by Riker, Becky
Josie rolled as she hit the ground, but the straps confined her, and she was not able to completely escape the trailer that the car was towing. The last thing she saw, before a knock to the back of her head rendered her unconscious, was the wheel coming toward her face.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Tag was not too surprised to see Molly calling him while he was on shift. She did occasionally get in touch with him – especially since the incident – and she had no way of knowing he was at work.
What surprised him was the second call. He tried to answer it, but she only let it ring twice so he missed it. Tag wondered if she hit redial by accident.
When Molly’s name showed up a third time in fifteen minutes, he left the room to make a call.
“Molly,” he closed the break room door, “what’s up?”
“It’s Josie,” her voice was indistinct. “She’s had an accident.”
She went on to say something else, but Tag couldn’t understand much beyond, ‘Mom or Dad,’ and ‘puppet.’
“Calm down, Molly,” he forced himself to breathe. “Where is she?”
“Presbyterian.”
“Where are you?” he waved at Jacobson and indicated that he was leaving.
“On my way there.”
He cringed, “You’re driving?”
“I just pulled into the ER lot.”
“I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
She hung up.
Tag dialed Jacobson as he neared his car.
“Right behind you,” Harry called out from ten feet away as the phone began to ring.
Tag looked back over his shoulder, “Hey. Josie’s been in an accident.
“That was her?”
“No,” he climbed into the driver’s seat, “Molly.”
“Car accident?”
“I don’t know. Molly wasn’t exactly coherent.”
“And she driving?” his reaction was similar to Tag’s.
“Not anymore,” he flipped on the lights to move more easily through traffic.
“What does Molly drive?” Harry climbed out of the passenger side as they pulled into the ER lot. “I’ll go make sure they aren’t going to tow her.”
“Silver Camry. Five years old,” Tag left the car running as he exited the driver’s seat.
Harry drove off as Tag ran into the ER.
“Can I help you, officer?” the nurse at the desk wore a wary expression.
“I’m looking for a patient – Josie Drake.”
The nurse looked down at the computer, “She’s in OR one. I don’t think you are going to be able to talk to her for a while. Is she involved in a case?” she looked concerned. “Usually they put a note up.”
Tag was not going to elaborate on his non-relationship with Josie, “Can you tell me if her sister is here yet? I’d like to speak to her.”
“The sister is in the back.”
Tag didn’t wait any longer.
“Thanks,” he headed through the locked doors, knowing the nurse would press the button to ensure he could get through.
“Tag,” Molly saw him as he passed through the doors, “you’re here,” she rose and walked into his open arms.
“What happened?” he was certain he didn’t want to hear the answer.
“She’s was on the job, and something went wrong with the stunt.”
His arms tensed, “Went wrong?”
“She fell off a moving car and then got caught in the jerk vest. The coordinator said he wasn’t sure if she hit her head on the way down, but she did slide across the pavement and then her head hit a post. The car was towing a trailer, which almost ran into her, but the driver managed to get off the road before it got that far.”
He drooped against the wall, unable to support his own weight, “And. . .she’s. . .what do they say?”
Molly leaned against the wall next to him, “The doctor hasn’t been out to tell me anything yet.”
Tag closed his eyes and leaned his head back.
“Hey, Madden,” Jacobson strode through the doors, drawing Tag and Molly’s attention.
“Harry,” Tag was glad to see his partner.
“I tagged Molly’s car to keep them from towing it, but she should still move it to overnight if she gets a chance. How’s Josie?”
Tag shook his head, “No news.”
Harry took Molly’s arm and led her to a row of chairs, “Go ask them.”
Tag wasn’t sure he could make his legs move up to the nurse’s station. He was positive he couldn’t ask them about Josie.
When he didn’t move, Harry glared at him.
Tag shook his head.
Harry left Molly sitting alone and went to speak to the young lady at the desk.
Tag’s feet felt as though they each weighed one hundred pounds as he trudged over to where Molly sat.
“Did you call your parents?”
She shook her head, “I couldn’t get ahold of them. They’ve been out in Pittsburg visiting my grandma since last week. Jo and I only went up for Thanksgiving Day, but they wanted to stay a little longer.”
“You left them a message, though.”
“Just to call me. I didn’t want them to start driving home before talking to me.”
Harry sat on Molly’s opposite side, “The nurse said they’ve just finished up with Josie.”
Tag couldn’t voice the question, so Molly did.
“Can we see her?”
“She’s in recovery,” he took Molly’s hand. “The doctor would like to talk to you before you go see her.”
Tag felt useless. He was pretty sure the doctor would have no desire to talk to him. He wasn’t being very helpful to Molly right now, and he had no idea how to deal with the terrible fear that was threatening to overpower him.
“Maybe I’ll just go finish my shift,” Tag stood up.
Harry shoved him back down, “I called the lieutenant and told him what was up. We’re off in an hour anyway.”
Molly looked at Tag as if she were expecting something from him.
“Thanks, Harry,” he couldn’t force any more past his lips.
