Suddenly, the ER’s automatic doors opened. Nurses, orderlies, and all manner of hospital personnel came running out with wheelchairs and stretchers. Ollie observed the enthusiasm of a small town in a crisis. He noticed Martha and Olivia Beasley in the crowd and another woman who had to be Mrs. Tillman.
A car screeched to a stop by the ER. Its passengers—a young lady and man—raced across the parking lot straight to Mrs. Tillman. Must be Tanner’s sister and brother-in-law. Ollie couldn’t hear what they were saying. Their hugs and tears spoke volumes.
Looking back up the road, Ollie couldn’t see any blue lights. He did see an eighteen-wheeler making the turn. Ollie spun around to look at the crowd. Anticipation was running high. It was similar to a high school football team returning from a big victory—except for the wheelchairs and gurneys.
When the big diesel started to pull into the ER, Ollie almost ran out to stop him. But something told him to wait. Then he saw Steve Tillman’s smiling face in the passenger’s side window. He immediately hurried to help open the door before the truck stopped.
“We found them, Ollie!” Tillman exclaimed and then turned to start climbing down. “Elizabeth has a hurt ankle, but other than that, I think she’s fine!” he said loudly over the idling diesel engine. “We’ll have to help her out.”
Ollie was so relieved to see Elizabeth Beasley’s smiling face. He helped Tillman assist her in climbing down. They set her in a waiting wheelchair. The television camera lights were blinding. Everybody was talking excitedly and asking questions. Elizabeth was covered in mud. Her ankle was swollen, but she was smiling and asking about Tanner. She was going to be just fine. Behind her came R.C., grinning. Ollie hugged him when he climbed down.
“Look who else I found, Chief!” he said and pointed up.
A man in muddy wet jeans and a camo hunting vest climbed down. His back was to Ollie. On the seat was a cute little blond-headed girl dressed from head to toe in camouflage. She was waiting for the man to climb out so she could follow. Ollie allowed him to help her down and then placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Jake Crosby?” Ollie asked.
“Yes sir,” Jake said, trying to tell the orderly that he didn’t need a wheelchair.
“We’ve been wonderin’ about you all night.”
“I’m sure glad to be out of those woods. I’ve got a lot to tell you.”
“I want to hear—” Ollie said before he was interrupted.
“Jake. Jake!” Mick Johnson called out as he pushed his way through the crowd.
“Mick! Did you get my message?”
“Kinda. We didn’t really know what it meant…what’s with all the blood at your camper?” he asked before Ollie could cut him off.
R.C. picked Katy up and said, “I’ll take her in and get her warmed up.”
Jake nodded his understanding. R.C. avoided the cameras like someone in a witness protection program.
“Sheriff. I killed two men…but they had every intention of killing us, I swear,” Jake said soberly, looking Ollie straight in the eyes.
Two men! Shit! Ollie thought. This was way too much to discuss in the parking lot. But before he could tell Jake to wait, the muddy man added, pointing at Elizabeth, “And I witnessed one of the gang members kill another gangster who was about to rape her.”
The TV reporters and the mass of spectators went wild. Jake hadn’t even noticed the reporters or anyone in the crowd before he started the pandemonium.
Ollie grabbed Jake by the arm. “We need to get outta here. Do you need medical attention?”
“No. I’m OK!” Jake shouted over the reporter’s questions. “But my little girl just got taken inside. I don’t wanna leave her!”
“You need to call your wife. She’s worried,” Ollie added.
“She knows?” Jake asked, confused.
“Yes. We have a lot to talk about, Mr. Crosby,” Ollie answered, putting his arm around Jake and guiding him toward the ER entrance. Mick followed. Out of the corner of his eye, Ollie saw Marlow drive up. Marlow’s face was the picture of jealousy. The deputies cleared a path through the sea of people so Ollie and Jake could go through the automatic doors. Ollie wanted to get Jake into a quiet room and make sure there wasn’t anybody else out there that needed rescuing.
“Damn fine job on the recovery, Marlow,” Joe Wilson said sarcastically.
Sheriff Marlow glared at him, then turned to follow the group inside. Maybe I can salvage a photo op inside, he thought.
Jake saw Elizabeth hugging her mother and father. When she saw him, she immediately pointed at him. Her mother turned to look. Tears were flowing as she mouthed the words “Thank you.”
Jake smiled and nodded.
Just as Elizabeth rounded the corner of the intensive care unit, the nurses caught up with her. The head nurse was filling out paperwork when the rowdy group suddenly appeared. She stepped in front of the door to Tanner’s room. “Whoa…you can’t go in there, dear. You need to get cleaned up,” she said, looking at the dried blood and mud all over Elizabeth. “You can visit him later. He’s heavily sedated now, anyway.”
“I’m going in! You can’t stop me!” Elizabeth said defiantly, and several nurses grabbed at her. “Please…please, I have to see him,” she pleaded as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Let her in,” Dr. Sarhan responded to everyone’s surprise as he stepped out from behind a curtain cleaning his glasses.
Elizabeth gathered her composure. Dr. Sarhan stepped in front of her. “He is sedated. He will not know you here. He has a tube down his throat to help him breathe. He has terrible trauma. Do not be surprised at what you see,” Dr. Sarhan explained calmly, hoping to prepare her.
“I know, I was there,” Elizabeth replied, pushing her hair behind her ears. She pushed open the door and limped slowly into the dark room. Only Dr. Sarhan followed her. Everyone else watched. The Beasleys hugged each other. Then Tanner’s family began asking Steve Tillman questions faster than he could answer.
