Chapter 3

Cady Longmire entered the Emergency Room of the local hospital, out of breath and in a fluster. She was clearly stressed and overwrought when she reached the reception desk.

"My father was brought in. Sheriff Longmire. Can you tell me where he is?" she asked, barely able to get the words out.

"He's in surgery at the moment, Miss Longmire," the nurse at the desk told her without having to refer to her records. His shooting was the talk of the hospital. "His friends are waiting down the hall," she told her, pointing towards where they sat.

"Thank you," Cady said, hurrying down the corridor.

She saw Henry and Vic sitting in an open waiting area, looking solemn.

"Henry," she said, as she approached. "Vic. What happened? How is he?"

"Cady," Henry said getting to his feet and putting his arms around her. This one kind action was the final straw and the dam broke and Cady's emotions flooded forth. She sobbed uncontrollably.

Henry guided her to one of the chairs lined along the wall. Her moist eyes pleaded with him for information.

"Your father is in surgery," he told her. "We don't know much more other than that at the moment."

"How bad is it, Henry? Branch said it was serious," Cady told him.

"He was shot once in the chest and once in the leg. He had lost a lot of blood by the time we got him here. I won't lie, Cady, it is serious," Henry told her, realizing there was no point trying to shield her from the truth.

"Oh, God, Henry. I can't lose him too."

Henry put his arms around her once more and pulled her close. Cady sobbed for a while as her dad's best friend held her. When she managed to regain her composure, she looked over to Vic who was just sitting there very quietly, hardly taking in the emotional scenes beside her. She was just staring at the floor, barely aware of the emotional scenes only feet away. Cady had already noticed some dried blood on Henry's hands and now became acutely aware of the dark stains on Vic's uniform. Suddenly she felt sick.

"That's his? That's his blood?" she asked, a look of horror on her face.

Vic looked at Cady and then down at her clothing, only then realizing that she was covered in Walt's blood.

"Oh, Cady, I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have to see this. I'll go. I'm sorry," Vic said, embarrassed that she hadn't considered how seeing someone covered in Walt's blood would make Cady feel. She stood up to leave.

"No, Vic, it's okay. Don't go," Cady said approaching Vic. "Thank you. Thank you both for helping him."

Vic awkwardly accepted a hug of gratitude from Cady.

"I really should get back to the office anyway," Vic said, feeling useless and a little uncomfortable. "Walt would want us to get these guys. Promise to call me as soon as there's any word."

"I will. Go and find whoever did this," Henry said as Vic turned to leave.

With an ache in her heart, Vic left the hospital. She called the Ferg who agreed to come and pick her up. Once she got outside of the hospital building and away for prying eyes, Vic allowed herself a moment. She had held it in for as long as she could, but she had to let go of the emotion. Tears streamed down her face. Once she had released it, she felt so much better. She quickly composed herself, not wanting her colleague to see her in such a fragile state.

Ferg pulled up in the sheriff's department truck a few minutes later and she climbed in. He observed her blood-stained shirt and jeans and the redness of her eyes. He immediately asked after Walt and Vic explained the situation. Then he told her that the sheriff's department in the next county over had just called and that they had found the shot up car they had been looking for. It was located at a rest stop where they had also received a report of another stolen vehicle. Now they had an exact description of the car the culprits were driving. The net was already starting to close in on the bank robbers.

There was also, reportedly, blood stains on the passenger seat of the car. It looked like Walt had managed to hit one of them. From the direction they were travelling it looked like they were heading towards Montana. They wouldn't get far. Highway Patrol were on the alert for the vehicle.

Meanwhile, back at the office, Branch received a call from the FBI who had picked up about the bank robbery and the shooting of a local sheriff on the police bands. They told Branch that they would be sending a team to head the investigation as the perpetrators had crossed state lines and that they would be grateful for his cooperation. Branch, though unimpressed at being usurped, told them that he would do what he could to accommodate them. Making life difficult for the Feds would only hamper the investigation and what was important was that whoever did this was caught and punished.

Anyway, Branch also had another case on his plate. Walt would want the department to continue the investigation of the attack on Mrs. Grady. Unfortunately, Walt hadn't left much detail on the case. He wasn't one for note taking. He had only started writing up a report which was on his desk before he took his ill-fated trip to the bank. There wasn't much in it. Branch was going to have to start from scratch.

He decided he would have to talk to Mrs. Grady and her family first. He knew they would be at the hospital and was glad of the excuse to check on Walt's condition. He was leaving the office when Vic and the Ferg arrived back.

"How's he doing?" Branch asked immediately.

"Damned if I know," Vic replied curtly as she brushed past him to reach her desk. "Sorry," she said, realizing she had snapped unnecessarily. "He's in surgery and I just haven't heard anything yet."

"It's okay. I'm heading over there anyway. I thought we should continue the Grady investigation," Branch told her.

