by Jessie Cooke
“Thank you,” she said. “Can we go inside and see if she’s here?”
He nodded and got off the bike. He looked like he was thinking about putting his arm around her as they walked toward the hospital, but changed his mind at the last minute. It was her turn to bite back a smile...she had actually made this big tough biker a little nervous. She was almost proud of herself.
They went into the Emergency Room first and Storm went up to the information desk. “Hi,” she said, trying to remember that her problems weren’t these people’s problems. She kept her tone soft and even but could hear the shaking in her words. “My name is Stormy Waters. I’m looking for my mother, Elise Waters.” She didn’t want to say “Is she here?” She wanted the woman to believe she already knew so maybe they wouldn’t give pause about letting her go right back if her mother was there. The woman typed into the computer in front of her and then with her brows drawn, she looked up at Storm and said:
“Would you mind taking a seat for a few moments? I’ll have someone come out and talk to you...”
“Why? What happened to her? Is she okay?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t have any information for you. I just have a note here that they were trying to reach family. Please have a seat and I’ll call the doctor.”
Storm looked at Ryder. He did put his arm around her then and bent down and whispered in her ear, “It’ll be okay. Let’s sit and wait, alright?” She nodded, numbly. Losing her father had been the worst day of her life. He wasn’t sick long and although they’d been told his battle with cancer would likely be a short one...she hadn’t prepared for his death. Maybe there was no way to do that. What she had done was spend every available moment with him right up until the end, and she was thankful for that. She at least had a chance to tell him everything she needed to say, and she didn’t feel like there was anything she might have done to prevent his death.
But in her mother’s case, it would be entirely different. Despite the emotional turmoil her mother had put her through since her father’s death, Storm still had nothing but faith that she was only grieving, and she would get past it. She just assumed that her healthy, vibrant mother had nothing but time to spend getting better, and then she’d have her mother back. But what if she didn’t? What if something horrible had happened and she’d never get a chance to tell her mother how much she loved her? How much she appreciated her? How sorry she was that she hadn’t been there when…when whatever happened had happened? “Baby, you’re shaking. Are you cold?” She shook her head.
“No. I’m okay,” she lied. She felt sick to her stomach and her head hurt from all the chaotic thoughts racing through it. She stared at the door that led to the back of the emergency room and waited...for what seemed like forever…until at last a woman in a pair of green scrubs stepped through them and said:
“Stormy Waters?”
Storm and Ryder stood up and Storm said, “That’s me. Is my mother okay?”
The doctor gave her a gentle smile and said, “Why don’t we step into the quiet room over here so we can speak in private?” Storm wanted to yell at her. She wanted to shake her and just make her tell her what was wrong with her mother...or if she was even still alive. But she let Ryder guide her toward the little room the doctor was headed for and when she opened the door for them, she let him lead her inside. They took a seat on a little vinyl couch and while the doctor took her seat, Storm looked around. The room was lit with soft, natural light. There were clear crystal vases with white flowers in them on the wooden tables and a few framed, inspirational quotes on the wall. This was where people came to hear the horrors of what had happened to their loved ones. She didn’t want to be here. “Miss Waters, my name is Doctor Stafford.” She looked at Ryder and said, “Can I speak freely about your mother’s condition in front of your friend?”
Storm took that as a good sign. She’d said, “Your mother’s condition.” That meant she was still alive...right? “Yes, please,” she said, emphasizing the please so that the doctor might understand she meant “Please get on with it.”
“Your mother was found a few blocks from here, unconscious. She arrived by ambulance about six hours ago. Our first thought was drug overdose because of the area where she was found and her condition, but her tox screen was all negative so I ordered a CT scan of her head. That scan showed a shadow in the region of her brain stem, so she was sent for an MRI. I just got the results of that scan about an hour ago and by that time your mother was conscious but seemed confused. She gave us the name and number for her husband, but that number was disconnected...”
“I’m sorry, can we go back to the MRI and what you saw there?”
“She has a tumor putting pressure on the ducts between her brain and spinal column. It’s causing fluid to build up and put pressure on her optic nerve and other areas of her brain.”
“A tumor? Like cancer?” Ryder was holding Storm’s hand, and she was squeezing his, mostly just to feel something—her entire body was numb.
“The good news is that it doesn’t look like cancer. Of course we won’t be able to know for sure until we get a biopsy of it.”
“So how do you do that?” She remembered when they told them that about her father. His was malignant, and bad.
“We have her scheduled for surgery. She signed the consent forms but I’m glad that you’re here since she doesn’t seem to really understand what she’s signing.”
“She’s that confused?” Of course she’s that confused. She thinks Dad is still alive.
“Does she have another daughter?”
“No, why?”
“Because she told us not to call her daughter. She said that she was away at Girl Scout camp and she didn’t want us to upset her. The pressure on her brain is doing things to her memory. I believe once we get that fluid drained and the tumor removed, that will clear up.”
Storm wasn’t sure why—it wasn’t like it really mattered—but a part of her needed there to be an excuse for her mother’s recent behavior, so she asked, “How long has the tumor been there, Doctor?”
