Beyond Suspicion (17 page)

Thirty-two

She came to in a speeding ambulance. The paramedic spoke in a soothing tone as he recorded her vital signs. “You're going to be okay.”

“Josh? Where's my brother? Did she shoot him?”

“He's fine. Look, he's right here.” He leaned over. Josh was strapped to a gurney, playing with a latex glove balloon dangling from the ceiling over him. He couldn't be happier.

“He was dehydrated yesterday and kept drugged on antihistamines,” Shelby said, wincing from pain. “I tried to help him.”

“I'll let the hospital know, but he looks good. He's a trouper,” the paramedic said. “You took a bullet.”

“What happened to her?”

“Her?”

“The one who shot me.”

“I don't know.” He shifted his gaze and fiddled with the IV bottle.

“Her partner,” Shelby whispered, concentrating on the young man's face. “I stabbed him. Did he die?”

The paramedic narrowed his eyebrows. “I heard they found him. He's not doing well. The cops said you did the right thing. Don't feel guilty.”

“I don't. He was going to kill my baby brother. Please, I have to know. Did they kill the woman who shot me?”

The paramedic nodded. “Yeah. She's dead.”

“Are you sure? I thought she was dead once before.”

“She took a bullet right through the heart, another in the head, and a couple more.”

“Good,” Shelby whispered, closing her eyes.

Everything happened in a blur. Josh went to one examining room while they wheeled her to an elevator and into surgery. A doctor came and talked to her but nothing he said mattered. Then her thoughts got fuzzy in a good way. She welcomed the heady, relaxed feeling and went with it.

***

She woke in a room. Matt was dozing in a chair. A soft lamp light from above the bed cast a warm glow over him. The blinds were drawn, but she could tell it was morning. She remembered from Roger's hospital room there was a button to push. Someone had hung her call button control from the rail. She found the button, and pushed. A voice came from the speaker behind her. “What can we help you with?”

“How's my baby brother?”

“Shelby, we'll be right there.”

A nurse came in almost immediately. She checked Shelby's vitals. “Josh is fine. He's in pediatrics. You can see him tomorrow morning.”

Matt stirred then he opened his eyes wide and jumped to his feet. “Shelby, are you okay?”

“I'm fine. You should be home.”

“We tried to send him home but he wouldn't go,” the nurse said.

“We're a couple of hundred miles from home,” Matt said. “I'm camping out here.”

The nurse made Matt step in the hall while she changed Shelby's bandage. Then she wiped her face with a damp rag and used a brush on her hair. “The nurses chipped in and bought you a few things, like the brush. You'll find the rest of the things in the bathroom,” she told her as she gently stroked her hair. “We're all proud to have you as a patient.”

“When can I go to the bathroom without this? It's kind of embarrassing in front of visitors.”

“You just had surgery. If everything goes okay, then tomorrow we'll have you walking. Right now, rest.”

“My parents?”

“Matt can tell you all that, I do know your family is on the way.”

“Even Roger? Myra shot him in the belly?”

“Then probably not him,” she said, at the door. “I'll send your boyfriend back in.”

“He's not my boyfriend.”

“Oh? He says he is.” The nurse winked.

Matt came back and pulled the chair closer to her bed. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I can't tell you how awful it was to see you go down.”

“You need a shave.” Shelby, uncertain how to handle the feelings of that moment, raised one finger and rubbed the stubble on his chin.

“I'll take care of that later,” Matt said, releasing her hand gently. “While you were in recovery I ran to Walmart, got some things, threw them in a motel room, and spent the night right here.”

The door opened and an aide carried in two breakfast trays. “One for the patient and one for her rescuer.”

“This is so nice,” Matt said, helping her place them on the bed table. “Thank you.”'

“You're welcome.” The aide rolled the bed table across Shelby. “The night nurse ordered it for you. She said the two of you would want to eat breakfast together.”

***

At ten Shelby yawned. “Matt, why don't you go to the motel while I take a nap? Shower, change, and get some sleep. There's nothing to do here but wait and you need to get away for a while.”

“Are you sure?” Matt asked. “I am beginning to feel kind of rank.”

Shelby grinned. “Go.”

Matt got out of his chair, leaned over the bed and kissed her on the top of her head. “Behave yourself, do what the nurses tell you, and I'll see you around one.”

“Yes, sir.”

They laughed.

After he left, the nurse came in and said doctor's orders were to get her up and walking after lunch. They removed the catheter but put the IV on a rolling pole. Matt found her as she walked slowly up the hall with a nurse's aide on one side and the pole on the other.

