Hey all, thanks for reading! This one is winding down and should be wrapped within a few more chapters. I appreciate the notes from a couple of you. And as always, feel free to offer up a review or opinion!
-36-
Three days passed. Fenton worked diligently with the local and federal authorities to ensure most elements of the kidnapping had been dealt with. With the exception of needing statements from Callie and Jade, and baring anything unusual coming to light, the case was pretty much in the books. Detective Jameson was more than happy to get majority of the public attention off of the city of Clymer Pennsylvania. He had made an initial statement to the media, assuring the public that the perpetrator had indeed been killed. Without the complete story, and input from Callie, it was impossible to give the complete story to the public. But for the most part, the town was at least much more at ease knowing the kidnapper had met with his just rewards.
There were still some representatives from the media remaining in Clymer and Indiana. Fishing for a story. Waiting for the mystery of how the kidnapper and rapist met his demise. Waiting to heap praise on the person responsible. Fenton had done his best to keep their account of that night out of the papers as much as possible. The lower ranks of the local police had been kept from certain details to ensure the containment of what Fenton and other ranking authorities believe happened. The security at the hospital had also helped ensure those seeking information would be kept from attempting to elicit information from staff, or even attempting to gain entry to the rooms of those who were recovering.
Aimee Davidson had made significant headway in her recovery. At least in terms of her physical injuries. She had been able to graduate from a wheelchair and walk on her own, at least with the help of a walker.
The late morning sun cast a strong beam of light into Callie's ICU suite. Aimee shifted her chair forward to avoid the sun hitting her eyes. She looked down at Callie and took her hand in hers. It pained her to see Callie like this. The praise that many had poured upon Aimee for rescuing Nicole seemed misplaced to her when she thought about what might have happened if Callie had not stopped Jeremy for good. He could have potentially gone out into the woods and found Nicole again. But Callie had come along and put an end to him. She had also saved her life by taking the bullet meant for her.
Aimee sniffled as the emotion swept through her. She held onto Callie's hand tightly.
"Baby, please wake up for me. I need you so much, now. I hate to see you like this. You have made such a sacrifice..." her head fell to her chest as she wept softly. Her steady sobs yielded a stream of tears down her cheeks. She closed her eyes tightly hoping she could just wake up from a bad dream!
Aimee failed to hear the door to the room open and the person's approach behind her. She felt a hand gently rub on her back. She gave a start and looked up. The kind face of Maddie looked down at her.
"Hey, none of that now." She said softly. It was all that Maddie could do not to join Aimee in her free flowing sorrow. Maddie had been sitting there earlier that morning, talking to her mother. Crying over her mother. She tried to remember that her mother had told her many times that she should try to be strong when she felt that all was lost. That many people out there had it worse. At this time, it was rather hard for Maddie to think about who on this earth could have it worse than her mother who was lying there looking so lifeless. But for the sake of being strong for her mother, Maddie attempted to take some initiative when she saw Aimee so distraught. Aimee sat up and rubbed her face with tissues. She forced a smile as best she could to Maddie.
"Hey there, little lady. How are you doing?" She asked, attempting to clear the tears from her face as best she could. Maddie took an extra chair and pulled it up next to Aimee's. She pushed a smile to her face.
"Well, Miss. Aimee, I am holding up, I guess. I needed a little time away from auntie. She kept asking me if I was ok." Aimee nodded knowingly.
"She just loves her niece. Wants to make sure you are as ok, as possible anyway." She said as her eyes shifted over to Callie.
"I know. But she has been pretty sad after Uncle Joe left." Aimee looked again to Callie and gave a sniffle.
"Well, it is hard when the person you love isn't there." Maddie looked from Aimee to her mother. She had previously been uncertain how she felt about the connection they shared. But in the last few days she was able to get to know Aimee more and found her to be a pretty nice lady who she was able to relate to. She knew that Aimee had a deep affection for her mother. Maddie cleared her throat.
