Chapter 37
Having been woken by a frantic call from the hospital, Jack, Bobby, and Sue raced to Frederick, dashing through the Emergency Room doors less than an hour later. The chaos that greeted them when they arrived matched the turmoil each of them felt on the way there.
Coming off the elevator, the three friends were assaulted by the stench of smoke wafting through the floor. Despite the strong odor, they made their way to the I.C.U. where, after showing their badges, they continued to Tara's room.
Most of the fire damage had been confined to her room and the surrounding area. However, for the other patients' safety, they'd been moved to other floors where their recovery could be monitored while this was being cleaned up.
"They were very lucky," a tall woman stated from behind them as they stared at the mess. Jack turned, pointing toward the approaching brunette and signing what she said for Sue.
"Bobby Manning," the tall Aussie flipped open his badge. "This is Sue Thomas and Jack Hudson," he indicated the two standing next to him.
"Detective Rachel Storm, Frederick PD," she offered her hand in greeting. "I'm leading the investigation here," she told them solemnly.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Jack questioned as Rachel indicated a small room off to the side for them to talk.
"There was an explosion in Agent Williams room last night," she explained, closing the door to give them some privacy.
"A bomb?" Sue asked just catching the word 'explosion' as the woman spoke.
"No," Rachel shook her head slightly. "We believe a fire started and ignited the oxygen tanks causing the explosion," she continued referring to her notes. "One of the night nurses heard a noise and found Agent Williams alone in her room…"
"Alone," Bobby interrupted. "What happened to the guard we had on her room?"
Sue's eyes ping-ponged back and forth, unable to read the detective's lips with her face looking down at her notepad. Seeing her confusion and frustration, Jack put his hand up to get everyone to stop talking.
"I know everyone is concerned about what happened," Jack started, giving Bobby a very pointed look. "However, if we can remember that Sue can't read our lips when we turn away or when we talk over each other, it would make things go a lot quicker," he reminded them.
"Oh, I wasn't aware," Rachel stated eyes widening slightly. "Sorry," she apologized, dropping her notepad from in front of her face so Sue could see her better.
Bobby tapped Sue's arm getting her attention, then rubbed his fist in circles on his broad chest. Sue smiled compassionately, understanding how easy it was for some to forget.
"Now, the nurse was checking on Tara when she found her alone and a fire started that ignited the oxygen tanks in her room," Jack repeated to help catch Sue up. "What happened to the guard?" he questioned as everyone turned their attention back to Rachel.
"We found him down the hallway in one of the janitors' closet knocked out," the detective continued, remembering to look at Sue when she spoke. "He couldn't tell us anything, but it indicates the attack on Agent Williams was intentional," she stated ominously.
Jack and Bobby exchanged worried looks as they took in this information, but neither of them had really suspected anything different. Sue stepped closer to the two men, a silent communication passing between the three as they thought with sadness about their friend.
"Can you take us to see Agent Williams?" Jack asked, placing a comforting arm around Sue's shoulder. He knew it was hard of all of them but probably Sue most because of the close friendship she had developed with the petite blonde over the years.
"Yes, right this way," Rachel nodded starting out the door. "We moved the other patients to other floors, but with the investigation we kept Agent Williams and the nurse down here," she explained, turning to Sue as they walked slowly down the hallway.
At the end of the long corridor, Rachel opened a door to a dimly lit room, indicating for the others to precede her inside. Thankful for Jack's comforting embrace, Sue's breath caught in her chest, tears springing to her eyes as she saw the two still forms on the hospital beds.