Lucky Like Us

chapter Five

* * *

Friday, 6:27 A.M.

St. Mary’s Hospital

JUDGE HAMILTON AND his wife waited for the doctor to update them on their daughter’s condition. They hadn’t slept and were on pins and needles hoping for any word. Not known for his patience, waiting had completely zapped him of his limited stores. He’d already raised the roof with the doctors and administrators upon arriving last night, demanding to see his daughter and that she receive the best possible care. No expense would be spared to save her.

His name and occupation opened all sorts of doors, but it didn’t mean anything when his daughter was in someone else’s hands. He was still left waiting for word on her condition, drinking burnt coffee, sitting in hard, vinyl-covered chairs, his shoes squeaking on the linoleum floor while he paced.

His wife, Rachel, sat with Kay by the windows, holding hands, praying and hoping Elizabeth would be okay. Deputy Director Davies hadn’t been forthcoming about the extent of Elizabeth’s injuries, but stated it was imperative they get to the hospital immediately; Elizabeth’s life was in jeopardy.

The dreaded phone call every parent feared and hoped would never come. These kinds of things happened to other people, right? Not to his family. Not to his baby girl. He wished he could wake up from this nightmare.

The doctor came out the double doors leading to the surgical rooms. John hurried to meet him at the entrance of the waiting room. “How’s my daughter? What’s going on?”

“Judge Hamilton. Mrs. Hamilton. I’m Doctor Watts. We’re still working on your daughter. Things have been touch and go, but she’s holding on. We’ve taken out both bullets and repaired her liver and removed her spleen. We’ve cleaned and stitched the gunshot wound to her arm. It wasn’t severe, and actually just left a long furrow in her skin and muscle. We’re about to fix her thigh where she was stabbed. We’ve stopped the bleeding temporarily so we could take care of the bullet wounds, but we still have to repair the muscle and tissue damage.”

“Will she make it, Doctor?”

“It’s too soon to tell. She’s been through a lot. She lost a lot of blood. It will be a couple more hours before she makes it to the recovery room. I’ll come back out as soon as we’ve finished with her leg.”

“Doctor, tell us. What are her chances?” He worked with the law, encountered the many shades of gray in his line of work. This was black and white. He needed to know, absolutely, if his daughter would make it.

“I don’t want to give you false hope. Life is fragile, and sometimes even when people have a great chance things turn out in the worst possible way. Elizabeth’s condition is extremely critical.” Doctor Watts put his hand on John’s shoulder. “If I had to guess, I’d say she’s a fighter. That can make all the difference in a case like this one. We’re doing everything we can for her. Let’s get her out of surgery and into the ICU. I’ll let you see her for a few minutes once she’s settled.”

“Thank you. I’ll be waiting.”

The doctor hurried back to the operating room where John’s Ellie Girl lay waiting for him to save her. John held his wife while she held hands with Kay. Both women cried softly.

“Oh, John. She has to make it. She has to. What was she doing out in the street? How did this happen?” Rachel asked while she held him tight, her face buried in his chest.

They’d all asked that question more than a few times over the past eight hours. He didn’t have an answer, except for what little information Kay had provided. He shuddered thinking about it.

John knew his daughter. She was the type of person who would climb the tallest tree to save a cat. She fed the homeless, was a friend to everyone, and her trust was given without strings attached. He loved her ability to see the good in everyone. He had no doubt she’d gone out to help the agent, and when danger presented itself she’d done everything possible to help save him at her own risk.

Deputy Director Davies returned to speak with them again, another reminder of how Elizabeth had gotten here. “Judge Hamilton. Any word on your daughter?”

“She’s still in surgery. They took out both bullets and repaired her liver, took out her spleen, fixed the gunshot wound to her arm. They’re repairing the stab wound to her thigh.”

John took a menacing step toward the agent. “Let’s see if that list covers the damage done to my daughter when she tried to save your agent’s life.”

Losing his temper and shouting at the agent didn’t help, but the FBI had a lot of explaining to do. His daughter shouldn’t have had to provide backup for a federal agent. The fact that only one agent was found at the scene weighed on his mind. He was clearheaded enough to realize whatever case the agent was working had gone terribly wrong. If there had been more agents, maybe his daughter wouldn’t have been hurt.

