Gun Shy

by Lori L. Lake

  When they were finally allowed to see Dez, she’d been moved to a regular room. She lay at an incline in the bed because her ribs and torso, under her hospital gown, were taped. A blanket covered the wounded cop up to her midsection, and Jaylynn thought she looked overly warm. Even in the semi-darkened room, her face was unnaturally white and she looked like she had two half-moon bruises under her eyes.

  “They gave me something for the pain, so I’m feeling pretty fine now,” Dez said.

  “I’ll bet,” Jaylynn said. She went shyly to one side of the bed while Cowboy went to the other. Each of them took a hand.

  Cowboy said, “Cracked rib, huh, little lady?”

  Dez’s pale face relaxed into a crooked half-smile. “I’m not little.”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Next to me you’ll always be little, you know. Now you just sit back and take it easy, okay? When they letting you out?”

  “Probably tomorrow. Want to keep an eye on my head. Got a big bump on the back.”

  “I’ll return if they keep you longer. Otherwise, you take good care of yourself, okay?”

  “Sure, Cowboy.” He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, and a slight blush washed over her face.

  “Good night.” He sashayed out of the room leaving the two women alone.

  Dez shifted and winced in pain. “Gosh, that stuff they gave me sure made me tired.”

  “Have you considered that it’s four o’clock in the morning and you’ve been shot? I’d be tired, too!”

  Dez looked at her seriously and said, “Only good thing about getting shot was you holding me.” Jaylynn caught her breath and nearly let go of Dez’s hand, but Dez held tight and said, “Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s okay.” She twisted her hand around and entwined their fingers.

  Jaylynn said quietly, “We’re going to have to talk about what happened.”

  “I know, but it’s part of the job.” She looked away, across the room, then back at Jaylynn.

  “That’s not what I mean.”

  “Look at the bright side—odds of me ever getting shot again are slim.” She gave a stifled laugh and groaned in pain.

  “That’s not what I mean,” Jaylynn repeated, then decided now was the wrong time to broach the subject. “We’ll talk tomorrow. You should try to get some sleep.”

  Dez looked alarmed. “You’ll stay a few more minutes, won’t you?”

  “Sure.” Jaylynn moved a chair close to the bed and sat, never letting go of the warm hand. I’ll do one better than that, she thought. I’ve got nowhere I need to go. I’ll be here when you wake up in the morning. Dez closed her eyes and slipped off to sleep. Jaylynn sat in the darkened room, her fingers threaded with the sleeping woman’s, and puzzled over things. She had a lot to think about. After a few minutes, waves of fatigue washed over her and she let her head rest against the edge of the hospital bed. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

  Jaylynn woke abruptly a few minutes later when she heard a gasp. Through bleary eyes she saw a tall, silver-haired man in the doorway. He was dressed in tan slacks and a brown bomber jacket with his arm around a regal, silver-haired woman in her late fifties. She wore navy blue slacks and a beautiful powder blue top. Over one arm she held a purse and a raincoat. The gasp had come from her, and she now stood with a hand over her mouth and tears welling up in her eyes.

  “Oh, Desiree,” she whispered, and she crossed the room to stand on the opposite side of the bed. The man followed her and put a protective arm around her waist, his hand caressing the side of her stomach. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear, which Jaylynn could not hear. She thought it must have been soothing because the woman nodded and took a deep breath, composing herself in an instant.

  Jaylynn stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say, and was relieved when a nurse bustled into the room. “Dr. Reilly,” the nurse said brightly. “she’ll probably sleep for several more hours.”

  Jaylynn’s head snapped up and she squinted to get a good clear look at the woman. She didn’t think she looked at all like Dez until her head came up and Jaylynn saw the same piercing blue eyes.

  The blue-eyed woman addressed the nurse. “Prognosis?”

  “Excellent. She’ll be sore for a week or so, but she’ll be fine. We’re keeping her now to make sure there’s no internal injuries, but that’s unlikely.”

  “Thank you,” she said dismissing the nurse. She turned back toward Jaylynn. “Who are you? Her partner?”

  Jaylynn nodded.

  “Who did this?”

