“This is Neil Copeland.” He kept his speech level to hide the desolation he felt. “Is Meredith Stone available?”
“Just one moment, Mr. Copeland. I’ll see if she’s still here.”
The secretary put him on hold, and he listened to the soft background music he heard each time he’d called to find out how Nancy was doing. He hated that music. The sound cut off abruptly.
“Hello, Neil, what can I do for you? I suppose you’re calling to find out if I’ve filed the papers. Actually I—”
“That’s not why I’m calling,” he cut her off. “Have you seen the news?”
“What news?”
“There’s been a mass shooting in Baltimore.”
“Nancy!” Meredith screamed, and he pulled the phone away from his ear. “She went to Baltimore today. Oh my God! Is she okay?”
He recognized both agony and guilt in Meredith’s voice.
“She’s in surgery. Has been for almost three hours now. Why was she here and not at work?”
Meredith’s voice was clogged with tears, and her halting words were hard to understand.
“Because of me. I asked her to help out an old friend. She went up to meet with the lawyers today. This is all my fault.”
“Meredith, unless you were on the other end of the assault rifle, you aren’t responsible,” he said, reminded of Todd’s words only minutes ago. “I’ll keep you posted. Text me your cell number since this one is the only one I have. I’ve got to go.” He prepared to end the call.
“Wait. Where are you? I’m coming.”
“I would appreciate that. The police will have questions I can’t answer. We’re at Johns Hopkins. Security is tight since they still don’t know who the target was, and so far no one’s claimed responsibility. You’ll probably have to land at Dulles since I heard they’ve closed the airport here. It’ll be an expensive cab ride.”
“Let me worry about that,” she answered.
“Fine. Text when you get here, and I’ll send someone down to the lobby to get you. Come to the Emergency entrance.”
“Okay. I should be able to get the eight o’clock flight out tonight,” she said, once more in control of herself. “Let me know as soon as you know anything.” She paused, her breathing the only sound Neil could hear. After an eternity, she continued. “I’m a firm believer in what you think determines what you do. Think positive. Don’t give up on my girl yet.”
“I won’t.”
Meredith hung up.
Neil pocketed the phone and returned to the waiting room. The last thing he would do was give up on Nancy because if he did, it meant giving up on all of his hopes and dreams. He pushed open the door and walked over to Todd. The cup of coffee was cold when he brought it to his lips, but he drank deeply anyway, dropping into the chair he’d vacated minutes earlier.
“She’s on her way. Apparently Nancy was here to meet with a lawyer. She was doing forensic work in a divorce case. Helping people, especially those who were getting shafted, was important to her.”
Todd nodded. “She has a Good Samaritan streak a mile wide.”
Neil closed his eyes. His beautiful, funny wife had always had a soft spot for the little guy. His mind wandered to the first time he’d seen her. They’d met at a charity benefit in Charleston. The party had taken place on the lawn of one of the city’s plantation homes. The place had been packed, and he hadn’t been watching where he was going when he’d bumped into her and spilled the content of her mint julep down the front of her dress. She’d looked down at the bourbon soaked black dress, and instead of lashing out at him as he’d expected, she’d laughed.
“I’m glad I didn’t wear white.”
“I’m so sorry,” he mumbled the apology unable to decide where to look—down at her wet dress or up at her incredible, sparkling hazel eyes, hidden behind gray-framed glasses. “Let me get you another drink. What was that?”
“Yucky,” she supplied. “I was trying to figure out which plant to dump it in, so you did me a favor—probably saved a plant’s life, too. I’m not a bourbon kind of girl. I don’t really need another drink, thanks. What I need is to get out of here and fix this sticky mess. Don’t look so crestfallen, I wasn’t watching where I was going either.”
“I’ll pay to have it cleaned, miss…?”
“Frost, Nancy Frost,” she said in an imitation of James Bond’s classic line.
He chuckled. “Pleased to meet you, Nancy Frost. I’m Neil Copeland. If you really want to leave, I’m ready to blow this joint.”
