Payback (The Canine Handler Book 1) (22 page)

The woman’s dark hair slipped from her scalp, exposing wisps of hair against an otherwise bald pate. Her expression gave way from fearful panic when she’d reacted to the dog, to a glazed look of total shock and puzzlement.

She sank to the concrete sidewalk. To Dave, she now more distinguishably looked like the person he knew. Recognizing the few hairs she had for eyebrows, the splash of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Dave grasped for any clue that it wasn’t who he knew it was. His mind was in overdrive.
It can’t be her,
he pleaded in agonized silence.

His gaze traveled down her torso, back up along the line of her arm where she had crumbled to the ground, to the back of her bare neck. Then he saw the paw-print tattoos.

Dave’s mind reeled with the confirmation.

“Sarah?” he asked, almost to himself. Barely audible, Dave tried again to call her name. He sprinted to her side.

A local police officer who had been directing traffic ran to Dave’s side to offer help. Dave barked orders to get the ambulance which was already on-site for the firefighters.

Dave stood mesmerized in the midst of the chaos for a hesitant second. It appeared he needed a moment to process the scene and figure out priorities. Going into automatic, he yelled for the paramedics to get their ass in gear as they pulled the ambulance up to where Sarah lay. Dave dropped to his knees beside her.

Two males jumped from the back of the unit as the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. Dave continued to shout orders to them as they descended upon Sarah.

Bella sat in the middle of the pandemonium. She continued to keep her vigil near her tracked subject and wasn’t budging.

“Hey, can you grab my canine and take her back to my SUV?” Dave shouted to a local officer who was standing beside the paramedics keeping the bystanders controlled.

“Sure can,” the officer replied as he stepped toward the dog and picked up her long line.

“Come on, pup,” the officer called to Bella. He started to walk away with a quick step only to get jerked back as Bella stood her ground.

The officer looked at Dave, unsure how to proceed with a large bloodhound who refused to leave the chaotic scene.

It finally dawned on Dave. He pulled a hotdog from his vest and handed it to the other officer. “Here, give her this and tell her ‘all done.’ She should follow you then.”

“We’re losing her!” One of the paramedics stated. “Blood pressure’s dropping. We need to get her stabilized before we can move her.”

Dave still on his knees, continued to help the paramedics with Sarah as they lifted her onto the litter. The men persisted in their efforts to work on her, keeping her alive.

“I’m afraid we don’t have much time. We need to make a decision here.” The driver of the ambulance looked at Dave.

“There’s no question. Call for life flight now!” Dave shouted. His face reddened, sweat dripped from his brow. His breathing came quicker. He was in shock believing he might lose her.
This might be it
.

Dave stood up and realized Bella was still in her indication position and had only given up enough of her turf so the paramedics could work on Sarah. He looked to the officer who held the end of her line and was answered only by the shrug of the man’s shoulders.

“Life flight’s on the way. We’ll finish packaging her up and ready her for the flight. Do you know the victim’s name?” one of the paramedics asked Dave.

Dave looked at him with a blank stare. It took all of his energy to make the words form on his lips. “Her name is Sarah. Sarah Gavin. She’s a 911 dispatcher from York County.”

“Really? What the hell was she doing here?” the paramedic trailed off, not caring if he received an answer or not.

“Not sure,” was all Dave could muster.

The officer holding the end of Bella’s line lifted it toward Dave, motioning for him to come get his dog.

Dave took the line and pulled out another hot dog for Bella. “All done, girl,” he told her and released her from her pose. Bella swallowed the offering in one quick motion. On her time and decision, she stood to follow after Dave. She didn’t play into the noise and commotion that surrounded her. Her temperament allowed her to stay calm and unaffected.

He walked her several feet from where the paramedics continued to ready Sarah. Knowing he’d done everything he could for Sarah and that she was in good hands, he still had a difficult time standing down from the situation. He watched as the paramedics loaded her into the ambulance so they could meet the life flight helicopter a block over in a cleared area. He looked to the sky, already hearing the powerful engines of the STAT Medevac.
Thank god they weren’t already out on a call
.

Dave headed back to his SUV with Bella in the lead. It finally dawned on him that the whole incident had been caught on camera. The media had been filming for the evening news when Dave had begun to work Bella. He didn’t realize at the time that they had covered him working his canine.

The media shouldn’t have even been allowed on scene until the whole area had been investigated
. The fire chief, nor firefighters had given out information regarding the body, but the media had their ways of pulling information from events.
I wonder how they got their information? From who?
Maybe a bystander caught wind of what was in the house
.

Dave figured the media had to know something more was up with this fire than the norm and had fought their way into the scene. They would try to glean as much information as possible so they could be the first to deliver the delicious details to the public. Bystanders had filmed what they could from their smartphones as well. There were videos and pictures. Dave knew the fire and the shooting had both been well documented.