"Well, yes, that is true. I mean I know that when you love your mom and she isn't there, I feel something missing. I don't, I mean I have never had any kind of romantic kind of relationship with any boy..." she blinked nervously at Aimee. "or girl..." Aimee smiled to her. Again, sensing just how beyond her years she was.
"Oh, well, I bet there is a guy or two...or girl, who have probably taken notice of you. You just might not have been aware of it." Maddie reddened a bit in embarrassment. She looked back up to Aimee.
"Oh, I have noticed them. I mean I think I have. Do they kind of make you sweat when they are around you?" Aimee giggled a bit and nodded.
"I would say that is a sign of something. More than you may know." Maddie cleared her throat again, feeling a bit awkward by the subject.
"Well, anyway..." She searched for words, trying to change to focus from her and to address a subject which had passed through her mind quite a bit in recent days. Aimee looked searchingly at her.
"Yes?" Maddie's eyes shifted about a bit nervously. She took a breath and looked at Aimee.
"Well, I just wanted you to know, that, well, it doesn't bother me..." Aimee looked thoughtful, not quite sure what Maddie was getting at.
"What doesn't bother you, baby?"
"Well, I mean mom...and you..." she said, searching for words.
"Oh?" Aimee asked. Maddie's lips quivered a bit.
"Well, you and mom love each other." Aimee closed her eyes.
"Yes, I mean I would like to think your mother loves me as much as I love her."
"Well, I just wanted to say that it doesn't bother me. I really see that you love her. It shows on your face. By the fact you are here and spend hours in that chair. I have heard you talk to her. It makes me happy to see you here and looking over her." Aimee smiled back to Maddie. She reached over and embraced the young woman. Maddie hugged her back tightly.
"Thank you for that, Madeleine. It really means a lot. I was very worried that you considered me an unwanted person in all this. Someone who was moving in on your dad." Maddie nodded her understanding. She stood up and took a cup from the sink and filled it with water and took a long sip. She turned back towards Aimee and looked down at her.
"My dad can take care of himself. I mean if he wants to. I, it's just that..." her words faded.
"What?" Aimee asked. Maddie shook her head, not sure of what she was meaning to say.
"I guess it just means that dad will make his own bed in all of this. I want them both to be happy. But the fact he isn't here. The fact that mom and dad fight a lot. I just don't know if I want to..." Aimee's eyes widened as she surmised what Maddie was trying to imply. But she also understood that Maddie must be fairly upset with Chet in all of this. By his not remaining close to keep an eye on her mother. Her feelings were at least partly influenced by her father's recent actions. But no doubt there was a lot Aimee didn't know about what went on in their home. Callie herself was obviously wanting to feel the love from someone as she hadn't been content in her marriage. But this was no time to enforce an adolescent's emotion based opinion. Even if it was one that seemed to accept Aimee as her mother's suitor. Aimee ran her hand along Maddie's face and smiled knowingly to her.
"I get what you are saying. And honestly, it makes me feel really good and I am able to relax more by what you said. I was pretty apprehensive about how you may have felt about me. But..." She continued. Maddie gave a smirk.
"There's always a but..." Aimee nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, there is. At least there always was in my life. Anyway, girl, I just want you to not make any hasty judgments about your dad. Or about your mom and dad and their relationship. I know I have never been in your house to see how things happen..."
"No, you haven't. It sucks...sometimes." Maddie said softly.
"I am sure it probably does. But no family is perfect and you need to make sure you give those you love a chance." Maddie finished her water and walked nervously about the room. She understood what Aimee was saying, but as she noted, she had never been in their house.
"He has had many chances. And my mom..." she fell silent as she looked back over at her mother's bed. Aimee surmised Callie's daughter was wanting to speak out about her mother as well, but was overwhelmed with guilt at the idea of saying it under the circumstances. Aimee stood up and walked over to the girl.
"I know what you are saying. I mean Callie and I have talked a lot. She has told me a lot about how things go at your home. And she has said that she was sorely lacking in the family and mother department. So I know she was not perfect either. And I would bet that you have been walking a bit of a tight rope. I mean some days you love your mom or dad. Other days you want them to disappear. You feel like you are in the middle of everything. You may even feel you were the cause." Maddie readily nodded.