Harry stood up, “I’m going to take the car back to the station. Call me if you need anything.”
Molly allowed him to drop her hand, “Thanks, Officer Jacobson.”
“Harry,” he tendered a brief small before leaving.
Molly stood up and reached for Tag’s hand, “Coming?”
He wanted to support her. Or, at least, he knew he should support her. What he really wanted to do was run away and hide. What would he do if the doctor told them Josie was going to be paralyzed or lose a limb? He couldn’t even make his mind turn to worse scenarios.
“C’mon, Tag,” she urged. “I can’t do this alone.”
“Molly,” the words caught in his throat, “I don’t know if I can hear what he has to say.”
Molly stared at him for a moment. He was surprised that she didn’t seem to be angry. In fact, the look in her eye seemed to be one of pity.
Finally, she sighed, “How about you go sit with her while I talk to the doctor.”
Tag stood up, “I thought you said you couldn’t. . .”
She shook her head as if she realized how weak he was, “Never mind that, Tag. You go sit with her.”
“I’m sorry, Molly,” Tag could feel the tears burning the back of his throat. “I don’t know what . . .I’m not usually like this.”
“I know,” she squeezed his shoulder. “I remember.”
He looked at the nurse, “Where is Josie Drake?”
The nurse’s look was at least as sympathetic as the one Molly wore, “She’s in twelve. Down the hall and to the right.”
He nodded his thanks and headed in the right direction. Seeing the woman he loved in the hospital bed almost made him turn and run.
When she was awake, Josie was full of energy and enthusiasm. She radiated life. Tag knew she was short, but somehow she didn’t seem like a small person. Lying in the bed, Josie loo
ked tiny. She only covered two-thirds of the mattress with her length, and she was practically swimming in the one-size-fits-all gown they had put her in.
Tag assessed her condition. Her face was as pale as the plaster of her cast. Her head was bandaged, she was hooked up to monitors of some sort, she had oxygen tubes up her nose, and it looked like she was wearing braces on an arm and a leg.
He pulled the chair up to the bed and lowered the rail.
He stared at her for a few minutes before he found his voice, “Please be okay, Josie. I think there are some things I need to tell you. At least, I need you to see that I’m changing – I’m trying to be better for you. I know it’s not enough, but I’m trying.”
Tag put his elbows on her bed, taking care to not bump her.
“Tag,” Molly came in and rested a hand on his shoulder, “the doctor said she will be sleeping for a while. There’s quite a bit of swelling on the brain.”
“She’s going to be okay, isn’t she?”
Molly sat on the foot of the bed, “Her leg isn’t broken, but she must have twisted when she fell off because she tore a ligament. She broke her left wrist. Her spinal cord is intact.”
“Her brain?”
“They have to wait,” Molly looked at her sister. “They’re going to do some more tests tomorrow morning.”
Tag rested his face in his hands, “Okay.”
“Why don’t you go home for a while? I’ll call you if anything changes.”
He shook his head, “They’ll want to talk to you in the morning anyway. I’ll stay here tonight, so you can get some rest.”
She frowned at him, “Don’t you want to go home and change first?”
He looked down at his uniform. “Nah. I’m okay.”
Molly chuckled, “But they’re going to think Josie did something wrong to be guarded by a cop.”
He couldn’t conjure up an answering smile.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Molly.”
About an hour after she left, the nurse stopped in.
“Can I help you with something?” she looked nervous.
Tag had read everything that the room had to offer, including how to release the brakes on the bed. He wondered if she had anything more enlightening.
She spoke again before he could ask, “If you are waiting for a statement, I think you may be sitting here a while. They told the family she won’t be awake before tomorrow.”
Tag shook his head, “I was at work when I got the call.”
Her brow furrowed.
“I’m a cop,” he informed her unnecessarily, “but I’m not here because. . .”
He wasn’t making any sense, “This is Josie. I’m here because this is Josie. She’s. . . she’s my. . .” he didn’t know what to call her, so he stopped talking.
“Oh,” the nurse relaxed considerably.
“Can I get you something to read? Or some coffee?”
He shook his head, “No coffee, but if you have something more interesting than Proper Care of Stitches, I’d be grateful.”
She smiled, “I’ll see what I can find. She’ll have a television in her room upstairs too, so that should help.”
“She’s going upstairs?”
“To ICU. Didn’t the doctor tell you?”
Tag shook his head, “He talked to Molly – her sister. Molly probably thought I was going to flip out again if she told me any more stuff.”
He felt a little sheepish about his prior reaction.
The nurse smiled, “It’s a terrifying thing – to get a call that a loved one is in the hospital. Most people flip out.”
Tag nodded, but it didn’t really make him feel better. He was trained to keep it together while others were losing their heads. He should have been able to handle this.
He castigated himself for twenty minutes on the matter before a different nurse arrived to move Josie upstairs.
“I’m sorry,” she looked him up and down. “Are we supposed to be getting a release for her to move?”
“A release?” he folded up the magazine the first nurse had found for him.
