Chapter 6
Doctor Hoyt, who had taken over Jacob’s care, was making rounds when the Kingston brothers arrived. Hoyt saw them walking into the waiting room and stopped to give them an update.
“Good morning,” he said. “I’m Doctor Hoyt. I’ll be taking care of your father from now on. Jacob’s vitals are good. His numbers are up, and they’ve had no issues out of the norm,” he said.
“Is it the sedation that’s keeping him from waking up?” Asher asked.
Hoyt nodded. “It has been, but I ordered a reduction in the dosage last night. It could take as much as another day or so before we see a change in his awareness. Again, don’t worry.
Just talk softly to him when you visit. Familiar voices are good.
We always find out after patients wake up, that they were more aware of what was going on around them than we knew. ”
“Thanks. We’re just anxious to hear what he saw, and what he remembers, because until he wakes up, we have no idea why any of this happened,” Ash said.
Hoyt frowned. “I thought it was a robbery.”
“Nothing was taken. Not even the money from his wallet,” Gunner said. “He was just shot and left for dead.”
“Oh… I see,” Hoyt said. “Then I understand the urgency.”
It was frustrating that their dad’s condition hadn’t changed, but they had to be satisfied with the fact that it hadn’t worsened. And today, they’d brought work with them to pass the time.
All three found a spot out of the way and opened their laptops.
Dylan immediately logged in and began checking messages, and sending answers to the questions Angie had sent.
Asher was on the phone, checking in with Sheriff Reddick.
“How’s Jacob? Has he regained consciousness yet?” Reddick asked.
“No, but his condition is holding, and his vitals are steady. I was wondering if the crime scene crew is finished at the bar?” Asher asked.
“They will be sometime today,” Reddick said. “A local tacked some plywood over the broken window on the door. They’ve been told to leave the keys with Pearl after they’ve locked up and left.”
“Do you have any inkling of who might have done this?” Asher asked.
“Not yet. We’re still running a search on how many white mustangs there are in Texas. We’re up into the thousands and the search is still running, and a large portion of them are listed as having been stolen, so I don’t think this is going to help until we get more information.”
“Damn it,” Asher muttered. “Look, I’m going to be honest with you.
Gunner and I have taken a leave of absence from our jobs, and we’re going to be investigating from our end, too.
We will gladly share info with you as we go along, because ultimately this is your case.
But he’s our dad, and we are both cops. We can’t let this slide into someone else’s lap. ”
“I don’t have a problem with any of that, and completely understand,” Reddick said. “And by the same token, if there’s anything we can help you with, just ask. Jacob is a friend. An old friend. And this pisses me off big-time.”
“Crossroads is a sitting duck for crime. It’s a wonder stuff like this doesn’t happen more often, since everybody knows there’s no local law enforcement in the town.”
“I completely agree, but Crossroads doesn’t have the finances to support that,” Reddick said.
“Yes, I know how it works,” Asher said. “So, to verify… We’ll be free to come and go from our home after today?”
“Yes. And I assume the bar will stay closed?” Reddick asked.
“For the time being, yes. That’s Dad’s baby. And when he’s better, he’ll make those decisions. Thanks again,” Asher said, then hung up and headed for the vending machine to get coffee.
Gunner had just sent a request to the FBI for access to the files from the armored car robbery.
Of all the brothers, he’d known the least about what happened, and had the least interest in finding out how deeply involved their mother had been.
He just didn’t want to know. But the shooting changed everything.
Having this happen on the heels of Pete Brandt’s death was more than coincidence, and even though it was now a cold case, they needed to know what info the Feds had accumulated.
Asher and Gunner had been the first to go into ICU together, and now this visit, Ash stayed behind while the other two went in.
He was sitting at the far end of the waiting room, trying not to dwell on how pale and small his dad looked in that hospital bed, when he heard footsteps and looked up and saw Nora walking in, wearing jeans and boots, and a gray coat with a fur-lined hood.
Her hair was wind-tossed and wild around her face.
Her eyes still had shadows under them, and he could see she’d already chewed off her lipstick.
Something she’d always done when she was bothered.
He went to meet her, and got a kiss and a hug for the trip before he led her back to where they were sitting and helped her off with her coat. Ignoring the curious eyes of the other people in the room, he took her hands in his and rubbed them until they were warm.
“How’s Jacob? Any change?” she asked.
“Not yet, but he’s not any worse.”
She saw the fear in his eyes and knew how scared they must be. And then to her horror, tears welled.
