chapter 125
MORGAN, KATY, AND their police escort headed straight to the hospital after listening to the radio chatter that Jake was in an ambulance, en route to the ER.
When Morgan saw an ambulance parked at the hospital emergency department’s door, she swallowed hard even though she knew from the radio that Jake had not yet arrived. The police car parked as close as possible to the entrance. The officer quickly got out to open the back door for Morgan and Katy. Morgan jumped out and was pulling Katy by the arm as she hurried inside.
It was late, almost Tuesday morning, and there were no patients around, but she immediately garnered the head nurse’s attention when she rushed inside.
“Is Jake Crosby here yet?” she asked, thinking that she might have missed something.
“No, ma’am,” she replied, looking over her bifocals.
Before the nurse could expound, the policeman said, “He’s not here yet, Mrs. Crosby. I just heard on the radio that the ambulance is just a few minutes away.”
Morgan squeezed Katy’s hand.
The nurse was looking at Katy but asked the policeman, “Is he the hypothermic patient en route?”
“Yes, ma’am. This is his wife and daughter.”
The nurse walked over and put her arm around Morgan and smiled down at Katy. “We’re ready for him. We’ve been warming blankets and IVs. We’ll take good care of him. I promise.”
Morgan tried to smile.
“Do you know what happened?” the nurse asked.
Morgan sighed deeply. “No, no, we don’t.”
The nurse glanced down at Katy and was about to suggest that Morgan and Katy see a doctor, when the policeman ran to the back door.
“They’re here!”
The ER nurse called back to someone, and the ER suddenly came to life. Orderlies and nurses ran through the common area to help. A doctor stood ready, and a state trooper emerged from a back room with a cup of coffee in hand.
Morgan picked up Katy, and they pushed their way outside to get as close as possible to the ambulance. The red lights made Morgan squint, and she could see people in the back of the ambulance before the doors opened.
When the doors opened, Morgan could see Jake’s colorless face. His eyes were barely open.
Morgan gasped, “Oh my God!” She squeezed Katy and turned her so she couldn’t see Jake.
The medics were explaining Jake’s condition to the nurses. At the top of the list were his swollen legs and ankles. The color had started coming back to his legs, but his ankles and calves were still grossly enlarged. During the drive, the medics had determined that Jake’s ankles were zip-tied together and, although it was difficult, had managed to cut off the ties. They relayed his last vitals. Jake’s temperature had improved considerably, but it was still dangerously low.
With everything quickly explained, the hospital crew was wheeling Jake inside. Everyone followed into the main ER. Morgan touched Jake’s face when he rolled by. She knew he wasn’t recognizing anything because of his blank stare. She sat Katy down but kept holding her hand as she tried to follow the mass of people.
The nurse stopped Morgan as Jake entered the trauma area. “Mrs. Crosby, you must stay out here. As soon as I know something, I’ll come and tell you.” And with that, she disappeared behind an automatic door. As the door closed, Morgan could hear several frantic voices discussing Jake’s condition, and she caught a glimpse of Jake naked. His legs were dark blue, almost black, from the thighs down. They quickly covered him with a blanket.
“Why is he naked?” she muttered to no one.
“His clothes were wet, and we cut ’em off to help warm him up,” the game warden said, standing behind Morgan. He was dripping wet too.
She jumped. She had not heard him approach. When Morgan turned to face him, he introduced himself. “Mrs. Crosby, I’m Banks Gran. I helped pull your husband outta the pipe tonight.”
“Pipe? What? What pipe?” Morgan asked slowly. Then she continued, “I don’t know about any of this.”
Two blanket-wrapped men walked into the ER with two deputies escorting them. When Morgan saw them, she pulled Katy behind her, thinking these men were responsible for what had happened to Jake. She stared at them, trying to fit the puzzle together in her mind.
“Will you please tell me what the hell happened?” she asked. Then, pointing to the men, she said, “Did they do this to Jake?”
The West Point police chief arrived in time to hear Banks beginning to talk to Morgan and interrupted, suggesting that they all sit down in the lobby. Morgan reluctantly walked away from where she had last seen Jake. She picked up Katy again, walked to the lobby, and then sat down with the warden and the chief.
Everyone listened intently as the warden shared his story about where, when, and how he found Jake and the rescue. Morgan kept looking back and forth between the warden and the ER, watching for a doctor or the head nurse to appear. She was stunned to learn that Jake had been tied up and left to die inside a drainpipe. The warden explained that he knew only what happened to him after Jake arrived at the Corps of Engineers property. He didn’t have any idea how Jake and Moon Pie had crossed paths. The police chief admitted that he didn’t either but that they would piece it together soon.
Morgan dropped her face into her left hand and kept her right on Katy. She asked, “What about Moon Pie? Has that bastard been arrested?”
The warden looked at the police chief, who nodded his assent. He then scooted closer to Morgan so that not everyone could hear. He had just been briefed about the terror that Moon Pie had wrought on this family.
“I left out one piece of the story.”
Morgan looked straight up at the warden and then at the police chief. The warden placed his hand on her knee for reassurance. “Moon Pie’s dead. He didn’t even make it to the hospital. We’re pretty sure that Jake shot him.”
