driveway.”

  “What happened?” Ben asked.

  “All I know is that her neighbor called the police after Kate ran over to her house after she was shot.”

  “Is she going to be all right?” Ben asked.

  “God, I hope so!” Jake was totally drained.

  Richard spoke up. “Yes. She’s going to be fine. She came through the surgery without a hitch.” Richard felt sorry for Jake. He was a wreck. He must really care for her.

  “Jake, did you do the surgery?” Ben asked, concerned about his friend.

  “No, thank God, Remy Sinclair was in the ER when she came in. She operated on Kate. I wasn’t in the hospital. Richard called me.”

  “She could have been killed!” Ben heaved a huge sigh of relief.

  “Don’t even go there!” Jake said sharply.

  “Why don’t you go home, or at least lie down? I’ll come and get you up when she wakes up,” Ben said, hoping Jake would get some rest.

  Jake shook his head. “No way. I’m not leaving her side, not for one minute!”

  Kate’s mind was spinning. She heard bits and pieces of their conversation. Who was operated on? Who could have been killed? She felt a warm hand in her hand and another hand gently stroking her forehead.

  “Please open your eyes, Kate! I need you to wake up!” Jake urged.

  Kate tried desperately to open her eyes. They were so heavy, like iron curtains refusing to lift. She clasped her hand in his and forced her eyes open.

  “Kate, thank God!” Jake’s relief was palpable.

  “Jake, where am I?” Her mouth was dry; she could barely speak. She scanned around the room, and Ben Lucien and Richard Timmers slowly came into focus.

  “You’re in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?”

  Fog still clouded her mind, and she felt lightheaded, “No, what happened?”

  “First of all, you’re going to be fine.” Jake hesitated a moment, then continued. “You were shot in your arm.”

  Kate blanched and tried to lift her head up to look at her arm but fell back down on her pillow.

  “Stay still, Kate. Everything will be all right. There is no permanent damage to your arm.”

  “Megan . . . where’s Megan?”

  “She’s right here. Do you want me to bring her in?”

  “Yes,” she uttered weakly.

  Ben rose from his chair. “I’ll go get her.”

  Kate closed her eyes to stop the room from spinning.

  Ben stepped out of the recovery room toward the waiting room to get Megan.

  “Dr. Lucien, how is Kate doing? I heard she was shot.”

  Ben turned around. “Oh hi, Rita. Yes, but she is going to be all right. What are you doing here so late?”

  “I’m doing a double shift tonight. We’re shorthanded. I’m glad to hear Kate’s going to recover,” Rita said.

  “We’re all relieved, Rita.” Ben said.

  ***

  Things were looking up for Rita. Her sister, Jenny, now fifteen was starting to come around. Two weeks ago, the doctor had called Rita and reported that Jenny had finally started talking and asking for her sister. Rita had rushed to the hospital and embraced her sister, and Jenny had hugged her back. She’d looked into her sister’s eyes, and they had both wept in each other’s arms. Jenny’s speech was slow, but she stated that she wanted to go home. Rita couldn’t believe it—her baby sister was finally coming around.

  Jenny was not a little girl anymore; she was a pretty, long-legged, thin girl with wavy, dark hair and big, dark-brown eyes. Jenny told Rita that she remembered Rita brushing her hair when she was a child, and Rita cried with happiness that Jenny had recalled something special about her childhood. Rita promised to be back soon and to work on getting Jenny home with her again. Jenny smiled that big grin and tears of joy glistened in her eyes.

  Rita went right to the nursing home to tell her mother the good news about Jenny. Janet was sitting up in a chair, and when Rita told her the news, a trace of a smile appeared on her lips. The nurses had told Rita that her mother was a little more alert and working very hard at her rehab. For the first time in years, Rita felt she might have a chance to get her family back. Rita had been able to take her mom to her apartment on weekends and on some holidays when she was off, but now she was almost ready to buy a house and vowed she would do anything to be reunited with her family in the same house.

