Jodi Thomas - Twisted Creek

The nurse slipped an oxygen mask in place. “If you’ll wait outside, someone will let you know as soon as we’re finished.” The nurse touched my back, directing me out as the others wheeled Nana away.

She pulled her gloved hand back and stared at fresh blood. “I think we’d best see you now. You should have told us you were cut as well, dear.”

Amazon Nurse seemed kind, but I wasn’t sure I liked being her next “dear.”

I followed as if walking in a dream. The cuts on my back and neck didn’t hurt. My whole world was shifting. I could feel it as plainly as if I were standing on a fault line. I don’t think I would have noticed if all the blood had run out of me.

Nana had looked so fragile, so old. All my life she’d been old, but when had she shrunk to frail? Her hair was thin and mousy white. Her fingers twisted, almost deformed. Her arms spotted with age marks.

I wanted to run back and hold her one more time. I wanted to see her through my child eyes, the way she’d been when I was little. I wanted to tell her how much I loved her. I wanted to know that she heard me. That she understood.

“If you’ll have a seat right here,” the nurse said, unaware my world was spinning.

How could I explain that in the operating room a few feet away lay the only person who loved me, the only one who had ever believed in me? The one person on Earth that I didn’t have to prove anything to, or earn her love. Nana just loved me, she always had.

“The cut’s not deep.” The nurse lifted the back of my blouse. “I’ll bandage it for you. Try to keep it dry for a few days, then you can take the bandage off.”

I nodded as if I understood.

“Would you like to wash up?”

I looked down. Blood covered my best blouse and left darkened spots on my jeans. The ones I’d worn for my date with Luke. Our midnight date seemed a million years ago.

“No,” I said thinking that I’d toss these clothes on the fire out by the dock. I’d watch them burn and forget all about what happened tonight.

“You could leave and go change. Your grandmother will be in surgery for an hour or more. Then she’ll be in recovery for a while.”

“I’ll wait.”

She nodded as if she understood. “Is there someone you’d like to call who could wait with you? A relative, maybe?”

My mother crossed my mind. She hadn’t left her number with us, only saying she could be reached through the lawyer. If I could have reached her, she would probably say the same thing she had said the time we ran out of money, “Now how is that my problem?”

The nurse leaned down, her voice soft and caring, “Is there someone who might need to know you’re here, dear?”

“Yes.” I looked up for the first time and she smiled, knowing she’d finally gotten through to me. “I’d like to call Mrs. Eleanora Deals, but I don’t have the number. She’s the only one who has a phone out at a place called Twisted Creek.”

The nurse nodded. “In a few minutes the doctor will be in. As soon as he checks you out, I’ll try to have the number for you.” She rotated up the top half of the table I was on, and with a gentle tug on my shoulder, leaned me back. “Just rest here until he signs you out.”

I leaned back and closed my eyes, wishing I could hear the water at the lake. Wishing I was home.

I must have dozed off. It only seemed like a few minutes after the nurse left, but the clock in front of me read 2:30 A.M.

“Sorry.” Amazon Nurse rushed in with her hands full of paperwork. “All the doctors have their hands full with a big fight coming in from one of the bars. I finally caught one to get him to sign for you to leave.”

“Have you had any word from my grandmother?”

She stepped farther into the room. “I’m sorry, I thought someone already told you. She made it through surgery about half an hour ago, but her heartbeat is irregular. They rushed her into ICU. They’ll probably be wanting to keep her a few days. She lost a lot of blood and for a woman that age it’s always a concern.”

“I understand,” I said, even though I didn’t. “When can I see her?”

“Take this to the desk and they’ll point you in the direction of ICU. They are pretty strict about visiting hours, but they might let you see that she’s resting nicely if you promise not to wake her.” Her smile reached her summer green eyes for the first time. “Oh, and I told your family to call Mrs. Deals.”

I thought she had me confused with some other patient, but I was too tired to question. I took the papers and thanked her.

When I walked out of the emergency doors, Willie, Mary Lynn, and Paul Madison were waiting for me.

I smiled. The nurse had thought they were my family.

Wednesday

October 2

0145 hours

En Route to Lubbock

Luke drove like a madman. Paul and Mary Lynn probably had at least half an hour’s head start on him, maybe more.

Lubbock had several hospitals and he didn’t know the town well enough to know which one Allie and Nana would go to. Willie said he guessed Mary Lynn would be heading to the big University Hospital, but he didn’t know where Allie would go.

Luke didn’t see Willie as the county tour guide for hospitals, so he punched in the police code and asked the dispatcher to find out. He spelled out Nathan McCord and Nana’s last name, then hesitated.

“Edna,” Willie offered. “Her first name is Edna.”

“Edna Daniels,” Luke repeated into the phone.

“I’ll get right back to you,” she said, then ended the call without another word.

Luke held the phone a moment longer before he lowered it. “How’d you know her name? I’ve never heard anyone call her anything but Nana.”

Willie was silent for almost a mile, then he said, “I used to hear Jefferson talk about her. Once I came on him when he was sitting all sad like on the porch. He said that Edna was raising Allie all alone now.”

Willie looked out the window. “He never said nothin’ more except to mention how old Allie was or that she’d be taking over the place after he passed on. Once he said that Edna would look after her till then.”

“Did you ask who Edna was?”

“Nope.” Willie wasn’t one to pry.

Concentrating on driving, Luke finally let the silence bother him enough to ask, “How long did Jefferson know Allie and Nana? Did he write them or call them?” It made no sense that he could know and talk about them and Allie wouldn’t have ever heard of him.