“What the hell happened, and how the hell did my daughter get involved?” he bellowed.

“Nothing I say will make you or your wife feel better. Unfortunately, I haven’t put all the pieces together.”

Before John could go off again, he continued, “Our agent suffered a beating, was drugged, and shot twice in the back. His bulletproof vest saved his life. The doctors gave him something to counteract the drug he was given, but he hasn’t regained consciousness.” Deputy Director Davies sighed and put his hands on his hips. “I don’t know what happened. The assignment was a simple meeting with a contact. Something went wrong, and he was taken out of the rendezvous place, past the agent watching outside. We don’t know how he ended up six blocks away at your daughter’s home.”

“My daughter saved his life. She told Kay there was a man—alone—in the street. Not under her car. Elizabeth must have somehow gotten him to safety. What happened to her after is another matter entirely. Obviously, had Agent Turner been doing his job, he wouldn’t have endangered innocent civilians,” John shouted.

Kay stepped up to them. “Wait, I just remembered. She said she heard a sound like fireworks. That must have been the shots fired at your agent. I didn’t remember until now, but everything happened so fast. One minute we were talking about Jarred, and the next she’s telling me to call the police.”

Deputy Director Davies nodded his agreement. “How Agent Turner got under her car, who rammed the car, and how she got hurt are still questions I want answers to as much as you do.”

“When Agent Turner wakes up, I want to hear his explanation about how Elizabeth ended up almost . . .” John couldn’t finish the sentence. He couldn’t say almost dead. It was unthinkable.

“I’ll let you talk to him, but you have to understand, Judge Hamilton, he was drugged and may not remember. Also, you know he can’t comment on the case. Agent Turner won’t be able to tell you who hurt Elizabeth, especially if it was our suspect in the case.”

“I want to know what happened to our daughter.” He gave his wife’s shoulder a squeeze. She’d been holding on to him and listening to the whole exchange, though he figured her mind was in the operating room with his Ellie Girl.

“I want to know that too,” Patrick added, walking into the waiting room to join his parents. He had no idea what happened to his sister. When he’d checked his voicemail and heard the message, he’d gone directly to the airport, catching the first flight home. He’d tried his father’s cell a number of times with no luck and decided better to get there and find out what happened to his little sister than waste time.

“Patrick. I’m so glad you’re here. She’s still in surgery.” His mother transferred her grip from his dad to him and held tight, probably thanking God he was safe and sound.

“You said in the message she’d been hurt and to get here. I’m here. Now somebody tell me what’s happened to my sister.”

Patrick, their younger brother, Daniel, and Elizabeth had their family squabbles and petty rivalries, but they were friends. They talked often and looked after each other. He’d had several girlfriends who wished he’d talk to them as much as he talked to his sister.

Patrick listened intently as Kay and Deputy Director Davies filled him in on what happened. The looks on his parents’ faces said it all. Elizabeth was barely hanging on.

“My God. Will she be okay?” Patrick ran a hand through his hair and gave his mother a squeeze. The feel of her, real and warm at his side, was a comfort.

“The doctor said he’d be back out in another hour or two.” Deep lines etched his father’s face with concern. He didn’t want to see any of his children hurting. The fact that Elizabeth lie helpless in the operating room, and his father was unable to help her, had to be sobering for the man.

“Another hour or two? How long has she been in there?” It had taken him a while to get a flight out of Los Angeles and make it to the hospital. He’d received the call hours ago. Had she been in surgery all this time?

“Over eight hours,” his dad confirmed, eyes filled with worry.

The FBI agent took his leave from the family.

“Has anyone talked to Daniel?” Patrick wanted to see his brother. If he couldn’t get to his sister, at least he and Daniel could keep vigil together.

As if Daniel had been summoned from thin air, he appeared behind their father looking solemn and disheveled. Patrick took in his brother’s bent six-foot frame, shoulders slumped. His dark eyes were grave. Daniel’s hair, thicker and straighter than Patrick’s, was a mess. Elizabeth shared the same brown hair, but Elizabeth had their mother’s sky blue eyes. Patrick hoped he’d get to see them full of mischief and love again.

“Am I too late? Is she . . .?” Daniel swallowed hard and stared down at the floor. The thought of life without his sister was too much to bear for either of them.