  Things were looking up with Josh too. Just thinking about Josh made her weak in the knees and other places too. They had gone out every chance they could when she wasn’t working. Josh was sweet and kind and understood her passion for getting her family back together. With Josh, she got to experience things she hadn’t had growing up—like going to the movies, going out to dinner, riding bicycles in the park, hanging out together watching a movie at home, or making sweet, passionate love. Rita never thought she could be so happy enjoying life. She finally knew what the big hype was all about. Her future was looking brighter. Much brighter.

  Chapter 33

  A man in dark blue scrubs and a white lab coat walked over to the young girl sitting in the OR waiting room. Her long, coltish legs were pulled up in the chair with her head on her knees. Her long, blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, with wisps of hair flying wildly around her face.

  Yes—he looked at the picture from his pocket—that was her alright. He tapped her on the shoulder. “Are you alright, Miss?”

  The girl glanced up at the man, with tears trickling down her flushed cheeks. His name tag read “Hector Rodriquez.”

  “I’m ok.” She wiped her eyes with a Kleenex. “My mom just had surgery. I’m . . . I’m waiting to see her.”

  “I’m Hector, an orderly here. Why don’t we go down to the cafeteria for some hot chocolate, a soda, or something?”

  “I can’t. I need to be here when my mom wakes up.”

  “She’s probably going to be out for a while, and the nurse could call us when your mom wakes up. Besides, I know your mom. I’ve worked with her. Your name is Megan, right?”

  “Yes, that’s me. I suppose I could go for just a few minutes. I am kind of thirsty,” the girl said.

  The man smiled triumphantly. “Good. Let’s go.”

  They reached the elevator, the door opened, and they stepped inside. Just as the orderly put his hand in his pocket, a hand reached in and stopped the elevator from closing.

  “Megan, your mom is awake. You can go see her now.”

  Megan bolted out of the elevator, excited to see her mom. She turned and said, “Thanks, Hector, I—” But the elevator door closed. Megan shrugged and continued to walk rapidly beside Dr. Lucien to the recovery room.

  ***

  Damn it! This is the second time that bitch has won out. He was furious. He ripped off the lab coat and threw it on the floor. I’ll get my revenge later! The elevator door opened at the lobby. Lenny Cicone exited the elevator and stomped out of the hospital’s front entrance.

  “Wait a minute, mister. You left your lab coat in the elevator.” The nurse tried to catch the man, but she was too late; he was gone. Oh well. I’ll just leave his lab jacket in the men’s locker room, she decided.

  ***

  Later that evening, Hec
tor Rodriquez entered the locker room and saw his lab jacket hanging by his locker. Thank God. There’s my lab coat and name tag. I thought I’d lost it.

  Chapter 34

  “Mom, it’s Megan. Open your eyes.”

  Kate forced her eyes open and made an attempt to smile at her daughter. She could see the fear in her tear-streaked distressed eyes. “I’m okay, honey. Just groggy.”

  “Mommy, I was so scared. Please don’t die like Daddy!” Megan sobbed and put her head on Kate’s shoulder.

  With extreme effort, Kate placed her good arm around her daughter to comfort her. “Megan, I’m not going to die.” It tore her heart to see Megan so distraught.

  In between sobs, Megan said, “What happened, Mom? Who shot you?”

  “I don’t remember right now. I’m still groggy from surgery.” Her head was throbbing, and the dizziness was getting stronger.

  Jake could tell she was in pain. He reached for Megan. “Your mom is still waking up. Don’t worry. she’s going to be perfect in time. Why don’t we let her rest? They’ll be moving her up to her room shortly. Why don’t we go up to her room and wait for her?”

  “No,” Megan cried. “I don’t want to leave her.”

  “Honey, go ahead up to my room with Jake. You know him, and I promise I’ll be up shortly.

