Chapter 9 #3
On that note they could hopefully make something happen in terms of getting Cain access to the hospital. So, Riley and the War Dog headed down there, fully aware that they might get kicked out the minute they got in the door, but Riley was more than willing to take a chance and try.
As he pulled into the parking lot, Derek walked over to him.
“Cain!” he called out as Riley opened the back and let the dog out, who immediately went over and greeted Derek like a long-lost friend. Derek sighed. “He’s such a damn good dog,” he muttered, “and Timmy loved him, which is a good thing, because Timmy and Cain here have a bond.”
Riley frowned. “Whether one could help the other or not in the tunnels, I don’t know,” he added, “and we’re not likely to ever really know for sure. However, if somebody was abusing Cain, would your son have jumped in?”
He frowned at him and nodded. “Absolutely. Tim didn’t have any truck with that kind of treatment.”
“So, that could be another reason why we’re looking at what we’re looking at.”
“Jesus,” Derek grumbled, his tone hard. “As if there aren’t enough things wrong with this world, then you bring up something like that.”
“And your son, was he a swimmer?”
“He was a terrible swimmer, and that was one of the things I fought with him over constantly, but he just didn’t seem to think that he needed to learn to swim, and now, of course, he drowns because of it.”
“Exactly,” Riley replied.
“But I am not prepared to give up on my son yet,” he declared, with a hard look.
“Got it.”
As they walked into the hospital, a doctor in a white coat walked toward them. Derek was prepared, and his voice hardened as he announced, “This is my son’s dog that I told you about. I need to get him up there to see if he can help my boy.”
The doctor sighed and repeated, “We’ve told you that there won’t be any change in his condition.”
“There can always be change,” he argued.
“There can be, but in this case, … I just tried to call you.”
Derek looked at him in surprise, glanced down at his phone, and said, “I had it off when I was driving.” Then he looked at him and asked, “Why?”
The doctor looked from one to the other, and Derek knew. He knew right then, and so did Riley. Derek asked, “He passed away, didn’t he?”
“He did,” the doctor confirmed, “about twenty minutes ago.”
The old man stood still, clearly shocked as he stared at the doctor. “No, that can’t be.” But, of course, life was never quite so easy. Derek sank to the floor, collapsing.
The doctor turned and looked at him and then back at Riley. “I’m sorry. We did phone the other number on the medical report, and we informed them as well.”
Just then, the double doors opened, and three more of the family rushed in.
Riley recognized Jacob and Billy, cousins from their grandmother’s side he thought, and behind them came Rory. They were all in a state of shock, not only because apparently the phone call had told them about Timmy but also because Cain stood here with Riley.
Cain took one look at the men and started growling. One of the men stepped back. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, Cain, it’s us.” But Cain wasn’t interested and stood guard at Riley’s side.
Derek looked up at the men and shared, “He found Cain.”
Riley nodded. It was a completely unnecessary comment, but it also revealed so much about Derek’s state of mind.
Derek turned to the doctor and pleaded, “I need to see him.”
The doctor hesitated.
Riley looked over at him and added, “Unless, of course, you’ve already harvested.”
The doctor flushed and stated, “He was an organ donor.”
Derek’s face crimped with fury. “My boy was alive when I was here earlier, and now he’s gone? You couldn’t wait for me to even get here?”
“We did not take his organs at that time, and that was certainly not the cause of his death,” the doctor replied.
“I get that you are upset and think that we were trying to kill your son to get his organs. I’m sorry, but that is not how we do things.
” The doctor took a deep breath as if to launch into another defensive explanation but he had no opportunity.
“We want a viewing,” Derek snapped, “regardless of whatever that looks like.”
The doctor nodded, then turned and walked away.
The old man looked at Cain and muttered, “Damn.” He glanced back at Riley and asked, “Why the hell didn’t you come into town a few days ago?”
He nodded. “Wouldn’t that have been nice, but I came right away, as soon as we got notification about Cain. I didn’t even know about your son.”
Derek closed his eyes, the tears welling up. “I knew it was bad, … but there’s always hope, you know?”
“Yes, there is always hope,” he agreed, “and we do the best we can with it.”