Morgan was absolutely stunned.
Katy lifted her head and blinked her eyes, a huge sense of relief sweeping over her. She asked enthusiastically, “So Dad shot the bad guy?”
The chief didn’t really know what to say. He looked at Morgan and then back at Katy and said, “Yes, Katy, that’s what it looks like.”
Katy exhaled deeply and said, “Way to go, Dad!”
The chief and warden exchanged quick, uncomfortable looks and then smiled knowingly at Katy. Katy smiled back.
Katy was finally free to be a kid again. Just a kid. Not one that was constantly being watched and talked about. A normal, regular kid, finally.
Morgan leaned down and kissed Katy on the head. Katy hugged her back. Time seemed to slow as Morgan savored the first expressive hug from Katy in quite some time.
The ER door pushed open, and a nurse called, “Mrs. Crosby, you and your daughter can come back now.”
Morgan stood and wiped the tears from her eyes and then wiped Katy’s. Katy pulled free from her mom’s hand and then walked over to the warden and police chief.
Katy hugged the chief and said, “Thanks for helping my dad.” Then she went to the warden, hugged his neck, and said, “And thank you for saving my daddy’s life.”
Katy turned around and then ran toward the nurse. Over her shoulder, she yelled, “I love y’all!”
Morgan, tears streaming down her face, was right behind her. As they passed the nurse, she handed them towels, since they were now wet from hugging the officers. The Crosby girls quietly walked into the stark white room. Jake was covered in several blankets and some odd-looking electrical cover. Only his neck and face were visible. He had a fleece toboggan on his head. His eyes were closed, and his facial features displayed exhaustion, but his skin color had improved greatly since they first saw him. Morgan hurried over and touched Jake’s face. Katy, afraid that she might hurt him, lightly touched his shoulder. Morgan’s bottom lip started quivering when Katy squeezed her hand.
The doctor, who had been entering information on a handheld electronic tablet when they entered, looked up and smiled at Morgan and Katy, looking each in the eyes. He had bifocals on top of his totally bald head. Katy smiled. She thought he looked funny.
“Mrs. Crosby, your husband’s had quite a night. He was in pretty bad shape when they first loaded him in the ambulance. We think his core temperature had dropped into the upper seventies, but he’s responding nicely. I’m sure you know it needs to be around ninety-nine degrees. Typically, major organs start shutting down when the core temp drops, but all indicators are that didn’t happen.
“I have two concerns. During his time in the drainpipe, the suction of the water pulled a substantial amount of blood from his upper body down into his legs. If he had stayed there much longer, it would have been fatal. Very, very fortunately, when he was pulled out, they laid him on the ground with his head higher than his legs and transported him that way to the ambulance. By doing that they kept the blood circulating at a controlled pace. He also sustained an open fracture of his left fibula, and I am deeply concerned about infection at that site. As soon as he’s stabilized, he’ll need surgery.”
Morgan was trying to take it all in, but she was just listening for the words He’s going to be all right. That’s what she needed to know.
The doctor pressed on. “Primarily, at this moment, however, we are worried about blood clots. He’s not in the clear yet. His blood was violently reorganized inside his body, and when this happens, the red blood cells can get crushed. We have to closely monitor his progress. We’ll be giving him blood thinners to help dissipate any clots. In a nutshell, he needs rest. A lot of it. We will have to take all of these things in stages. Do you have any questions?”
“When can I take him home?”
The doctor smiled. “We’ll know more tomorrow.”
“Can I try to talk to him?”
“Sure. He was awake a few minutes ago, but he’s very groggy. Mr. Crosby, if you can hear me, open your eyes. Your family is here.”
Jake cracked open one eye. He could see Morgan tightly holding Katy against her side. He could only move his lips to form a fraction of a smile.
The doctor stepped away, saying, “I’ll be right over here if you need me.”
Morgan bent over, kissed him, and straightened a few strands of hair that were escaping from the tight toboggan. She said, “I’ve been so worried about you.”
“Me too, Dad,” Katy chimed in.
“It’s been a long night,” he slurred.
“I love you,” Morgan said, fighting back tears.
“I know, and I love you too. Both of you. All three of you!” Jake said with as much emphasis as he could muster.
“It’s over, Jake. Moon Pie’s dead,” Morgan said.
Jake closed his eyes, and it felt good. He would learn the details later, but for now, that’s all he needed to know.
Katy said, “Good job, Dad! I’m so proud of you.”
Jake smiled, and a tear began to roll down his cheek.
Morgan sat Katy down, leaned into his ear, and said, “I’m glad that son of a bitch is dead too.”
Katy said, “Hey, Dad, Scout came home! Guess what? She hadn’t run away. The neighbors went outta town, and she got locked in their garage! The whole time we were calling for her, she was trapped and couldn’t get out!”
Jake smiled deliriously and managed, “That’s good, kiddo.” He was thinking back to his near death inside the drainpipe and that same feeling of helplessness. With tears again in his eyes, he added, “Give her a big hug for me. It’s really scary to be trapped like that.”
“Hey, Dad, can I have a Kindle Fire?”
Jake turned to Morgan and smiled. They both knew that the Crosby family was going to be fine.