Asher’s heart sank. “Nora… Sweetheart… Don’t cry.”
“Sorry. So sorry. My emotions are all over the place anyway. I’ve been crying my way through sorting stuff at Mom and Dad’s house, and then this happening to Jacob, and seeing you again and… It all feels surreal,” she said, and started digging in her purse for a tissue.
He reached for her hand. “No apologizing. You’ve had the weight of the world on your shoulders for years, and I didn’t even know it. It breaks my heart for you.”
“I’m just an emotional wreck. I’ll be fine.”
Moments later, they heard footsteps in the hall, and then people were walking past the waiting room.
“Visiting time is over,” Asher said, and kissed her hands before letting her go. “Hold that thought. Brothers approaching. I can hear them arguing from here.”
* * *
Dylan was standing on one side of their dad’s bed, holding his hand and talking to him about Angie, and when they were planning on getting married, and Gunner was speaking quietly to a nurse when Dylan felt movement in Jacob’s fingers.
At first, he thought it was just a muscle twitch, but then he leaned down and whispered in Jacob’s ear.
“Dad… Daddy… It’s Dylan. Can you hear me?”
Seconds later, Jacob’s fingers tightened just enough that Dylan felt the grip. He gasped, then called out to the nurse, who hurried over with Gunner beside her.
“I think he’s trying to wake up. I was talking to him and holding his hand and felt his fingers twitch. Then I leaned down and asked him if he could hear me, and he actually gripped my hand.”
The nurse began checking the blood pressure readings and the heart monitor, and then quickly took his pulse and checked the pupils in his eyes. “I’m going to contact Dr. Reading,” she said, and headed for the nurses’ station to deliver the message as Gunner moved closer.
“Dad, it’s me, Gunner. Asher is here, too. Keep fighting. We love you.”
“He squeezed my hand again,” Dylan said.
Gunner looked up at his brother with tears in his eyes. “Thank the Lord.”
On the heels of their revelation, visiting hours ended.
“Dad, we have to leave now. Visiting hours are over. But we’ll be back. Just keep getting better,” Dylan said.
They walked away, eager to tell Asher the news, and then walked into the waiting room and saw their visitor. They paused, then started grinning and headed toward her with a single intent.
“Brace yourself,” Ash said as she stood to greet them, and then once again, she was engulfed in a group hug.
“How wonderful to see you,” Dylan said. “Thanks for coming. It means a lot to all of us.”
“Really great to see you,” Gunner said. “And very sorry to hear about your parents. Life has dealt you quite a hand.”
She forced a smile as she was blinking back tears. “Adulting is not as much fun as we thought it would be, is it?” she said, and then changed the subject by opening the bag she’d brought with her. “Three giant pieces of Pearl’s cherry pie. Forks included,” she said.
“Oh man, thank you!” Dylan said, and began doling out the containers. “Wait. You didn’t bring one for yourself. Now how do we eat this in front of you without feeling like pigs?”
“I’ll share my piece with her,” Ash said. “She ate off my plate for years.”
“Oh, look, there are four forks in the sack,” Gunner said, and handed one to her, as they all moved to one of the tables in the canteen to eat.
A man entered the waiting room, and a few moments later, other visitors began trickling in.
Nora was eyeing the people’s faces, empathizing with their worry and sorrow, understanding that tragedy had brought them here.
“It’s like this all day long,” Ash said as he opened the box holding his piece of pie. “You get first bite for bringing the treat.”
“Nora, honey, do you want coffee or a soft drink?” Dylan asked.
“Coffee, please. I can’t seem to stay warm,” she said.
He got up to get the drinks as they began to eat. Nora didn’t take more than a couple of bites before she put her fork down.
“You can’t quit this soon,” Asher said.
She shrugged. “I don’t have much of an appetite these days.”
“Well, we have news,” Dylan said. “Seeing you distracted us a bit, but while we were in visiting Dad just now, he responded.” And then he related the events.
“This is the best news,” Ash said. “He’s going to keep getting better, and when he wakes up, maybe we’ll finally find out what happened. Hopefully, he’ll know who did it. Or at least give us a starting point.”
Gunner glanced at Nora. “You’re our good luck charm. You brought good juju with this pie.”
“I sincerely doubt the veracity of that would ever stand up in court,” she said, and poked his shoulder.
He laughed, and both brothers stared at Gunner in disbelief. Laughter like that from him was rare.