Abducted (3 page)

CARLY WATCHED THE COLOR
drain from Joe’s face. He reached down and flipped on the emergency light and siren. Traveling code 3, they were at the hospital a minute later. Joe leaped from the car and Carly ran to keep up with his long strides. Sergeant Barrett, their supervisor, was waiting for them at the emergency room entrance.

“What is it, Sarge? What’s happened?” Joe frantically approached the sergeant.

“Calm down. It looks like some kind of allergic reaction. I happened to be here on a station stop when they brought her in, so I had dispatch call you.”

“When they brought her in? How did she get here? And why didn’t she call me?”

“I guess she felt bad enough to call for paramedics. They brought her and the baby in as a precaution. I can’t answer your last question. Try to relax. They’re in exam room D.”

“Thanks.” Joe bolted off into the emergency room.

“Is it serious?” Carly asked the sergeant as Joe disappeared into the hospital.

“I don’t know. I know the doctors are running around like they do when things are bad. Maybe you should go in there with him.” Sergeant Barrett looked at Carly with tired, worried eyes. Things were probably a lot worse than he let on to her partner.

She hurried after Joe.

“Do you know of any food allergies your wife may have?” an emergency room doctor questioned Joe outside a closed exam room door.

“No, to my knowledge Christy isn’t allergic to anything. Can’t I see her?” Joe was fidgeting with his gun belt, snapping and unsnapping his keepers.

“Yes, you can see her. They’re drawing blood right now; give them a minute.”

“Where’s the baby? Where’s A.J.?”

“He’s been taken to pediatrics. He seems fine, perfectly normal. But since your wife is still breast-feeding, we’d like to keep him for observation.”

Just then the door opened, and a lab tech rushed out with a rack of blood vials. The doctor motioned for Joe to go in while Carly stayed back in the doorway. She wanted to be there if they needed her but didn’t want to intrude.

Christy was pale, and she smiled weakly at the sight of Joe. He bent down and kissed her on the forehead. Carly could hear Christy protest that she was fine, but her voice and appearance were anything but fine. She seemed weak and sounded weaker when she asked about A.J. Joe answered, but Christy appeared not to hear or understand what he was saying to her.

“Officer King?” Another doctor walked in as Joe was stroking Christy’s hair.

“Yes?” he answered but didn’t take his attention from his wife.

“We’re going to admit your wife, so she’ll be moved upstairs. Would you like to go see your son while we get her settled?”

Joe looked up from his wife’s face to the doctor’s, and Carly could see the indecision in his expression. “I hate to leave her, but I do want to see A.J.” He leaned down to explain to Christy what was going to happen. He kissed her one more time, then left her in the hands of the medical personnel.

“Do you want me to stay with her while you check on A.J.?” Carly asked.

As Joe considered the question, the doctor spoke up. “You might be in the way. It’s best if you stay with Officer King until we get her upstairs.”

Carly nodded and followed Joe out of the emergency room and up to pediatrics. Christy’s pale face floated in her mind and increased the knot of worry in her stomach.

Upstairs, A.J. looked normal. A nurse was feeding him, or rather trying to feed him, from a bottle. His cry sounded healthy and frustrated. Joe quickly stripped off his uniform shirt and Kevlar vest and took his son. It was a strange, warm sight, the large man in uniform pants, gun belt, and white T-shirt holding the small, squirming baby. She noticed the dots on the little blue sleeper A.J. wore were actually tiny badges. Christy must have made it for him—it looked so unique. Carly brushed back tears, overwhelmed by a flood of emotion and worry. The baby settled down and took the nourishment offered by his father and was soon asleep.

Joe rocked the baby gently. “He doesn’t like the bottle, so you have to work to make him take it,” he explained to the nurse. “I need to go check on my wife. She should be upstairs by now. What will happen to A.J.?”

“He’s only here for observation. So far, he’s in perfect health. We won’t keep him longer than twenty-four hours.” She smiled and took the baby from Joe, laying him gently in a crib.

He thanked her, and Carly could see some tension leave his body. She stayed quiet and walked with Joe to the elevator. He didn’t bother to put his uniform shirt or vest back on but rode up holding them in his hand. Christy was up one floor.

“You okay, partner?” Carly asked the pensive, anxious man.

“I don’t know. They’re being awfully vague, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, but they really don’t seem to know.” Carly was at a loss for words. Her own instincts about the whole situation filled her with dread. The feeling was punctuated when they reached Christy’s room. She’d lost consciousness.