“Hey,” he said, kissing her cheek. “Would it be all right if I walked her the rest of the way?” he asked the aide.

“Walk slowly to the end of the hall then back to her room.” The aide went back to the nurse's station.

Shelby took his arm. “I need to get back to Whispering Springs and see Roger.”

“I'm sure he wants the same thing, uh, Shelby…”

“I'm going to ask to see Josh this afternoon instead of waiting until morning. I need to see him myself to make sure he's fine.”

“Shelby, listen.” Matt stopped and faced her. “I have to go home this afternoon. I already checked out of the motel.”

Shelby's heart sank. “I'm going to miss you.”

“Me, too, you.” Matt kissed her cheek again. “It's going to be a long, lonely ride.”

Back in her room, their good-bye wasn't as private as the two of them wanted. Shelby's nurse hooked her up to the machine that displayed her vitals. Then she explained Shelby couldn't get up by herself to use the bathroom without someone unhooking her from the machine. As Shelby and Matt shared a helpless look, she fiddled with other things in the room.

Matt glanced at his watch and stood. “Sorry, Shelby, I have to hit the road,” he said, apologetically. “I guess I'll see you back home.”

Shelby wanted to beg him to stay and when he kissed her cheek again their eyes met and she swallowed a lump. “Drive carefully.”

Then he was gone and Shelby had never felt so alone.

She had just gotten out of the shower, dressed in a clean hospital gown, and sat in Matt's vacant chair when her mother, Grammy, and Pop burst into the room.

“Shelby!” Her mother rushed over and wrapped her arms around her gently and wept. “My brave, sweet girl. Are you all right? Let me look at you.” She moved back a little.

“I'm fine,” Shelby said. “I hurt a little but I'm doing fine.” She saw Grammy and Pop hanging back. “I'm glad you came.”

To kiss her they had to lean around her mother who wouldn't let go. Instead, she kneeled beside the chair and ran her hands gently over Shelby's head and face.

“I'm thirsty,” Pop said. “Grammy, let's go find a fountain.” He indicated the hall and Grammy followed him out.

“You don't know how awful it was thinking how close I came to losing my family. I love you so much. You were my firstborn and…” Shelby's mother broke down and sobbed.

Shelby hugged her mother's neck. “It's okay, shhh, Mom. It's all over. Have you seen Joshie yet?”

Her mother went to the bedside table and took a tissue out of the box. “Not yet, I needed to make sure you were okay first.” Fresh tears fell.

“They took me to see him a little while ago.” Shelby laughed. “He's got the nurses wrapped around his little finger
and
they're spoiling him rotten.”

Her mother laughed and blew her nose.

“It's okay if you go to him right now, Mom.”

Shelby's mother kneeled beside her again. “I'm going to spend the night with him, if that's okay. It's been so long…” her voice broke as fresh tears fell.

“Mom, go to Joshie. Grammy and Pop will be here.”

Her mother kissed her several times. “I love you so much. I'll be back soon.”

***

A few days later they were allowed to drive home. Josh, back to his old self, babbled and cried to get out of the car seat. It was an exhausting trip but she was glad to get home and sleep in her own bed.

Roger couldn't come home for a few more days, but he was healing nicely. She had been able to visit him the next day and was pleased to see him sitting up.

“Come here.” He held out his arms.

Moving slowly and carefully to avoid hurting not only him but her wound as well, she sat on the bed and they hugged. “You are amazing.” He buried his face in her hair. “You did what most grown men couldn't do.”

“I was scared the whole time,” she confessed in his ear.

She held his hands as she told him about Myra. “She thought you'd fall in love with her if you saw how good she had been to Josh and that you would forgive her and choose to be with her. But she said if you didn't, then you would be sorry for the rest of your miserable life.”

“By killing him.” Roger closed his eyes for a second and shook his head.

“But if they hadn't captured me, Josh would have died anyway. They kept him drugged with antihistamines and didn't give him anything to drink.”

“I thought she was a good person. But she was psychotic. Why couldn't I see that?”

“No one did. Remember how nice she was about the food and everything?”

“I love you, Shelby,” Roger said. “If you don't mind, I'd like to tell people you're my daughter.”

“I love you, too—Dad.” And that's how she thought of him. Shelby loved her father, so she forgave him for not rushing down to see her. But he had to be the man he was meant to be and being a dad wasn't it. But Roger was born to be a dad. Too bad it had taken a tragedy like this for her to see it.

