“Taylor.”
She stopped but did not look at him. “I won’t let anything happen to you, you know that.”
She said so softly he barely heard her, “I know.” She went to the refrigerator and got out a bottle of water. He saw her hand was shaking a little.
He came over and held her, kissing her. “Don’t worry, baby. Okay?”
“I’ll try. Do you think they’ll get him soon?”
“I’m sure. Besides,” he gave her a big smile and tugged on her loose hair, “weren’t you the one who said he was not too bright?”
She put her arms around his waist and hugged him, “I do remember calling him some names, none of which were flattering, but all of them were true.”
At bedtime, she changed in her room and sat there for a long time. She knew she would not be able to sleep. Not with the creature loose. Still, how could he know her name or where she was? She was also not feeling well. Not sure what was wrong, she just knew that she was not feeling as good as she had been.
Sean came in. “Taylor, what are you worrying about? Not Walker?”
She shrugged, “Some. I’m not feeling too good. Maybe I’m too tense.”
He rubbed her back, “You know everything’s going to be fine.”
She nodded in agreement.
He spoke very softly, “Come to bed.”
He pulled her up and led her to his room where she fell asleep in his arms.
Fifty-four
The next morning, she heard plows clearing the road. Sean got a call to go to work. There were several officers who were still unable to get out, but they needed to start checking on anyone who might be in need of help.
He came down dressed to go. He was worried about Taylor. Ever since the news, she had pretended everything was fine but she had been restless. And she still was not feeling well.
He hugged her and kissed her, “Taylor, how about I drop you off at Maggie and Walter’s house for the day?”
She shook her head no, “Tango and I will be fine. Really.”
“Call me if you need anything, okay?”
“I will. Be careful.”
He gave her a grin, “Always.”
He left and she locked the door. She called her grandmother to find out how her granddad was doing. “Oh, he’s doing just great. We left the hospital this morning. We got taken home in a van. Our power is back on and we are warm and happy. How’s the weather there? Have you told him yet?”
“Not yet. It’s hard to know when the perfect time to say it is. It’s sunny out and the snow is melting a tiny bit. It’s still cold, but better than the last two days.”
“Taylor, there is no such thing as a perfect time. Just tell him. You said he’s been good to you and you love him. I bet he’ll be very happy when you say it.”
“You’re right Gran. But I’m not feeling very good today so I’ll tell him later when I feel better.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s stress.”
“Stress about Sean? That should not affect you that much. Maybe you should go see a doctor.”
“I will if it gets worse.”
“Promise me, Taylor. You’ll go to the doctor if you do not feel better tomorrow or you get even a little worse.”
“I will.”
They chatted for a few more minutes.
She then called to check on Lisa who was gushing over the guy she had met. They talked awhile but Taylor still did not mention Sean. She did not want to get the third degree to find out all the details.
She spent the rest of the morning doing some puzzles and reading her book. The power came back on early afternoon. She made sure everything was working and realized she was having some sharper pains in her right side. She sat and watched TV, hoping that sitting quietly would make her feel better. It was astonishing that she could miss watching it. She had watched it so rarely when she had been working full time.
By late afternoon, she was feeling worse. She was on the couch and Tango was hovering around her. Maybe she should go to a clinic. She thought about calling Sean, but he was working and she knew that all the officers were swamped right now.
An hour later, she called Maggie. Both Maggie and Walter came over. Maggie was immediately worried. Taylor was pale and in pain. Walter took her out to the car and they headed to the hospital. Maggie sat with her in the back seat.
Taylor told them. “I don’t want to go to the hospital. Just a clinic to get checked. I probably have an infection or inflammation or something.”
Walter gave Maggie a look in the mirror. He drove as fast as he dared. When Taylor followed them into the emergency room, she collapsed on the floor.
Fifty-five
Sean and John were responding to a call. All they knew was that a couple of men were on the street arguing and threatening each other. John usually joked to Sean that he was the better driver although they both knew Sean was just a good, but Sean never argued. Even though they had been a team for four years, John rarely let Sean drive. He really didn’t mind. John had joked earlier that he could probably ski the car down the road, but the conditions were not really not that bad. The plows and the sun had them slushy but not icy.
Sean liked John. He was level headed and had a great sense of humor. Most of all he cared about the people they helped. His wife, Sara had the same sense of humor and adored John. They had been married fifteen years, but they always acted like it was their first year together. He could not have been partnered with a better person.
The men on the road were gesturing wildly, cursing and yelling. When Sean and John approached them carefully, one of the men turned to look at them and turned back to the other man, “See what ya done. Ya brought the cops.”
John stood slightly back from the two men and Sean stood just a few feet from him. “I need you two to calm down and tell me what is going on.”
They both started to yell at the same time.
John yelled, “One at a time.”
The shorter man yelled out, “He said ugly things about my old lady. It hurt her feelings.”
“I didn’t say nothing that wasn’t true.”
John asked them for their IDs. The taller of the two lunged for the shorter man. John moved to intercede and Sean grabbed the shorter man’s arm, “Calm down.”