Carly and Joe watched as she was hooked up to all manner of machinery. Carly closed her eyes and prayed for her partner’s wife and her friend, prayed that a reason would be found for the sickness and, most of all, for a solution.

The doctor danced around Joe’s inquiries and said a specialist was on the way. He advised Joe to go home and get some sleep, but Joe refused. With the heart monitor beeping slowly but regularly in the background, Joe handed Carly his gun belt, vest, and uniform shirt and asked her to take them to the station.

“Just ask one of the guys to put them in my locker. Can you bring me my street clothes?”

“Sure. I’ll be back quick.” She accepted the items and left her worried partner holding his wife’s hand.

It was just beginning to get light as Carly drove the patrol unit to the station. Sergeant Barrett told her she could log out even though it was an hour before EOW. While some sergeants were sticklers, insistent that officers never log out a minute before EOW no matter what, Barrett was flexible with early outs. Carly knew before she asked that he’d likely say yes. As she turned in the shotgun she and Joe had been issued at the start of their shift, then signed off their log and changed out of her uniform, she fought a hill of worry threatening to bury her. The urge to talk to Nick was strong, but when she looked at the clock, she knew he’d still be in bed. She decided to wait about twenty minutes and call him when she returned to the hospital. She prayed again, not knowing where Joe and Christy stood with God, but certain he was the right source to go to in the situation.

NO CHANGE.
Those two chilly words greeted Carly when she returned to the hospital. Though she hadn’t been gone that long, she’d hoped the hospital would have been able to determine whatever it was Christy had and at least come up with a plan of attack.

Joe could only shake his head as Carly handed him his clothes. A specialist was there running more tests but still being vague. The bottom line was that no one knew what was wrong with Joe’s wife. However, everyone’s manner said there was an urgent need to find out. Christy was declining. A.J.’s continued good health was the only positive news.

Officers crowded the hallway offering help. It was one of the things Carly liked best about being a cop. You were part of a family. The blue line always rallied around its own.

“You’ve got quite a cheering section going,” Carly said.

Joe smiled faintly. “Yeah, a couple of guys even volunteered to go get my car so I don’t have to worry about it later.”

“Good, I’m glad they’re here. Make sure you don’t hesitate to ask if you need something. Now, go change. I’ll hang out till you get back.”

Joe nodded and stepped into the bathroom. He emerged in fresh clothes a few minutes later. “Thanks for being here,” he said. The circles under his eyes were as dark as the stubble on his chin.

“No problem. Is there anything else I can do?”

He shook his head. “I think I’ll be fine. Christy’s parents are out of state, but mine should be here soon. I just wish the doctors could tell me something.”

“When your parents get here, try and get some sleep. You can’t help anyone if you faint from exhaustion.” Carly hoped she sounded more like a big sister than a mother.

“I know. Right now I can’t close my eyes; stuff is happening too fast. In a little bit I’m going to sit with A.J. for a while. They said if he stays the same, I can take him home tonight. I’d rather take them both home, but I’ll settle for A.J.”

“Is there anything you need me to get for you—a razor, maybe? Or lunch?”

Joe rubbed his chin and shook his head. “One of the guys is bringing me a shaving kit, and I’m just not hungry right now.” He flashed a rueful smile. “I say that knowing my mom will feed me. She thinks food fixes everything.”

“Sometimes it does. You know how I feel about pizza.”

At that Joe smiled. It was good to see that he could. Carly put a hand on his arm.

Just then his mom and dad arrived. Joe turned and hugged them both. Carly said hello, then listened while Joe explained the situation to them. They had questions, but Joe had no answers.

She waited for an opening and got his attention. “I’m beat. I’m going to go home and take a nap. Call me if anything changes or if you need anything at all, okay?”

“I will. Thanks again for everything.” He grabbed her in a hug. She left him at his wife’s side, bracketed by his parents, and prayed the doctors would find an answer for Christy soon.

I’m exhausted,
she thought as she drove out of the hospital lot.
Probably so exhausted I won’t be able to sleep. I’m glad it’s the end of the week for us and we don’t have to work tonight. All week long, between Nick and the heat, I haven’t gotten much sleep.
Saturday was also a therapy-free day, so she didn’t have to worry about rushing to the rehab center. She hit Nick’s number, and it rang once before she was directed to voice mail.

“It’s me. Give me a call when you get a chance.”

Keyed up and positive she couldn’t drop right off to sleep, Carly decided to stop at her mom’s before going home for a nap. The fact that she considered her mother’s house a desirable destination was proof that their relationship was better than it had ever been. As Carly struggled with Nick, knowing that she could talk to her mom about it and lean on her was a bright spot in her life. They used to butt heads about any and every little thing, but when Carly found faith, they reconnected. Now they were in sync, and she found that her mother was dear and wise counsel.