  “A guy in a 7-Eleven. He was robbing the place.”

  Dez’s mother looked her up and down. The man spoke up. “What happened to the suspect?”

  “I shot him. He’s either dead or in intensive care.” Unexpectedly Jay’s knees went weak, and she dropped into the chair, her hands shaking. I shot a man, she thought. I may have killed someone. She looked up at the two people standing over Dez and tried to get control of herself.

  The piercing blue eyes softened. She said, “I’m very sorry. I’m sure you did what you had to do. What’s your name?”

  “Savage,” Jay choked out.

  The woman grimaced and looked up at the man and said, “You cops are all the same.” Shaking her head, she took hold of his hand and met Jay’s gaze. “Don’t you have a first name?”

  Embarrassed, Jaylynn told her.

  “I’m Colette Reilly, and this is Mac MacArthur. I’m Dez’s mother, and Mac has known Dez since she was a child.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Jaylynn stopped there, leaving off the next cliché: Dez has told me so much about you—because she’d never heard one word about either of these people. She wished Dez had prepared her just a little.

  A hoarse whisper sounded from the figure lying on the bed. “Mac. Whaddya doin’ here?” Dez squinted open her eyes, but didn’t seem able to focus.

  “Hello, Dez. Just came by to check on you. Sounds like you’ll get to go home later in the day.”

  “Ummm, Mom.” She swallowed and tried to keep her eyes open. “Why are you here?”

  “Luella called me.” She nervously smoothed the covers over her daughter’s abdomen.

  Jaylynn watched as Dez’s mother stroked her arm, sliding down the forearm to grip the long fingers.

  Dez closed her eyes and in a slurred voice said, “Thought you didn’t like me anymore.”

  Her mother’s face went visibly pale and she bit her upper lip. She glanced up uncertainly at the man. When it seemed she was going to answer her daughter, Jaylynn looked down to see Dez was fast asleep.

  Tear-filled blue chips lifted and met Jaylynn’s gaze. They were filled with such pain and anguish that Jaylynn looked away, feeling she was intruding. Mac, standing slightly behind Dez’s mother, slipped his hand from Colette Reilly’s shoulder and let it run down her side until it came to rest protectively against the silver-haired woman’s abdomen. Jaylynn considered whether she should leave, but when she rose and cleared her throat, Colette Reilly seemed to come out of her sorrowful state. As if she’d donned a whole new personality, she was all business. She peered intently at Jaylynn, then shook her head. A half smile lit her features. “Are you staying here or did you need to go home?”

  “No, ma’am. I didn’t intend to go home, but if you want—”

  “Stop. I meant to say that if you would keep an eye on her, I’d appreciate it.” She fished in the purse hanging over her arm and removed a piece of paper and a pen. She scribbled for a moment and handed the piece of paper to Jaylynn. “Please call me if I’m needed.”

  Once again she smoothed the covers, then stepped back reluctantly. With one last look over her shoulder, she headed for the door. Mac slipped an arm around Dez’s mother’s waist and held open the door. He glanced back into the room with a hopeful look on his face and winked at Jaylynn before they disappeared into the hallway.

  Jaylynn continued to sit in the chair, feeling the fatigue wash over her. She supposed she should go home. She
stood up and moved to collect her jacket, but Dez whimpered. She leaned over her and saw that in her sleep, Dez was crying. Jaylynn didn’t have the heart to leave. Before she could sit, the hospital room door opened and Luella shuffled in.

  “How’s she doing?” Luella asked. She shucked off her windbreaker, tossed it over the visitor’s chair by the door, and came to stand by Jaylynn. “You poor child. You look done in.” She wrapped her arms around Jaylynn and held her while she cried. “Sorry it took so long to get here. Had to wait for a cab, and they don’t send ’em fast in the middle of the night!”

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Jaylynn sniffled. “It’s been an awful night.”

  “Sounds like it, hon.”

  Jaylynn shifted back a little, leaning her face to her shoulder to blot her eyes with her sleeve. “I’m probably messing up your nice dress.”

  Luella sputtered, “Who cares! You’re more important than a dress.” She glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of the other chair in the room. She took Jaylynn’s hand and led her to the chair, sat herself down, and pulled Jaylynn toward her lap.

