by Impulsive
Ty didn't like the sound of that. If we pull her through. "You'd damn well better do something, and fast, or there's going to be hell to pay."
The ward clerk patted his arm, trying to calm him. "They'll do their best, sir, but sometimes these things are touch and go. Why don't you come with me? You can wait in the hall, out of the way. Perhaps you should phone her parents and alert them."
Ty shook his head. "I'm staying. I'll call her mom as soon as I know Jess is going to be okay."
From the exam table, where they were hooking Jess up to a monitor, the doctor grumbled, "What is this tangle of wire she's wearing? Get her out of it."
"Her wings," Ty replied, his voice cracking. "Those are her blasted tooth fairy wings."
"She'll be lucky if she's not wearing another kind before the night's over," the doctor predicted. Then, as if his prophesy had triggered a reaction, he exclaimed, "Damn! We're losing her! There's no pulse! Get the defib over here, stat!"
The ward secretary pulled Ty out of the way as a nurse brushed past him to pull the machine to the table. Ty watched numbly as they readied the paddles. "Please, God. Please, Jess," he sobbed, unable to formulate an actual prayer.
Through his tears, he saw her body lurch off the table as they tried to shock her heart back into action. Once. Twice. On the third attempt, they got a heartbeat, and Ty released the breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding.
"She's back. For now," the intern announced tersely. "But we've got to get this shit out of her system." He jerked his head toward Ty. "You. Go call her mother. Find out if she's allergic to anything, particularly medication. I don't want to save her only to kill her by administering something else she shouldn't have. And get her permission to operate—just in case. We shouldn't have to open her up, but it's best to be prepared, on the off chance of hemorrhage or some other complication."
Loath to leave Jess's side, Ty obeyed the directive anyway. There were no two ways about it. He had to call Claudia. Though he dreaded telling her, she had a right to know that her only daughter's life was hanging by a thread—and the hospital needed information only she could provide.
He tried to compose himself as he dialed the number, but the moment he said her name, Claudia knew from the sound of his voice that something was terribly wrong. "Tell me straight out, Ty. I know it's Jess. Is she..."
"She's in the hospital, here in Miami. They need to know if she's allergic to any medication... and they want permission to operate if necessary."
"What happened? Were you in an accident?"
"No. We went to a party. We think someone slipped her some drugs. The doctor is working on her now."
There was a stunned silence, then, "Oh, my God! Is she conscious?"
"Not yet. She was, until just before we got to the hospital. Claudia... her heart quit. They had to... to shock her back to life."
"I'm coining," Claudia vowed through her own tears. "Tell her I'm on my way. Tell the doctor she's only allergic to strawberries, and to operate if they have to."
"Wait! The nurse is right here. She needs to hear you give permission."
He turned the phone over to the nurse and hurried back to Jess. They were still working over her at a feverish pace. "How is she?"
"Do us a favor, Mr. Touchdown, and don't ask us that every two seconds," the doctor said. "We'll tell you when there's any significant change you should know about. Did you get hold of her mother?"
"She gave permission for any medical treatment and said Jess is only allergic to strawberries," Ty related.
"Good. So, this is where we're at. We've pumped her stomach, hooked her up to an IV and the monitor, and now we're going to sit back and see how it goes. You can sit with her, if you want. Talk to her. Let her know she's safe. If she regains consciousness, call the nurse. The monitor will automatically signal the desk if she goes into arrest again, so don't panic and charge out of here with your tail on fire. We'll be on our way before you clear the door." He headed out of the room, then turned and added, "By the way, there's a rest room down the hall if you'd like to wash that gray stuff off your face, assuming that's not your normal complexion."
"Thanks, but you still haven't answered my question. Is she going to be all right?"
"We won't know that for a few hours yet, but it helps that you got her here as quickly as you did. The longer the wait, the more drugs enter the bloodstream. She's also fortunate that she consumed the drugs orally. Via injection, we're talking a direct hit to the veins. Just for the record, I did check, very thoroughly, for needle marks. The cops always like to know these things."
