Chapter 2
“The last thing we want is to get pulled over for speeding,” Jules retorted. “Or have a wreck ourselves trying to get to the hospital before the ambulance.”
“You’re right, of course,” Harley replied.
“I’ll drop you off at the ER doors and go park. Hopefully, the EMT’s already have him inside and the nurses station can tell you something.”
“Thanks,” Harley whispered, gripping the door handle.
The car had barely stopped before she jumped out and slammed the door behind her, bolting toward the ER’s sliding doors.
The waiting room was full, but thankfully, no one was at the front desk.
A lone clerk sat behind it, staring at a computer screen.
“I need to see my brother,” Harley gasped at the clerk behind the protective class barrier. “An ambulance just brought him in. His name is Reilly Flynn–”
“Have a seat please, ma’am,” the clerk said, kindly. “Someone will be with you shortly.”
“But I’m his siter!” Harley protested, barely aware that Jules’ strong arm was around her waist.
“Yes, ma’am,” the woman said patiently. “Please, have a seat.”
“Oh, my God,” Harley sobbed, crumpling against Jules. Her friend steadied her and led her past the desk to a row of chairs.
“Sh-h-h,” Jules soothed, rubbing a comforting hand up and down her back. “It won’t do any good for you to fall apart. Reilly needs to see you strong and supportive when you get to see him.” She took a packet of tissues from her coat pocket, pulled one out and handed it to Harley.
Neither one of them spoke for a moment. Harley’s tears made quick work of the tissue and Jules handed her the pack.
“Thanks,” Harley said, taking out several tissues. She covered her nose and blew. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess.”
“Perfectly normal,” Jules said. “The whiny teens I deal with every day at work lose it over things far less than this.”
Harley dried her eyes. “What am I going to do if I lose him?”
Jules wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave a squeeze.
“We don’t know anything yet,” she said, and Harley heard the professional but comforting tone in the woman’s voice.
“But you’ve got your friends ready to do anything to help.
We’ll know the situation soon enough. Until then, we’ve got your back. ”
Harley sucked in a jagged breath and nodded. “Thank you. I do appreciate it.”
A commotion at the ER doorway drew their attention and they saw Carly and Simone wheeling in Colleen who was rubbing her tummy in circular motions and panting. Pepper and Margot followed behind.
“Oh my God.” Jules stood up. “It looks like Colleen has gone into labor.”
“Go to her,” Harley said. “I’ll be fine.”
Jules looked down at her. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Jules hurried toward her friends, “What happened?”
“Her water broke while we were waiting to hear whether the game was going to be played or not,” Carly said. “I think the stress of what happened on the ice triggered it.”
“She started panting after you and Carly went down to be with Harley,” Margot said. “I made the mistake of taking her hand in mine. Boy does she have a grip on her.”
“Eli will be saying that about you in two months,” Simone said.
The ER’s sliding doors slid open again and Wyatt ran through still in his hockey uniform minus the skates and helmet, looking frantic until he spotted Colleen at the front desk. The nurse there directed them to an elevator that would take them to labor and delivery.
“But everyone else will have to stay here. Only mother and father can go,” she said.
Everyone said goodbye and wished the couple good luck before Wyatt pushed Colleen toward the elevator.
“How’s Harley?” Pepper asked.
“Not so good. They won’t tell her anything and they refuse to let her go back to be with Reilly,” Jules explained.
“Then he must be in bad shape,” Pepper said.
“I know, but I didn’t want to let on that’s what I suspected,” Jules said, and they all began to walk toward Harley. They took seats with her and then the ER sliding doors opened again and Don Juan, Jett, and Rookie came in. They’d at least took the time to change out of their hockey gear.
“Where’s Brand and Will?” Carly asked as they approached.
“Commander Burns wanted them to hang back to go over the incident on the ice, since they pushed Dugan away from the scuffle,” Don Juan said. “They’ll be along shortly.”
“And Dugan?” Harley asked.
“He’s giving his statement as well,” Rookie said.
“Do they know why he got into that fight with Reilly?” Harley asked, her voice wobbling with emotion.
“No. We have no idea what that was about,” Jett said. “But it’s been clear at all the practices they don’t get along.”
“But they never got into it before today?” Harley asked.
“Not that I saw,” Jett said.
“Neither did I,” Rookie added.