Mom’s house was still in the process of being remodeled after the fire that destroyed the front half four months ago. A corrupt cop had tossed a Molotov cocktail through the window in an attempt to scare Carly away from an investigation. Carly relished the reality that he was safely behind bars and her mother hadn’t been hurt in the attack.

No workers were present today, but the waiting-to-be-stuccoed frame of the living room stood as a reminder of the work in progress. Carly blew out a frustrated breath as she did every time she came by. The remodel was taking so long, she worried her mother was being taken advantage of. But her mom wasn’t worried, so Carly kept her mouth shut.

Since two bedrooms, one bath, and the kitchen were inhabitable, Kay chose to stay in the house while the living room, one bedroom, and one bathroom were being redone. Carly found her mother out on the back patio under an umbrella, drinking iced tea with the next-door neighbor, Jack, and using sign language to discuss projected plans for the remodel.

“Morning, Mom.” Carly waved at Jack.

His greeting was a smile and a nod.

“Good morning. What a nice surprise!” She stood and gave Carly a hug. “What’s wrong? Did something happen at work?”

I don’t have to say a word; she always knows.
“Not at work, but something happened to Christy.” Carly told her mother all she knew about Joe’s wife, which wasn’t much. Kay listened and signed for Jack.

“I came home planning to nap and then go back to the hospital and see if anything has changed. I didn’t mean to interrupt your discussion.” Carly nodded to the blueprints on the table.

“Don’t be silly; you’re not an interruption. We were just talking about the addition I want. You know I’d like to have a room available for troubled kids or people needing temporary shelter. Jack has some ideas to help preserve my privacy.”

Jack pointed to the plans and showed Carly his idea.

“I agree with Jack,” Carly said. “Adding that wall will give you and any houseguest a greater measure of privacy. Just remember, I want to be able to talk to whoever comes to stay here. And you have to promise—” Carly put her hands on her hips for emphasis—“if I don’t approve, it’s a no-go.”

Jack signed something to Kay.

“Jack says you’re being overprotective,” Kay explained with a smile. “But I know your frame of reference, so don’t worry; you get approval rights before anyone moves in.”

“Thanks.” Carly yawned and rubbed her eyes. She really didn’t like her mother’s plan to be a foster mom but knew arguing would get her nowhere. Carly’s father had died five years before, and she was glad that Kay was far from being a helpless widow. She was taking foster-parenting classes through the county, and she counseled troubled teens at church. Kay’s idea of becoming a foster mom had a lot of support from the church—especially from Jack, who was a deacon. Carly still thought the plan was crazy. The concept of a stranger sharing her mother’s house bothered her. She squelched her protest in favor of bringing the focus back to Joe’s problem.

“Don’t forget to put Christy on the prayer chain.” Carly grabbed a chair and pulled it under the umbrella’s shade.

“I’ll get the word out. Is Nick involved?”

“He doesn’t know yet. I called and got his voice mail. If he doesn’t call soon, I’ll call him again.” She accepted the glass of tea Kay handed her. “Have you talked to him lately, Mom?”

“Not for a couple of weeks. He seems to be having a difficult time with his rehabilitation.” Her mother settled back into her seat and sipped her own tea.

“That’s an understatement. What’s wrong with him? He’s the one always saying God will work things out. He doesn’t seem to believe that about his hip. I can’t talk to him anymore.” She took a sip and then held the glass to her forehead. The cool liquid was soothing inside and out.

Jack tapped on the table to get Kay’s attention and began to sign furiously.

Carly watched as the two conversed. “What’s he saying?”

“He says Nick needs time. He might never walk normally again, and he can’t accept the prospect of being handicapped. He’s afraid to get close to you again, afraid you’ll reject him if he’s handicapped.”

“Has Nick told Jack that?” Carly felt her face flush hotter than it already was from the weather. First Joe with his theory about Nick. And now Jack was telling her the same thing—that Nick was basically having a panic attack and taking it out on her. If he really believed she’d abandon him, what did that say about how shallow he thought she was?

There was more signing before Kay continued. “He didn’t have to say anything. Jack knows the feeling. When he was seventeen, a girlfriend broke his heart, saying she couldn’t live with his disability. He knows what Nick is going through and thinks that right now he feels like less of a man. Jack is sure we just need to be patient and let Nick work things out; he’ll come around.”