“That’s impossible to know unless she’s had another scan in the past. These tumors can either grow slowly over a period of years, or months, or they can grow rapidly within weeks. Has she mentioned headaches or problems with her vision at all?”
Storm shook her head, slowly. This morning was the first time she’d mentioned not feeling well. “Could this thing cause behavioral changes?”
The doctor nodded. “Absolutely. Some people lose or gain inhibitions, go from being introverts to extroverts, or their moods can cycle. Everyone is affected differently. But right now what we need to do is get that fluid out of there and relieve the pressure and then see about removing the tumor. Would you be willing to sign a consent for that?” Storm nodded again. “Good. I’ll have the nurse come in and go over the procedures with you and the possible risks as well. Do you have any other questions?”
“Can I see her, before she goes to surgery?”
“Yes,” the doctor said. “Let us get her prepped first and then you can come back for just a minute. Anything else?”
“No,” she said, clearing her throat again. “Thank you.” Stormy held it together until the doctor left the room and then she lost it. Ryder didn’t say anything, and she was thankful he didn’t offer any fake words of support that he couldn’t back up, like “Everything will be okay.” Instead he just held her and let her soak his t-shirt with her tears.
17
The next three hours were grueling for Ryder—he couldn’t even begin to imagine what they may have been like for Storm. He had to give her credit, though. She’d had that one meltdown after the doctor left, but once she pulled it together, she had held it together like a champ. She signed the consents and went back to see her mother. She didn’t say much after the visit, only that Elise hadn’t recognized her. Ryder could tell that hurt her deeply, but she still didn’t cry. She mostly sat staring out the window, seemingly lost in her thoughts
. Occasionally she’d get up and pace the room, and once she stopped in mid-pace and thanked Ryder for being there with her. It hadn’t even crossed his mind to leave. As long and grueling as the night had been, there was no place he would rather be than there with her.
He excused himself twice, once to call Dax, to check in and let him know what was happening, and the second time to take a call from Hunter, which was interesting, to say the least. He had remembered Storm’s lecture to him about not keeping things from her and he had gone back into the room with good intentions. But as soon as he looked at her face, the big hazel eyes that were struggling to appear brave and her beautiful lips that should be turned up in a smile and not down in a defeated-looking frown, he had changed his mind. Hunter was looking into his theory and he would let them know what he found out. Once again he made an executive decision, and he might just get his ass kicked for it, but he felt compelled to protect her.
He had just gotten her to sit back down and rest her head into him when the doctor came into the room. “Miss Waters...”
“How is she?”
The young doctor pulled the paper net off her head and ran a hand through her hair. “Her vitals are stable, but we won’t know everything until she’s awake. We got most of the tumor...”
“Most?”
The doctor was very patient. She didn’t even seem put out by Storm’s interruptions. Of course it was probably something she was used to. “Yes. We were unable to get the part that was closest to the brain stem, but we resected it. We cut through it and rerouted the cerebral spinal fluid ducts, so the fluid will drain now. What we did take will be sent for biopsy but, again, the good news is that it doesn’t look malignant. Malignant tumors have certain characteristics that this one doesn’t have.”
“That’s good,” she whispered. “How long does it take, to get the results back?”
“I should have preliminary results in 24 hours.”
“And when can I see my mother?”
“She’s in what we call a medically induced coma for now. Until we make sure her body is not going to reject the artificial drains we created, we need to monitor her sleep and wake patterns, her movements, her fluid intake, all very closely. This is the best way to do that. I suggest you go home...”
“I live in Boston.”
“Okay, then find a place to get some rest and we will call you if there are any changes. We don’t expect there to be, at least not in the next twenty-four hours.”
Storm was shaking her head. “Please, Miss Waters, there is really nothing you can do here. You can’t help your mother if you don’t take care of yourself.” Ryder was glad that the doctor was the one who had to tell her that, and not him.
Storm sighed. She looked closer to crying than she had been and after a long pause she said, “Okay, but you’ll call me, for sure?”
“Yes, for sure,” the doctor assured her. “Please, get some rest, get something to eat, take care of yourself.”
Storm nodded again and then looked at Ryder. He brushed his lips across her forehead and said, “We’ll get a hotel.”
Once they left the hospital, Ryder stopped at the first diner he saw open. It was just after dawn and although Storm denied being hungry, he wanted to try to get something in her before she went to sleep. They both ordered coffee and a light breakfast and then he said, “You’re probably going to be upset with me, but there’s something I need to tell you.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Okay.”
“Hunter has been doing some investigating into the other people in the bar that night. How much do you know about Carolyn’s son?”
“Robby? I don’t know, not a lot. He was home for the week I was there, so I talked to him, some. He’s in college, trying to get his degree in engineering. Carolyn raised him alone and I guess he got some grants for school, but it wasn’t enough money to live off, just to pay his tuition and books, things like that. Housing has been expensive, but Carolyn told me there was no way he’d be able to maintain his grades and work full-time, so she helps him out, a lot. It’s why she and her boyfriend live in the trailer, because she pays Robby’s rent and utilities, things like that. Her boyfriend gets a check for his disability every month, but she says it’s not much.”