“Same,” Don Juan said. “But I’m sure Brand and Loverboy will let us know what they’ve learned when they get here. They were the first on the scene and they were talking to Dugan to get him to back away from Reilly after he fell on the ice.”
“My brother is an excellent skater, hockey player. He has been in scuffles on the ice before and not gone down,” Harley said. “What was different about today? Who was that third guy in the fight?”
“Clint Rogers,” Jett said. “He’s Dugan’s new partner. They just started working together this week or so we were told.”
Harley thought about that. Scottie hadn’t mentioned he’d been assigned a new partner. “What happened to his old one?”
Jett, Rookie, and Don Juan shrugged.
Then Don Juan snapped his fingers. “I remember now, Dugan said Chad Bellows got transferred to the 408 out of the blue last week.” He pulled a standalone chair over to join the group and sat down.
“Yea,” Rookie said. “I remember Clint saying how his partner was transferred to the 316 last week too, that is why the Commander put him with Dugan starting this week.”
Harley nodded, as this explained possibly why Scottie hadn’t mentioned this to her.
And it wasn’t like it was important in the scheme of them dating.
They tried to leave work behind when together and focus on each other.
It was hard enough to get together with their work schedules and keeping their relationship on the downlow.
Add in the practice schedules until after the exhibition game and there was not much quality time for them.
A man in a white coat and scrubs pushed through the double doors leading from the triage rooms and went to the nurses’ station.
Harley watched as he spoke to them, and one pointed in their direction.
Harley drew in a long, silent breath as the man approached hoping it would steady her nerves, it didn’t help.
Unwilling to wait, Harley went to meet him. All conversation behind her stilled as she asked, “Do you have news of my brother? Reilly Flynn.”
“I do,” he said. “I’m Dr. Harrison Wallen. Would you mind if we spoke in private.”
“Anything you have to say you can say it in front of my friends,” Harley said afraid to receive the news alone. “Reilly is important to them as well as me.”
Dr. Wallen nodded. “Very well. I’ll try to explain the situation as best as I can.”
Don Juan jumped up from his chair and motioned for the doctor to take it.
“Thank you,” Dr. Wallen said. “Please, Miss Flynn, sit down.”
Mouth dry, Harley sank to the edge of her seat and tried to ignore the roaring in her ears as she waited.
“I’m afraid your brother sustained a fatal cut to his neck, possibly from a skate blade. We did everything we could to stop the bleeding, but it was impossible.”
Harley blinked several times, her heart racing. Her voice came out barely above a whisper. “Fatal? Are you telling me my brother is dead?”
Jules covered her hand with her own and gave a squeeze.
“Yes, Miss Flynn. I’m terribly sorry,” Dr. Wallen said.
“How?” her voice squeaked. “He wore protective gear.”
“When he arrived, his neck guard was sliced by the skate’s blade, nicking an artery in his neck,” Dr. Wallen said. “He was bleeding profusely. The paramedics were unable to stop the bleeding, the truth is, he was gone by the time they arrived with him.”
Her mind raced with questions trying to understand what she was hearing. Her brother was dead. Had been killed by her boyfriend’s skate. How could any of this be possible?
Her breathing became labored, and she felt as if she were not even in the room, yet she heard herself asking, “Can I see him?”
“His body has already been taken for autopsy,” Dr. Wallen said.
His words snapped Harley out of her fog. “Autopsy? I didn’t request one. As his only family shouldn’t I have been the one to do that?”
“He’s a police officer. His death was under suspicious circumstances.” Dr. Wallen’s patient expression turned grim. “It’s standard procedure.”
“You should want them to do one,” Jules whispered.
“I’m not objecting, I just find it odd that I wasn’t consulted,” Harley said. “What do I do now?”
“There’s nothing for you to do immediately,” Dr. Wallen said. “Perhaps, go home and get some rest for the days ahead.”
“Do I need to sign anything?” she asked.
“No,” he said and stood and reached for her hand. “Again, I’m sorry for your loss, Miss Flynn.”
“Thank you,” she said before he turned and left their circle. She looked at the expectant faces of the men and women she’d gotten to know since July when the team began practicing.
Within a few moments, the sliding doors to the ER department opened and closed repeatedly as men in blue uniforms began arriving. Word must have finally reached the department that Reilly had been injured and had been taken to the hospital.