by Dale Cadeau
“I know this is almost too much for you to handle, Raven, but right now we need you to be strong. Brad is at the hospital and probably in surgery. We need you to be strong for him right now.”
Cyn reached out and grabbed some tissue, putting it close to Raven. Raven finally took the tissue and raised her head, wiping her face, and looked at Cyn and Avery still kneeling before her.
“I killed him.”
Avery took her hand in one of hers. “No Raven, Brad is going to be okay.”
“No, you don’t understand. I killed my brother.”
“Oh Raven, I’m so sorry.” Avery reached her arms around Raven and gave her a hug.
“That was awful, but you must have had a good reason. I know that you’re not a cold-blooded killer.”
“He shot Brad and turned the gun on me. I didn’t know what to do and I just shot. He was crazy, like he was on drugs or something. He walked in here, high on something, waving a gun and talking nonsense. You understand I had to do it, don’t you?” Raven looked at them a bit of wildness in her eyes.
“Sure we do.” Cyn reached out and took the water glass and held it up to Raven’s lips.
“Here, take a sip and calm down.”
After taking a sip, Raven took a long deep breath, “My god I didn’t ask about Brad, is he okay?”
“Brad was taken to the hospital, he’s getting the best care he can.”
Raven pulled her chair back from them. “I have to go and see Brad.”
Avery and Cyn got up from their knees and both grabbed an arm of Raven’s chair.
“Hold it, Raven, let me call Clay and find out how Brad’s doing. We should also see how James and Angel are.”
Raven stopped “What happened to James and Angel? I vaguely remember them being here.”
“James and Angel were taken down to the cop station.”
“Why, they didn’t do anything wrong?”
“The cops don’t know that. They arrived here to see a dead body on the floor, Brad shot, and only James and Angel talking. You were out of it for a while.”
“Oh God, I have to go down and explain what happened. I can’t let them take the rap for something I did. Please, let’s go now,” Raven pleaded with them, standing up from her chair on shaky legs.
Cyn reached out and steadied her. “Why don’t you sit back down? I’ll take you out to the car while Avery calls Clay, so we know what’s happening.”
Raven sat back in her chair. “Okay. But let’s do something. I just can’t sit here and wait. Brad might be dying in the hospital. I need to see him.”
Avery pulled her cell out and talked to Clay as she followed Cyn and Raven out the door.
As they got to the car, Avery put her cell away and helped Cyn maneuver Raven into the back seat.
“What did you find out?”
“Just let me get this chair in the truck and I’ll tell you,” Avery said as she took the chair and folded it and put it in the truck. Cyn raced around and jumped into the driver side.
Slamming the trunk shut, Avery slid into the passenger side. Looking back at Raven, she said, “Brad is in surgery. Clay can’t tell me anything else. Grant called Jackson and both have gone down to the station to sort out the mess. Let’s go to the hospital before the cops find out that you were the one that did the shooting and want to bring you in for questioning.”
“Shit, Avery, you’re right, let’s get to the hospital, they can find us there,” Cyn said as she pulled out of the driveway and sped toward the hospital.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Arriving at the hospital, the three girls rushed in the emergency exit. Pushing Raven up to the admin desk, they asked about Brad.
The dour old biddy behind the desk gave them a sour look. “What relationship do you have to him?”
Avery stepped forward, “This is his fiancée. We are all worried about him.”
“Do you have proof of this? We just can’t have people running wildly in the hospital.”
“Did I forget to mention, I’m also his sister.” Avery stepped back and pulled out her cell. “I going to call the head of this hospital and tell them you are keeping a family away from their loved one.” A tear coming to her eye.
“Well, don’t cry. I just have to be sure. He was taken into surgery right away, he’s still in there, but you can wait on the third floor. Your brother is already there. You know, you two don’t look anything alike,” the woman answered back, with a sly look at Avery.
“I’m adopted,” Avery answered back and hurriedly grabbed hold of Raven’s chair pushing it to the elevators, with Cyn following behind.
They found Clay nursing a cup of coffee with Laura by his side. Avery, the first to reach him, asked.
“Any word yet?”
“No, nothing yet.” Clay got up from his seat and went to Raven and took her hand.
“I’m sorry that I misjudged you the last time we met. I’m glad you’re here for Brad.”
Raven reached out and touched his hand. “It was a bad time for all of us. You didn’t know me and it did sound terrible, but I was talking about my brother, not Brad.”
“I know that now, and Laura and I are sorry about your brother. If we can do anything for you, just ask. You are now one of our team, a part of our extended family.”
“Thank you for saying that. Please don’t talk about my brother, he caused all this, I know I have to deal with it, but not right now. I just want to see Brad. I have to see him with my own eyes. The last time I saw him, he was laying on my kitchen floor, white as a sheet, not moving. The blood…” Raven shuddered.
Laura, who was standing behind Clay, stepped forward. “Brad’s going to be fine. This unit of men are all tough. They have been through the worse and always come out on top. This time will be no different. How are you handling this? We heard about your brother.”
“Not that great. I killed my brother and Brad…Well, I hope you’re right, Laura. Brad has to come through this. I need him.”