Luke thought back to the first day when Allie told him she didn’t know Jefferson Platt, but she knew for sure he wasn’t her uncle.

But Luke had seen the pictures of Allie’s childhood. She might not know about him, but he’d obviously kept up with her over the years. “Someone had to be letting Jefferson know about them.”

“Don’t know.” Willie sounded bored, as if it didn’t matter. “Never asked Red about it.”

Luke swore, frustrated. He liked facts to fit together. Surely the old man would say more if he waited Willie out. He’d been at the lake for as long as Luke could remember and as far as he knew Willie mostly kept to himself. Willie, like his grandfather, must have known Jefferson when his hair was still red and not white. No one else had called Jefferson “Red” in forty years.

Finally, Willie broke. “Your grandfather and Jefferson were tight. They talked almost every night. I asked your grandpa once who Allie was. Since as far as I knew Jefferson didn’t have no kin. Your grandpa said she was like his niece and not long after that Jefferson called her that.”

“But how could she matter so much when she didn’t even know he existed?”

Willie shrugged. “Never asked, but Jefferson told me once that he put her birthday in as the combination to that old safe.”

“You know the combination to that old safe? Why didn’t you tell me? I spent one summer when I was a kid trying to figure it out.”

“You never asked.” Willie laughed. “We all figured it was something to keep you busy.”

Luke saw the lights of Lubbock. “When this is over, Willie, you and me are going to sit down and have a talk and I’m planning on asking about everything.”

“Ain’t no gossip, son.” Willie shook his head. “Never have been.”

“That’s the truth.” Luke’s phone rang. “Hello.”

The squeaky voice of the dispatcher identified herself, then told Luke that both his inquires were at University Hospital.

“Got it,” he said, “thanks.” Without a word to Willie, he dialed his headquarters and reported in.

Once he’d told all the details, including where to pick up the three drug dealers, Luke turned to Willie. “There will be men at Jefferson’s Crossing to pick up the three and deliver them to jail. I’ll worry about them in the morning. Right now, I have to check on the wounded.”

Willie shook his head. “I hope they don’t get the bad guys mixed up with the Landrys. Old fishermen and druggies pretty much have the same dress code.”

“The agents will know.” Luke thought about it a minute, then called the office back and described the two men who would be holding the prisoners.

He swung into the parking lot and a moment later raced toward the emergency entrance.

A sweet but unenlightened girl at the desk told him Edna Daniels was in surgery, and Allie Daniels was being treated and would be out soon. Nathan McCord, however, was in recovery. When Luke questioned her about the extent of their injuries, she flashed him a clueless look.

He tried again, but she only repeated, “You can wait over there. I’ll let you know as soon as there is a change posted on my computer.”

“Thanks,” Luke managed even though he wanted to yell for her to go back behind the door marked “Authorized Personnel Only” and find out.

Luke nodded to Willie, who took a seat in front of the admitting door. “I’ll check on Nathan and be right back. If Allie comes out, you take care of her.”

Willie pushed his muddy boots beneath the chair and leaned back. “I’ll be here.”

Luke ran for the elevator and headed up to the recovery area. He’d been reassured that Allie wasn’t hurt badly by the girl’s comment that she was being treated and would be out soon. If she was hurt but walking out of the hospital tonight, he told himself he could deal with that.

Paul Madison and Mary Lynn were standing in the hallway when he stepped off onto the third floor. Their heads were almost touching as they talked in whispers.

When they spotted Luke, they both smiled. A good sign, Luke thought.

Luke didn’t have time to say anything before Paul started talking in his quick, all-business manner. “Your friend is going to be fine. They took the bullet out of his arm and cleaned up the wound on his throat. It’ll leave a scar, but he’s conscious and telling all the nurses of his adventure.”

Mary Lynn nodded in agreement. “It seems he’s quite the hero. A lawman who survived three bullets in a drug raid.”

Luke smiled. He would not destroy this for Nathan. “They’re right. He is a hero. If he hadn’t distracted the guy with the automatic, I might not have gotten close enough to jump him.” If Nathan was going to have the scars, he might as well get the glory.

“Did you get the third one?” Paul asked.

“Yes, but Nana and Allie ran into him first. They’re downstairs now. Willie’s waiting for them to come out.”

“Nathan doesn’t need us.” Paul took Mary Lynn’s arm. “We’ll be downstairs when you finish here. If they are both injured, Willie may need our help.”

“Good.” Luke turned and took three steps toward Nathan’s room before he glanced back. They were at the elevator. “Thanks,” he said. “Thanks for being there.”

Mary Lynn smiled. “You’re welcome, but there is no need to thank us. They’re my family, don’t you know.”

Luke collided with a nurse coming out of Nathan’s room. She frowned at him, looking up and down from dirty boots to bloody shoulder.

“I hope you don’t think you are going in this room,” she snapped.

“Yes, I do.” Luke prepared to fight. If he had to he’d move her out of the way.

She placed her fists on her ample hips and seemed to widen like a fullback preparing for the snap. “Visiting hours are over.”

If Luke hadn’t been so tired he might have tried charm, but charm was never his strong suit. The memory of another fight he’d had with an emergency nurse in Houston flashed through his thoughts. He’d insisted on seeing to one of his men and she’d had him barred from the hospital.

“I have to see him.” Luke tried to think of something to say that would get him past this dragon.

“Then I suggest you clean up first.”

“Look, lady, I carried him…”

“Morgan?” Nathan yelled. “Morgan, you made it.”

The dragon nurse melted as if she’d been wax. “You’re the man who got him out. Nathan’s told us all about you, Luke Morgan.” She stepped out of the way. “He said you jogged a mile with him on your back.”