Fatal Mercy by Dan Padavona (freenovel24 .TXT) 📗

else would you chase the only person who showed you love when you were young?”

 

 

Sunday, July 19th

4:35 a.m.

 

The world spun too fast.

Thomas couldn’t process the news as he rushed into the hospital. The words accident and paralyzed kept flying through his head as he rushed through the lobby. Lambert hadn’t told him about Chelsey’s crash until they crossed paths in the office, both deputies almost twenty-four hours into their workdays. His stomach lurched as he stood inside the elevator, tapping his foot as the floors scrolled by.

The doors opened to the trauma unit. He scanned the room numbers and hurried down the corridor. Room 712.

When he entered the room, Raven sat beside Chelsey’s bed and held her hand. A confusion of wires trailed from Chelsey’s body to machines with digital readouts. He released a breath when Chelsey’s eyes fell to his.

Raven rose from the chair.

“Thank you for coming,” she said, hugging Thomas.

“I came as soon as Lambert told me about the accident. How’s she doing?”

“She’s awake. I’ll let the two of you talk.” Raven turned to Chelsey. “I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”

Chelsey’s eyes fell to her hands. Bandages circled her head, and a laceration trailed down her left arm.

“You shouldn’t have come,” Chelsey said, fiddling with the blanket.

“Why wouldn’t I? Lambert said you lost feeling in your legs.”

She waved a hand through the air.

“The crash gave me a concussion, and that’s what caused the numbness. I’m not paralyzed, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

As he reached to brush the hair from her eyes, she pulled her head away and threw him an irritated look. Thomas settled into the chair.

“Don’t take a concussion lightly. The recovery time ranges seven to ten days in mild cases, and yours isn’t mild.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

She folded her arms and glared at the wall. The monitors beeped, and conversation from the medical staff filtered down the corridor.

“I’m relieved you’re all right.” His eyes held concern as he touched her arm. “Lambert told me what you did. You could have killed yourself.”

“That was my best friend in that SUV. I did what I needed to do.”

“You should have backed off and let Lambert rescue Raven and Ellie. Racing into the oncoming lane…that was reckless, Chelsey.”

“What do you care about Raven?”

“She’s my friend too.”

“Well, you had a more important case to solve. So it was up to me.”

Thomas took a breath. Why was she fighting him?

“The important thing is, everyone is all right. Rest and heal up. Take some time off. Raven can run the show while you recover.”

“There’s a backlog of cases piling up on my desk.”

“Don’t put yourself at risk by returning to work too soon. After the shooting, I returned before my doctor cleared me. My stubbornness set me back months.”

“Well, maybe you should have quit.”

Thomas shifted. Chelsey impatiently tapped her hand on the mattress.

“You think I should have quit law enforcement?”

She’d avoided his eyes until now. When Chelsey turned to him, her cold, uncaring glare stunned him.

“Why would you come back to Wolf Lake and accept a deputy position? You should have listened to your parents and taken over the business.” She swept her arm toward the window. “There’s no future for you here. Stop wasting your talent and do what you were meant to do.”

“Where’s all this coming from?”

“For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve fought your parents. Stop and listen, for once. You’re killing yourself, and they’re offering you a better life.”

She looked away. Now that she’d lobbed the grenade, she hunkered down inside her bunker.

“I didn’t come here this morning to talk about my job or Shepherd Systems.”

“Then what? Did you come here to talk about us, Thomas? Because if you did, you should go. There is no us. There hasn’t been since we were too young to know better.”

He took a quivering breath. His chest tightened.

“I’m not here to rekindle failed relationships and live in the past. I came because you’re family, and you’re hurt. Family members support each other.”

“I’m not your family.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. In my heart, you will always be family.” He leaned over the bed and kissed her forehead. “Take care of yourself, Chelsey. I hope we cross paths again one day.” Her eyes swung to him when he stood. “Goodbye.”

He was halfway to the elevators when the first tear rolled down his cheek.

* * *

Chelsey flicked a tear off her eyelid and turned away when she heard Raven’s footsteps approach. What had Thomas meant about crossing paths someday? She hadn’t meant to hurt him, didn’t understand where the vitriol had come from. Since she was eighteen, she’d pushed people out of her life and hurt the ones she cared about, every decision wrong and full of regret. She couldn’t do this anymore. She was numb.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Chelsey closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

“You’re not fooling anyone,” Raven said, sliding into the chair. “You’re awake.”

Raven held a cup of coffee. The aroma enveloped the room and mixed with the heavy scents of cleaning solutions.

“Let me be. I haven’t slept in twenty-four hours.”

“I’ll let you sleep all day, if that’s what you want. But you’re gonna listen first.”

Chelsey groaned.

“No talking. It makes my head hurt.”

“You’re a mule, Chelsey, and it’s about time someone gave you a smack on the rear.”

“Go ahead. Everyone’s taking shots at me this morning.”

“What’s wrong with you, girl? The greatest guy to enter your life came to see you, and you drove him away. Again.”

Chelsey flipped over and glared at Raven.

“The greatest guy in my life? He was my high school boyfriend. That was forever-ago. Get real.”

“I’m the only one in this room getting real. Every time the two of you are together, I see longing in your eyes.” She leaned forward. “And I see fear.”

“Oh, very poetic.”

“He’s doing everything he can to win you back, and you slammed the door in his face. One of these days, you’ll wake up and realize he’s gone and not coming