"Yeah, exactly. But, yeah, I mean I didn't want to say anything bad about my mom. I know she tries. I know she loves me. Same as my dad. But sometimes I feel like I have caused them to fight. I feel, I guess, guilty." Aimee put her arms around Maddie and hugged her again.
"Oh, baby girl, I know how you feel so much. I felt like that for so many years. I eventually wanted to get away from my parents so much... that I just left one day."
"You did?!" Maddie asked with surprise. Aimee nodded.
"Absolutely! I was feeling so bad at times that I wanted to curl up and die." She paused and looked at Maddie, then smiled. "I wasn't trying to freak you out or anything. But a lot of it was worrying for not. I came to realize that none of it was really my fault. At least not most of what my parents fought about. I mean I was no saint and gave my parents cause to stress. But I know I wasn't the one to make them fight nearly as much as I thought when I was younger. But please don't think anything your parents fought about was caused by you. It's a much bigger and complex thing. And it usually doesn't have a lot to do with what a kid does. I mean not in the way you are thinking."
"Are you sure?" Maddie asked with uncertainty in her voice. Aimee nodded reassuringly to her.
"Yes, baby. Trust me on that. You might get them more concerned once you start dating a guy."
"Or a girl..." Maddie countered. Aimee forced a smile and blinked several times, then slowly nodded.
"Uhm, sure..." she said slowly. I would imagine your mom would be ok with that..."
"My dad on the other hand." Maddie said with a bit of a smirk. Aimee's eyebrows raised as the subject matter was broaching an area where she didn't really want to offer her opinion.
"Well, I'm sure your dad, may, uhm..." her words were cut off.
"Your dad will deal with me if he gets upset about my baby girl wanting to date another girl." A weak voice echoed from the other side of the room. Aimee and Maddie turned their heads instantly towards Callie's bed! They saw the figure of Callie Morton slowly moving her head from side to side. She appeared to be in a bit of a daze, trying to get her heavy eyelids to open more. The pair rushed over to her bedside.
"Mom?!" Maddie shrieked.
"Cal?!" Aimee asked anxiously. They watched wide eyed as Callie attempted to focus on them. A slight smile creased her lips. Maddie placed her hand on her mothers. Feeling its movement sent a thrill of peace through her. Maddie raised her eyes to the ceiling and mouthed a thank you in a silent prayer.
Callie grasped her daughter's hand. Her smile grew.
"Hey, baby girl. Momma's here." She shifted her limited line of vision over to Aimee. A look of relief on her face. "Is that really you? You're alive! Thank God!" Aimee bent over and touched Callie's face. A wave of relief came over her.
"I'm right here, Cal. You gave me one big scare!" Callie, was apparently feeling pain as she slowly grew conscious. She grimaced as she turned her head slowly. Aimee blinked several times then looked down to Maddie.
"Maddie, keep an eye on your mom. I am going to get the doctor and nurses!" Maddie had also noticed the expression of pain on her mother's face and nodded tersely.
"I will be right here." Aimee raced from the room. Within three minutes the room was flooded with medical personnel. A nurse motioned to Madeleine and Aimee.
"You two will need to wait in the waiting room while we tend to her." She said firmly as she attempted to escort the objecting pair from the room. They heard the doctor shouting out orders to the nurses as they were taken from the room.
"I need to be with my mom!" Maddie objected. The nurse nodded her understanding as she took them into the hallway.
"I understand that young lady, but that room is far too small to let us take care of your mother properly and have an audience. I promise you we will come find you the minute we have news."
"But...but..." Maddie objected. "Will she be ok? Is she in pain? Can you help her?" The nurse took a breath.
"I am not a doctor, and you will have to wait for him to make his assessment before we can give you any news. Please do your best to wait patiently in the waiting room." Aimee nodded to Maddie as they walked along. She realized she had forgotten her walker. She hadn't really needed it moving around to a limited point inside the ICU suite. But was finding out quickly that she still would appreciate having it.