Cyn pushed Raven’s chair over to the other chairs as Avery, Clay, and Laura sat down. “I’m going to get us some coffee, and call the station.”
“No need, the cops should be here with James and Angel any minute. After Jackson arrived at the station, he sat James and Angel down and they made a statement. They hadn’t said anything, wanting to give Raven time to get to the hospital and see Brad. They knew if they told the cops what happened, that they would have you down at the station and not allow you to be here.”
“I’m grateful, but that’s silly. I didn’t shoot my brother for the fun of it. It came down to a choice between him and me,” Raven interjected.
“You’re right, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have to take you in for questioning,” Clay told her.
“I have no problem with that, as long as I can see Brad first and make sure he is okay.”
“Hopefully he’ll be out of surgery soon. I’ll go down and see if I can delay them getting up here too fast.” Clay got up and moved toward the elevator.
“Don’t do anything silly,” Laura called after him.
“Me, do something silly?” He laughed and punched the button for the elevator and disappeared into it when it arrived.
Raven looked at the women sitting around her. She had never had this kind of support from anyone except Mary since her parents died. Tears came to her eyes.
“I don’t know how I can ever thank all of you. The men for holding the cops at bay and all of you here watching my back and helping me.”
“Like Clay said, you are part of our family now. And…” Laura stopped as the doors of the operating room opened and a large man dress in white scrubs came out. He walked up to them. “Are you Raven and Brad Conway’s family?”
All of them stood up, even Raven, on shaky legs.
“Yes, we are. I’m Raven. Is he going to be okay?” Raven almost stumbled over her words, she was so nervous that the doctor would have bad news.
“He’s going to be fin
e, as long as he doesn’t get an infection. The bullet missed his vital organs, but made a hell of a mess. He needs complete rest and no excitement. He’ll be staying here for a couple of weeks.”
The doctor looked directly at Raven. “He was calling for you, when he gained consciousness, just before we wheeled him in for surgery.”
Raven flopped back into her chair and cried big sobbing tears as the relief of the doctor’s words penetrated her mind. Brad was going to be okay, and he needed her.
The doctor, after taking a few more questions from Avery and Cyn, told them Brad would be back in his room in a few minutes.
Laura crouched down in front of Raven and handed her a handkerchief. “Here, dry your eyes. We can go and see Brad in a few minutes and you don’t want him to see you crying.”
Raven took the handkerchief and dried her eyes, sniffling a few more times. “I was just so relieved. Brad is all I have left now.”
Avery looked at them. “She’s right, you mean a lot to Brad. If he sees you crying, he will just get upset and we don’t want that. Why don’t we go to his room and see if he’s there and if they’ll let us in?”
Laura got up off her knees and Cyn took Raven’s chair handles and pushed her down the hall with the others.
As they turned the corner of the hall leading to Brad’s room, they saw Clay, James, and Angel standing in front of the door talking to two police men.
Avery grabbed Raven’s shoulder, stopping Cyn from pushing her forward. “Should we hide?”
Raven looked up at Avery. “I would like to until this mess is cleared up. But we all know that that won’t happen until the cops speak to me. Let’s get this over with. I don’t think they will be so mean that they won’t let me see Brad before they haul me away.”
“Well you’re probably right, but I don’t like cops,” Avery said as they starting walking again.
As they neared, James left the group and walked up to Avery, hugging her, and laughingly whispered in her ear, “I saw you hesitate, were you going to make a run for it?”
“Well it was a thought. You know I don’t trust cops.”
“You have nothing to worry about. Raven will be cleared, what she did was in self defense. Angel and I are already in the clear. So let’s go see Brad.” James put a hand on her back and they joined the others in front of Brad’s hospital room.
A few minutes later, a nurse and orderly wheeled Brad into his room. Raven was shocked at his appearance. She knew that he would look pale, but she didn’t expect all the tubes coming out of him. Raven had to smother a gasp behind her hand. Avery and Cyn both reached down and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to give her some of their strength. She watched the men glance at each other, all their faces grim, as Brad was wheeled past them.
The nurse told them to give her a few minutes to get him settled, then they could see him two at a time.
James walked over to Raven. “You should be the first one in. He will want to see your face when he wakes up. Would you like me to go in with you? Or would you like Avery or one of the others?”
“Are you sure? I know Brad thinks of you guys as family. Without his real family being here, he might be more assured and calmer if a couple of you guys go in. I really don’t know if I can hold it together, and I don’t want to upset him.”
Clay joined them. “I agree, maybe it would be best if James and I go in first. We won’t stay long, but we will be able to at least tell you what to expect. It will also give you time to collect yourself.”
The nurse and orderly came out of the room and the nurse spoke to the group of them standing around. “He hasn’t woken up yet. He could at any time. If he does, ring the bell so the nurse on call can check on him. Remember, only two at a time, and make the visits short.”
James reached down and squeezed Raven’s hand, trying to reassure her. “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. In a few days, you will be wondering how to keep him in bed long enough to recover.” Looking over at Clay, he nodded his head and gave him a serious look. “Come on, Clay, let go see our boy.”
