Truth or Lies?

by A. Gomez

  “Davis, could you please get the nurse for me?” I asked.

  “Are you in pain?” he looked concerned.

  “I think I am.” It wasn’t the kind of pain he thought, but it might as well be. Every inch of me hurt, especially my chest. I couldn’t reconcile the idea that Davis knew about Josh’s playboy ways and probably everyone in the Bureau as well. I was such a sucker for a pretty face and a hot body. Isabel Langley, what is wrong with you?

  11

  The nurse came in wearing a big smile. She started checking all the machines and my IV drip. She fixed my pillows and took my temperature, being so motherly, I love her.

  “You’re having some pain, angel? I have to check with Doctor Summers if I can give you more pain meds. I just gave you one not too long ago. Let me page him and see what he says.” She brushed the hair out of my eyes and patted my cheek.

  “You know, let’s not bother Doctor Summers. He said he was doing rounds and I’d hate to bother him. I’m not in that much pain so I think I’m okay. But what I really want is for you to take out this Foley catheter. Do we have to check with David to do that?”

  “Not at all, sweet angel. I can do that right now. The sooner this thing comes out the better; that way you don’t get a urinary tract infection.” She put latex gloves on and pulled back the covers. “Now just relax, dear.” And in one swift movement it was out. Ahg! That felt weird. “That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

  “No, it was fine, but I think I have to use the restroom.”

  “That happens sometimes, especially with the little ones. Let me help you. You’re going to feel a little dizzy when you first get up and if you do, just sit back down and take your time. I’m here for you, angel.” She helped me swing my legs off the bed and then I just sat there for a few seconds trying to get my bearings. I looked up at her, nodded my head to let her know I was ready, and she took my arm and helped me to my feet. Woo! She was right, I did feel a bit dizzy, but not too bad though. I was able to stay on my feet, I just had to stay put for another few seconds. I gave her another nod and we started walking to the bathroom. She was smiling big and giving me lots of words of encouragement. I smiled back. We got to the toilet and she shut the door, just in case one of the agents decided to walk in. I finished, she helped me up and helped me wash my hands. I giggled. It must be a habit in her line of work. We headed back to the bed and I was starting to feel better moving around.

  “I have to say, you’re the best and sweetest nurse I’ve ever had. And I would know because I’ve been in and out of the hospital growing up with all the sport injuries I’ve endured. Tell me your name.” She was a little shorter than me but I still hugged her arm.

  “Angie,” she said with a giggle. “My name is Angie. That’s very nice of you to say. I do try. These poor babies that come through here just break my heart.”

  I got to the bed with no problem. “Angie, can you tell me how long I was asleep?”

  “Oh, honey, you were out probably a good four hours, give or take. Doctor Summers stabilized you in the ER, did your stitches and brought you up here himself, once you were stable. He said no one is to know you’re here and only I can take care of you. All I did was change out your bags for the blood and the bags of fluids. He sat here as long as possible with you and administered all the medication through the IV himself. Every time he was paged he would ask another doctor to cover for him until there were no more doctors that could help. He looked like he wanted to cry. I’ve never seen a man so distraught.”

  “David Summers, distraught? I find that hard to believe,” I said, looking at her with raised eyebrows.

  “People change, sweet girl, things change.” She looked at me with smiling eyes.

  “Yes, I suppose you’re right.” I sighed. “I’d like to get my panties and jeans on, Angie. I’m feeling a little exposed.”

  “Absolutely, and probably feeling a little cold as well, huh?”

  I snorted. “Yes, I am as a matter of fact.” She got my clothes and practically put them on for me. I couldn’t take the gown off yet since I was attached to an IV and wouldn’t be able to put my shirt on. I crawled back into bed and just waited for that bag to finish. Nurse Angie left and told me to rest since I couldn’t do anything else anyway. Davis came back in after a while and sat down in the chair next to my bed. He eyed me and then looked out the window and then back to me again. He did this several times. It finally started to irritate me.

  “Spit it out, Davis! What’s on your mind?”

