Hours passed and Dottie awoke to the sound of a doctor being paged over the loudspeaker. She looked around at her surroundings and saw Tiny by her side as she lay in bed. "Hey," he said.
"How'd I get here?" she asked.
"You fainted and they put you in one of the exam rooms." He put an arm around her and held her tight.
"Where's Brandi?" she asked as she quickly got up out of the bed. "Is she okay? Where is she?"
Tiny stopped her and sat her back down on the bed, "Calm down, Dottie. She's still in surgery. No word yet."
Dottie buried her head in Tiny's chest and began to cry. "Oh Tiny. I can't lose her this way. It's not supposed to be like this. I'm her mother. I'm the one that's supposed to go first. And why did she have to get shot? She wasn't even on the job."
"I don't know. Life is weird that way. But Brandi's a fighter you know that more than I do. Don't count her out just yet. She's gonna pull through." Tiny did his best to comfort her.
"What about Mark? Have you heard anything?"
"He's still in surgery too. It's not looking too good for him. I was talking to one of the officers from the scene and he said they lost him twice on the way over but were able to revive him. He got shot square in the chest. He has a lot of internal bleeding."
Dottie covered her mouth, "Oh my God. I can't believe this is happening." Dottie go up off the bed and walked over to the chair where her sweatshirt was draped over the back of the chair. She looked at it and began to sob. It had Brandi's blood all over it. She clutched it to her chest, "There was so much blood, Tiny. My poor little girl, there was nothing I could do for her." He came over to her and hugged her. "Brandi has never been one to admit that she's sick or in pain but in the ambulance she said, 'Mom, it hurts.' She held onto my hand like never before." Tears poured from Dottie's eyes. "I want to find the son-of-a-bitch that did this." Her mood suddenly turned to anger. "I want to find him and I want to put a few rounds in him and see how he likes it."
"You better let the police handle this one. This hits too close to home. Plus he's too dangerous."
"Yes, it does hit close to home. All the more reason why I want to nail this asshole!"
Tiny kissed her on the top of the head as he held her tight.
Morning rolled around and Dottie was asleep across Tiny's lap when the doctor approached them. Tiny shook her gently to wake her. She stirred and sat up, "Doctor, how is she?" Dottie felt a huge knot in her stomach.
"She's in I.C.U. and stable. She lost several units of blood so we gave her some transfusions. The bullet that went through her shoulder missed major arteries but it did fracture her scapula when it exited. The bullet in her leg tore a hole in her vastus medialis muscle, the muscle right above her knee. It didn't go all the way through and it took us a while to get it out without causing more damage to her nerves and muscles.
She's got a long recovery time ahead of her, that's for sure."
"What about Mark Farrell?" Dottie asked.
"Dr. Jameson is still in surgery with him. Does Mark have any family we can contact?"
Dottie suddenly realized that she didn't know much about Mark's family. "Gee, I don't know. I'm sure one of the officers can get some contact information. But please let me know how he is as soon as you can. He and my daughter, they're seeing each other."
"I understand," the doctor said. "As soon as I find out..." Just as he was about to finish his sentence Dr. Jameson came walking down the hall. "There's Dr. Jameson right now." The doctor turned to him, "Hey, Sam. What's Mark's condition?"
Dr. Jameson came over to where they were standing in the hall. He shook his head and Dottie's stomach dropped ten feet. "We did everything we could but he lost too much blood. His organs began to fail due to the blood loss. His heart was badly damaged by the bullet. We brought him back about five times but just got to a point where we couldn't save him again. I'm sorry."
Dottie sat down to absorb what she had just heard. Tiny held onto her and comforted her. "Brandi's going to be completely heartbroken. How am I going to tell her?"
Dr. Jameson walked away, leaving the other doctor with them. "I'm sorry," he said. "Can I get you anything?"
Dottie shook her head, "No. Thank you though. When can I see my daughter?"
"You can sit with her for a few minutes right now if you'd like." Dottie got to her feet and Tiny stayed seated. "Even though there's only supposed to be one person at a time I guess I can bend the rules a bit if you'd both like to go."
Dottie smiled at the doctor, "Thank you." She looked at Tiny as he rose from his seat. She held his hand as they walked down the long, white corridor.
They got to I.C.U. and went into Brandi's room. They tip toed in even though there was no way they'd wake her from her sleep due to the heavy doses of medication they were giving her.
Tiny looked around the room at all the machines and then his eyes fell on Brandi. He felt sick to his stomach at the sight of her with a tube in her throat and I.V. lines coming out of her arms. This tough girl was now fragile and it scared him.
Dottie kissed Brandi on the cheek, "How's my girl? You really know how to scare the crap out of me. You've always been good at that." Dottie rubbed Brandi's right hand. She was afraid to hold it because she didn't want to move that arm too much. "One afternoon I was coming home from work and I saw this group of kids all hanging around in the front yard. I went over to see what the big commotion was about and as I made my way through the crowd I saw Brandi lying on the ground unconscious. She was eight at the time. I thought she was dead because she wasn't moving or anything. I rushed over to her and put my head on her chest and heard her heart beating. I've never felt such a sense of relief. One of the neighborhood bullies had picked a fight with her and knocked her out. She beat him at some game they were playing so he decked her." Tiny chuckled as he thought of the beating the kid must have gotten after Brandi caught up with him again. Dottie laughed as she stroked Brandi's hair, "Yep, scared me half to death." She kissed her on the forehead, "Please don't scare me anymore."
"We better let her rest," Tiny said.
"We'll be back tomorrow morning, sweetheart."
Tiny got closer to Brandi and gave her a kiss on her forehead, "Hang in there kiddo."
They left the room just as the doctor was about to come in and get them. "We'll keep a close eye on her," he assured them.