“I’m gonna hurt you,” he made an attempt to get to the shorter man but John had him down on the ground quickly.
The shorter man shouted, “I’d like to see you try.” He pulled a knife from under his jacket.
Sean pulled his weapon as John was still handcuffing the taller man and did not see the knife. “Put the knife down,” he ordered.
The man, anger making his face red, looked at him. Sean ordered him again, “Put the knife down now.”
John had withdrawn his weapon and pointed it at the man. The man looked at the two officers and slowly dropped it on the ground.
“Got him?” Sean asked.
“Yep.”
Sean ordered the man to get down on his knees and put his arms behind his head. The man complied. Sean handcuffed him, “you’re under arrest for public disturbance, carrying a concealed weapon, and pulling a weapon on police officers. Do you have a permit for that gun?”
Before the man could answer, a rumpled, middle aged woman appeared on the street, yelling at Sean and John. “Leave my husband alone. He was defending my honor.”
John held up a hand to stop her, “Calm down.”
“You can’t arrest him for defending me against that jerk. “
The tall man John had in handcuffs laughed, “You don’t have any honor.”
Sean had holstered his weapon when he had handcuffed him. The woman pulled a gun from her coat pocket and pointed it at them. Sean went for his weapon, but the woman started firing wildly. She shoot five times. One went wild, one hit their patrol car, two bullets hit Sean and he went down, and one hit John. She turned and ran.
Her husband tried to get up and ru
n after her. Sean struggled to his feet and pushed him down onto the ground, “Don’t move.” It was hard to talk since his chest hurt like hell.
Sean got on his radio and called for help. “Officer down, female shooter on foot and armed, heading east on Busch Street. White female, short brown hair, mid- to late thirties, wearing light blue smock, tan overcoat and rubber boots. We need backup and EMTs. “
Both bullets had hit him the chest. He thought briefly about Taylor.
He made sure both men were quiet and then knelt next to John, “John?”
“Yeah, I’ll live. You?”
“Yep. Thanks to the Kevlar.” The bullets had hit him in the vest, which he knew just saved his life, but it still hurt. He put a hand on John’s leg wound and pressed down to stop the bleeding. The snow under him was turning bright red.
Sean tried to keep one eye on the two men on the ground. They were quiet for now. He still kept his gun pointed at them.
He finally heard sirens. The ambulance came and right behind them was Sargent Mayfield and another patrol car.
Sean filled him in. Another squad took the men into custody. Mayfield told Sean to go the hospital with John and get checked out. They put an APB out on the wife. Sean handed them the IDs they had gotten but had not had a chance to look up on the car computer.
Sean road in the ambulance with John to the hospital. His chest was hurting badly but he said nothing. He would tell the doctor and go home. He was tired. He thought about calling Taylor. He would call as soon as he got checked out so he could tell her not to worry. “Do you want me to call Sara?”
“Not yet. She’ll be there before we will.” He smiled.
When they arrived, he walked in with John on the gurney. He did not see Maggie and Walter in the waiting room. They had been asked to sit out there while they did some tests on Taylor.
When they got into the back, John was taken into a room. Sean was led to another room. He knew John would be okay, but he was tense. Tense from the scene, tense from getting shot, tense because he was going to be late going home.
The doctor ordered an x-ray, so he went to check on John. He looked at him, “Call Sara, please. I want her to hear it from you rather than an official call.”
Sean called her and reassured her that John was okay. “You know him, giving everyone a hard time.” She said she would be right there. “Be careful driving, Sara.” He thought again about calling Taylor but decided to wait a bit.
He was back sitting in the curtained off room when Sargent Mayfield had arrived and took his gun and equipment so that he could get x-rayed. He told Sean he had John’s stuff too. Sean told him he had called Sara.
“Yeah, she just got here. Have you called Taylor?”
“Not yet. I will.”
After he left, he was taken to x-ray. When he was back heard someone pull back the curtain. It was Maggie.
“Maggie, what are you doing here? Is Walter okay?”
She nodded her head, “Sean, we brought Taylor here.”
He became alarmed, “What? Why? Is she okay?”
Maggie gave him a worried look, “We haven’t heard anything yet. She didn’t look good. She was pale and hurting. She didn’t want to come, but we are so worried, Walter ignored her. Then we were walking in and Taylor collapsed on the floor.”
Sean winced as he stood up, “Where is she?”
“They asked us not to stay with her but I don’t want her there alone.” She led him down to a roomed corridor. The nurse stopped him. “You are a patient too. Have you seen the doctor yet?”
“No. He’s busy and I’m here to see my girlfriend.” He pushed the door open and went into the room. He gave the nurse a look daring her to stop him.
Taylor was laying on the bed, eyes closed. She was holding her hand to her right side. “Taylor?”
She looked over at him. She whispered, “I don’t feel very good, Sean. But you know how I feel about hospitals. It would be just fine if I was never in one again.”
He pushed her hair back from her face and kissed her. “What has the doctor said?”