Derek’s bottom lip trembled, but he firmed it up, turning to the cousins. “Jacob, Billy, you guys don’t need to be here,” he declared, his tone hard. “Obviously none of us really need to be here now, but I’m gonna stay until I can see my boy. You guys don’t have to.”
He looked back at the kid and added, “Rory, thanks for going into the tunnels and trying to look for Cain.” The men just nodded.
They stood around awkwardly, and Derek waved them off.
“Go, it’s not … it doesn’t matter anymore, just go.
” They wanted to stick by him, but he was used to being the one giving the orders and having the men do what he asked them to do.
Plus, they were used to being ordered around, so they slowly walked back out of the hospital.
Derek looked over at Riley, standing there with Cain, and asked Riley, “What do you think?”
“I think the dog’s reaction was very indicative.”
Derek frowned and reluctantly agreed. “I’m afraid it was too, but there’s three of them, and I don’t know which one Cain was reacting to.”
“Of course that’s the real question,” Riley noted.
“They’re all my family. You know that too.”
“I do know,” he replied. “So you have to think about the why and what may have happened because it still could have been an accident that they didn’t dare fess up to.”
Derek nodded. “But then would they have just left Tim alone down there? Otherwise he could be alive today because they would have been able to get him out.”
“Maybe, but fear is a wondrous thing,” Riley stated. “They may have thought he was already dead, or maybe they waited until he was almost dead,” he suggested, staring at Derek.
Derek didn’t know what to say. “I can only think about so much at one time,” he muttered, “so let’s not judge any of them at the moment.” His eyes filled with tears, and he shared, “Right now? … Right now is reserved for my son,” he whispered.
Just then, the doctor returned. “You can have a few minutes with him, but that’s all.” He looked down at Cain and asked, “Do you really need the dog there for the dog’s sake?”
“Yes,” Riley stated.
The old man turned to him in surprise.
Riley declared, “Dogs have to grieve too.”
With that understanding, the doctor nodded and slowly they walked toward the viewing room.
The body had been prepped ever-so-slightly, but it was obvious that there was evidence of that under the sheets, so just Timmy’s face was uncovered. He was a young man, with strong features, but he looked serene.
Derek stared down at him and shrugged. “It’s so hard to believe that he’s gone,” he said brokenly.
Riley didn’t know what to say and knew there really wasn’t anything worth saying, that just being here with Derek was what he needed most. These situations had nothing good in them, other than closure.
Riley stepped back to let the father have his moment, but Cain whined softly from the back of his throat.
So Riley stepped forward to let the dog have a moment to say goodbye too. He sniffed the body and dropped his head slowly on the bed. His father dropped by his side, petting him.
“Yeah, you and me both, buddy.”
As soon as Riley could, he nudged Derek and Cain back outside. “It’s time.” The old man let Riley nudge him toward the door. “That should never happen to anybody.”
“No,” Riley agreed. “Definitely not.”
“Parents aren’t supposed to watch their children die,” Derek added quietly.
Outside, the old man, his hands clutching the hanky he had pulled from his pocket, whispered to Riley, “Thank you. It was too little, too late, but that wasn’t your fault. I don’t know what to do from now on.”
“Well, it depends on whether you’re prepared to let this be or not.”
“I’m not,” he whispered. “Show me where you found the Zodiac.”
“I can do that,” he confirmed. “But are you sure you want to do this now? Whatever revelations we might come up with could potentially be very bad.”
“I know that,” he muttered, “but I won’t sleep at night until I find out the truth.” He took a deep breath. “I’m hoping the truth isn’t as bad, but—”
Riley nodded. “When do you want to go into the tunnels?”
“Now,” he declared, turning to him.
Riley sighed as he looked down at his watch. “It’s—”
But the old man cut him off. “You and I both know time doesn’t matter down there. Follow me to the pub,” he barked. “We’ll get this dealt with now.”
Riley frowned. “Morning might be better.”
The old man sighed and shook his head. “I won’t make it to the morning. Yet I really can’t do much tonight either, can I?”
Riley stared at him. “You’re not planning on going down there on your own, are you?” he asked. “In which case I’m coming with you.”
Derek stared at him for a moment too long. “No, I won’t.” But Riley wasn’t sure he believed him. The old man waved and headed back out to his vehicle, saying his last words, “I’ll see you there in the morning at eight.”
And, with that, Riley had to be satisfied.