“I would love to take you up on that, but I have a date around here somewhere.”
“Is it a serious relationship?” he asked, looking at her hand for a ring, his voice saying he hoped it wasn’t.
“Not really.” She opened her clutch purse and handed him a card. “It’s business not pleasure. Call me.”
He looked down at the card in his hand. When he glanced up to comment that she didn’t look like any accountant he’d ever met, she’d melted back into the crowd and disappeared.
The sound of the nurse’s phone brought him back to the present.
“You don’t have to stay.” Neil turned to Todd. “I’ll be okay. You can go back to work.”
His partner shrugged his shoulders. “I told you before, I’m not going anywhere, and Anderson knows it. Mac made some calls. We’re covered.”
He nodded, moved again by the way everyone was being supportive.
They sat side by side in silence, listening to the clock ticking away the minutes of Nancy’s life. After an eternity, the waiting room door opened, and a woman in OR greens came in. Neil looked up, and his heart plummeted. He knew from her face the news wasn’t good. He hoped she wasn’t there about Nancy and felt guilty for doing so.
“Mr. Michael Levinstein?”
The man with the newborn stood. “That’s me. Is Hilary going to be okay? She only went back to work today.” The doctor bowed her head and slowly shook it side to side.
“No! Oh God, no.” He collapsed to his knees beside the infant seat. His sobs filled the room and pulled at Neil’s aching heart.
“I’m sorry. We did everything we could.”
His companion dropped down beside him, taking the broken man into his arms. The man wept bitter tears onto his friend’s shoulder. There was no consoling him, and as if the infant understood what she’d lost, she started to cry, too. The father turned his tear-stained face to his daughter and picked her up. The doctor spoke to the man’s companion who nodded and then she turned, her own eyes filled with tears, and left. The man, his baby girl clutched to his chest, and his companion, carrying the empty infant seat, followed the doctor out of the room.
By half past ten, the waiting room had emptied as one by one, the families had received either the news they’d prayed for or the one they’d dreaded. Two others hadn’t made it through surgery. The television in the lounge was fixed on CNN which continued to report on the bloodbath. The body count stood at twenty six including the two people who’d been killed on the street. The city was on lockdown. The mayor had asked the president to send in the National Guard to support the police. The hospital itself was under heavy guard. There were still four people in critical condition, including Snakebite, and no word on Nancy. The last time he’d approached the nurse, she’d called and confirmed Nancy was still in surgery. She wouldn’t or couldn’t tell him anything else.
The door opened. He looked up and the frazzled, tearful woman standing next to his partner ran over to him.
“Any word?” Meredith asked.
He shook his head. Todd handed him another cup of coffee. It was the last thing he needed, but the only thing keeping him on his feet.
Meredith collapsed into the chair next to him, and Neil realized what a toll this had taken on her. The larger than life woman seemed to have imploded and looked older than forty-six. Her pale skin was translucent, tears had smudged her mascara, and her gray eyes were shadowed. Her short, spiky, dark brown hair clearly showed the t
racks her fingers had worn through it. Wishing he could offer some consolation, he squeezed her hand, but as each second ticked slowly past, he moved closer and closer to despair. A head wound and eight hours in surgery. How could she possibly survive?
Chapter Five
Neil’s heartbeat matched the ticking of the clock. They’d long since given up on conversation and sat there, each lost in thought, eyes peeled on the door. After an eternity, a somber-looking doctor entered. The dark man’s shoulders were bowed with exhaustion. Fear gripped Neil’s heart.
“Mr. Frost?” the doctor asked, stepping toward them.
Standing, his mouth dry, terror clawing at his gut, Neil swallowed and nodded.
“It’s Copeland. My wife uses her maiden name. Is Nancy…” he couldn’t say the word.
“I’m Doctor Howard. Your wife was in bad shape before we even got her on the table, and then she coded on us three times. The last time I was ready to call it, but she came back. The woman’s a fighter.”
Neil’s stomach churned.
