Unlocking the door of the clinic, Kim flipped on the lights as she stepped inside. After the events of the previous few days, it was a relief to be back at work. Andrew was at home with Mike and the tutor, and Jeannie was spending the day with Steve, Kayla, and Stephanie.
Kim had been surprised when Steve had called the previous evening. He had apologized for what he had said that night at Shane's, and had asked if Jeannie could play with Stephanie the following day. Kim had known it was Steve's way of trying to make up for what had happened and it was good for Stephanie and Jeannie to have time together. So Kim had agreed.
Things had still been a bit awkward when she had dropped Jeannie off at Steve's and Kayla's apartment. Steve had been unusually quiet and had barely been able to meet Kim's eyes. When Kayla had taken Jeannie back into Stephanie's room, Kim figured it was time for Steve and her to clear the air.
"Look Steve," she had said. "I know you're feeling bad about what happened the other night, but it's really okay."
"Are you sure?" Steve had asked. "You didn't deserve to be dragged into the middle of everything."
"Oh . . . I don't know about that," Kim had replied. "I was the one who told you Shane wouldn't be home. I hope you know that I really didn't expect him home that early."
"I do."
"Good," Kim had said. "So let's just put this whole thing behind us. I made a mistake, you made a mistake. Luckily, we both know about second and third chances, right?"
That had caused Steve to smile and nod. By the time Kayla had returned to the room with both Stephanie and Jeannie, the tension had eased. Kim had kissed her daughter goodbye, and had left for work after wishing Steve and Kayla good luck with the two adventurous toddlers.
Kim shook herself from her thoughts and sat down at her desk. She reviewed the files that had been forwarded to her over the weekend, mostly for patients who had been admitted with suspected abuse symptoms.
This was always the hard part of the job. Kim took tremendous satisfaction from being able to help victims of domestic abuse escape the cycle of violence, but reading about each new suspected case always made her heart sink a little.
Or a lot. Kim took a deep breath as she saw a file with the name "Amy Thomas" on it. She immediately recalled the young woman she had been called in to see just a few days ago. Kim took a deep breath and opened the file.
Amy had been brought to the emergency room early that morning less than 48 hours after being released from the hospital. According to the report, a neighbor had called 911 after hearing loud noises coming from the apartment where Amy and her boyfriend lived. The police had arrived and had found Amy unconscious on the floor, severely beaten. The police had arrested the boyfriend and had called the ambulance.
Kim felt the tears in her eyes as she continued reading the report from the on-call social worker who had been summoned upon Amy's admission. According to the doctors, Amy had suffered severe internal injuries which had necessitated surgery and she was still unconscious. The doctors were unsure of the severity of Amy's head injuries and would not be able to fully evaluate her condition until she woke up. If she woke up.
Closing her eyes, Kim remembered the beautiful young girl she had talked to that night in the hospital. She was so young, and had clearly been so scared, but nothing Kim had said was enough to make Amy file charges against her boyfriend. The logical portion of Kim's brain said that it was not her fault, that she could not force Amy - or anybody - to take the help that was offered.
But emotions are not logical, and all Kim felt right now was guilt and failure. She sighed and read the last of the report. As she turned the page, a familiar object slid to the bottom of the file. Kim picked it up and immediately recognized one of her business cards. Her eyes returned to the report and her heart sank even further. The doctors had apparently found the card in Amy's pocket when she had arrived at the hospital.
Kim sighed and rubbed her eyes as she closed the folder. She made a note to check on Amy's progress as soon as possible. God willing, she would survive her attack and, with the boyfriend behind bars, make a new life for herself.
A knock on the door startled Kim. She took a quick glance at her schedule, but she did not have any appointments for another hour. "Come in," she called.
A young man appeared in the doorway. Kim recognized him as one of the file clerks from central administration. "Ms. Brady," he said formally. "I have a package that was delivered for you."
"Thank you . . . " Kim realized she did not know the young man's name.
"Peter," he said with a small smile.
"Thank you, Peter." Kim said, returning the smile. She got up from her desk and took the package from Peter.
"Your welcome." Peter nodded and left the room.
Kim looked at the package. The return address was a P.O. Box in Boston. Kim stared at it curiously. She did not know anybody in Boston - at least not anybody she would expect to be sending her a package. But various charities and counseling groups often sent brochures and information to her clinic, so this was probably something similar.
Walking back to her desk, Kim pulled out a letter opener to cut through the tape on the package. As she opened it, she felt a cold chill run down her spine, although she did not know why. She slowly pulled the flaps of the box out of the way and removed the crumpled newspaper resting inside.
Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the white shirt lying in the bottom of the box. As she looked closer, she could tell the shirt was filthy, with stains all around the collar and the . . . Kim stopped and stared at the label. She recognized it immediately. It was the place where Shane had his shirts made. There was no doubt in her mind that this was one of Shane's shirts. But why had it been sent to her?
Reaching in, she carefully pulled the shirt out. The breath left her body as she saw the bloodstains and the hole in the shoulder. A bullet hole, she was sure. She dropped the shirt back into the box and tried to force air into her lungs. What was going on? Who would send something like this to her?
Suddenly, she remembered the keychain she had received a couple of days ago. With all that had happened, she had never mentioned it to Shane. Now she had received another mystery package.
Kim darted for her phone. She dialed the extension for the administrative assistant in charge of her scheduling and asked her to reschedule Kim's appointments for the day. Kim did not know what was going on and why these packages were being sent. Right now, she only knew one thing. She needed to be home. She needed to be with Shane.