"Nurse, if you could get my walker from the room, I would appreciate it." Aimee said as she leaned against the hallway wall not wishing to walk further. Maddie looked concerned as she saw Aimee lean into the wall and walked back to her and put her arm around her.
"Here, Aimee. Hold on to me while she gets it for you." The nurse nodded and rushed back down the hall to retrieve it. She returned within two minutes and helped Aimee make her way to the waiting room. She quickly situated them in the corner and looked down to them.
"Now stay put and I promise when I know something I will come here and let you know." Before waiting for either to reply, she turned on her heel and rushed back down the hallway.
Aimee looked over to Maddie. The youth had a nervous look on her face as her eyes met Aimee's.
"Oh my God! Oh my God! Do you think she will be ok? I mean she looked like she was in such pain." Maddie asked with an urgent tone. Aimee placed her hand on Maddie's shoulder.
"Yes, baby, I hope so! But we need to be strong and pray all is going to be ok. Do you have your phone?" Maddie nodded quickly and extracted the phone from her back pocket.
"Yes." Aimee nodded.
"Ok, first thing you need to do is have your aunt come down to the waiting room right now. Don't go into detail. Just get her down here. Is she still in the hospital?" Maddie nodded as her fingers started texting. Within a minute her phone beeped. Both Aimee and Maddie looked down at the screen. Iola was coming!
Within five minutes the figure of Iola Hardy scurried into the waiting room searching frantically for her niece. Followed by Fenton Hardy. Upon spotting the pair seated in the corner she rushed up to them.
"What's wrong, Maddie? Is anything wrong with your mom?!" Maddie shook her head, still nervous.
"She woke up." Aimee said tensely. Iola's eyes shifted to Aimee.
"She's awake? We need to go..." Aimee held her hand up.
"It just happened maybe ten minutes ago or so. And we were promptly booted from the room so the doctors can check her out."
"But, she is awake? Did she seem ok?" Iola was not about to be placated with limited information.
"Mom woke up. She seemed pretty out of it and it looked like she was in pain." Maddie said fretfully. Iola turned and rushed to the ICU nursing station. Fenton remained with Aimee and Maddie and watched as they saw Iola frantically badger the nurse for information. Within a few minutes however she regained some composure. The nurses were no doubt doing their best to calm Iola and tell her to be patient. Iola nodded several times and then turned and walked back to the group. Fenton embraced her when she approached.
"Are you going to be alright, my dear?" He asked calmly. Iola nodded as she wept slightly into Fenton's shirt.
"They couldn't tell me anything, but wanted me to be calm. They said they will be out to give us the news as soon as they do an initial examination." Fenton patted her back and the pair sat down alongside Aimee and Maddie.
"I am cautiously optimistic." Fenton said. "Coming out of a coma can be a very strenuous experience on both mind and body. Returning to a conscious state can appear scary as the patient is often disoriented. We need to remain calmly and hope for the best." Maddie was doing her best to keep up a brave front, but she was still very worried. She leaned over and embraced Aimee.
"She has to be ok, right?" her voice creaked nervously. The little girl in her had emerged. All she knew is her mom meant so much to her and she wanted to her to be alright. She held onto Aimee tightly and started crying. Aimee put her arms around her and patted her back soothingly.
"Hey, baby girl. Your momma is a strong woman. You know that. She wants to be there for you. Let's just wait right here like the nurse told us and I bet they will be out very soon." Maddie sniffled and nodded slightly. Her head resting against Aimee's chest.
"Just hold me till then, ok?" She whispered. Aimee was a bit surprised by the trust and comfort the girl had put into her. She had expected Maddie to seek her comfort from her aunt. Aimee was not put off at all by it. She was happy to comfort Callie's daughter. She knew how stressed she was by all of this. She knew that a child would be equally, if not more affected. They were obviously both overwhelmed by the tragedy. It didn't matter the perspective from which the sadness was experienced.