"Really? What about the Longmire investigation? Isn't catching the animal who shot your boss important enough for you?" Vic asked. "Of course not. You couldn't give a shit about Walt. A nice job vacancy coming up for you if he doesn't make it."

"Woah! Hold on a minute," Branch said, defending himself. "That's not true and you know it. The Feds are stepping in on this. The armed robbery made this a federal case. So rather than sit here with my thumb up my ass, I thought I'd do what Walt would want me to do and step up and get the job done," he told her defensively. "Maybe you should ask yourself why you're going to pieces over him. He is just your boss, right?" Branch asked, getting in a good dig.

Vic practically growled at him.

"I need to change," she said, pushing past Branch once more.

She rushed into the Reading Room and slammed the door shut. There was a sink, a mirror and a stock of fresh uniforms inside. She ran the faucet and splashed water on her face and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes filled with tears once more.

Branch's comment had touched a nerve with Vic. He raised a valid point, something she had been avoiding dealing with. Was Walt just her boss or was he more than that? Nothing had ever happened between them. He was good to her and she to him. He had never crossed the line of professionalism and that frustrated her a bit. He knew her marriage was crumbling. She had talked a little to him about it, but he never gave her advice or interfered. She guessed that he didn't want to be dragged into the whole mess. It was completely understandable. He was an honorable man and would never get between another man and his wife.

While she had never thrown herself at him, she had dropped hints on occasion that he was her type. But she never knew if he understood or if, like most men, it went completely over his head. They shared some fleeting moments and Vic was convinced that there was a spark but frustratingly, nothing intimate ever ensued.

But seeing him lying there bleeding earlier that day rammed it home to her in no uncertain fashion. She loved him. She could deny it all she wanted, but that's how it was. Now she was even more confused.

She was so angry that this had happened. Walt didn't deserve this. He had been through so much these last few years after losing his wife. Maybe she had this all wrong. Maybe Walt didn't have feelings for her. She had heard so much about Walt's wife and about how good they were together. How could she compete with that? She decided not to try. All that mattered now was that Walt got better. Anything else was a bonus.

She stayed another while in Reading Room, changed her shirt and gathered her composure

By the time she emerged, Branch had left for the hospital and Ferg was at his desk, talking on the phone. Not long after, Ruby arrived at the office. She was visibly upset, but ready to pitch in and get to work. The phones were ringing non-stop with people either anxious to help or looking for information on the sheriff's condition. Walt was a well-respected and much loved member of the Durant community. If it wasn't locals calling to see how he was, it was other law enforcement agencies with information and updates. It was vital that these calls were answered.

Branch arrived at the hospital and found Cady and Henry without any difficulty. They were still seated in the waiting area looking anxious.

"Still no news?" he asked as he approached, hat in hand.

Henry shook his head. Cady got to her feet and hugged the handsome deputy, her former lover.

"He's strong, Cady. If anyone can get through this, Walt can," he said offering a mandatory morsel of comfort.

"I hope so," she said, wanting desperately to believe it.

"The Feds are looking for the guys who shot him. They have jurisdiction on this. So I thought I'd take over from Walt on the Molly Grady attack," Branch told them. "Walt brought her in here this morning and I know he'd want me to follow up."

"Absolutely. Go, do what you have to," Cady said, releasing him from her grasp. "I'll call you as soon as I hear anything."

She kissed him on the cheek before he turned and left. She settled back beside Henry for another stomach churning wait.

Branch asked at the nurse station about Mrs. Grady. He was directed to the ICU where she remained unconscious. He entered the room which was occupied by the patient and her son, who maintained a vigil by her bedside. When Branch saw him, his heart went out to him. The kid was barely fifteen. He looked desperately scared and alone.

"Hi, I'm Deputy Branch Connally," he said, shaking the boy's hand.

"Mark Grady. Did you find the guy who did this?" he asked eagerly.

"No, not yet, Mark," Branch replied.

"The sheriff promised me he'd get him," Mark told him, his youthful innocence peeping through.

"I know he did," Branch replied. "And if he could he would. You obviously haven't heard, Mark, but Sheriff Longmire was shot this afternoon. He's undergoing surgery in this hospital at the moment."

"Really? Oh, gosh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. Is he going to be okay?"

"I hope so," Branch replied. "So, Mark, is there anyone I can call for you?" Branch enquired.

"No, thanks. The sheriff called my dad earlier. He's a long haul truck driver. He should be here in a couple more hours."

"Okay, good. And how is your Mom doing?" Branch asked, looking over at the bruised and swollen face of the woman in the bed.

"Not so good. She took a bad knock to the head and the doctors don't know when she'll wake up," Mark told him.

"Did you see or hear anything this morning that was odd or out of the ordinary?" Branch asked.

"I told the sheriff earlier. The horses were a bit restless last night, but they get like that sometimes if there's a coyote about. Mom was first up this morning as usual. She usually calls me before my alarm, but this morning my alarm woke me and when I got downstairs there was no sign of her. I called out. She didn't answer. Then I went outside, checked the barn and I found her, like that," he said, gesturing to the bed.