"Cops?" Ty repeated, still in a daze of worry. "I guess I ought to call them, too, in case anyone else at the party—"
The doctor cut him off. "We've already contacted them. Primarily, it's a first come, first serve basis, but they'll get around to you eventually. In the meantime, we'll be keeping an eye peeled for any more of your friends who might come stumbling in here in the same condition. So far, Miss Myers is it, at least from your group. Now, if you'll excuse me, we've got a slew of kids, candy, and stomachs to x-ray. God, I hate this stupid holiday."
Ty moved his car from in front of the emergency entrance, availed himself of the bathroom, and then stationed himself at Jess's bedside, prepared to stay the duration, however long that was. Half an hour later, the police arrived, their demeanor bordering on the blasé as they took his statement, got the location and names of participants of the party, and left. Ty figured they must get this type of call on a regular basis. It was probably no big deal to them anymore, especially compared to rapes, murders, and the like. But they had assured him they would check it out, if only to make certain other people hadn't unwittingly consumed drugs.
"More than likely, Miss Myers got hold of someone else's drink," the older officer presumed. "That, or some idiot thought it would be fun to spike the punch and space everyone out as a Halloween prank."
"An awfully expensive and dangerous prank, if you ask me," Ty said.
"Yeah, you'd be amazed at some of the calls we get, though," the fellow added. He wound his finger aside his head, and quoted, "This is your brain on drugs."
Three hours later, Claudia and John tiptoed into the room, looking frazzled and frantic. "How is she? Did she wake up yet?"
Ty shook his head. "Not yet, but they haven't had to call another code on her, either. She seems to be holding her own."
Claudia approached the bed, leaning over the side rail to brush Jess's hair from her damp forehead. "My poor baby," she crooned. Then, to Ty. "She's soaking wet."
"I know. The nurse told me it's a good sign, that she's sweating the drugs out of her system. We've been wiping her down and changing the pads under her to keep her more comfortable."
Perhaps it was the sound of her mother's voice that finally brought her around. Jess opened her eyes slightly and managed a wobbly smile. "Mom." She winced. "My throat's sore. I don't want to go to school today." Immediately, she dropped off to sleep again.
Claudia, tears filling her eyes, caressed Jess's cheek. "That's all right, sweetie. You just rest and get better. Mom's right here, and I love you."
Ty buzzed for the nurse. Upon learning that her patient had regained consciousness, however briefly, she noted Jess's vital signs again and ran a few quick checks. "Her reflexes appear normal, her pupils are responding much better, and her pulse seems less erratic. All pointing toward recovery. You say she spoke? How did she sound to you?"
"Hoarse," Claudia answered. "She said her throat hurt."
The nurse nodded. "That's typical. We pumped her stomach. But you could understand what she was saying?"
"Her voice was somewhat slurred, but yes," Ty contributed.
"Good. If she's a little disoriented, don't worry. At least she's able to speak and think, which is a definite plus."
John spoke up. "You thought perhaps there might be brain damage?"
The nurse was noncommittal, saying only, "It's been known to happen."
> Ty drew a shaky breath. "Does this mean she's out of danger?"
"Not necessarily," the woman qualified, "but her chances have improved dramatically. Let me know when she wakes again."
The three of them kept their faithful bedside vigil, but Jess slept on. Somewhere around one in the morning, the police officers returned to speak with Ty again. "The party was still in progress," they reported. "As far as we can tell, no one else has suffered any ill effects, so it was probably an isolated incident. Likely just a quirk, like we said before."
"Unless someone deliberately chose to harm Miss Myers," the second officer noted. "Did she, or you, offend anyone there? Was anyone particularly nasty?"
"Only Bambi, one of the Knights' cheerleaders," Ty told them. "But that's nothing out of the ordinary. She's been jealous since Jess and I started dating, and that's been months now, though it didn't set too well when she heard Jess and I became engaged."
"Since when?" Claudia asked in surprise.
"Since I proposed and gave Jess a ring Saturday night."