  “There’s nothing on my mind, Isabel.” He acted surprised.

  “Yes, there is. Don’t lie to me,” I griped. “I’ve been lied to enough by Josh, I swear if one more person lies to me, I’m going to punch them.”

  “Isabel, you have a knack for reading people,” he said, frowning. “Let’s just say I’m your new babysitter and Josh is having somewhat of a hard time with the thought.”

  “Oh, is that all? Honestly, I don’t know why he cares. He’s just plain stupid if he thinks he’s in any condition to help me or babysit me. Besides, I don’t trust him anyway, so why would I want him guarding me?”

  “You don’t trust him?” His brow wrinkled as he continued. “He keeps muttering how he loves you.” Davis looked at me with a confused expression. “Why would he keep saying that if you don’t trust him?”

  “Because, Davis, he’s on pain killers. It’s a strong drug, it makes you act and say things you normally wouldn’t. He just thinks he loves me when in fact he only loves himself. He’s a very selfish man.”

  “Ah, huh,” Davis was smirking, “you sound very convincing. You’re on pain medication too, are you saying things you normally wouldn’t?”

  David walked in and interrupted our conversation. I swear that man had impeccable timing. I smiled at him and let out a sigh of relief. He noticed, did a double take, walked over to me grinning and kissed the top of my head. Oops, that was a big faux pas. I hoped he didn’t read too much into that. He looked at the machines and checked to see if the saline bag was empty. It looked sufficiently empty but he shook and squeezed it anyway. His gaze then turned to me and it made me flush slightly. The back of his hand brushed across my cheek, leaving goose bumps in its wake.

  “Your cheeks are getting their color back, Isabel. You had me scared there for a minute. And those beautiful green eyes of yours are as gorgeous as ever. How do you feel?”

  “Hungry,” I replied. “I can’t wait to get out of here and go eat.”

  “That’s a very good sign,” he said with a broad smile. “Let me take your IV out and I’ll take you out to dinner.” He sat down on the bed with me to remove the IV.

  “Oh, David, that’s very nice of you to offer but I have a birthday dinner waiting for me at home. My mom and brother are in town and she’s cooking brisket.”

  “Your mother’s in town? I’d love to come say hello to her, and your brother too, of course. Which brother is here?”

  “David, there is no way I’m letting you come over to my house and risk the chance of your crazy, sociopathic, volatile girlfriend finding out. She may poison me in my weakened state.” Both men chuckled.

  “Ginger would never poison you. She couldn’t possibly be that vindictive.” David’s tone sounded uncertain. He didn’t look up from my arm. The IV was out and he put a cotton ball and band-aid in its place. His brow puckered for a brief moment. I was slightly bemused by his reaction to my comment. Did I strike a chord? Was I being ungrateful for everything he’d done for me today?

  I took his hand in both of mine, saying, “Hey, thank you for all that you did today. Especially for taking good care of me. I don’t know how I can ever thank you for that.”

  “Have dinner with me. Please. That’s thanks enough.” He looked like he needed sleep. I felt a pang of guilt.

  “David, you look tired. Dinner probably isn’t a good idea. But, if you’re available, come for Sunday brunch tomorrow around ten-thirty. I’ll ask my mother if she can make her
famous country brunch. Does that work for you?” I instantly regretted inviting him.

  “That sounds wonderful, Isabel.” He beamed, his smile lighting up his face.

  “Okay then, am I free to go?”

  “Yes, you should be fine. Here is your pain medication and antibiotics,” he said, as he handed me a white paper bag. “I filled your prescription while you were sleeping. You can take the pain meds every four to six hours as needed and you will need them every day for the first few days. Make sure and take it even if you feel like you don’t need it, that way you don’t let the pain hit you. And make sure you finish the entire bottle of antibiotics. It’s to prevent infection.”