Inside the room, Elizabeth saw a myriad of lights, gauges, and several pieces of sophisticated equipment, all dedicated to monitoring Tanner, who was lying flat on his back, eyes closed. Elizabeth fought hard to keep from sobbing when she saw his badly swollen and bruised face. She used the backs of her hands to dry her tears, then slowly limped to the side of his bed. Grabbing his right hand, she held it tight. With her left, she gently touched his face.
“Tanner?” she asked softly. A tear fell, landing on their hands. “Tanner…sweetheart, it’s me. I’m here. I’m here for you. Oh God, Tanner. I love you so much.” She couldn’t hold back the sobs anymore. Kissing his hand, she tried to dry the tears again. “Tanner, I’m OK…I’m all right, thanks to you.”
Dr. Sarhan watched Tanner’s heart monitor begin to race, yet no outward physical response was detectable. The doctor wondered if he could hear Elizabeth.
“It’s been an awful night, but I’m here now, and I’ll be here for you as long as it takes for you to get better. I’m so glad to see you…you look so good to me,” she said, barely audible. Her tears were now flowing faster than she could wipe them away.
“Oh, Tanner…we have so much to talk about. I’m just so thankful you’re alive. I have…I’ve been so worried about you,” she said, sitting down on the edge on the bed, never letting go of his hand. “I’ve decided that I don’t care where I go to college as long it’s with you. I don’t care what my parents say…I never want to be separated from you again, Tanner Tillman.”
Elizabeth kissed his cheek and noticed that tears were flowing out of the corners of his eyes. She smiled and kissed him again. She knew he could hear her.
“I love you, Tanner.”
“I doubt he can hear you, young lady. We nee
d you checked out. Let him rest,” Dr. Sarhan said as he looked at her swollen ankle. “He’ll awake in a few hours. You talk then.”
“He can hear me,” she replied, looking at Tanner’s face. “I know he can.
“Tanner, I need to go get cleaned up; then I’ll be right back. Everything’s gonna be better than ever,” she said and then tenderly kissed his check as she whispered, “And I get to pick the parking place next time.”
Elizabeth stood, reached into her pocket, and pulled out the tiny Beanie Baby that Katy had given her in the truck. She carefully placed it right next to Tanner’s head and wiped away another round of her tears. Elizabeth smiled and kissed him one more time, gently wiping away his tears that told her everything she needed to know.
“And you’re not married…so what’s wrong with you?” Jake heard Katy ask R.C., cocking her head to one side. She said it with the tone and inflection conveying her belief that every adult was supposed to be married. They were sharing a handful of M&M’s, obviously having an in-depth conversation about R.C.’s life. Katy loved to meddle.
“No, but I have a trophy girlfriend…She’s…how can I put this…she’s a professional dancer and—” But before R.C. could complete the sentence, Ollie laid a firm hand on his shoulder. R.C. knew better than to provide any more details.
“A dancer…eeeww…I took dancing lessons and hated it. So what does R.C. stand for?” she innocently asked.
“Well…um…it stands for Ralph Carmelo,” he said shyly. He really didn’t want to tell her.
“I like R.C. better,” she replied instantly. Everybody within hearing range laughed out loud.
With that exchange, Jake knew that Katy was all right. He let out a deep sigh of relief, then looked around the ER. All this was the consequence of his decision to use deadly force to protect her. The bloody images of the shooting at the camper flashed through his mind, followed by the image of Elizabeth’s attacker, then the horrifying sight of the dead stalker he had left in the swamp. Jake knew many new nightmares were ahead. He wondered if he would ever be able to go into dark woods again. He started to question having killed the first guy. He’d always second-guess that decision. Jake’s mind was spinning out of control. He stared blankly across the room.
“Hey, are you OK?” Ollie asked, grabbing Jake’s arm.
“Yeah, yeah…I’m sorry. What was I saying? I’m just totally exhausted.” Jake started shaking and rubbing his forehead with his right hand.
Ollie opened the supply closet door and led Jake inside. Ollie wanted to debrief him—to make certain there was nobody else out there, and he was anxious to hear Jake’s version of the events.
Something in Jake’s vest hit the doorjamb as he entered. He reached into his pocket; feeling his cell phone, he shook his head. He checked it. Twenty-one missed calls. The last twelve were from his home. He smiled. For the first time in years, Jake really wanted to talk with Morgan. In fact, he yearned to see her.
“Hey, Sheriff, can I please have a minute to call my wife?” Jake begged. He knew the sheriff needed to question him, but he had to talk with Morgan.
Ollie understood.
The sheriff’s attention shifted briefly to Marlow, who could be seen through the glass ER doors waving his arms in front of a television camera. What an idiot. “Sure…take your time. I’ll be out here,” Ollie replied as he turned over a cleaning bucket to make a seat for Jake. “Everybody gets one phone call.” He chuckled, closing the closet door behind him.
The End
Bobby Cole is a native of Montgomery, Alabama, and president of Mossy Oak® Biologic®. In addition to his side gig as a writer, he is an avid wildlife manager, hunter, and supporter of the Catch-A-Dream™ Foundation. He lives with his wife and daughter in West Point, Mississippi. The Dummy Line is his first novel.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 61
CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 63
CHAPTER 64
CHAPTER 65
CHAPTER 66
CHAPTER 67
CHAPTER 68
CHAPTER 69
CHAPTER 70
CHAPTER 71
CHAPTER 72
CHAPTER 73
CHAPTER 74
CHAPTER 75
CHAPTER 76
CHAPTER 77
CHAPTER 78
CHAPTER 79
CHAPTER 80
CHAPTER 81
CHAPTER 82
CHAPTER 83
CHAPTER 84
CHAPTER 85
CHAPTER 86
ABOUT THE AUTHOR