Sandra Robbins - Trail of Secrets

Then there was her brief meeting with Seth. She’d been resigned to bumping into him at Dan’s retirement party, but had hoped she could avoid any extended conversation. So much for that plan. Now he would be at the hospital, and she would have to keep him informed of her uncle’s condition.

He’d tried to hide it, but even after two years she could feel his smoldering anger toward her. Perhaps he never would forgive her for how she’d hurt him, but she had hoped by this time he had moved on. She’d put the events of two years ago behind her, but it didn’t look like he had.

Her uncle’s body jerked suddenly and gasping sounds came from his throat. The EMT grabbed her uncle’s hand out of her grasp and pressed his finger to the pulse. Frightened, Callie scooted away to give the attendant more room to work in the crowded ambulance.

“What’s happening?” she cried.

Without answering her, he turned and yelled to the driver. “We have a problem back here. Move it!”

The ambulance surged forward, and Callie could only watch in horror as her uncle struggled to breathe. The vehicle careened into the hospital parking lot and came to a screeching halt at the emergency room bay.

Before she could ask another question, the back doors opened, and the ambulance driver reached up to help the EMT whisk the gurney out of the ambulance. A nurse helped Callie to the ground, seated her in a wheelchair and hurried toward the entrance.

The EMTs had the gurney inside before Callie and the nurse got to the doors. When they entered the waiting area, Callie grasped the arms of the wheelchair and choked back a sob at what she saw. Two nurses and the EMTs ran down the hallway beside her uncle’s gurney. Before she could call out to them, they made a sharp turn and disappeared into a room on their right.

The nurse turned the wheelchair toward the exam rooms on the other side of the area. Callie sat up straight. “Where are you taking me?”

“To an exam room,” the nurse said.

“But I want to be with my uncle.”

The nurse shook her head. “I’m sorry, but you can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

The question was no more than out of her mouth when she saw the answer in the nurse’s eyes. She couldn’t be with him because he was dying.

* * *

Seth Dawtry’s heart sank as he pulled his car into the emergency room’s parking lot. An ambulance, its rear doors still open, sat backed up in the bay for unloading patients. He knew enough to know that if they’d abandoned the ambulance to rush the patient inside, things weren’t looking good.

He pulled the car to a stop and sat there a moment, grasping the steering wheel, trying to work up the will to go inside. As badly as he wanted to know his friend’s condition, he couldn’t bring himself to move. Not when it meant facing Callie.

He’d known Dan was picking Callie up at the airport tonight, but he hadn’t expected to see her so soon. In fact, he’d planned to stay as far away from her as he could while she was in town. But his anger toward Callie was no reason to abandon Dan right now.

He would be polite to Callie because Dan would want that. But as soon as Dan was out of danger, he’d go back to keeping his distance. With a sigh, Seth said another quick prayer for Dan before he jumped from the car and sprinted toward the entrance.

The automatic doors parted as he barreled toward them, and he ran into the waiting room that was packed with people waiting to be seen by a doctor. It seemed that no matter what time of day or night his job brought him here on an emergency, the area was always crowded with patients. Tonight, though, he wasn’t here on police business. This visit was personal.

He hurried over to the receptionist’s desk, but the young woman who sat there didn’t look up from her computer as he came to a stop. “How can I help you?” she asked.

He pulled out his badge and held it toward her. “I’m Detective Seth Dawtry with MPD. I’m here about Judge Dan Lattimer and his niece who were just brought in. They were in a car wreck on I-55 coming from the airport. Can you give me any information?”

The girl glanced at the badge and then at him. “They arrived a few minutes ago. If you’ll have a seat, I’ll go check on them for you.”

“Thank you.” Seth backed away from the desk and looked around for an empty chair. They all appeared to be occupied, so he stuck his hands in his pockets and walked to the edge of the room.

Within minutes the young woman was back, and he hurried to her desk. “I talked with the doctor. He’s examining Miss Lattimer now. When he’s finished, you can go back and talk with her.”

Seth nodded his thanks and walked back to the spot where he’d been standing. For the next fifteen minutes he forced himself to stay still and not give in to the urge to pace up and down the room. After what seemed like an eternity, the young woman motioned for him to follow her. She opened the door and pointed down the hallway.

“Miss Lattimer is in the third treatment room on the right.”

Seth smiled at her. “Thanks.”

He took a deep breath and started down the hall. The closer he came to where Callie waited, the slower his steps grew. He’d often wondered if he would ever see Callie again, but he would never have thought they’d meet because Dan was near death. He needed to keep reminding himself that his anger toward Callie didn’t matter right now. His reason for being here was Dan’s welfare, and he could stand to be around her if it meant he could help his friend in any way.

A curtain blocked his view into the glass cubicle, and he paused a moment. “Callie,” he said, “it’s Seth. May I come in?”

“Yes.” Her soft voice was barely audible.

He pulled the curtain back and stepped into the room. She sat on an exam table with her legs hanging over the side. It might have been two years since he’d last seen her, but he remembered how beautiful she’d looked that night—right up to the time she told him she wouldn’t marry him and had run from the room. Tonight she looked very different. Her long, dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and her mascara had left dark smudges on her cheeks.

The expression on her face left little doubt to the seriousness of Dan’s condition. “H-how is he doing?”

A big tear rolled down her cheek. “It’s not good, Seth. He almost quit breathing before we got to the hospital. The doctor came by a few minutes ago and said they’d inserted a breathing tube. They’re taking him to surgery in a few minutes. They don’t know if he’ll make it or not.”

Seth almost doubled over from the crushing pain that exploded in his chest. He took a step closer to her. “No!” he said. “He’s supposed to retire, not die.”

Her shoulders began to shake, and she dissolved in tears. “I know. We had such big plans for our summer. Now all I want is for him to live so I can tell him how much I love him.”

Seth wished he could say something to make her feel better. But even if he knew what to say, she probably wouldn’t appreciate it, coming from him. He jammed his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat. “And how are you doing?”

She wiped at her eyes and sighed. “I’m fine. The doctors checked me out and said there were no broken bones or internal injuries. Uncle Dan took the worst of it all.” Her eyes filled with tears again. “He pushed my head into my lap and held it there to protect me.”

“That sounds like Dan,” he said. He took a step closer. “We’re going to get this guy, Callie. The FBI will join the Memphis Police Department on this case, and I’m sure the U.S. Marshals will be here shortly to offer protection for Dan. You don’t have anything to worry about except taking care of yourself and Dan.”