Dottie shook his hand, "Thank you doctor."
"How'd I get here?" she asked.
"You fainted and they put you in one of the exam rooms." He put an arm around her and held her tight.
"Where's Brandi?" she asked as she quickly got up out of the bed. "Is she okay? Where is she?"
Tiny stopped her and sat her back down on the bed, "Calm down, Dottie. She's still in surgery. No word yet."
Dottie buried her head in Tiny's chest and began to cry. "Oh Tiny. I can't lose her this way. It's not supposed to be like this. I'm her mother. I'm the one that's supposed to go first. And why did she have to get shot? She wasn't even on the job."
"I don't know. Life is weird that way. But Brandi's a fighter you know that more than I do. Don't count her out just yet. She's gonna pull through." Tiny did his best to comfort her.
"What about Mark? Have you heard anything?"
"He's still in surgery too. It's not looking too good for him. I was talking to one of the officers from the scene and he said they lost him twice on the way over but were able to revive him. He got shot square in the chest. He has a lot of internal bleeding."
Dottie covered her mouth, "Oh my God. I can't believe this is happening." Dottie go up off the bed and walked over to the chair where her sweatshirt was draped over the back of the chair. She looked at it and began to sob. It had Brandi's blood all over it. She clutched it to her chest, "There was so much blood, Tiny. My poor little girl, there was nothing I could do for her." He came over to her and hugged her. "Brandi has never been one to admit that she's sick or in pain but in the ambulance she said, 'Mom, it hurts.' She held onto my hand like never before." Tears poured from Dottie's eyes. "I want to find the son-of-a-bitch that did this." Her mood suddenly turned to anger. "I want to find him and I want to put a few rounds in him and see how he likes it."
"You better let the police handle this one. This hits too close to home. Plus he's too dangerous."
"Yes, it does hit close to home. All the more reason why I want to nail this asshole!"
Tiny kissed her on the top of the head as he held her tight.
Morning rolled around and Dottie was asleep across Tiny's lap when the doctor approached them. Tiny shook her gently to wake her. She stirred and sat up, "Doctor, how is she?" Dottie felt a huge knot in her stomach.
"She's in I.C.U. and stable. She lost several units of blood so we gave her some transfusions. The bullet that went through her shoulder missed major arteries but it did fracture her scapula when it exited. The bullet in her leg tore a hole in her vastus medialis muscle, the muscle right above her knee. It didn't go all the way through and it took us a while to get it out without causing more damage to her nerves and muscles.
She's got a long recovery time ahead of her, that's for sure."
"What about Mark Farrell?" Dottie asked.
"Dr. Jameson is still in surgery with him. Does Mark have any family we can contact?"
Dottie suddenly realized that she didn't know much about Mark's family. "Gee, I don't know. I'm sure one of the officers can get some contact information. But please let me know how he is as soon as you can. He and my daughter, they're seeing each other."
"I understand," the doctor said. "As soon as I find out..." Just as he was about to finish his sentence Dr. Jameson came walking down the hall. "There's Dr. Jameson right now." The doctor turned to him, "Hey, Sam. What's Mark's condition?"
Dr. Jameson came over to where they were standing in the hall. He shook his head and Dottie's stomach dropped ten feet. "We did everything we could but he lost too much blood. His organs began to fail due to the blood loss. His heart was badly damaged by the bullet. We brought him back about five times but just got to a point where we couldn't save him again. I'm sorry."
Dottie sat down to absorb what she had just heard. Tiny held onto her and comforted her. "Brandi's going to be completely heartbroken. How am I going to tell her?"
Dr. Jameson walked away, leaving the other doctor with them. "I'm sorry," he said. "Can I get you anything?"
Dottie shook her head, "No. Thank you though. When can I see my daughter?"
"You can sit with her for a few minutes right now if you'd like." Dottie got to her feet and Tiny stayed seated. "Even though there's only supposed to be one person at a time I guess I can bend the rules a bit if you'd both like to go."
Dottie smiled at the doctor, "Thank you." She looked at Tiny as he rose from his seat. She held his hand as they walked down the long, white corridor.
They got to I.C.U. and went into Brandi's room. They tip toed in even though there was no way they'd wake her from her sleep due to the heavy doses of medication they were giving her.
Tiny looked around the room at all the machines and then his eyes fell on Brandi. He felt sick to his stomach at the sight of her with a tube in her throat and I.V. lines coming out of her arms. This tough girl was now fragile and it scared him.
Dottie kissed Brandi on the cheek, "How's my girl? You really know how to scare the crap out of me. You've always been good at that." Dottie rubbed Brandi's right hand. She was afraid to hold it because she didn't want to move that arm too much. "One afternoon I was coming home from work and I saw this group of kids all hanging around in the front yard. I went over to see what the big commotion was about and as I made my way through the crowd I saw Brandi lying on the ground unconscious. She was eight at the time. I thought she was dead because she wasn't moving or anything. I rushed over to her and put my head on her chest and heard her heart beating. I've never felt such a sense of relief. One of the neighborhood bullies had picked a fight with her and knocked her out. She beat him at some game they were playing so he decked her." Tiny chuckled as he thought of the beating the kid must have gotten after Brandi caught up with him again. Dottie laughed as she stroked Brandi's hair, "Yep, scared me half to death." She kissed her on the forehead, "Please don't scare me anymore."
"We better let her rest," Tiny said.
"We'll be back tomorrow morning, sweetheart."
Tiny got closer to Brandi and gave her a kiss on her forehead, "Hang in there kiddo."
They left the room just as the doctor was about to come in and get them. "We'll keep a close eye on her," he assured them.
Dottie shook his hand, "Thank you doctor."