“The next twenty-four hours are critical. We removed two bullets from her body and had to take out her spleen,” he continued. “One of the bullets broke a couple of ribs and collapsed her left lung, while another grazed the temporal lobe. We won’t know how much damage has been done until she wakes up. We’ve opened the skull to accommodate the swelling and put her on a respirator. It’s a waiting game now.”
Trying to make sense of the litany of injuries, Neil licked his lips. “Don’t you need a spleen?” he asked, wondering if spleen transplants were common.
Doctor Howard shook his head. “While the spleen’s an important organ, it isn’t a vital one. She’ll be susceptible to infection in the short term, but other organs, like the liver, will pick up the slack over time. We’ll give her antibiotics and keep our fingers crossed.”
Neil nodded. It could be a lot worse. She had a fighting chance, even if it was a slim one.
“When can I see her?”
“They’re moving her into ICU. As soon as she’s settled, I’ll send someone for you. It’ll be half an hour, an hour at most.”
“Thanks. Can I stay with her after that?” He was staying whether the doctor liked it or not. He wouldn’t leave her again.
The doctor shook his head, his mouth a wry smile. “I doubt I could stop you even if I wanted to.” He turned and left.
“There’s no point in you two staying here any longer tonight,” Neil said. “Why don’t you take Meredith back to the house and try to get some sleep?” He smacked himself in the forehead. “What am I thinking? With the package gone, they’ve vacated the house. Any idea where my stuff is?”
“Still there,” Todd answered. “The house is ours as long as we need it. I take it you won’t be coming back tonight?”
“I’m not leaving her, not until I’m sure she’s out of danger, and even then, it’ll be hard to pry me away.”
“Okay. Call if anything comes up. I’ll bring you some clean clothes in the morning.”
“I’d appreciate that, and maybe throw in my shaving kit. One of you can stay with her while I find someplace to clean up. I hope they’re wrong about the possibility of a gang war. No one wins one of those.”
Meredith hugged Neil, her tear-stained face proof of how deeply affected she was by Nancy’s plight.
“Nancy’s tough, tougher than people give her credit for. She’ll get through this.” She sniffled. “Try to get some sleep. You look awful.”
Neil rubbed his forehead. “As long as Nancy’s okay, I don’t care how bad I look.”
Once Todd and Meredith left, Neil sat down to wait and closed his eyes.
“Marshal Copeland?” The nurse’s voice startled him, and he realized he’d dozed off. It was after midnight.
“I’m Doris. I’ll take you to your wife now.”
Neil followed the nurse to the elevator. The ICU floor was abuzz with hospital staff. Two heavily armed men in Kevlar stood just outside the elevator and stopped them.
“Identification,” demanded the gorilla who stood a good two inches taller than he did. The nurse showed him her ID card, and he nodded.
Neil pulled out his badge. “My wife is Nancy Frost.”
“She’s in ICU 7,” Doris added.
The police officer looked at Neil’s credentials. “Inspector, are you armed?”
Neil opened his jacket to reveal his .22 Glock. He raised his pant leg to display the Ruger LC9 on his ankle. “I was on a case when I got called. Do you need me to surrender them?”
“No, sir. Just glad to know we have back-up if anything happens.”
Neil nodded. “I hope it won’t come to that.”
“So do I. Let’s hope they figure out who’s to blame for this sooner rather than later. No one’s safe until these people are caught.”
“If you’ll follow me, inspector, your wife is down here.” The nurse used her card to open the glass doors that separated ICU from the rest of the floor.
Neil trailed her down the hallway.
She stopped and pointed to the door. “She’s in there. You’ll find a recliner under the window, and I gave you a pillow and a blanket. It’ll be noisy with all the machines, but I hope you can get some rest. You look worse than some of the patients.”
She turned and walked back to the nursing station.
Neil swallowed his fear and pushed open the door.
The sound of the respirator and Nancy’s heart beat thundered in his ears. He looked at the forest of poles and wires surrounding her. Her head was swathed in bandages, and what little of her face could be seen beyond the respirator mask was almost as white as the sheets on which she lay. He saw the recliner but ignored it. Instead, he walked over to the bed, pulled up the hard chair closest to him, flipped it around, and straddled it. He leaned his chin against the back of the chair and reached out his hand to touch hers. Her fingers were cold, deathly cold, and he shivered. She looked so frail. Tears ran down his cheeks.
