Chapter 3: Life or Death?
They waited for about another hour before any news came. By that time, Bobby had nearly paced a hole in the floor. It had taken all of that first hour before Bobby had come to his senses. It almost seemed better to be in his previous stupor than to have to deal with the worry that plagued him now. Now he was pacing like a caged lion, cut off from his family. Nobody blamed him though, and even the usually vocal Myles was silent. This had struck home. It wasn't even a case and Jack had gotten hurt. It was real life. It wasn't good. Jack's pastor had been called, but would be unable to come to the hospital until the next day. When the doctor came out, they were upon him so fast they nearly ran him over.
"We've removed the bullet and he's stable," the doctor told them, "but just barely. His pulse is still weak, and he's on the edge of a coma. He's lost a lot of blood and we'll need to watch him carefully for the next few days. He's in ICU right now."
"Can we see him?" Sue asked, her voice trembling with emotion. The doctor nodded and led them silently to Jack's room. He showed them in and stood in the corner near the door.
"Three at a time, and I'm afraid that we can't allow your dog in there." The doctor said quietly. They decided without a word that Sue, Bobby, and Lucy would be the first to go in. Sue was trying to tell Levi to stay, but she was too choked up to say anything. She looked at Levi, about to sign it to him when someone reached out and took Levi's leash from her. She looked up to see Myles holding his leash, a strangely understanding look in his eyes.
"Go." He told her. She nodded and they entered the room together. They stood there, staring at the figure of their friend and co-worker. He lay still as death, barely seeming to breathe, and as white as the sheets he lay on. The monitors all around them beeped and flashed displays, which only added to the harsh reality of the situation. Jack wasn't in a position where his condition could waver very much without drastic results. If he got worse, he might not live. Sue's eyes filled with fresh tears as she looked down on his unconscious form. She had seen him hurt before, but this was different. He was close to dying. Sue looked around and could see it had struck a similar cord with Bobby and Lucy. There was something bordering on despair in Bobby's eyes and she knew that he was blaming himself even though it wasn't his fault. They all hated to see him like this, but Lucy looked like she was going to faint. This was just too unreal. A solitary tear slid down Sue's face as she returned her gaze to Jack.
He just can't die. Sue thought desperately. Not now.