“I don’t know. They’ve done a bunch of tests. Did Maggie call you?”
“No, John was shot. I came here with him.”
“Oh no. Is he okay?”
“Yeah, got shot in the leg so he’s going to be gimpy for a few days but he’s strong. He’ll be fine.”
The doctor came in, “I was told you were in here. I got your x-rays back. A cracked rib .You’re going to be sore for a few days. The bullet impacts on your chest are going to bruise but they’ll heal. You got hit at close range so it’s lucky you had your vest on. Your partner is also going to be fine.”
He turned to Taylor, “I’m still waiting for all your results to come back. In the meantime, I’m going to take him back to his room and check on him. He’ll be back in ten minutes.”
He looked at Sean and pointed out. Sean looked over at Taylor. She mouthed ‘go’ and smiled. He followed the doctor out and was back in fifteen minutes.
She looked at him as he held her hand while they waited for the doctor. “You were shot?”
“Yeah. Funny how we both ended up here. I’m okay, no worries.”
She gave him a worried look anyways and he smiled, “You’re going to make me feel guilty if you keep looking at me like that.”
“How many times were you shot? He said bullets.”
“Two but I’m fine.”
“It hurts.”
“Yes, it does and you would know.” He gave her a quick smile.
The doctor came in.
“I got your results. You had some liver damage from the car accident, right?”
Taylor nodded her head yes.
“Well, your liver is still showing some signs of damage. You had a grade three almost grade four injury. It can take months or a couple of years to fully recover. The pain concerns me since this might indicate that your liver is not healed yet. You should try to get more rest and not be very active, get your liver checked via blood tests at least every three months, and there is a medication you should be on. You may even have to take it the rest of your life. It will help your liver but not cure it. The liver can re-generate and heal but your damage was somewhat significant. Not significant enough for surgery, but you should get regular checkups to evaluate your liver functions. I’ll send you home with a prescription. Be sure to follow-up with your regular doctor within a week so he can start monitoring you.” He patted her on the knee and left.
She didn’t look at Sean. Now she was scared. Maybe he would be better off with someone else, he deserved a healthy woman, not her. Maybe she would be fine, but what if she wasn’t? How could she expect him to stick around?
“Forget it, Taylor.”
She gave him a startled look, “Forget what?”
“Deciding my life for me. That’s up to me. Not you.”
She gave him a quizzical look, how had he known what she had been thinking? She searched his eyes. He was very serious. What was he really saying? He wanted her in his life despite the issues?
She got up to go and Sean took her hands and looked at her, “I love you Taylor. I’m not going to cut and run.”
She was about to say something but the nurse walked in with a wheelchair. Walter and Maggie drove them home.
They spoke very little on the way home. He told her he would pick up her medication tomorrow. Sean was still really hurting and he was very tired. The fact that the lights were back on barely registered with him. Tango barked happily that they were home.
She stared. He was pale. She whispered in dread, “Are you okay?”
He shook his head, “Hurts a bit. Getting shot two times in the chest isn’t so great. That vest and I are going to be lifelong mates.”
He slowly climbed the stairs. When he got to his room, he took his shirt off and heard her gasp. He looked down. His chest was bruised where the bullets had hit.
He gave her a little smile, “It looks worse than it is.”
He sat down on the bed. She asked, “Did they give you something?”
“Some kind of pain pill.”
“Have you taken one?” He shook his head no.
After she had gotten a pill down him, he laid down.
Taylor quietly went to her room and changed. She laid down on her bed but she was sure she would not be able to relax and sleep. She thought about what the doctor had said. Her liver was not healed yet?
She wasn’t sure how she felt. She knew she had to keep a positive attitude and if Sean wanted her to stay in his life, then maybe she would have the support that she had never gotten before.
Twenty minutes later, she heard Sean come into her room. “What are you doing, Taylor?”
She sat up, “What do you mean? You need to rest.”
“Not without you. Why did you come in here to sleep?”
She stood up, “I was afraid I might hurt you if I moved around.”
He sighed, “Come to bed. It hurts no matter what and I would rather hurt with you there than without you.” He held out his hand.
She took his hand and went with him. When they settled she asked, “Did you mean what you said at the hospital?”
“All of it.”
“I love you too Sean.”
When he replied, “You’d better,” she giggled.
Fifty-five
The next morning Sean looked a little better to her. He had slept late.
She was already downstairs when he got up and went down. Moving around a lot hurt so he sat carefully next to her. “Let’s talk about what the doctor said.”
She rolled her eyes, “Must we?”
“Yeah. You acted like I was going to run the other way and leave you standing in my dust.”
“I’m scared, Sean. It’s a lot to deal with it and I’m not sure how I feel about it.”
“Well, don’t decide for me how I feel about it.”
She was silent for a minute and then asked, “How do you feel about it?”
He gave her an intent stare before answering, “It doesn’t scare me, if that is what you think. It’s not the best news ever, but we can deal with it.”
Unexpected Love Page 20