Dave loaded Bella up. He was on autopilot as he went through the motions of caring for his working partner. He was in disbelief of what had just transpired. He replayed the scene repeatedly in his mind.
What the hell just happened? Why? Will I be able to live with the consequences if she doesn’t make it?

But only Dave knew he’d locked more than his target sight on Sarah.

The bullet tore into Sarah’s side sending immense pain to every part of her body. Instant shock took charge. She didn’t know where she was or what she was doing.
What the hell is going on? Where the hell am I?
Sarah dropped to the ground gasping for air. The scene played out in her head in slow motion as she watched everything around her fade from sight. Her head dropped hard onto the corner of the concrete curb butting up against the sidewalk.

Bella and Dave were above her asking questions she couldn’t answer. She couldn’t make her lips work. It hurt so bad. She lost control of her motor functions. She thought this was it, that she was dying and didn’t understand why or what was going on. Sarah lay on a broken and gray concrete sidewalk that was now covered in blood. A constant high-pitched ring plagued her ears. There were several people standing around her. People she didn’t know.
Why does it hurt so bad?

She reached to her side. Her stomach area and hip were burning. A white hot sensation spread across her abdomen. It felt like the whole world had slowed to a stop. Panic set in. She tilted her unfocused gaze from the bystanders to herself. Looking down, she could tell blood was pumping out of her body. She knew that could only be bad but her brain was having a difficult time processing what had happened. Instinctively Sarah tried to put her hands over her wound, but the blood continued to drain out. She couldn’t stop it. She tried to stand, but her legs failed her. God, her head hurt so bad. She was dizzy.

Firefighters and paramedics were over top of her. They pushed the crowd away from where Sarah lay broken and bleeding. She tried to look up to see Dave. He took her hand. She tried to stay with it. He was talking to her, saying something she couldn’t understand. Confused and lightheaded, she began to recede and eventually just let go.

Sarah didn’t remember much regarding the incident. Waking up briefly in distress when she made it to the hospital, she tried to push herself up but fell back onto the stretcher unconscious. She was weak from the amount of blood loss and the excruciating pain. Everything was a blur. She tried to fight for some kind of control but lost. She thought she had fallen into a dark tunnel spinning out of control. Sarah drifted toward the light… toward the end of the dark tunnel. She let her mind release and shut down. She was in a state of shock. The physical pain had caused too much agony to endure. She let everything go and just floated.

Sarah could hear the medical team conferring, yelling orders across the room, across her body. She still didn’t understand what was going on. Doctors and nurses swarmed over her from every direction. She overheard bits and pieces of information but couldn’t reply to attempts made by the staff to communicate with her. “She’s in shock,” was one of the only comprehensible statements.

Occasionally one of the medical team would hover over her, look her in the face as they worked and called her name loudly a few times. But she couldn’t connect, couldn’t respond. Sarah just stared straight ahead. She could hear them calling her name as if they were far away, distant. Her primal instinct knew that her body was badly broken, but she felt an inner peace at the same time. Even though there had been much pain from her injuries, she was in a calm, tranquil state of mind. A feeling that she’d never experienced before.

“Sarah,” a nurse almost yelled into her face. “You’re in the hospital. We’re here to help you. Stay with us.”

It would be easier to just let it all go. Do I even want to come back to this painful existence that is my life?

It all happened so fast. Faster than Dave wanted to remember. He would eventually have to recount the events later to an investigator.
WTF? How did this happen?
Dave wasn’t sure why he hadn’t aimed for the head or heart. Maybe it was that she was a woman... or that she was only wielding a knife. Did he sub-consciously already know it was Sarah? He had been torn between shooting a victim and protecting his partner, Bella. She was a trooper as well. She wore a badge and warranted the same protection as the rest of the troopers.

Dave couldn’t get Sarah’s look of surprise out of his head. He kept replaying the scene over and over trying to make sense of it. It was as if Sarah had been possessed. She didn’t even seem to know where she was or what she had been doing when he shot her. He felt she had only realized her surroundings when the pain pulled her out of the trance. The way her facial expression changed as she fell, he didn’t understand. In that short moment, she had looked like the Sarah he knew. Dave hadn’t hesitated to protect Bella.
But at what cost?

He had stayed behind to fill out police reports and turn the scene over to his lieutenant when she arrived on scene. Dave called Kellee to let her know what had happened. He wanted someone at the hospital either way. If Sarah succumbed to her wound or if she came to, he didn’t want her to be alone. Dave knew she had no one else in this world, no family nor close friends outside of work and her canine search and rescue organization.

Kellee assured Dave she would go to the hospital immediately to find out how Sarah was doing. She also volunteered to go by and pick up Gunner and Sam to make sure they were okay. Kellee would take them home with her to care for them.