Patrick embraced his younger brother and gave him the news that Elizabeth was still in surgery. He walked Daniel over to a small couch by a window and explained what they knew so far. Their mother joined them and they all sat looking out the window at the dawn of a new day, a day they all hoped Elizabeth would live to see.

Their dad paced the room and watched over the family. They sat waiting for the doctor to bring news of their beloved Elizabeth. Kay came back with coffee for everyone. Two hours of waiting turned into more than three before the doctor finally arrived.

Deputy Director Davies joined the family to hear the doctor’s report.

“She’s out of surgery and in recovery. We’re sending her up to ICU. We repaired the damage to her thigh, though it was touch and go for a while. We lost her once on the table, but we got her back. I want you to understand the severity of her injuries. They are life threatening. We’ll take her recovery one hour at a time. To say she’s lucky, well, I’m sure you can all imagine how lucky she is. We’ll keep her heavily sedated, and she probably won’t wake for several days. I’ll let you see her for a few minutes once she’s moved into the ICU. Two at a time would be best. I suggest after that you all go home and get some sleep. Do you have any questions?”

“Her mother and I want to stay with her. We don’t want her to be alone.”

“You can see her for a few minutes, but after, I really insist you go home. There’s nothing you can do for her. The best thing for her right now is rest.

“Give us time to get her settled. I’ll send the nurse out when you can go back and see her. She isn’t out of the woods. We’ll see how things progress.”

The doctor walked away, and Patrick hoped he’d never see the terrified looks on his parents’ faces ever again.





Chapter Six
* * *
Friday, 11:13 A.M.

PEOPLE WHISPERED IN the room, saying something about a woman. Sam tried to fight the black ooze that crept in and stole his every thought and sent him back into the darkness. Someone touched his arm, probably to check the IV line he felt taped to his skin. At least now he knew he was in a hospital, though he couldn’t figure out for how long, or even how he got there.

“She doesn’t look good.”

“Looks like someone used her as a punching bag before they shot her. Her lip needs to be cleaned, and we should wash her face and hands before her family comes in to see her.”

“Set up the monitors.”

“Her fluids and meds are all in good shape. I’ve calibrated her doses.”

Who were they talking about? A flash of memory came of a woman lying on top of him, before they tumbled over each other. He was under something, and she tried to get away. The harder he tried to concentrate, the foggier his brain, and the images dissipated into nothing. Too weak to hold on, he let the blackness close in again.

He came back to himself some time later. Someone held his hand. They whispered close to his ear. Their warm breath brushed his cheek. He tried to concentrate on the familiar voice, someone he loved. He fought to hear them clearly.

“Please, Sam. Wake up. Come back to us.”

He recognized Jenna’s voice, soft, warm, loving. She clutched his hand. No matter how hard he tried to open his eyes, he couldn’t quite make it happen.

“Sam. Please. Wake up. Can you hear me? Jack is on his way. He’s terrified. Please, Sam. Wake up.”

Unable to open his eyes, he used what little strength he had to squeeze the hand holding his. He hoped she’d know he heard her. Her voice whispered with sadness and a trace of fear. His beautiful sister-in-law, he wanted to see her. What was she doing here? Wasn’t she in Colorado with Jack?

“I felt you, Sam.” She returned his squeeze. “You can hear me. You’re going to be fine. They gave you some medicine to counteract the drug you were given. Your bulletproof vest saved you. Your back is severely bruised, so don’t try to move around. It will hurt. Your face is beat up, but you’re still the second most handsome man I’ve ever seen. I love you, Sam,” she said and kissed his hand. “Open your eyes for me.”

Sam was relieved to know they knew he’d been drugged. He remembered feeling like he was floating, and he couldn’t think or reason anything out after his mind went fuzzy. He tried to answer Jenna’s plea. He couldn’t manage to open his heavy eyelids. The black ooze came in and closed over him like a wave. He let it take him.

Over the next few hours, he went in and out of consciousness. Jenna’s voice coaxed him to wake up, and he heard other voices he didn’t recognize, but he listened to them and tried not to slip away. They spoke about someone named Elizabeth. Somewhere inside him, he knew she was important. He wished he understood why.