  Ben appeared at the bedside. “I’ll stay with your mother, Megan, and come up with her when they transfer her to her room.”

  “Thanks, Ben,” Jake said reluctantly, since he didn’t want to leave Kate either.

  “I’ll stay with her too,” Dr. Timmers chimed in.

  Megan left with Jake, holding his hand. She looked up at Jake with the saddest, blue, teared-filled eyes. They tore at his heart.

  “Dr. Fenelli, is my mom going to be all right?”

  “Yes, Megan. I’ll make sure of it!” He squeezed her hand tightly.

  ***

  The next time Kate woke up, she was in her hospital room on the fifth floor. The room was dark, except for the light from the hallway. She glanced over to the corner to see Jake sitting by the window and her daughter curled up on the window seat, sleeping under a blanket.

  Jake opened his eyes as if he knew Kate was looking his way. Kate smiled at him; quietly, he rose from the chair and moved over to sit on the side of her bed. He whispered softly to avoid waking Megan up. “Feeling better?”

  Kate smirked. “I feel like I was shot.”

  Jake smiled, relieved. “You have your sense of humor back; that’s good.”

  “What time is it? What day is it?”

  “It’s four o’clock in the morning. You left the recovery room around ten o’clock last night. You’ve been sleeping since then.”

  “It’s the morphine they gave me. Good stuff.” She glanced over at Megan. “How is Megan doing?”

  “She’s a trouper, just like her mom.” Jake grabbed her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it.

  Kate placed her hand on his cheek. “Jake, you’re exhausted. Why don’t you go home? Could you bring Megan home with you?”

  “I’m not leaving you. Not till I know what’s going on. Do you remember anything?”

  “Everything is still fuzzy, but I’m remembering bits and pieces.”

  A nurse entered the room. “Kate, you’re awake. How’s the pain? Dr. Sinclair left strict orders you are to be medicated before the pain gets severe. She’s been calling every two hours to check on you.”

  “I’m feeling okay. Just a bit of pain,” Kate answered.

  “Do you want a shot?”

  “No, I’ll ring if it gets worse. Thanks.”

  “I’ll check on you later. I’m Marsha, I’ll be your nurse till seven a.m. Ring if you need me.”

  “Thank you, Marsha.”

  As soon as the nurse left the room, Jake said, “Why don’t you go back to sleep? We’ll talk later. I’ll be right here watching over you and Megan.” He kissed her gently.

  Kate grinned at his tenderness, closed her eyes, and immediately fell back into a drug- induced deep sleep.

  ***

  “What happened with the hit?”

  “That fucking bitch kicked me in the balls and then hit me over the head, knocking me out. Luckily, I came to before the cops pulled up.” Lenny Cicone was still pissed. He’d never failed to complete an assignment.

  “Can she ID you?”

  “Hell, yes. She stared right at me,” Lenny said, getting more agitated.

  “I think it’s best you leave the area for now. We’ll call you when the heat dies down.”

  Lenny heard the disappointment and anger in the voice. “Look, man. I want to complete my hit. No bitch is going to get the best of me. This is the first for me, and I don’t like it.”

  “No, you look, man! Get the hell out of Jersey! We will let you know when we think it’s the right time.” The man slammed down the phone.

  Stunned, Lenny screamed into the phone, “Fuck you, man! I’ll do whatever I damn well please!” He threw his cell phone across the room. No one tells Lenny Cicone what to do!

  Chapter 35

  Kate woke up to the sun streaming through the hospital window. Jake was sleeping, propped up on the chair. Megan was still sleeping on the window seat. Kate moved her arm and almost yelled out in pain. Damn, that hurts!

  Dr. Remy Sinclair entered into the room. “How’s my patient doing?”

  Jake woke up at the sound of voices. Dr. Sinclair glanced his way. “Sorry, Jake. I didn’t realize you were still here.” She turned back to Kate. “Any pain?”

