by Beth Urich
The three friends had been close since elementary school, although Ginger had drifted away from the relationship occasionally. But the trio had always supported each other through life events—good and bad—regardless of what else was happening in their lives.
A doctor and two nurses exited the room, leaving the door propped open behind them. One of the nurses said, “She can have visitors now.”
“Thanks,” Shirley said.
Ginger sat propped up in bed, holding an icepack to her left cheek.
Kate found no words to express her thoughts.
“Don’t worry, I’m on some good pain pills. But it feels just as bad as it looks,” Ginger said, trying to smile. “Somebody say something.”
Shirley said, “I’m sorry this happened. I know you wanted things to work out with Carl.”
Ginger shrugged, tears forming in her eyes. “Sorry, I’m a little weepy. I guess I’m a little overwhelmed. The other times were bad enough, but not like this. I thought he’d changed.”
“Will you be able to go home today?” Shirley asked.
“They’re going to do another x-ray. The doctor wants to see how things look now that the swelling has gone down.”
“Have you called your mother?” Kate asked.
“No. I’m not ready for that lecture again.”
“Do you want me to speak to her?” Kate said.
“I’ll deal with it later, but I appreciate your offer. I really can’t think clearly right now. Once I go home—”
“You can’t go home,” Kate said. “You have to go somewhere safe. You can contact the crisis center. I’m sure they’ll help you with temporary housing.”
“Carl’s in jail. They picked him up this morning at his cousin’s house.”
“Robbie helped him?” Shirley said.
“They’re close.” Ginger said. “In any case, I’ll be able to go home. The prosecutor wants to press charges. I’m not sure what that means. I know this is my fault. I should never have taken him back after he got out of jail.”
“For the third assault ... I might add,” Kate said.
“It’s not your fault,” Shirley said.
“That’s what they tell me in my group sessions at the crisis center,” Ginger said. “But the truth is, I stayed with him. I made that decision. Obviously, we’re not good together.”
Kate looked at her watch. “I’ve got to get back to work.”
“You both do,” Ginger said. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for coming by. I’ll keep you posted.”
“I’m going to come back after work,” Kate said. “Maybe you’ll know more about getting released. If you can leave sooner, call one of us and we’ll get you home.”
“In the meantime, call the crisis center hotline and tell them what’s happened,” Shirley said. “Ask them what options you have through them.”
“Will do,” Ginger said, pushing through another smile.
A Note from the Publisher
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Thank you for reading Beth Urich’s second novel of the Kate Starling Mysteries, Connections.
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