Thirty-three

Shelby sat in front of her easel by the window and rinsed her brush. The watercolor portrait of Josh was coming along fine. She'd never attempted a portrait before and she still couldn't believe how she had captured his personality as well as his image. The first day home she had taken her sketch pad into his room while he slept and sat by his crib drawing until he woke. After her visit with Roger, she set up the easel, taped a piece of watercolor paper to it, and began. She had tossed several paintings every day the past week until this morning. That's when magic had happened. All those other paintings were technically Josh but this one captured his personality. Shelby glanced at the clock. She hated to stop but Matt would be there soon so she needed to get ready. She took a rag, dried and shaped the brush and placed it on the TV tray that held her paints, then wiped off her glass palette. As soon as her work area was clean and ready for the next session she covered the painting with a promise to finish it that evening.

Shelby unbuttoned her blouse and tossed it on the bed then went to her dresser.

As she pulled on her sequined tee shirt she gritted her teeth. The wound had not fully healed and the rib, cracked by the bullet, still hurt like the dickens. That was okay, because the bone had stopped the bullet from doing more damage. According to the doctor, Myra had used a small caliber and was far enough away when she fired to not do much damage. The scar would always be there, but the memory of what she'd gone through was fading fast.

A highway patrol officer had come to visit the second day in the hospital. When she asked him to tell her everything he had hesitated.

“I deserve to know it all. It's important.”

“I agree.” He nodded. “You took the bullet meant for your brother. After you went down, Myra ran toward you, trying to get a shot at him. She kept yelling, ‘Roger ruined everything!' and ‘He made the wrong choice and has to be punished.'
Those were her words. She knew guns were trained on her but talk wasn't going to stop her. Every officer fired to stop her.” He had handed her his business card before he left. “We—all of us—if you need anything, ever, just call.”

Shelby slipped on a pair of silver sandals that matched her gray jeans and thought of Matt.

On the third night home, Matt and his parents came over to talk about all that had happened. They put Roger on speaker phone so he could join them. Both sets of parents had agreed to let them see each other, given what they had both been through, but with conditions. Matt's dad said they were both too young to get involved, especially because of their age difference. Shelby's mother and Roger agreed. Shelby suffered total humiliation while Matt reassured both sets of parents. “It's not like that.”

She and Matt had taken a drive to the lake that evening, where they talked about their feelings and agreed to keep it platonic. He was going to college and would be meeting new people. She was going to be a junior and would definitely want to date, go to the prom, and so on.

Shelby chuckled as she brushed her hair. Platonic? That agreement had lasted long enough for them to get out of the Jeep, walk hand in hand to the dock, and under the moonlight at Whispering Springs Lake, wrap their arms around each other and kiss. And definitely not a platonic kiss.

The doorbell rang and Pop called her. She took one last look in the mirror at the girl with contacts and a new mid-neck bob, flashed her image a thumbs-up, then hurried to the living room. Matt's eyes lit up and he had that silly grin on his face that she had come to love. “You two have fun,” Pop said, giving her a wink as they left.

Shelby planned to have fun, but not for a little while. Right now they were going to see someone they both needed to thank.

***

Jess was sitting on his porch when they drove up. He got up to meet them and gave Shelby a careful hug when she ran to him. They settled on the porch where Matt filled him in.

“If you hadn't flagged me down when I was parked at Myra's house, I wouldn't have known where to go,” Matt told him. “I came out here right after I got the message but it was what, a couple of hours later?”

“Yep,” Jess said. “I kept worrying about you, just a young girl, going to that trailer park on the bus. When I saw him over there, looking around, I thought he might be a friend.”

Matt laughed. “Even then he questioned me up one side and down another. I had to let him listen to your voice mail before he would tell me where you'd gone.”

They visited for a long time, giving Jess the details of Shelby's experiences. Finally, after promising to keep in touch, Matt and Shelby left. As he drove her home, she told him she was going back to school on Monday. “I know I've missed a bunch, but the teachers said there won't be any trouble catching up.”

“You'll face a lot of questions,” Matt said. “I did.”

“Already have. You'd be surprised how many friends call me every day. Some I didn't know were friends.”

“Want to meet for lunch in the cafeteria?”

“I wish, but our schedules don't match. Besides seniors don't hang out with sophomores.”

Matt chuckled. “Uh-oh, now that I'm driving you home every day, what will that do to my reputation?”

“I don't know about yours, but it's going to do a lot for mine!”