Richard Mabry - Code Blue

"Come in and close the door," Sherri said, as casually as she'd invite someone into her home for coffee and cookies.

"What-?"

Sherri moved the gun back and forth between them. "Just go on into the back and I'll explain to both of you." She herded them into the back treatment room and gestured for them to stand together against the far wall.

Sherri closed the door and leaned against it. "Here's what happened, Cathy-I won't call you Dr. Sewell. It's stuck in my throat every time I've said it for three months. I phoned Will and pretended to be the 911 operator. I told him we'd had a call from you. You were in your office getting something from a high shelf when you fell offthe ladder and broke your ankle. I told him you'd asked us to call him, and he said he'd meet us here." She grinned without mirth. "Isn't that sweet?"

Cathy looked at Will. "Sherri's the one who altered the prescription. She-"

"That's enough," Sherri snapped. She leveled the gun at Cathy's chest. "Now here's the way it's going down. First, I'll shoot you in the heart." She turned toward Will. "Then I'll shoot you in the temple. I'll put the gun in your dead hand and fire another shot into Cathy so there'll be powder residue on your hand. I'll arrange the bodies to make it look like a murder-suicide. True love gone bad."

Cathy stepped back, stopping when she bumped into the treatment cabinet. The instruments and equipment it held rattled.

Sherri looked at Cathy, but then swung her gaze and the gun back toward Will. Cathy put her left hand in front of her as though shielding herself, hoping the movement would serve as a distraction while her right hand brushed lightly over the shelf behind her. Where is it? Please, God, let me find it.

"Sherri," Will said, "you know you can't get away with this. Give up. Turn yourself in. I'll help you get a good defense lawyer."

"No sale, you shyster. It will be a pleasure shooting you too. Lawyers are parasites. Matter of fact, I may shoot you first."

Sherri took a step toward Will. Cathy turned her body to follow the action. Sherri spun and waved the gun at her."Don't try to be brave."

"Please, please don't do this." Cathy's foot touched the control pedal. Now if she could only-there it was. Her right hand found what she sought. She grasped it like a pencil-no, like a scalpel. She'd have one chance. "I think I'm about to faint." She swayed slightly.

"Oh, don't pass out. I wanted you to see this coming. I guess I'll have to put a bullet in you first." Sherri shuffled forward until she stood face to face with Cathy.

"Don't," Will said.

Sherri brought the gun up, but before she could level it, Cathy jabbed the needle tip of the Hyfrecator into the woman's arm and stepped on the pedal. A loud buzz and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Sherri screamed, dropped the gun, and grasped her right arm with her left hand.

"Why, you-"

Will scooped up the gun and jammed it into Sherri's ribs. "Watch your mouth. You're lucky she just went for your arm."

Cathy took a deep breath and let the Hyfrecator tip fall from her hand. "Look at it this way, Sherri. If you had any warts on that arm, they're gone now."

Cathy unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed slowly out of Will's pickup. "What time is it?"

Will checked his watch. "One a.m. Are you as tired as I am?"

"I thought we'd never get out of the police station."

"Be glad you're not Sherri Collins. She'll spend the night in a cell."

Will used his key to open the front door. Inside, Dora and Matthew Kennedy dozed side by side on the living room couch. As soon as the door closed, they awoke and rushed to envelop Cathy and Will in hugs.

"You children come into the kitchen. I'll fix some coffee," Dora said.

After everyone settled around the kitchen table, Pastor Kennedy said, "We gathered from your phone call that you were in some sort of mix-up with Sherri Collins. What happened?"

It took half an hour to explain the events of the evening. Finally, Cathy yawned broadly. "Sorry, but I'm totally wasted. I need some sleep."

"You get some rest, child," Dora said. Then she added, "Do you want to go to church with us in the morning? I mean, this morning?"

Cathy's first impulse was to beg off, but then she realized that church might be a great place to spend time after all that had happened to her. "Yes, please. See you in a few hours."

Cathy awakened to the tantalizing aroma of coffee and frying bacon. She looked out her window at a fiery red sunrise. The streets of Dainger were empty this early on Sunday, but soon they would be filled with families on their way to church. Families. And the Kennedys were her family now.

She missed her mom and dad-she guessed she always would-but there was comfort in what she'd learned. Her mother hadn't been schizophrenic. Her father had been a faithful and loving husband as well as a dedicated physician. For the first time in years, Cathy felt hope for her future. Her life wasn't back to normal yet-that would take a while- but it was moving in the right direction.

Downstairs in the Kennedy dining room, she sat by Will as Dora placed plates and bowls on the table. Matthew said, "Son, would you ask the blessing this morning?"

Will's hand touched hers. She grasped it and squeezed. She reached out with her other hand and took Dora's, completing the circle.

"Father, we're so thankful for all our blessings. We're thankful for this food, for this Lord's Day that you've given us, and especially for helping Cathy and me through our experience last night. As you have taught us, we pray for our enemies, that they might find you and turn away from evil. And we pray for guidance in our lives that we may always mirror you to those around us. In Jesus' name. Amen."

"So, why didn't you tell me about this crazy scheme of yours?" Will asked.

"Because you'd have wanted to be there, and I thought I could handle it myself," Cathy said. "After all, it was my problem."

"One that almost got you killed."

"I should have asked for help."

"I have to admit, though, it did get us to the bottom of the matter." Will wiped egg from the corner of his mouth."Of course, what Sherri said to you before I came in won't help us defend that malpractice suit. It's your word against hers. The police can only hold her for assault and possession of an unlicensed firearm."

"What if we had a recording of everything she said?" Cathy countered. "If one of the parties agrees to being recorded, isn't the conversation admissible in court?"

"Yes," Will said. "But how did you pull that off?"

Cathy tried not to look too smug. "On Friday, I went to Radio Shack and bought a miniature voice-activated recorder. It was in the pocket of my white coat the whole time, and I turned it on before I opened the door for her. It's upstairs in my purse."

Will lifted his coffee cup in a toast. "Here's to Cathy Sewell: amateur sleuth, exceptional doctor, and a beautiful woman."

Cathy watched Will maneuver his pickup into a slot in the church's parking lot. It was a larger vehicle than her compact car, but he handled it with grace. She had to admit, he looked good behind the wheel.

Will turned offthe motor but made no move to exit the vehicle. "We've got a little time before church starts. Would you like to sit here and talk?"

"Sure. You know, I've been wondering, ever since that day you rescued me after my wreck, why do you drive a pickup?"

Will turned so that his right arm was over the top of the seat behind her. "I guess it's sort of my way of saying to the folks in town, 'I'm not better than you are just because I'm a lawyer.' A lot of people resent professionals like you and me. I make a good living, but I never flaunt it. I don't wear a suit unless I'm in court-"