Sam slept restlessly. Never sure when he was aware of her, Jenna talked to him, hoping he heard her and knew he wasn’t alone. “You heard me, that’s all that matters. I need to leave for a few minutes and call Jack on the jet. He should arrive in San Francisco soon with the boys and Summer and her family. Everyone is coming. Jack is beyond frantic about you.

“The whole family’s been worried about you for months. You’ve withdrawn from us and no one can figure out why. Your job’s stressful and takes up every bit of your time and energy. You’ve been riding the very edge of burnout for months, but something more is affecting you, Sam.

“Jack and I wish we could convince you to take some time off to reevaluate your job and life and come back to us. You’ve been so distant lately. We miss you. With all you endure being undercover, you need your family to ground you. We’re here for you whenever you need us.”

Jenna stepped toward the door. Judge Hamilton and his wife, Rachel, walked in. She’d met them on several occasions when she attended social functions representing Merrick International. She wondered why the Judge and his wife were here.

“Judge Hamilton. Mrs. Hamilton. I’d say it’s nice to see you, but this doesn’t seem the place.”

“Call me Rachel, dear. We’re here to see our daughter.” Rachel indicated the woman in the bed next to Sam’s and the light dawned.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Deputy Director Davies told me she was involved in what happened with Sam. I had no idea she was your daughter, only that they were put in the same room with the guard outside for security. He didn’t tell me her name.”

“Elizabeth. She’s our Elizabeth.” Rachel looked over Sam before her gaze rested on Elizabeth, a frown marring her beautiful face. “Turner? Sam is your husband? I thought his name was Jack.”

“Sam is my husband’s twin brother. Jack is flying in now. I sent the jet to pick him and the kids up, along with my sister-in-law and her family. I was in town on business. When I got the call about Sam, I came right away. I must have missed you earlier when they settled Elizabeth. How is she?”

Jenna turned toward the woman in the bed. The Judge sat next to her, holding her hand, rubbing his thumb in circles on the back. He didn’t look like the energetic, sometimes cantankerous man she’d met many times.

“Did Deputy Director Davies tell you what happened?” Rachel asked.

“Only that she must have found Sam in the street and tried to help him. I know how worried and upset you must be, but I have to say, I’m so grateful to your daughter for what she did. From what Deputy Director Davies told me, I think whoever did this intended to kill Sam.”

“Elizabeth was shot three times and stabbed in the thigh. You can see from her face, he also hit her and the bruises on her neck tell us he choked her. She suffered so much. She’s a kind and gentle person with the strength and will of both her brothers. She’s everything to the family and me, but especially to her father. They’re so much alike, she’s his little girl. Always has been. Men stand before him in his courtroom and shake when he thunders. Not Elizabeth. She gave as good as she ever got from him. Whenever they’d argue they’d stand toe-to-toe. He admired her for her strength of conviction. I’m hoping that strength will pull her through this.

“How is Sam? They said he was poisoned, shot too, but one of those vests protected him.”

“The doctors think he’ll make a full recovery. It’ll be slow and painful, but thanks to your daughter, he’s alive. Because he got medical attention so quickly, they were able to give him an antidote to whatever poison he was given.

“I was talking to him. He heard me. He squeezed my hand.” Tears filled Jenna’s eyes and clogged her throat. That small recognition had meant so much to her. She loved Jack, but she also had a special bond with Sam. Maybe because they were twins she figured she understood Sam as well as she understood Jack.

“I hope he’ll wake up soon and tell us what really happened. I want to know who did this to my daughter.”

Jenna understood. “I don’t blame you, Rachel. I won’t rest until I know the whole story, that your daughter and Sam are safe from whoever attacked them. I hope he’ll be able to tell us.

“Excuse me, please. I have to call Jack and tell him Sam heard me when I spoke to him.”

“Of course, dear. I’ll watch over him while you’re gone. Not to worry.”

Jenna held Rachel’s hand to let her know she appreciated it and offer comfort during this distressing time. “Thank you.”

Jenna left the room and headed for the pay phones in the waiting area. She couldn’t use her cell in the hospital and knew Jack was desperate for any word on Sam.