Iola sat in her chair and squeezed her hands together nervously. She was still leaning against Fenton a bit. She too noticed Maddie's attachment to Aimee. She was glad her niece had support from multiple sources. She knew the dynamic between Aimee and Maddie could have been much different. She was grateful that Chet had not spoken out of turn in front of his daughter when expressing disdain for Aimee.
Iola pondered if she should contact Chet. But decided against it until she was able to get information from the doctor. Iola's feet tapped nervously against the floor of the waiting room.
The clock on the wall showed the minutes ticking by. Twenty minutes. Thirty. Forty. An hour and ten minutes. Iola was about to stand up and head for the nursing station again. Fenton placed a hand on her knee.
"I know you are nervous, my dear. But it will not do you any good to bother then while they are working. They can see we are here and anxiously awaiting an update. They will come out and give us some news soon." Iola looked over to him nervously.
"I know, I know. But I can't help but be worried." She said. Her physical signs of agitation had not let up much. Her knee kept bobbing up and down. Fenton smiled calmly.
"I know you are. It will be alright. Just keep thinking that."
After nearly another hour the door at the end of the hallway opened and a middle aged balding man with a white jacket emerged. He stopped at the nursing station and exchanged words with the duty nurse. She gestured towards the group. He nodded and proceeded to walk towards the group. Iola and the others looked up with urgency as he approached. Iola and Fenton rose from their seats. Maddie held on to Aimee, preparing for the worst.
"I am told you are the family of Callie Morton?" He asked them. Iola nodded quickly.
"Yes! Do you have news on Callie?" She asked with a nervous quiver. The man nodded and extended his hand to them.
"Yes. I am Doctor Ross. We have been giving Mrs. Morton a series of tests over the last couple hours. I am happy to report that she is out of the coma and with the help of some meds, fairly alert and responsive."
"Is she in pain?" Aimee asked from her seat. "She appeared to be in some pain as she was waking up." The doctor gestured and gave a smile.
"Well, at this time her pain is pretty minimal because we were able to give her some pain meds that we hadn't be able to previously when she was comatose. I would say she is feeling pretty good about now."
"Do you have an updated prognosis, doctor?" Fenton asked. He gestured down towards Maddie. "By the way, this is Mrs. Morton's daughter, Madeleine." He added, hoping to give the doctor notice that if the news were bad that he might want to be tactful." Doctor Ross smiled kindly down to the youth.
"Hello, young lady. I am sure you have been through so much. And I am happy to tell you all that Mrs. Morton's test and examination suggest she will make a complete recovery. Her wounds are healing well. The internal damage seems well under control and on the mend. In a way, the coma was to some benefit as it allowed her to have several days of unimpeded healing time with minimal felt pain."
"When can we see her?" Iola asked, feeling more relaxed, but still anxious to see her best friend. Doctor Ross nodded.
"I think, given how we she has responded to her medication and present condition, it would be alright for you to see her. But I would prefer you do it in pairs. And try to keep in mind she does need to rest still. So don't overdo it. I will advise the nurse." Iola extended her hand and shook the doctor's hand to excess.
"Thank you, so much! Doctor, you have really given us a lot of relief." Doctor Ross smiled.
"She is a lucky woman. Any type of gunshot wound is serious. And hers was no exception. We were very worried for a while there. But as fate would have it, she came through." Fenton smiled and shook his hand as well.
"Thank you, Doctor. We appreciate it." He said. The doctor walked off and Fenton turned to Iola. "Well, my dear, are you feeling a weight was lifted?" Iola nodded as tears fell down her cheeks. They looked down at Aimee and Maddie who were also quite emotional. Aimee smiled to Maddie and wiped the tears away from her eyes.
"You feeling better now, baby girl?" She asked soothingly. Maddie managed a smile and nodded. She was quite overcome with emotion. Fenton cleared his throat.
"Why don't Iola and I go first, and you can give Madeleine a little time to prepare?" Aimee nodded. She still had Maddie half wrapped around her. He turned to Iola. "Shall we, my dear?"
Iola and Fenton walked into the ICU suite that had walked into dozens of times before. Callie's eyes were open and she appeared to be resting comfortably as the two walked in. Iola rushed forth and gave her friend a hug.