Raven watched as James and Clay walked into Brad’s room. Avery let go of Raven’s shoulder and moved to crouch down in front of her. “James and Clay will tell you how it is. They don’t believe in sugar-coating things, so you can believe them when they come out and tell you Brad will be okay. And I know that’s what you are going to hear. So pull yourself together for your man. He’s going to be more worried about you than himself. Here’s a Kleenex, wipe your tears.” Raven took the tissue and wiped her face of the tears that she hadn’t realized she had starting shedding again.
“You’re right, Brad will be worried. He doesn’t know what happened after he was shot. He could be thinking the worse. Will you go in with me? You always seem to have some inner strength. How do you do it? Brad told me some of your story and how you lost your parents. How you and James met.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret. I might be strong now, but I wasn’t always that way. James is the one that give me that strength, he made me believe in myself and he always has my back no matter what I do. I’ve tested his patience a few times, but one thing that never changes is his belief in me. Brad is the same kind of man, all of the team are. See him through this and he will always be someone you can count on. Any of us will be here for you, no matter what.”
“Thanks, Avery, you made me feel a lot better. I want to be strong for him and with your help…” Raven cut off her words, her eyes drawn to Brad’s hospital room door as it opened. James and Clay walked out, they both looked serious but now there was a lightness in their eyes and step.
Raven held her breath. “Well?”
James looked at all of them and gave a relieved grin. “He’s going to be fine. He’s been through a lot worse. He woke up briefly and tried to get up and find Raven. Clay and I held him down and filled him in on what happened at the house and that Raven was outside waiting to see him. We didn’t tell him anything about the misunderstanding between us and the cops. And nothing about Raven having to go down to the station to be questioned about her brother’s death. I don’t think he could stand that news right now. But he does know that Les is dead, he thinks that I shot him. Let’s leave it like that for now. He only calmed down when he knew Raven was fine and waiting to see him.
“I agree, let’s go in and calm this man even more.” Avery pushed Raven’s chair in the room, with James holding the door open for them.
Brad was laying in the hospital bed still full of tubes, but now his eyes were open and he held out his hand toward Raven when he spotted her. Avery wheeled her close and Raven’s reached out her hand and took his.
“Hi, beautiful,” Brad said in a scratchy voice.
“Don’t talk, Brad. I’m so glad to see you. I thought the worse when you were shot by Les.”
“I’m going to be fine, especially now that you’re here.” Brad started to cough and Raven looked at Avery with worried eyes. Avery walked to the other side of his bed and pushed the button for the nurse, then took a water jug beside his bed and poured Brad a glass of water and held it to his lips. After Brad took a drink, he thanked Avery.
Turning his head on his pillow back to Raven, he said, “Don’t worry about anything. I’ll handle everything for you as soon as I get out of here.” His voice started fading and his eyes shut.
“Do you think he’s okay?” Raven asked Avery.
“I think he’s fine, just worn out. He’s at peace now, since he’s seen you.”
The door opened and nurse came in and checked Brad. “He’s sleeping peacefully. I think that he should have quiet now. Why don’t you come back later after he’s had a nap?”
“He’s going to be okay?” Raven asked the nurse.
“Yes, he should be fine, he just needs time to heal.”
“Let’s go, Raven, we’ll come back.” Avery wheeled Raven back out the door, behind the nurse. When they reached the group in a small waiting room two doors down, they found Madge and Mary
there with them.
Mary walked over to Raven with tears in her eyes and took her hand. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have left you alone.”
Raven squeezed her hand. “There is no way you would have known. Les was not himself today. I’ve never seen him like that.”
Avery looked over to James and Clay. “Where did the police go and where are Grant and Jackson? I thought you said they were right behind you two.”
James waved them over. “Come here, I think we all want to hear what Madge has just come to tell us.”
When Avery made it to his side, he held her close, than turned to Madge. “Okay, Madge tell us all now that we’re all here. Oh and the police left when I assured them that I would personally bring Raven down to the station first thing in the morning.”
Madge looked around at everyone standing around her in a circle.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” she said to Raven. After Raven nodded, she continued.
“Grant called me to come down here. He didn’t want to call, in case you were in with Brad and it would disturb him. Anyway, it seems that the paperwork took more time than they thought and they were still there when a cop came in to gather a few officers to go and raid Les’s campaign office. It seems that the coroner found a small campaign bag of coke in his pocket and he still had a white rim around his nostrils. With the coke being hidden in the small grab bags that they hand out, the cop were determined to get to the campaign office before word got out that Les was dead.
“Jackson and Grant followed them to the campaign office. They weren’t able to get to close, but Chase was there at the time and filled them in, back at the station. The police called in a paddy wagon and all the people in the office were herded into the wagon and brought down to the station. It seems that there was a lot of scrambling when the cops arrived and the most obviously one was Cindy, who grabbed her big purse and tried to tell the cops that she was with Chase and they had just stopped by to visit.”
“I hope this didn’t get Chase in trouble. That’s all we need, Chase in jail now,” James asked.