RACHEL SAT IN the chair next to Sam’s bed and put her hand over his. She stared at the man for a long time. She’d seen Jack several times. Sam had longer hair and a rough growth of beard. Must be part of his cover for working for the FBI. The cuts and bruises on his face added to his rough-and-tumble look. His appearance was that of a common street thug, not an FBI agent. When she thought of FBI agents, she pictured men in navy blue suits with black shiny shoes. She studied his face and decided he was a good man. His strong square jaw showed strength and confidence, even in sleep. A line creased his brow indicating he was too serious and often lowered his eyebrows when he was angry or intent. No laugh lines around his mouth. She thought it a shame he might not laugh often enough.

“What are you doing, Rachel? That man is responsible for what happened to Elizabeth.”

“Now, John. This man didn’t hurt Elizabeth. If he was in trouble, you can’t blame him for Elizabeth’s actions. She’s a strong woman, and you know as well as I do she’d have helped anyone who needed it. Remember the time she made her brothers take the grate off the sewer drain by the house, so they could lower her down to rescue the mother duck and her babies.”

Smiling slightly, remembering it fondly, he said, “She was six. When she came in smelling, well, like a sewer, I was furious. She could have been hurt. She was so proud of herself, insisted I drive her and all those ducks down to Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park. She wanted the ducks to have a good home. She had cuts on her knees and palms from crawling after the ducklings down the sewage tube. I must have put half a tube of antibacterial ointment on her cuts. She never complained, because I promised to take her to the lake if she’d let me clean her up before we left.”

“That’s right. Now look at your daughter and tell me if she’s the kind of woman who would leave a man lying in the street, no matter the danger to herself.”

“No. She wouldn’t.” He pressed her palm to his cheek. “We can’t lose her, sweetheart.” He glanced up, tears glistened in his worried eyes, and he whispered, “She’s my heart, as much as you and the boys are.”

“We won’t lose her. This young man is going to wake up and tell us the most amazing story about how our daughter saved his life. I’m proud of her. She’ll make it through this. You watch and see.” Rachel brushed the hair away from Sam’s forehead and kissed him lightly where she’d removed his hair and just above the cut over his eye. Sound asleep, she didn’t think he knew she was there.

Rachel went to her daughter and did the same thing, careful where she touched Elizabeth. Everywhere her eyes fell, Elizabeth was injured. Her left leg hung from a sling suspended above the bed, her thigh completely bandaged. A sheet covered the other leg and up to just under her breasts. She was dressed in a hospital gown that opened in the front with string ties. Rachel made sure her daughter was covered properly, though it didn’t really matter as her midsection was also bandaged. They had her propped on her side, so the pressure was taken off the gunshot wounds to her back. A tube stuck out of her ribs for drainage. Elizabeth had an IV stand on both sides of the bed with lines going into each arm. A couple of the bags were medication for pain and to keep her asleep. The constant whirl of the respirator and the beep of the heart monitor filled the room. The steady beat comforted Rachel. She touched her precious Elizabeth’s hand and closed her eyes, praying her daughter would be okay and wasn’t in any pain.

“He better wake up soon,” John grumbled crossly. “I don’t have the patience to wait and see. What if the guy who did this to her comes back to finish the job? Look at our girl, so small and still. She’s just so still.”

“Relax, dear. The hospital posted a guard at the door just in case. Elizabeth will be fine,” she assured him, needing the reminder herself.

They stayed by Elizabeth’s side, keeping watch every minute the nurses allowed. They tried to give her their strength and willed her to get better and come back to them.



PEOPLE WERE TALKING again. Sam didn’t recognize the voices, but tried to figure out who and what they were talking about. Nothing made sense. He tried to fight the darkness and break through the fog clouding his thoughts. Who was “just so still”?

Another flash of memory came to him. A woman trying to take his gun and knife. She was going to hurt him. He grabbed the gun and fired. He hit her in the arm before he’d collapsed back to the hard ground and hit his head. Oh, God. Is that the woman in the other bed? Why was she still? He’d only shot her in the arm. Hadn’t he? Who was she? He let out a frustrated mumble, the only sound he could manage, and a soft hand brushed his forehead and another hand rested on his shoulder.

“Shh. You’re all right, Agent Turner. You’re in the hospital.” The woman’s voice. Not Jenna’s. The other one, talking to . . . Elizabeth?

“Rest.”

Rest. Yes, he’d rest, and then he’d figure out what the hell happened. The black swallowed him again.