  Jaylynn resisted. “I’ll squash you, Luella.”

  “No, you won’t. Just relax. I’ve had bigger kids than you on my lap before.” She gestured with a toss of her head toward the bed where Dez lay sleeping. “Her, for instance.” She maneuvered Jaylynn onto her lap and enfolded her in a tight hug. “Tell me everything that happened, beginning to end.”

  And Jaylynn did, feeling she was confessing terrible sins. Luella listened and comforted her, and after a while, Luella talked her into going home, sleeping a while, and coming back later in the morning.

  Jaylynn stood, feeling numb, as Luella picked up her lightweight jacket and kissed Dez on the forehead. Even though she was still a little shaky, Jaylynn led Luella out to the parking lot and dropped her off at her house, then drove herself home where she changed clothes and got back in the squad car. She stopped by the precinct and dropped the car off. All was quiet on First Watch, and she was happy not to run into anyone she knew. She got out of her uniform and into her clean clothes, then returned to the hospital.

  When Dez awoke, she was in a foul mood. Half her torso ached and throbbed, and she had a headache that wouldn’t quit. When she forced her eyes open and examined the room, she saw a blonde head lay on the left side of her bed. She carefully lifted her hand and flicked her wrist that direction. When she connected with the crown of the head, she heard a groan, and the head rose. Dull, sleepy hazel eyes met hers in a face full of worry and fatigue.

  Dez sighed and softened her cranky attitude. “How’re you feeling?”

  “Isn’t that supposed to be my line to you?”

  “I feel like shit. Get me outta here, okay? I’m sure Luella can take better care of me than these yahoos.”

  Jaylynn stood and stretched, looking like she was in pain. “I can see you’ll be fine.”

  “Yeah,” she snapped. “What was your first clue?”

  A heavyset nurse hustled into the room. “Good morning,” she said brightly. “And how’s our hero today?”

  Before Dez could snarl a response, Jaylynn squeezed her arm and said, “She’s fine, just fine.”

  The nurse looked the rumpled woman up and down. “Actually,” she said, “you’re the one we should be calling the hero.”

  “What?” Jaylynn asked.

  The nurse spun on her heel and headed for the door. “Be right back,” she called over her shoulder. When she returned a minute later, she was toting a section of the newspaper, which she folded open and spread out on the hospital bed facing Dez.

  Both women gasped.

  The Metro section of the Twin Cities Courier carried the bold headline Saint Paul Cop Shot, and splashed below was a one-foot-square color photo with a caption that read: “Nine year veteran officer Desiree Reilly, shot on duty in an eastside 7-Eleven, is comforted by rookie partner Jaylynn Savage.”

  The color photograph was clear. Jaylynn sat on the floor, a red counter at her back, with her legs splayed out in a V. Dez lay in the V, her eyes squeezed shut and a look of obvious pain on her face. Her legs were sprawled over Jaylynn’s right thigh and her upper body was cradled in Jaylynn’s arms. But what made the picture most remarkable was the proud, defiant look on the young officer’s face as she faced the camera, one solitary tear etching a distinct line down her cheek.

  The nurse said, “They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, and this one definitely is. We need to get the guns off the streets, that’s for sure.” She looked at the shocked faces of the two women. “Ah, well, ah, why don’t you two go ahead and keep this?”

  Jaylynn looked up at her, worry evident on her pale face. “What happened to the man I shot last night?”

  The nurse hesitated, looking like the proverbial deer in the headlights. With a sigh she said, “You’ll see it in the article, so I may as well tell you. He died on the way to the hospital.”

  “Oh, God,” Jaylynn said. She sat down hard in the visitor’s chair and burst into tears.

  Dez tried to sit up. A jolt of pain shot through her ribs, and she lay back on the bed sweating, feeling totally helpless. “Jaylynn. Hey. Come on. It wasn’t your fault.”

  Jaylynn stared at her blankly through the tears. In a quiet voice, almost a whisper, she said, “I’ve killed a man. Someone’s dead because of me.”

