Bobby Cole - The dummy line

“Damn fine job on the recovery, Marlow,” Joe Wilson said sarcastically.

Sheriff Marlow glared at him, then turned to follow the group inside. Maybe I can salvage a photo op inside, he thought.

Jake saw Elizabeth hugging her mother and father. When she saw him, she immediately pointed at him. Her mother turned to look. Tears were flowing as she mouthed the words “Thank you.”

Jake smiled and nodded.

Just as Elizabeth rounded the corner of the intensive care unit, the nurses caught up with her. The head nurse was filling out paperwork when the rowdy group suddenly appeared. She stepped in front of the door to Tanner’s room. “Whoa…you can’t go in there, dear. You need to get cleaned up,” she said, looking at the dried blood and mud all over Elizabeth. “You can visit him later. He’s heavily sedated now, anyway.”

“I’m going in! You can’t stop me!” Elizabeth said defiantly, and several nurses grabbed at her. “Please…please, I have to see him,” she pleaded as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Let her in,” Dr. Sarhan responded to everyone’s surprise as he stepped out from behind a curtain cleaning his glasses.

Elizabeth gathered her composure. Dr. Sarhan stepped in front of her. “He is sedated. He will not know you here. He has a tube down his throat to help him breathe. He has terrible trauma. Do not be surprised at what you see,” Dr. Sarhan explained calmly, hoping to prepare her.

“I know, I was there,” Elizabeth replied, pushing her hair behind her ears. She pushed open the door and limped slowly into the dark room. Only Dr. Sarhan followed her. Everyone else watched. The Beasleys hugged each other. Then Tanner’s family began asking Steve Tillman questions faster than he could answer.

Inside the room, Elizabeth saw a myriad of lights, gauges, and several pieces of sophisticated equipment, all dedicated to monitoring Tanner, who was lying flat on his back, eyes closed. Elizabeth fought hard to keep from sobbing when she saw his badly swollen and bruised face. She used the backs of her hands to dry her tears, then slowly limped to the side of his bed. Grabbing his right hand, she held it tight. With her left, she gently touched his face.

“Tanner?” she asked softly. A tear fell, landing on their hands. “Tanner…sweetheart, it’s me. I’m here. I’m here for you. Oh God, Tanner. I love you so much.” She couldn’t hold back the sobs anymore. Kissing his hand, she tried to dry the tears again. “Tanner, I’m OK…I’m all right, thanks to you.”

Dr. Sarhan watched Tanner’s heart monitor begin to race, yet no outward physical response was detectable. The doctor wondered if he could hear Elizabeth.

“It’s been an awful night, but I’m here now, and I’ll be here for you as long as it takes for you to get better. I’m so glad to see you…you look so good to me,” she said, barely audible. Her tears were now flowing faster than she could wipe them away.

Tanner could hear every word she said. He could smell her hair. He recognized her gentle touch. He wanted to shout, he wanted to scream with joy. For the first time tonight he relaxed. Her presence, her voice, was the best medicine he could ever receive.

“Oh, Tanner…we have so much to talk about. I’m just so thankful you’re alive. I have…I’ve been so worried about you,” she said, sitting down on the edge on the bed, never letting go of his hand. “I’ve decided that I don’t care where I go to college as long it’s with you. I don’t care what my parents say…I never want to be separated from you again, Tanner Tillman.”

Elizabeth kissed his cheek and noticed that tears were flowing out of the corners of his eyes. She smiled and kissed him again. She knew he could hear her.

“I love you, Tanner.”

“I doubt he can hear you, young lady. We need you checked out. Let him rest,” Dr. Sarhan said as he looked at her swollen ankle. “He’ll awake in a few hours. You talk then.”

“He can hear me,” she replied, looking at Tanner’s face. “I know he can.

“Tanner, I need to go get cleaned up; then I’ll be right back. Everything’s gonna be better than ever,” she said and then tenderly kissed his check as she whispered, “And I get to pick the parking place next time.”

Elizabeth stood, reached into her pocket, and pulled out the tiny Beanie Baby that Katy had given her in the truck. She carefully placed it right next to Tanner’s head and wiped away another round of her tears. Elizabeth smiled and kissed him one more time, gently wiping away his tears that told her everything she needed to know.

“And you’re not married…so what’s wrong with you?” Jake heard Katy ask R.C., cocking her head to one side. She said it with the tone and inflection conveying her belief that every adult was supposed to be married. They were sharing a handful of M amp;M’s, obviously having an in-depth conversation about R.C.’s life. Katy loved to meddle.

“No, but I have a trophy girlfriend…She’s…how can I put this…she’s a professional dancer and-” But before R.C. could complete the sentence, Ollie laid a firm hand on his shoulder. R.C. knew better than to provide any more details.

“A dancer…eeeww…I took dancing lessons and hated it. So what does R.C. stand for?” she innocently asked.

“Well…um…it stands for Ralph Carmelo,” he said shyly. He really didn’t want to tell her.

“I like R.C. better,” she replied instantly. Everybody within hearing range laughed out loud.

With that exchange, Jake knew that Katy was all right. He let out a deep sigh of relief, then looked around the ER. All this was the consequence of his decision to use deadly force to protect her. The bloody images of the shooting at the camper flashed through his mind, followed by the image of Elizabeth’s attacker, then the horrifying sight of the dead stalker he had left in the swamp. Jake knew many new nightmares were ahead. He wondered if he would ever be able to go into dark woods again. He started to question having killed the first guy. He’d always second-guess that decision. Jake’s mind was spinning out of control. He stared blankly across the room.

“Hey, are you OK?” Ollie asked, grabbing Jake’s arm.

“Yeah, yeah…I’m sorry. What was I saying? I’m just totally exhausted.” Jake started shaking and rubbing his forehead with his right hand.

Ollie opened the supply closet door and led Jake inside. Ollie wanted to debrief him-to make certain there was nobody else out there, and he was anxious to hear Jake’s version of the events.

Something in Jake’s vest hit the doorjamb as he entered. He reached into his pocket; feeling his cell phone, he shook his head. He checked it. Twenty-one missed calls. The last twelve were from his home. He smiled. For the first time in years, Jake really wanted to talk with Morgan. In fact, he yearned to see her.

“Hey, Sheriff, can I please have a minute to call my wife?” Jake begged. He knew the sheriff needed to question him, but he had to talk with Morgan.

Ollie understood.

The sheriff’s attention shifted briefly to Marlow, who could be seen through the glass ER doors waving his arms in front of a television camera. What an idiot . “Sure…take your time. I’ll be out here,” Ollie replied as he turned over a cleaning bucket to make a seat for Jake. “Everybody gets one phone call.” He chuckled, closing the closet door behind him.