Eli spoke with Hank and Gage, went to the back of the ambulance, and then returned to Duke’s side. He handed him a cold, wet compress. “That’s for your nose.” The tall man leaned down and looked at his nose, pressed around a bit, and said, “I don’t think it’s broken. Put that on it. Gage is not done giving his statement. He’s pretty antsy about Emma too, so Hank will probably bring him to the hospital and take your statement later. They’re loading her onto a gurney right now. Come on, we want to be ready to go.” Eli handed him Emma’s stack of mail. “They recognized Emma and said this was lying next to her medical kit.”
Duke looked down at the thick bundle. This time, instead of drawing her to them like the first batch had, these blood-spattered envelopes in his hands might signify them losing her completely.
Feeling eyes upon him, Duke looked up, and Gage nodded at him, looking worried and haunted. Heavy blood spatters covered one side of his T-shirt. Duke followed Eli to the ambulance and climbed in the passenger seat. He looked back between the seats as the paramedics jerked open the doors and loaded her quickly into the treatment area. A deputy closed the door behind them, and Eli pulled away.
Duke couldn’t take his eyes off of her as they treated her, what little he could see of her. He couldn’t understand what they were saying over the radio chatter. Eli called in to let the emergency room know they were in transit.
Eli said, “Your nose isn’t bleeding anymore.”
Duke remembered the compress in his hand and placed it to his nose, which was beginning to throb. “You said you’d ‘been there’ before?”
Eli nodded. “Yes. Rachel was involved in a serious accident on FM 709. That was back before you and Gage moved to town.”
“Oh.” Duke nodded. “The accident with Ace? So you really have been there, haven’t you?”
“Yeah. When I saw her as they pulled her from the ambulance, they had to restrain me. You’re handling this well.” Glancing in the rearview mirror, he gestured to the working paramedics and said, “Don’t worry. They’re good at their jobs. Prayer helps.”
Duke closed his eyes and prayed like he’d never prayed before.
Eli hit a button as they neared town, and the siren started wailing. Luckily it was a Sunday evening and there was very little traffic on the streets. They pulled up to the emergency room bay, and a team of doctors and nurses stood waiting as the paramedics unloaded her and began their rundown on her condition. Duke saw one of the nurses react when she saw Emma, and Duke realized that treating her would be personal for them. They would do everything they could for her.
Duke tried to follow them, but Eli directed him through the automatic glass doors and into the main waiting area for the ER. “Check in and they will let you know as soon as they have news about Emma. I let Rachel know and she said she would be up here as soon as she could. She said she would call Summer and the guys. Emma has been really good to us. I’ll be praying for her too, man.”
Duke slumped in a chair to wait for Gage to arrive. He’d looked so distraught earlier, and it occurred to him that his cousin might have been the one who shot Amy. The noises of the hospital went on around him, people coming and going, talking and asking questions. He was startled from his thoughts when Ace, Kemp, Summer, and a very pregnant Rachel showed up. Summer and Rachel sat on either side of him, and he filled them all in on what had happened.
Gage and Hank Stinson arrived, looking grim.
Gage anxiously asked, “How is Emma?”
Duke replied, “We haven’t heard yet.”
Duke peered at Gage and asked, “Everything happened all at once. Can you tell me?”
Gage leaned forward and said, “Amy fired at Emma and I reacted. My reaction seemed to…cause her to snap. I was trying to get the gun away from her, to keep her from shooting one of us, and she turned it on herself.” Gage let out a shaky breath, sat back in his chair with his head against the wall, and closed his eyes.
Hank sat down with them and said, “Amy Patterson has been staying at the Motel 6 on the interstate. They were going through her belongings and found her laptop computer. It seems she outlined her plans on it, even had checklists.” With a sad shake of his head, he added, “There was also a journal.”
Summer excused herself and a few minutes later returned with a fabric bundle. She reached out to touch Gage’s shoulder, and he opened his eyes.
“I got this for you, Gage. It’s a scrub top, in case you wanted to change,” she said, gesturing to his bloodstained T-shirt. Gage thanked her and went in search of the men’s room to clean up and dispose of his ruined shirt. He returned a few minutes later, looking drained.