"Oh my God, it is so good to see you awake, girl!" Iola said with tears in her eyes. Callie gave a broad smile.
"Likewise!" Callie said with a bit of a slur. Fenton looked down at her. No doubt she had been given a healthy dose of morphine judging by her speech and exaggerated smile.
"It's good to see you up and alert, my dear." Fenton said. Callie nodded.
"I am happy to be awake. I understand I was under for quite some time. I remember waking up a couple hours ago and man that pain came over me like a wet blanket. And I felt so groggy. I am glad the doc gave me something to perk me out of it and dull the pain." Iola smiled down at her friend.
"You gave us one hell of a scare. We are all so happy you are back with us." A tear fell down her cheek. Callie shook her head at her friend.
"None of that, girl. I imagine you all have had your share of crying." She looked down at herself. The tubes and sensors she was still hooked up to. A sobering look came over her face. "Looks like I sure danced with the devil." She exhaled slowly. Fenton looked down at her.
"I would say that is an understatement. Do you remember that night?" Iola shot her father in law a dirty look.
"Fenton, I don't think this is the time." Callie waved her hand and gave a half smile.
"It's ok. Fenton is just asking a question any detective would. I won't pretend I remember every minute of that night. But I do remember when I went into the chapel and aimed too high and didn't hit that son of a bitch." Fenton's eyebrows raised. The pain meds were obviously allowing Callie to recollect without much reservation.
"We did dig a few stray bullets out of that place for sure. I am sure you were doing your best that night. Do you remember how it came to be? I mean how you got shot? We have our theories, but of course they are just that. Theories." Iola raised her hand.
"Seriously, Cal. If you are not up to this..." Again, Callie waved her concern off.
"It's ok. I know Fenton needs to ask while I am still lucid. If I go back into a coma, no one may ever know." Iola took a deep breath.
"Cal, now think positive. You will be fine. The doc said so." Callie leaned back into her pillow and closed her eyes for a moment.
"I hope you are right, girl. I do feel like forty miles of bad road." She opened her eyes and smiled to her friend, then looked over to Fenton. "Well, Fenton, I tell you... it all seems pretty harsh when I think about it. I remember that sick bastard. He was going to shoot Aimee. She had apparently caused him a lot of hell. And well, I did too I am sure. I remember sneaking up outside the place and looking in. I saw him. He had a syringe loaded to the max and appeared to be standing over Aimee. That freaked the hell out of me and I think I made some noise accidentally and disrupted him. He dropped the needle and we exchanged some shots." She paused and looked at them both. She was glad to have her friends there. The story needed to be told. Though even feeling extra relaxed by the pain meds, Callie felt a bit anxious as she recollected the events of that night.
"And you eventually entered the chapel?" Fenton asked. Callie nodded.
"Yeah. I needed to get to Aimee before he decided to stick her with that syringe. So, I went in and he wasn't immediately visible. I saw Aimee on the floor and started walking towards her. Then he appeared out of the corner or hallway I think..." She blinked several times trying to recall the chain of events. "I saw him and took a shot. But it went high. Then he fired back and nicked my wrist and my gun flew out of that hand." She looked down at the bandage on her wrist and winced a bit as she touched it.
"Sounds like a pretty good shot for someone like him. Also for someone hopped up on heroin." Iola said as she visualized it. Callie gave a sour smile.
"It was a fluke. He even admitted that he could never do that again. Especially in that condition. He looked toasted out of his mind." Fenton nodded.
"What happened next?" Callie closed her eyes.
"I remember mentioning Jade to him and the fact she was still alive. That seemed to make him kind of nervous. But he figured she would eventually die. By the way, did she?" Fenton shook his head.
"Still in a coma, my dear. I hope she pulls through. She seems to be an unwilling accomplice in some respects." Callie nodded.