“I’m here, Nancy. I don’t know who did this to you, but I swear when I find out, I’ll make them pay dearly.”
He laid his head on his arms and cried. The last time he’d wept like this had been four years ago. What else was a man supposed to do when his heart was shattered?
The soft sound of the nurse’s footsteps startled Neil awake, and he jumped up out of the chair, his gun drawn and pointed at the young woman. It was Doris, the nurse who’d brought him upstairs earlier. She swallowed the shock he’d seen on her face, smiled awkwardly staring at the weapon in his hand, but made no comment about the gun he quickly holstered.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” she whispered. “I have to give her more meds and change the IV bag.”
Neil nodded. “Do whatever you have to do.”
He moved over to the window and checked the luminous dial on his watch. It was 3:39 AM. He’d slept three hours, and the stiff neck from the awkward position he’d been in attested to it. The half-moon shone on the cityscape, and the sky was awash with stars. How high up was he? Six floors, seven? It seemed as if he could look out over the whole city, much of it shrouded in darkness. Were the men who’d shot up that restaurant out there somewhere glorying in what they’d done? Stifling his anger, he turned back and watched Doris attend to Nancy.
“You don’t look much better than you did earlier,” the nurse said softly. “Why don’t you use the recliner? It’s actually quite comfortable.”
“I’ve had longer, harder days than this one. Don’t worry about me.”
“Making yourself sick won’t help her. I’ve worked ICU for five years, and while it’s hard to just sit and wait, the patients with loved ones around do better.”
But would his being here help? Maybe he should’ve asked Meredith to stay and settled himself outside, but he couldn’t imagine being anywhere but right where he was.
Doris changed the IV bag, checked Nancy’s blood pressure and oxygen levels, and recorded the readouts on the various machines s
urrounding the bed.
“You may hear her moan, and she may move a bit,” she said stepping away from the bed and stopping near the door. “A lot of patients have vicious nightmares when they come out of the anesthetic, and that’s what she’s doing right now. If she gets really agitated, buzz me, and I’ll see what we can do. I’ll be back in about three hours. Try to sleep.” The young nurse lowered the lights and left the room.
Reluctantly, Neil moved to the leather recliner and leaned back.
“I’m over here, Nancy. I’m not leaving, and don’t you go anywhere either.”
* * *
Pain, so much pain. What could possibly have happened to her to make her hurt like this? She tried to remember, but the anguish refused to release her enough to let her think. Her side burned, and there was a sharp, shooting ache in her chest that intensified with each breath she took. She wanted to stop breathing but something beyond her control forced her body to obey its commands, not hers. If the throbbing in her head didn’t stop, it would surely kill her.
She needed to tell someone about the pain, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. Had she died and gone to hell? It certainly felt like it. There were voices nearby, but she couldn’t identify them, couldn’t make out their garbled words. She was sure if she could only raise her hand she would touch someone, but even that action was beyond her.
“Help me,” she cried, but no words escaped her lips. Cold, she was so cold. The bed began to spin, faster and faster, her mind filling with a kaleidoscope of jumbled images.
Her mother smiling. A man waiting at the front of the church. The sound of a fetal heart. Thunder. The screech of tires. Numbers dancing in front of her. Cold blue eyes. A hallway. Men armed with assault rifles. Now, there was a man on the floor, blood seeping from his body, his lifeless eyes staring at her. Across from her, the woman whose face was a seething red mass fell slowly forward. Pain ripped through her chest, her abdomen, and her head, and as she slipped to the floor, she wondered how there could be so much blood.
She writhed, the pain excruciating as she attempted to move. She would die if the bleeding didn’t stop … Suddenly all the confusing images began to swirl together, like some insane tornado, and vanished. Cool whiteness surrounded her. The pain was gone.
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