"Maybe we ought to have a talk with this Bambi," the first officer decided. "Do you know her full name, and where we might find her?"
Jess slept until four o'clock that morning, woke briefly, and went back to sleep for another few hours. Around six-thirty, the same two police officers stopped by for another chat with Ty.
"Tell us more about this altercation between you, Miss Myers, and Bambi Shultz at the party last evening."
"There wasn't any altercation," Ty corrected. "Just a couple of nasty remarks tossed around. Bambi called Jess a fairy, alluding to more than her Halloween costume. Jess returned the compliment by calling Bambi, who came dressed as Eve, a tart. I refused a bite of Bambi's, aka Eve's, apple. Bambi hit the ceiling over our engagement, wishing us both misfortune, and that was that."
"What time did you and Miss Myers leave the party?"
"I can't pinpoint it precisely, but I'd estimate about fifteen or twenty minutes before we arrived here. Frankly, I was driving like a bat out of hell, once I realized that Jess was hallucinating," he admitted.
"Did you speak to anyone just prior to leaving the party?"
"I recall thanking a couple of the Dolphins for inviting us, and Jess stopped on the way out to say goodbye to Pepper, the Knights' head cheerleader. Why? Just where are you heading with all this?"
"We'll ask the questions for now, if you don't mind. Did you, at any time between your arrival at the party and your departure, leave the party and return?"
"No. We stayed for a couple of hours, then left."
"Did you and Miss Myers become separated from each other during this time?"
"Only when Jess went to the ladies' room." Ty frowned. "Would you mind telling me why you're asking?"
"In a minute," the officer said. "While Miss Myers was visiting the bathroom, did you step outside with Miss Shultz for a brief liaison, perhaps?"
Ty glowered. "If that's what Bambi told you, she's lying through her teeth. When is that woman going to give up and stop trying to make trouble between Jess and me? It makes me wonder if she spiked Jess's drink, out of pure spite."
"That's occurred to us, too, along with a few other possibilities. One more question. When was the last you recall seeing Miss Shultz?"
Ty shook his head. "I don't know. Sometime during the party. I couldn't say if she was still there when we left."
"We understand from the nurses that you were quite a mess when you arrived last night. Gray makeup all over your face and hair and hands."
Ty gave a rueful smile. "Yeah. Jess made me up as the Tin Man. I did my best to wash it off, but it's going to take more than a quick splash over the bathroom sink."
"You've still got clumps of it in your hair and behind your ear," the officer commented. "Looks like it smears pretty easy, and tends to stick."
"And your point is?" Ty asked irritably. "Besides the fact that I'm in need of a hot, soapy shower?"
The two officers shared a look and a nod. "Okay, here's the skinny. We had to verify your story against other information we've gathered before we could rule you out as a suspect."
Ty gaped. "A suspect? You think I drugged Jess?"
"No, but we did wonder if you might have sneaked out of the party long enough to kill Miss Shultz."
Ty's eyes widened further, his jaw dropping. "What?" He practically shrieked the word. "Where? When? How?"
They ignored his query for the moment, preferring to relate the details in due process. "Despite the argument between Miss Myers and Miss Shultz, we knew your fiancée didn't do it. There was evidence of sexual intercourse, which naturally points to a man as the perpetrator. It appears that Miss Shultz either had a romantic interlude that turned ugly, or someone lured her outside with the intention of murdering her. A couple of guests looking for privacy stumbled over her body on the golf course behind the country club where the party was held. That was a few hours ago, after we last spoke to you."
The second man took up the tale. "Of course, we'd still like to compare your story with Miss Myers', but all things considered, the time frame doesn't really jibe. Moreover, if you were the killer, Miss Shultz should be smeared with that gray paste you were coated with."
"I take it she wasn't," Ty concluded.
The older man shook his head. "Nope, and it would have been fairly obvious, since the only clothing she had on at the time she was found was her bra. It was knotted around her neck. The coroner will be able to supply more details when he finishes the autopsy, and the news media will sniff them out, too, no doubt."