“From the Police Department?”
He stood up, “No. I’m not. . .” he ran a hand over his face, tiring of the explanation already.
Erica, the first nurse joined them, “Do you need some help moving her?”
“I was just finding out what we need to do. Sign a release or something.”
Erica smiled in understanding, “He’s the boyfriend, Sandy.”
“Oh,” Sandy laughed. “Sorry.”
Tag was reeling a little from being called Josie’s boyfriend, so he didn’t comment.
The transfer was made without problem. Tag was left to watch the steady rise and fall of Josie’s chest, listen to the beeps, and hope for the best.
“You know, Jo,” he traced the knuckles of her right hand lightly with his finger, “I can’t help but think you’d tell me to pray if you were awake. Of course, if you were awake, I wouldn’t be here, terrified that I was going to lose you.”
He glanced up at the clock, not surprised to see that it was only two o’clock. It seemed much longer, of course, but the hours of the night always seemed longest when he was trying to remain awake.
“Josie, I don’t know how to pray. You know I would do it for you,” he whispered, not caring that tears were falling. “I would do just about anything for you, but I don’t know how.”
He rested his forehead on his folded arms and closed his eyes for a couple minutes. He woke to a tapping on his shoulder.
He raised his face to Molly’s smiling face.
“I considered going for the sidearm,” she whispered, “but I was pretty sure that would be more of a rude awakening for me than you.”
Tag reflexively reached down and grasped his weapon to ensure it was really there.
“That was really irresponsible of me,” he rubbed a hand over his eyes.
Molly didn’t respond to that.
“Are they going to take her into her tests soon?” he stood up, suddenly realizing how long it had been since he had used the restroom.
“At nine, but I thought I’d come in now to relieve you. Go home and get a shower. Eat.”
He nodded, “You want me to bring anything back to you?”
Molly shook her head, “You don’t have to come back, Tag.”
He didn’t respond. She knew he was going to be coming back.
Tag forced himself to find things to do around his house until noon. He tried to eat some lunch then but found nothing appealed to him, so he wrapped up his sandwich and left for the hospital. By the time Tag returned to the hospital, Josie’s parents were back in town.
“Nice to see you again, Tag,” Sol offered his hand across the bed. “Wish it wasn’t under these circumstances.”
Tag blinked at the man’s near-cheerful disposition.
“This is my wife, Doris. Doris, this is Tag Madden. He’s Molly’s neighbor.”
Doris appeared to be assessing his worth from her position across the room.
They each made the appropriate responses.
Tag looked back to Josie. She appeared to have gained a little color.
“How did the tests come out?” he asked Molly who was the one most likely to have heard it directly from the doctor.
“Good,” Molly was sitting beside her sister. “The swelling has gone down. They’re just keeping her sedated a little longer because of her wrist.”
“Her wrist?”
“They didn’t set it last night. They set it about twenty minutes ago. She should start to wake up in a few hours.”
“We’re going to run home,” Sol gave his daughter a peck on the cheek “We’ll be back this evening.”
Molly stood up, “Did you eat anything?”
“I made myself a sandwich,” he took the chair she had vacated.
Molly pulled her purse strap up, “I think that was a deflection, but I’m not sure.”
Tag pulled Josie’s hand into his o
wn and ignored Molly.
“I’m going to go grab some lunch,” she stood in the doorway. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
He nodded, not looking away from Josie.
Molly was gone for about two minutes when the rate of beeps changed. Tag looked up at the monitor, wondering what the change meant.
The fingers he held twitched.
Tag leaned toward her, “Josie?”
The tip of her tongue came out and wet her lips.
He looked around for a cup, thinking she was probably thirsty.
“Not nice,” her voice rasped.
Tag stood up and leaned over her, “What’s not nice, honey? Does something hurt?”
She shook her head and it looked like she was trying to force her eyes open, “L – lying to Mol.”
He reached for the cup he had seen but found it empty.
“Hold on, Josie,” he went to the sink and put some water in the cup.
He held the straw to her lips, “Take a sip.”
She did as she was told.
“Now, what’s that?”
The brief smile she managed turned into a grimace, but she answered his question, “You didn’t eat anything. You might have made a sandwich, but you didn’t eat.”
Tag laughed and took her hand again, perching on the edge of the bed rather than on the chair, “I didn’t lie.”
Her eyes opened slightly, “Covering the truth – still a lie.”
“She called me on it anyway.”
Josie’s fingers squeezed his.
“I’m going to call Molly.”
“No!” Josie’s eyes opened wide then. “Don’t yet.”
She blinked a few more times, trying to wake up.
Tag gave her another drink of water.
“I think I should have the nurse come look at you.”
One half of her mouth lifted in a grin, “Like an exhibit?”
Tag pressed the call light and a nurse appeared quickly.
“Something wrong?”
Tag leaned away from Josie, “No. Nothing at all.”
“You’re awake,” the nurse grinned. “I’m Cora – your nurse. How are you feeling?”
“I’ve been better. Tag thought you needed to see me.”