"And did you notice anything out of place in the barn?" Branch asked.

"There was a couple of beer cans and empty bag of jerky in one corner. Sheriff Longmire said it looked like someone had slept there. He thought that whoever it was probably was on foot because there were no tire tracks around the place."

"Okay. It's something to go on at least. I'm going to talk to the doctors now so I'll leave you and check in on you later," Branch said, giving the boy's shoulder a light squeeze of solidarity.

Branch found Mrs. Grady's doctor fairly quickly. He needed to find out if they had taken a rape kit from the victim when she was admitted. He was relieved to discover that they had and that it had already been sent for testing. He left his contact details and asked to be called when the results were available. The doctor was not able to tell him when Mrs. Grady might wake though. He explained that with head injuries, it was unpredictable. He promised to contact Deputy Connally if there was any change in her condition.

It turned out to be an excruciatingly long wait for Cady and Henry. Hours passed slowly. Hospital staff changed as the day shift filtered home and the night shift began and still they waited. Cady watched intently as a nurse emerged from the OR and returned shortly afterwards trying, and failing, to be discreet as she carried extra units of blood back into the operating theatre. Cady took both good and bad omens from what she witnessed. The need for more blood meant that at least her dad was still alive. But it could also mean that he was bleeding uncontrollably and they were struggling to stabilize him.

"I've lived with the risks of his job every day of my life," Cady told Henry, "but I never thought he'd die just running an errand."

"He is not going to die," Henry replied vehemently. He could not allow her to think like that. He could not allow himself to think like that.

Cady hoped he was right. She joined her hands and hung her head in silent prayer, begging for her father to be spared.

Eventually, by late evening, a sullen-looking surgeon emerged through the operating theatre doors. Cady recognized him as Dr. Weston, who had treated her when she had been injured by a car earlier in the year. She nudged Henry who had started dozing in the seat beside her. He jumped to his feet. The doctor walked slowly towards them, his eyes focused on the tiled floor. He wasn't looking at them. That couldn't be a good sign, Henry thought. Cady stood slowly, unsure if her legs could hold her, and prepared herself for the worst.

"Ms. Longmire," Dr. Weston said, as he reached them. "Henry. It was touch and go for a long while, but the sheriff has made it through surgery."

Cady let out the breath she had been holding and threw her arms around Henry. They celebrated briefly until the doctor began to explain how the surgery had gone.

"When he got to theatre we struggled to stabilize him initially. He was losing blood quicker than we could transfuse it. He suffered a cardiac arrest not long after he arrived, but luckily we got him back and were eventually able to stabilize him. The wound to his leg proved to be the more critical of the two injuries. I carried out an arterial repair and restored blood flow to his lower limb. It's still early days, but it looks like circulation is good. After that I removed the bullet from his lung. His condition is still serious, he's very weak, but he's proved that he's the fighter I've known him to be and I'm very hopeful of a positive outcome," the doctor explained.

"Can I see him?" Cady asked.

"Of course. They're just settling him in to the ICU. I'll send someone for you when they've finished," he said, smiling kindly.

"Thank you, Doctor," Henry said, shaking his hand.

He turned and put his arm around Cady's shoulder as the doctor walked away.

"I knew he would pull through," Henry said, smiling.

"Sure you did. You were as worried as I was," Cady replied, trying to return his smile.

"He is not ready to leave yet, Cady. He has too much left to do," Henry replied enigmatically.

"Well, I'm just glad he's okay," Cady said, sitting back down. "Henry, would you mind letting his deputies know?"

"Of course not. I'll go and make some calls," Henry agreed.

Henry walked out through the main door and made the calls on his cell phone. Cady was alone when a middle-aged nurse came to fetch her. She escorted her to her father's room. When she entered, Cady was taken aback by the sight of her normally imposing father lying there looking so vulnerable and so ill. The nurse noticed her reaction.

"He's doing okay," she said, trying to reassure her. "The monitors are just keeping an eye on his heart rate and BP and that tube there is draining any residual blood from his chest. The doctor wants to keep him intubated and under sedation for a while to keep him quiet and avoid further injury and give his body time to heal. Doctor Weston said he knows your father well and knows he'll be wanting to get out of here as soon as he wakes," she told her.

"Oh, that's true. My dad's stubborn like that," Cady replied, approaching the bed and taking her father's hand.

The nurse brought a chair over so Cady could sit with him.

"If you need anything, just call," she said before leaving the room. "I'll be in and out, keeping an eye on him all through the night. Don't worry. He's doing fine."

"Thank you."

When she was finally alone with her father Cady relaxed a little and began talking to him.

"Oh, Daddy, you really scared me," she said, kissing the back of his hand. "I need you to stay strong and get better. You're all I have in this world."

She continued to cling to his hand and willed him to pull through.

TBC -

A/N - thanks to everyone who reviewed got in touch. Hope this chapter isn't too angsty. More to come.