"Me too. So I think he thought she would die when he gave her the hotshot. And I remember him saying that he wouldn't make the same mistake with Aimee. He prepared a much more lethal hotshot for her. So I tried to buy time. He said he was going to give me the needle and give Aimee a bullet to the head. Said he wanted me to experience a trip like no other. Something like that." Iola shook her head in sadness and anger as she thought about how close it all came to happening.
"Well, you got the last laugh." Callie smirked.
"Yeah, well, he said I could stay alive if I put out and I recollect telling him in no uncertain terms I would sooner die. And then, he got pissed at my resisting and taking him down a notch. I was yelling all kinds of things at him. Not exactly tactful or any way to buy time. He just had me so..." her words faded as she shook her head.
"That is when he attempted to shoot Aimee?" Fenton asked softly. Callie's eyes shifted uneasily. She slowly nodded.
"Yeah...he took his gun and lowered it to Aimee's level. And, uhm, I just. I mean it just happened. I needed to stop him...at any price."
"You jumped in front of the gun..." Fenton finished. Callie nodded.
"I had to. I remember my body falling limp. I remember the searing burning feeling in my body. I landed on top of Aimee, I think. Then I believe he pulled me back over and was in my face. So close to me. He laughed at me..." She paused and blinked thoughtfully.
"What is it?" Fenton asked.
"Well, I remember being stretched out on my side I think. He was in my face gloating. I remember feeling something with my left hand. I wasn't sure, but I believe it was the syringe he dropped earlier. I remember having my hand around it. But there was something else. I know he was down in my face and uhm, he was going to shoot Aimee. It had occurred to me, or at least I remember counting how many times he had shot that revolver. And I was pretty sure he spent his last round in me. I think I exchanged a few words with him. Trying to get him to edge closer still. And well, he drew his revolver back up and aimed it at Aimee. I told him to do what he had to do. Something like that. I wanted him to focus on the idea he was going to succeed in shooting her. I know he extended his arm over my body to get the gun up close to Aimee. Then he pulled the trigger. And nothing happened, thank God." Callie's eyes drew shut as she remembered. "God, that was a stupid gamble." Fenton smiled kindly at her.
"You weren't really in the position to object."
"No, no, I guess I wasn't. So he had his arm extended over my body and it was click click click of that revolver. He seemed mystified on how he could have been out of ammo. And I knew at that time I would take my best shot. I had hoped what I had a grip on was indeed that syringe. My hand was numb so I couldn't tell for sure. With all the strength I had I brought up my left arm and shoved it in his neck. It was only then I was finally able to see that it was that overloaded syringe. He had this look on his face. I remember saying something to him. Not sure what and then my lights went out. I passed out completely." Fenton took a deep breath and nodded.
"Well, that gibes with the theory... which is not stated fact. That is pretty much how we found you. He was a short distance away with the needle still stuck in his neck. Needless to say his toxicology screen registered a pretty intense amount of both heroin and fentanyl." Callie shook her head slightly.
"Was still too good a way to die for him." Iola held her friend's hand and smiled to her.
"You did an amazing thing, girl. And I think for now the questions should probably be done. Is that accurate, Fenton?" Mr. Hardy nodded and smiled.
"yes, my dear. There is no need to go into the lessor details at this time. But I hope you understand, we needed to confirm the manner of how you were shot and how he died. The rest can wait." Callie smiled to them.
"Thanks, I appreciate it. I have had a lot of thoughts running through my mind since coming to. It is a bit overwhelming." Iola, again bent forward and hugged Callie.
"I am so glad you are safe. As much as I want to stay, I will take the doctor's advice and not overstay my time. I know of two others who would like to say hello. I swear, when I wasn't in this chair watching over you, that little niece of mine and Aimee were right here." Callie got a peaceful look in her eyes.
"It's good to be loved. And yes, please send those two in. I was so happy to see my Maddie when I woke up." She said with a sniffle. "And uhm, Iola, if you could let Chet know..." Iola smiled.
"Of course. I will spread the word to all who knew your condition."
"Thanks, girl. I love ya!" Cal said giving her a thumbs up.
Iola and Fenton both gave Callie another hug and promised to check in on her first thing in the morning and left.