Killing Her Softly by Barb Warner Deane

Author:Barb Warner Deane [Deane, Barb Warner]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, suspense, abuse survivor, cops
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2017-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

“I got here as quickly as I could. What’s the status?”

Jack walked through the waiting room to the hall outside the ER. Thelma had called him fifteen minutes ago, saying Deke was on his way into the hospital after collapsing at his desk. What he’d been doing at his desk so late in the evening, Jack didn’t know.

The normally unruffled Thelma was as agitated as Jack had ever seen her. This had to be serious. “They won’t tell me anything, yet. The nurses keep saying the doctor will come talk to me as soon as they know something.”

Jack lightly placed a hand on her shoulder. “Let me try to get some answers.”

Jack strode to the doorway of the emergency room cubicle Deke was in. He was shocked at how much Deke had deteriorated over the course of a few hours.

The old man’s face was ashen and his breathing was so loud Jack could hear it from the doorway. The doctor and nurse hovered around the edges of the skinny hospital cot, checking tubes and valves, adjusting and conferring. Jack was about to holler at one or the other of them when they noticed him.

“Are you here with the sheriff?”

“Yes.” He walked closer to Deke’s bed, and Thelma followed him into the room.

The doctor walked toward Jack with his hand outstretched, gently pulling him back into the hall as they shook hands.

“And you are?”

“I’m Jack Finelli, his undersheriff…his friend. Thelma and I are as close to family as Deke has.”

The doctor nodded. “Okay, then you know where we stand with Deke’s illness?”

Jack, silent as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat, was grateful when Thelma spoke up.

“We know Deke’s cancer is terminal and there isn’t a lot of time left, if that’s what you mean.”

The young doctor nodded. He checked the chart he held and motioned Thelma and Jack to a nearby couch.

“Deke’s condition is deteriorating rapidly. I’m going to recommend we keep him here for at least a week, if not two. Then, depending on how he’s doing he might be able to go home with a full time nurse, but he’s not going back to work anymore. If he takes it easy and gets excellent care, he might have a month left, maybe six weeks at the outside.”

Jack turned and stalked down the hall. He couldn’t process this now. He couldn’t think about Deke dying. How would he tell the old man his days as sheriff of Harper’s Glen were really over.

When he turned back, Thelma was leaning slightly on the arm of the doctor with tears running down her face. She’d aged ten years in the space of a moment. This was going to be very hard on her. Jack walked back to the couch and sat next to Thelma, trying to be of comfort.

“I’m sorry; I needed a second there.”

Thelma wiped her nose and nodded. The doctor nodded, too.

“This is not going to be easy on any of you, and, if necessary, we can keep Deke here until the end.

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