  “Got it,” I replied and started getting out of bed. I couldn’t wait to get home and wash the blood off of me and throw my bloody clothes in the wash. I felt mentally and physically drained. I just wanted to get home and have this day end. Both men left the room so I could change. Thankfully my bra was still on me…it would be too painful to try and twist my arm behind me and hook my bra. It was painful enough to lift my arm and put my shirt on. I looked in the mirror and saw the bullet hole and bloodstains on my left sleeve. I grabbed my jacket to put it on and saw the bullet hole there too. Amazing how I didn’t feel anything. I looked at my watch and it was nearly five in the afternoon. Wow, the entire day wasted on the Chinese Triads trying to kill Conny and Pam? That was puzzling. I thought they were after Jill and me for this case we were on. I was hoping Davis had some answers for me. I stepped out of the room and noticed that the two scary agents Angie was telling me about were gone. The only agent outside the room was Davis…his face was impassive. Why on God’s green earth did he have to look like the Terminator all the time? I took a few deep breaths to calm myself so I wouldn’t snap at Davis.

  “Agent Davis,” I addressed him calmly and professionally, “you have to stop with your looks. The facial expressions you sometimes wear are unapproachable and just plain intimidating. You’re about to meet part of my family and not to mention, you’re going to be with me for a great many hours and I tend to deal with a lot of children of all ages. You’re going to scare the livin’ daylights out of everyone!” I huffed. His smile reached his eyes and I was relieved to see I hadn’t offended him.

  “I apologize, Isabel. I have a lot going through my mind and I’m trying to make sense of some of it. Or solve the puzzle.”

  “Would you like to talk about it? We can talk in the car on our way home.” I started to walk to the elevators when he stopped me and motioned to the wheelchair.

  “Isabel, it’s better if I take you down in this wheelchair. Just because your body has been through a lot today and we need to make sure you don’t push yourself to do too much too soon.” He was still smiling.

  His lighter tone was contagious and it brightened the mood. “Okay,” I smiled back, “but only because I like riding in wheelchairs.”

  We got to the first floor of the hospital and he wheeled me close to the ER so we could leave the wheelchair there for another patient. I put the brakes on and got up, looking in the direction of the ICU. I paused for just a second and could feel Davis’ eyes on me.

  “We can go see him if you want,” he said, his voice low but cheerful.

  “What makes you think it is Josh I want to see?” I acted surprised.

  “Because you’ve already gone to see Jill and you know she’s doing fine but you really don’t know about Josh. You just have to take my word for it and that may bother you just a little.” My stomach twisted at his words.

  “Davis, I think you’re pretty good at reading people, too,” I told him with a smirk. “I really have to get home. My mother and brother are in town and I want to beat them home so I can clean up before they get back from shopping.”

  He agreed and we headed for the parking garage. I was still moving somewhat slowly but a lot of it was because I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. We got to my car and I handed Davis my car keys. We got in and Davis didn’t move. He just sat there staring at the dash and the stick shift.

  “Davis? Is something wrong?” I turned to look at him.

  “I’m not sure if I remember how to drive a standard.” He gave me an uneasy look.

  “Well, you better remember quick, fast and in a hurry because I don’t think I should be driving and I’m not about to call my mother to come get us,” I snapped, my twang coming out again.

  “Right. It’s just like riding a bike,” he told himself. “I got this.” He put it in reverse and did fairly well. He was able to get the car out of its parking spot. He then put it in first gear and stalled my poor car.

  “Remember to not let go of the clutch until you have enough speed,” I told him.

  “Yes, I knew that. Don’t worry, I can do this. Are you hot? Is it hot in here?” He was getting flustered.

  “I’m fine. In fact, I’m a little cold.”

  “I’ll just crack my window…just a smidge,” he said, nervously. He put the car in first again but this time he was able to make the car go. He did, however, start grinding my gears and jerking the car…a lot.

  “I may have whiplash by the time we get to my house, Davis,” I said mockingly.

  “Very funny,” he said, somewhat amused.

  “So, tell me what was running through your head back at the hospital? You said you were trying to solve the puzzle?” I was hoping he could tell me any information he had.