Dave realized that he would automatically be put on leave until the conflict was resolved. He had discharged his weapon. An investigation would ensue until the conflict was examined and he was cleared. Though Bella was involved and was ultimately the reason behind the gunfire episode, she had no reason to leave the force. She would most likely be assigned to another handler temporarily. That would be harder on Dave than the forced leave of absence. It broke his heart to think he would have to let his girl go away, but he knew it was only short-term. She would be back with him in no time.

Dave tried to put Bella out of his mind and concentrate on only Sarah.
Weird
, he thought. Sarah had shown genuine fear of Bella. He had seen true fear in her eyes.
But why? She has two large German Shepherds. As big as Bella.
He stood beside his vehicle, lost, bewildered.
That makes no sense. I don’t understand what’s going on with her. God I hope she pulls through. I need answers.

When Dave showed up several hours later from the scene, he’d used his status as a Pennsylvania State Trooper to bully his way in to see Sarah. It was a conflict of interest because he had been the one who had shot her. But that didn’t matter to him, he couldn’t stay away.

Kellee had arrived first and tried to fill Dave in with what little information she had—which wasn’t much.

“She’s just out of surgery and is stable. Critical, but stable. She will need another surgery to repair her hip. They will keep her in the ICU ward for a few days for observation.” Kellee looked into the distance, away from Dave’s intense gaze.

When the pair had made it to the hospital where Sarah had been transported, they both tried to sign on as a responsible party for her. At first the hospital administration wouldn’t even allow them to visit, due to all of the HIPAA privacy laws in place. Sarah was of age to make her own decisions… but in her current condition, couldn’t. The doctors and nurses had to be the ones who took it upon themselves to save her life and take the necessary steps involved. Dave and Kellee could only stand by and hope for the best. Kellee had been left in the waiting room until one of the nurses finally realized no family was coming.

Kellee had dropped everything and driven straight to the hospital when she’d received Dave’s call. He could hear the utter despair in Kellee’s voice as he’d recounted the morning’s events.

He had been fairly new to the state police unit when Kellee’s daughter’s case—Lindsey’s abduction and murder—had made local headlines. He remembered it well. Dave knew that Sarah somehow filled a void for Kellee. Dave also knew they both shared a special bond. He was aware Kellee had been there when Sarah needed mothering. Kellee had needed someone to nurture and care for, too.

Kellee confided in Dave as they stood vigil over Sarah, each taking their short turn to visit as allowed in the ICU unit. “You know I watched her blossom into a beautiful person. Into the person she knew she could always be,” Kellee said between dry sobs. “She’s worked so hard to get to this point in her life. Her future was so promising.” Dave touched Kellee’s shoulder to let her know he understood.

“This isn’t the end. It can’t be,” Dave replied.

One of the floor nurses that was assigned to Sarah explained to Dave and Kellee that the doctors had made the decision to put Sarah into a chemically-induced coma. They felt it would be her best option for a fuller recovery. The bullet had torn through one of her kidneys, a major artery and partially through her left pelvic area, damaging her hip where it had stopped and lodged. She had a Grade 3 concussion. She had lost so much blood; she had almost no blood pressure when she’d arrived in emergency. The nurse recounted her team of doctors said that Sarah was one very lucky individual. She had come as close to death as a person could but still make a turnaround and start to recover.

Dave listened intently as the nurse gave out sparse information explaining the seriousness of Sarah’s situation.

“A specialized team of nephrology doctors were able to remove the damaged kidney. They had a difficult time getting the other kidney to properly function but eventually they got it to almost its full capacity. Her left hip is very badly damaged. She will be facing a long road of rehab to get back on her feet. It will be touch and go for a few days to see how she responds to the surgeries and medications.”

Dave thanked the ICU nurse. He turned to look at Sarah through the walled glass that separated her from the nurses station.
You just need more time to let your body and soul heal.

Dave could tell that Kellee wanted information on what had happened at the scene. He knew she wanted him to explain, but he wasn’t ready to talk to her about it yet. He wanted to talk to Sarah first whenever she woke up. He felt he owed that to her.

Kellee told Dave there had been red flags for a few years, but she had always discounted them because of Sarah’s foster upbringing. She had always been a little quirky from that. Occasionally, Kellee would see a side of Sarah emerge that she had no idea where it had come from. It was only every now and again… and it was fleeting. But it was there.

The last time Kellee said she’d seen Sarah’s personality quirk was just a few days ago while they had been in the boat. “Sarah’s facial expression and response were totally uncalled for. Completely out of character for Sarah.” But Kellee had let it go as she normally did. Before that she hadn’t witnessed the character change in years, she explained to Dave.