“This is silly! Nick should know that it wouldn’t matter to me if he never walks right again. I mean, I’d be sad for him, but it wouldn’t change my feelings.”

“Let him process; let him adjust.”

Carly thought for a moment before voicing the question that pierced her. She had, after all, trusted Nick with her heart—
again
. He’d crushed it once. Was she setting herself up for another fall? “What if he doesn’t?”

Jack answered her with one definitive gesture, which Kay translated.

“He will.”

• • •

The cooling tea and comfort of sitting in her mother’s backyard relaxed Carly to the point where she began to nod off. She said her good-byes and headed the two blocks home.

Andrea’s space was empty, so Carly assumed she was at work.
At least I won’t have to dodge any showering men today.
Carly yawned as she walked through the courtyard and waved to Mrs. Shane, the across-the-courtyard neighbor. A widow who’d moved in about three months ago, she liked to sit outside her door in a rocking chair. Carly could count on her being there whenever she got back from work late. Mrs. Shane would go inside for lunch and then be back for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Occasionally she’d stop Carly and ask about her day. Andrea thought the woman was nosy and avoided her. But Carly figured she was just lonely.

Any other day Carly might have struck up a conversation. But today she opened her front door, stepped inside, closed it, and leaned against it, sighing and shaking her head.
I hate having this problem hanging in the air between Andi and me.
It made her glad for the distraction her dog provided. Maddie was at the door, tail wagging and tongue hanging out.

“Ohh, sweetie, I’m glad to see you too.” She dropped her equipment bag and fell to her knees to hug the dog. When she got up, she checked the communication chalkboard she and Andi kept on the fridge. Andi had marked “fed” and “walked” for Maddie on the day’s date.

Blowing out a breath, she put her hands on her hips and looked at the dog. “I’m too tired right now, but I promise a good walk later, when it’s cooler.”

Maddie just kept wagging and followed Carly into the bedroom.

Once in her room, she got ready for bed and, in spite of the drama and turmoil of the morning, fell right to sleep. She slept soundly for about five hours and woke up bathed in sweat. The ceiling fan was ineffective; it was really only pushing around hot air. The apartment did not have AC.

“Bet you’re twice as hot as I am.” Carly reached down and patted Maddie, who was panting at the end of the bed. It was really a heat wave when it got this bad on the coast. Her apartment was only a block and a half from the beach, and generally there was a cooling ocean breeze. Not today.

She got up, let the dog out on the patio, then took an invigorating cold shower, which helped a little. Two things nagged her mind as she dressed in light shorts and a T-shirt. First, she wondered about Christy and how she was doing. She double-checked her phone, but there was no new message from Joe. Second, Carly thought about Andi. By now, her roommate was halfway through her shift. And it kept bugging Carly that they hadn’t talked things out after the tiff about the man in the shower. Normally, Andi didn’t stay mad long. But this disagreement about overnight guests was the most serious one they’d ever had.

She pondered the situation as she fixed herself a tuna sandwich. After eating it without really tasting it, she decided to take a stab and call the hospital to talk to Andrea.

Her shift schedule was on the fridge. When Carly checked it, she saw that Andi would be covering in pediatrics, so a call to Andi would probably kill two birds with one stone. It would be easy for her roommate to find out what was up with Christy even from pediatrics.
Hopefully Andrea is over her huff and can give me an update without disturbing Joe.

Carly punched in the number for pediatrics. The phone rang several times before someone picked it up.

“Hi, can I speak to Andrea, please?”

“Who’s speaking?” The voice was impatient, and it wasn’t anyone Carly recognized.

“This is her roommate.”

“She’s busy right now. Can I take a message?”

“No, no message.”

The phone clicked before Carly could say anything else.
That’s weird.
She sent Andi a text message, using their code for emergency callback, and waited. Fifteen minutes passed, but the phone didn’t ring. Carly paced the small living room and decided that Andrea was pouting. This was irritating. She knew now they needed to sit down and have an uninterrupted conversation about the friction between them. The overnight guest situation had been a sore spot for her for a long time, but Carly had suffered in silence.

I guess because I brought it up, I’m going to have to initiate a peace talk. Too bad it had to all come to a head this weekend.
Giving up on Andrea, she hit the speed dial to call up her partner’s number.

“As much as I don’t want to bug you, I want to know what’s going on,” she muttered while she typed her text message. This time she was rewarded with a callback.

“How are things going?” she asked, hoping the response would be positive.

“Carly.” Joe choked her name out.

Carly felt her stomach cramp. Christy must be worse. “Yeah, how’s Christy?”