  “Some,” she lied, not wanting to get zoned-out on Morphine again. “Tell me about my arm; is it going to be ok?”

  “Yes. It’s going to be as good as new. You were lucky. The bullet embedded in the fleshy tissue in the upper arm. It did not hit any major arteries or nerves. You’re going to be sore as hell for awhile but should regain full use of your arm.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Sinclair. When can I go home?”

  “How about giving me one more day? I’d like to keep you on IV fluids and antibiotics and check your blood count in the morning. You lost a lot of blood.”

  Kate sighed. “I guess I can take one more day.”

  “I’ll check on you later. Have the nurses call me if you need me. By the way, the police want to talk to you today. Are you up to it?”

  “How about later today?”

  “Fine with me. I’ll let you know what time later.” The doctor waved to Jake and left the room.

  Jake stood up, stretched, yawned, and sat on Kate’s bed. They talked a few minutes until Megan woke up and ran to her mother. “Are you better, Mom?”

  “Yes, sweetheart. I feel much better. I was just talking to Jake about taking you home with him to get some breakfast, a shower and some sleep in a real bed. You’re both exhausted.” Megan actually looked much better than Jake. She had slept through the night, whereas Jake had been awake most of the night.

  Megan surprised Kate by agreeing. She was starved and said she would love a shower. Jake reluctantly relented. Two against one. In truth, he didn’t want to leave Kate alone. He hadn’t told her yet about Larissa Markov and her doctor friend from Premier Regional getting shot in their home. Things were definitely out of control.

  “How about I get someone to stay with you till I come back later?” Jake offered.

  “I’ll be fine. I have the whole hospital staff here. Go get some sleep. Thank you for taking care of my girl.”

  “My pleasure. I’ll call you later.”

  Jake and Megan both kissed her on the cheek and left.

  Kate rang the call button when they left and asked for a pain shot. She drifted in and out of sleep, thinking about the shooting. What if the killer comes back? What was he after? Was this connected with what I’m working on? Oh, God, what if Megan had been home?
Maybe I should think about sending Megan to her grandmother’s in Charleston, till I figure out what’s going on. My mother! What am I going to tell my mother?

  Kate smiled thinking of her mom, who was ninety-eight years old and sharp as a tack. Her mother had moved to South Carolina a few years ago to escape the harsh northern winters and lived by Kate’s sister, Carolyn, her husband Bob, and their daughter, Morgan. Kate and Megan loved to visit them in Charleston as much as they could, especially in the winter. Megan usually spent a couple of weeks with her grandmother on summer vacation and spent a lot of time with her cousin Morgan while they were there. They went to Folly Beach and swam in the ocean, sunbathed, went crabbing and fishing with Megan’s Uncle Bob, and ate all the seafood they could. This might be a perfect time for Kate to arrange a summer visit before school started, and it wouldn’t seem strange or out of the ordinary. Kate didn’t want to alarm her mother until she knew exactly what was going on. Yes, that’s a great idea—send Megan to her grandmother’s, and get her away from this madness. Maybe when this is all over, I’ll go down and visit too.

  Kate felt at peace with her decision, relaxed, and fell back into a deep sleep.

  ***

  “What the hell is going on? You gave me twenty-four hours. Why did you jump the gun? I could have reasoned with her, scared her, or anything but kill her!”

  “Calm down, doctor. Just trying to tie up loose ends.”

  “You made it worse, you fucking moron! Now she’s really suspicious, and the cops are all over this now. I could have contained the situation, but not now!” the doctor shouted.

  “Then we will have to make sure we do the job right, now, won’t we.” It was more of a statement than a question.

  “You fucking idiot!” the doctor replied.

  “Now, doc—” The line went dead.

  The doctor shook his head and thought, This whole thing has gotten way out of hand. Damn it! I was so close to having everything I wanted.

  Chapter 36

  “Hello.”

  “Another assignment for you.”