There was a trooper stationed outside of the ICU. Now that Sarah was considered a prime suspect in the killings, the agencies involved were keeping a close eye on any activity that surrounded her. The bureau wanted to question Sarah as soon as her coma was reversed. So far she had only been circumstantially linked to the stabbing of her foster mother and the burning of the house—between the blood on her clothes and knife. There were no eye witnesses.

She had also been circumstantially linked to her foster father and foster brother through several items found in the garage of her home. But again, there were no eye witnesses and the agencies were still trying to link DNA evidence which they had been unsuccessful in so far.

The state would assign a public defender to her.
Likely someone just out of law school or a long time loser who wouldn’t give their best to represent her,
crossed Dave’s mind. She was going to need someone far more experienced, a lawyer who had something to prove to get a lighter sentence for her. Maybe a new hotshot needing to make a name for themselves. Dave wasn’t sure she would stand up as mentally stable either. He had been sure it wasn’t Sarah standing there in the crowd. He had been sure it wasn’t Sarah whom he shot protecting Bella. Maybe she would be found incompetent to stand trial. Dave knew he would be on trial as well when he would be called as a witness in the case.

Dave had challenged the trooper who was sitting outside of the ICU ward. Sarah was not supposed to be allowed any visitors. The trooper obliged by allowing Dave and Kellee to enter the room, thinking it didn’t really matter because she was in a coma. “Probably not going to make it anyway,” he grumbled.

She was still listed in critical condition. And if she did survive, no one could predict if she would suffer damage to her brain.

Dave knew that Kellee had a busy schedule and wouldn’t be able to stay very long. Once she found out Sarah was still critical, but stable—and would most likely remain that way for a few days—Kellee headed home to take care of her dogs and Sarah’s.

Kellee’s hands would be full trying to care for several energetic German Shepherds. Other team members would help Kellee over the next several weeks—possibly months. They would make sure Sam and Gunner received everything they needed from daily care to continued search and rescue training. It would help the dogs deal with their handler being missing from their lives.

Dave remained behind. Sarah was a mystery but he was fascinated by her. He felt compelled to stay by her side and take care of her. To stand up and fight on her behalf. He didn’t understand it himself, but he felt like she was worth a fight. He felt there was much more to Sarah. She deserved a chance to explain everything that had transpired over the last several days. Maybe he was in love with her.
Love?
He questioned himself.

He wouldn’t have anything else to do anyway. He knew the protocol. The agency would most likely put him on paid leave until the shooting investigation was complete. That’s how it normally worked when an officer was involved in a shooting.

The FBI had completely taken over the complicated case. Bella would be in the hands of another trooper. He made the decision to stay beside Sarah as long as he was allowed. He wanted to be there when she woke up and to be there to see where her future would go. Maybe where
their
future would go. He was optimistic.

***

Dave headed home sometime in the early morning hours after Sarah’s initial surgeries and the first round of questioning from his superior who had found him in the hospital lobby. He still needed to take care of Bella who had been in her dog box the whole time sitting in the hospital parking lot.

Pulling into his driveway, he slid the SUV into park and sat there resting his tired head in his hands. He felt as if a vice was squeezing his heart and his head simultaneously. The officer who had taken his statement while at the hospital informed him that he was automatically suspended and another trooper would be by this morning for Bella. Dave had handed over his service weapon.
In just a few hours I’ll be losing her.
Bella remained quiet in her box.
No one had asked Bella what she wanted to do,
Dave thought. But it’s
only temporary,
he kept telling himself.

Dave stepped out of the vehicle, swung around to the back, lifted the back window and dropped the tailgate. “Hey there, girl.” Bella’s long tail started to thump against the side of her crate. He opened the dog box allowing Bella to jump out onto the driveway.

“Come on, sweetie,” Dave called to her as he headed across the yard to the front door. Bella followed, stopping briefly to relieve herself and then followed him into the house. “Well Bella, not sure how to tell you this, but Carl will be here shortly to pick you up.” Dave continued with his one-sided conversation. ”It’s only for a little while.”

He found a duffle bag and began to pack up a few of Bella’s items. Bella didn’t seem that concerned. She made her rounds through the house, quenched her thirst and lay down stretching out by the sliding glass door that led to the back yard. The floor was cool and refreshing for the dog.

Once finished packing up her toys, dog bed, blankets and food, Dave sat down on the floor beside his dog and leaned up against the wall. “This is all temporary, this situation is only temporary,” Dave stated out loud more for himself than for the dog. Bella never moved her head but looked up at him with her deep, soulful brown eyes and slapped her tail against the floor. She seemed to understand his pain, but she also seemed to be tolerant of the challenges faced in life, accepting whatever came their way.

Dave came to terms with what needed to be done. He sat peacefully there on the floor as he waited for his co-worker to arrive.