"So, I take it you're not about to read me my rights and haul me off in handcuffs?" Ty deduced, his voice laced with irony. "Or warn me not to leave town?"
"Nah. We know where to find you if we need to. Still, you might watch what you say to the reporters. They're going to have a field day with this one, no punt intended."
Ty heaved a weary sigh. "What else is new?"
CHAPTER 27
By late that afternoon, Jess was well enough to be transferred to a private room. After his own recent experience in the hospital, Ty was not about to rely on the hospital staff to see to her safety. He was determined to do that himself, even if it meant literally living in there with her for the next few days.
Jess put up only a weak objection. "Ty, you look like you're about to drop over. You need some rest, darling. In a bed, not a lumpy chair. Besides, Mom and John are here, too."
"John is flying back to Dayton tonight," he told her. "And let's face it. Your mom couldn't whip a bowl of overcooked noodles, let alone a man. I'm staying."
She smiled, and gave his hand a weak squeeze. "Good. I need you near me. I was just trying not to be a thoughtless wimp."
"You?" he teased. "My fearless Amazon reporter? No way."
When Jess fell asleep again, Ty did let Claudia and John take over, while he drove to the mansion and packed up their belongings. At Claudia's insistence, he used her and John's motel room to take a shower, shave, and change clothes. Also at her urging, he called his parents and Josh, told them that he'd asked Jess to marry him, and explained about Jess being in the hospital.
"You don't want them hearing about it second-hand, on the news or in the papers, in the same breath with that cheerleader's murder and Jess's so-called accidental overdose," Claudia admonished him. "The way the media distorts things, your family is liable to think Jess is some sort of junkie, for heaven's sake! Even if they don't believe the worst of her, that is not the ideal way to announce your engagement. As thrilled as I am for both of you, eavesdropping on your conversation with the police was not how I'd envisioned learning of my daughter's plans to marry. It's a wonder I didn't keel over, but I guess I was still too numb with fear that Jess might die for it to make the proper impact."
Jess wasn't released from the hospital until Wednesday, and then with strict orders to rest and avoid any physical or emotional stress for at least a week.
"Ha!" she scoffed. "If that doctor on
ly knew! Stress is our middle name these days. It's become part and parcel of our everyday lives. I'm becoming so used to it that if a week went by without it, I'd be bored simple."
All three of them, Jess, Claudia, and Ty, flew back to Columbus together. Claudia insisted on staying with Jess, at least through the next weekend, to make sure she followed the doctor's orders.
"Mom," Jess protested, "you know how you hate sleeping on that futon... and what about John?"
"He can fend for himself for a few more days. Besides, he's already agreed. He'll drive down Sunday to pick me up. Meanwhile, you and I can have a nice little mother/daughter visit and get caught up on things. Like this recent engagement for instance," she added significantly. "Maybe we can get started on some wedding plans."
"Ty and I haven't even had time to decide when we want to tie the knot, let alone any of the other particulars. He just popped the question Saturday, and things have been rather hectic since then. We really need some time to discuss it together, at our leisure, first."
"Right," Ty agreed, jumping into the conversation. "Let's not get the cart before the horse."
Claudia was openly disappointed. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to browse through a few bridal magazines, would it? After all, we are talking about my only daughter's wedding, and if I'm footing the bill, I want it to be nice."
"You don't have to pay for anything," Ty assured her, trying to be amicable. "Between us, Jess and I can handle it."
Claudia's face clouded. "Now, listen here you overrated Romeo! I'm not some destitute bag lady. I fully intend to finance this wedding. And if you—"
"Mom, I'm sure Ty didn't mean any offense," Jess inserted hastily. "Did you, Ty?"
"Absolutely not. I simply thought that Jess and I are a little old to be having our parents pay for our wedding, especially when we're capable of doing it ourselves. Lots of couples are taking over that responsibility these days."
"Oh, well, that's different," Claudia said, partially mollified. "But I still want to pay for part of it. It's only proper."