  “It’s just two questions, really, that are gnawing at me. How did those Triad members know Conny and Pam were in her office and why did they go after them? It makes no sense. They don’t know who Pam is and I get that anybody may know who Conny is, so they may want to eliminate him, but why Pam? She has nothing to do with this case other than she’s your boss. It’s not like she was going to testify.”

  “Did Conny have an idea as to why this happened?” I wondered.

  “The only thing he could conclude was they might have mistaken Pam for you.”

  I shuddered at the thought, remembering the gun at my head and me shooting another human being.

  “I’m sorry.” Davis noticed my reaction. “I should stop.”

  “No, please don’t stop. I actually had the same questions. What else did Conny say? What made him come to that conclusion?”

  “Well, he knows they were speaking in Mandarin but he kept hearing them say Langley. Hence, his conclusion.”

  “Makes sense. However, the defendant, whom I’m sure is the head of this organization, has seen me at the courthouse, as well as those other Chinese men that were with him. How could they have gotten it wrong?” I asked.

  “Because Pam and Conny were busy at the time,” he said, insinuating their romantic tryst, “and we’re thinking they just assumed it was you and Josh. They didn’t bother to make sure.”

  “You’re forgetting one very important question…how did they know I was at the hospital? When I left the house, I didn’t go straight to the hospital. I drove around for a while and I made a stop. If they were watching me or even following me, they would’ve known that and taken care of me when I stopped. And if they felt they couldn’t have done it at that time they had a second chance once I got to my office. I was alone for quite a while before Josh found me. So, the question still remains…how did they know I was at the hospital?” And as soon as I finished my sentence, we both looked at each other—both of us having the same epiphany at the same time. “Oh my gosh, Davis! Are you thinking what I’m thinking? That there’s someone close to me giving them information?”

  “Yep, my thoughts exactly. And the good news is Josh is not one of them because I had to tell him where I saw you. I knew you were in the hospital visiting Jill. I saw you when I went to pick up Stevens. Josh was frantic when he couldn’t find you.” He shot me a look as he spoke.

  “Then that means it could be someone at the hospital. Or…” I gave Davis an anxious look.

  “It’s not me, Isabel!” he snapped. “How can that thought even cross your mind? If it were
me, you would be dead already. I’ve had so many opportunities to kill you or make you disappear!”

  “Well, I’m sorry!” I snapped back. “So many people have been surprising me lately and not necessarily in a good way. What am I supposed to think?”

  He sighed loudly. “It’s all right. I can understand how you feel.” He was driving better, not jerking the car as much.

  “Er…speaking of Josh, do you think you could ask him where my gun is?”

  His eyes got wide and his jaw dropped. “Did I just hear you say your gun? You own a gun?”

  “Uh, yes, I thought you knew. I thought all the agents knew.” I felt embarrassed for not knowing where it was.

  “Why and how would Josh know where it is?”

  My stomach clenched, I hoped I didn’t get Josh in trouble. “I, uh, kind of gave it to him to use that night we thought someone was trying to break in my house. He didn’t have his with him and mine was in my nightstand.”

  “Uh huh.” His face was serious, contemplating what I said. “You know how to handle a weapon?”

  “Yes, sir, I do. I’ve been shooting guns and going huntin’ with my Daddy and brothers since I was in elementary school. We still go huntin’ together when we can. Although I haven’t fired a gun since deer season last year…you know, I take that back. I just discharged Josh’s gun at the hospital. I put three bullets in one of those bad men’s chests that was lying in the hallway. I thought I’d be more upset for doing that…” My mind trailed off to the man I had shot. I stopped talking.

  “That was you?” Davis was surprised. “I thought Josh did that,” he said, again sounding surprised.

  I didn’t answer or react. We were almost home and the last thing I wanted to do was think about Josh. My arm was starting to ache and it hurt to move. We finally got to my street and thankfully there were a lot of parking spots close to the house. Davis got out and hurried to my side to help me out. I was grateful since my arm was starting to throb more. We got to the front door and I couldn’t find my house key. In my haste to leave this morning I must have only grabbed my car key. Could this day get any worse?