  The nurse came around the side of the bed and patted Jaylynn awkwardly. “There, there. Go on and get it all out. It’s awful, isn’t it?”

  Dez wanted to leap from the bed and throttle the nurse. She gritted her teeth to keep from screaming at the woman. She took a deep breath to speak, but a tap sounded on the door, and it opened. An older man in a business suit entered. He carried a clipboard and introduced himself as the hospital administrator. “Good morning, ladies, nurse. Ms. Reilly, we have a number of reporters asking for interviews. Do you wish to grant anyone an audience?”

  “Hell, no,” she snarled.

  With a trace of a smile, he said, “Well, that was perfectly clear. Now then, we also have several officers here. Do you wish to see any of them?”

  “Who?”

  He consulted the clipboard. “Lopez, Culpepper, Oster, Coombs, Mahoney, Milton, Swenson, and last but not least, a Lieutenant Malcolm who would also like to see this young woman.” He gestured toward Jaylynn.

  Grudgingly Dez said, “Yeah, they can all come in.” He exited the room.

  She cast a worried glance over at Jaylynn who was now sitting silently. She was no longer crying but looked as though she was in another world. Dez was relieved when the horde of cops, led by Lieutenant Malcolm, filed in respectfully, one after another. She caught the lieutenant’s eye immediately and tossed her head toward Jaylynn, but before he could make a move, Crystal was already at Jaylynn’s side, down on one knee.

  “Hey, Jay. It’s me—Crystal. Time to head home. Come with me.” She dragged the teary-eyed Jaylynn up out of the chair, pausing long enough to grab Dez’s hand for a split-second. “Sorry it’s a short visit, but you look fine. Catch you later, okay?”

  In a low voice Dez said, “Just take good care of her,” as Crystal led a very tired Jaylynn out the door.

  The lieutenant said, “When we sit down to do the formal interview later today, I’ll get someone from Departmental Assistance for her, Reilly. Don’t worry. She’ll be okay. We’ll take care of her.”

  Dez cast one last look toward the two cops as they disappeared out into the hall. She took a deep breath and winced when the pain in her rib coursed through her again.

  The hospital released Dez late in the afternoon. Cowboy came down to pick her up and take her back to her place. He also agreed to go by the station and get someone to help him deliver her truck. She knew she wouldn’t be driving for a little while, and she didn’t want her pickup sitting in the lot for days on end.

  She struggled, but she managed to change out of her uniform and into jeans and a sweatshirt, no bra. Then she focused
her attention on her biggest worry: Jaylynn. She hadn’t seen or heard from Jaylynn since Crystal dragged her off earlier in the day. She’d tried to call her house from the hospital, but no one, not even Tim or Sara, answered the phone. She tried now to reach Shayna and Crystal, but their answering machine was the only response she got. She didn’t leave a message.

  She limped into the kitchen and got a glass of water so she could take a pain pill, then walked slowly down the stairs and knocked on Luella’s door. It took a minute, but when Luella finally opened the door, she looked like she’d just awakened.

  “Thank goodness you’re home. Come in. Come in.” She held the door open wide and Dez hobbled along behind her into the living room and sank down on the couch.

  Luella said, “Can I get you something?”

  “No, no. I’m fine. Have you by any chance talked to Jaylynn this morning?”

  Luella came to sit right next to her and laid a soft hand on her thigh to pat the denim there. “Yes, she called a little bit ago. She wanted me to let you know she’s okay, but she’s off work for a while.”

  Dez nodded. “I figured that.”

  “She flew home to Seattle late this morning. I don’t know when she’ll be back.”

  “What!”

  “Dez, honey, that poor kid needs her mom right now, that’s what. I don’t blame her. She was a wreck last night, and I can only imagine how she felt when she found out she killed that fellow.”

  Tears rose and spilled over, and Dez couldn’t stop them. Luella put her hand over Dez’s left arm and squeezed it gently as Dez hung her head in shame. Luella chuckled. “You know you don’t have to be that way around here. I don’t expect you to be Miss Big Shot Cop in this house. I’d rather have you human and hurting than tough and hard. You could learn a lesson from Jaylynn, you know.”

  “Yeah,” Dez choked out. “I know.”