“Do you like him, the kid? I mean, would you trust him?”
She furrowed her brow. “I didn’t dislike him. I guess I found him to be a little spoiled or coddled. Maybe it had something to do with me being envious. I wasn’t able to go to college. Even when my dad was alive, my parents couldn’t afford it. They offered, but I wasn’t going to let them do without things when I was a grown woman and should be making my own way. I planned on working and saving and then Dad died and Mom needed help...anyway, I wondered if maybe I was just a little envious of Robby and not being very fair to him.”
“Or maybe he’s a spoiled, coddled brat,” Ryder said with a smile.
She smiled back, a tired smile. “So, what is it about him? Does Hunter think he had something to do with the robbery?”
“Well, just a few days after the robbery, he made a pretty big purchase for a twenty-one-year-old who is strapped for cash.”
“What did he buy?”
“A motor home,” he said. Storm had just picked up her coffee. She set it down so hard that it sloshed over the side of the cup.
“Shit.”
“What is it?”
“The other night, Carolyn came to see me at the Skybox. She told me that she and Tyler bought a motor home. They’re planning on driving it out to California and starting over.”
“Tyler, her boyfriend...the ex-correctional officer, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Son of a bitch. Did Carolyn ever say why it is that this guy is on some kind of medical retirement from the State of Massachusetts and only gets a paltry little disability check?”
She shook her head. “No. I guess I never put much thought into that. But you’re right. Carolyn said he was a CO for fifteen years before he got hurt and she claims he was hurt at work. So, you would think he’d have some kind of decent pension or benefits.”
“Yeah, you would think.” He took out his phone as the waitress set their breakfast down on the table and pressed in Hunter’s number. Hunter answered on the first ring as if he was waiting for the call. “Don’t you sleep?” Ryder asked him.
“Nah, I’m Superman.”
“That’s not what your old lady told me.”
Hunter chuckled and said, “Watch it.”
Ryder was smiling. Hunter was different, but he really liked him. He had definitely been an asset to the club over the past couple of years. “Hey, have you looked into Carolyn’s boyfriend at all? You have any idea why he left his job?”
“Yeah, he was in a scuffle with an inmate. He got injured, the inmate got dead. He wasn’t charged with anything thanks to the fact that he was defending himself, but the inmate’s family sued in civil court. They won, and he was fired from his job just shy of a few months of qualifying for his pension.”
“So, of course you gave a thought to the fact that he might have been in on the robbery?”
“Of course. Tyler’s got a bum leg. The guy that robbed the bar was dancing on it with two feet and he outran you...”
“Bullshit. He had a hold of the woman, so I couldn’t tackle him. I would have taken her down too.”
Hunter chuckled again. “Defensive.”
“What the fuck ever. So maybe he hired someone?”
“Well, we have considered that too and we’re watching his bank accounts. There’s hardly any money in them, or Carolyn’s as well, and there hasn’t been any activity that looks suspicious. But Junior, on the other hand...”
“Bought a motor home.”
“Yeah, and since Mama was supporting him, Dax wants to know where those funds came from.”
“Have you found him yet?”
“No, but we will. Did Storm know anything helpful about him?”
“Not really about R
obby, but Carolyn told her that she and Tyler bought a motor home. She says they’re going to California.”
“Yeah, she gave Dax her two weeks’ notice, and she did tell him they were going to California. When I found out about the motor home but couldn’t contact Robby, Dax went and spoke to Carolyn himself. She told him, tearfully, that Robby bought the motor home for her. She had no idea where he got the money, but she started talking too much and revealed that he might have been spending some time with a rough crowd lately.”
“And it’s hard to imagine she would point a finger at her son if she was really behind this robbery,” Ryder said. He didn’t know Carolyn that well, but like everyone who did know her, he knew how crazy she was about her son. “Okay, so it looks like we’re back to Robby.”
“For now. How is Storm’s mom?” Ryder filled him in on what was happening with Elise, and thanked him and told him he’d be in touch before he ended the call. Once he did, they ate their breakfast while he filled Storm in on what they knew so far. Storm agreed that believing they set up her and her mother might fly, but she couldn’t believe Carolyn would incriminate her son. It seemed like each time they made a step forward in the robbery, they ended up taking two steps back, but at least it was looking more and more like Storm and her mother were innocent. Not that Ryder ever believed Storm was involved, but he hoped it was looking the same to Dax and the others.
18
Storm looked around the room of the hotel they had just checked into and wondered for the first time exactly what Ryder did for money. She didn’t have much of it, but she’d offered him what she had to share the cost and he turned her down. She didn’t see the receipt he signed, but they were in the heart of New York City in one of the oldest and nicest hotels. The lobby had intimidated her, but this room...it was unlike any place that she had ever stayed. The bed was king-sized, or maybe California king, it was huge. It was all covered in white down and fluffy pillows. She’d be willing to bet the sheets were Egyptian cotton, and more comfortable than anything she’d ever slept on. There was a rolltop desk, an armoire, an entertainment center with a fifty-plus-inch television, a mini-bar, and a white leather sofa. She dropped her small canvas bag and whistled through her teeth.