Illusions of Love (14 page)

I
woke up around six in the morning. It was a habit even thought I couldn’t go
back to work. Cole was still snoring in bed. I was pretty sure it would be a
while before he moved. I decided to go for a run to kill time, and to try to
clear my head. I dressed and walked down to the kitchen.

Eric
stood when I walked in. He already had coffee made. He was obviously an early
riser like me. “You’re fine, you don’t have to stand,” I said slightly amused
by his formality.

“Are
you going somewhere?” he asked sounding a little worried.

“I
am going for the run,” I said as I walked over to the coffee pot and poured
myself a cup.

“I
will go with you,” he said as he set his cup down.

“That
isn’t necessary. I run all the time,” I said smiling.

“I
would prefer if you let me go with you. It will only take me a few minutes to
change,” he said sounding determined.

I
sighed relenting. I knew he wasn’t going to give up easily so I might as well
not fight him. “Ok, I will wait.”

He
turned and walked out. I leaned against the counter and waited. He was back out
within five minutes. I didn’t think I could even change in that amount of time.
He looked at me like he was waiting for my order. I set my cup down. “Ready?” I
asked just to be polite.

“Yes
mam,” he said as he followed me.

“You
can call me Katie,” I said smiling. He was so stiff and formal, it was kind of
amusing.

“I
am sure Mr. Davis would prefer it if I used formal greetings, mam,” he said
firmly.

“I
am pretty sure Mr. Davis is upstairs passed out, not down here telling me and
you what to do,” I countered as I turned to look at him.

He
smiled slightly. “I understand.”

“Good,”
I said and continued out the door.

It
was a nice morning for a run. It wasn’t too hot, it was mild. Eric was a
silent, stoic running partner. I would almost forget he was there until he
would match my pace and end up alongside me again. I loved running. It helped
me clear my head. I was a little worried about what Cole would be like when he
woke up. He was in such a mood the last time I saw him sober, I wasn’t sure how
he would be now. I wasn’t really mad at him. His parents did blindside him. I
just hoped he could get past it.

By
the time I made it back to the house I was good and tired. I loved the feeling
I got after a long run. I walked into the house. Eric went upstairs, and I
walked to the kitchen. I hesitated when I saw Cole. He was sitting at the table
with a cup of coffee. He looked up at me when I entered. He didn’t smile, and
that made me a little nervous.

“How
are you feeling?” I asked softly as I walked over to get myself another cup of
coffee.

He
scoffed. “Like shit. I have been drunk for three days, I guess I should expect
it.”

I
smiled and sat down across from him. “I guess it would be expected.”

He
watched me for a minute then looked away. “You didn’t have to come get me. I
didn’t expect you too,” he said softly.

I
reached over and touched his hand. “I love you Cole. I don’t like seeing you
like this, and if I had known sooner I would have been here sooner.”

He
brought my hand up to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. “You are too kind to
me. You should hate me.”

I
laughed. “I never hated you, not even when I really, really wanted too.”

He
smiled ruefully. “I guess that is a good thing.” His face fell a little. “I
don’t know what I am going to do now. Things changed so much in just a day.”

I
sighed. “Cole nothing has changed. Your father still loves you, and he is still
your father. Your mother loves you too. She just made a mistake, and thought it
would be better if you didn’t know.”

“It
wasn’t better. I don’t understand why they didn’t see that. How do you just
come out with something like that? I am almost thirty years old,” he said
angrily.

I
could relate to how he felt. I was in a similar situation when it came to my
birth father. Everyone acted like nothing was wrong; even though I knew better.
“I don’t think it was better for Mayor Michaels to deny he was my father until
I was eighteen. Even then he only admitted it to me, but no one else. It was
like I wasn’t supposed to say anything; even though everyone knew.”

He
watched me for a minute then looked back down at his coffee. “I guess I am
lucky that I look like my father. I suppose no one outside the family would
know.”

I
froze; I wasn’t sure if I should tell him Mayor Michaels knew. I was worried it
would only make things worse. I decided against it and took a sip of my coffee.

“What’s
wrong?” he asked watching me.

I
looked up at him trying to look innocent. “Nothing at all.”

He
narrowed his eyes at me. “You know something.”

I
sighed relenting because I knew Cole, and Cole wouldn’t give up. “Mayor
Michaels knows about you.”

He
looked back down at his coffee. “I suppose he is my father’s best friend.”

“Maybe
you should go talk to your father. I am sure he is worried about you,” I said
softly.

He
scowled as he straightened, as he moved his hand out of mine. “I don’t want to
talk to either of them. I have nothing to say to them.”

I
sighed. “You should at least think about it.”

“I
am going to take a shower. I need to go to the office,” he muttered as he stood.

“Do
you really think that is a good idea?” I asked trying to hide the worry in my
voice. I didn’t want him to go to work just to start drinking again.

He
looked at me and his expression softened. “I will only go for a little while;
then we can go to dinner and a movie or something.”

“Ok,”
I said quietly. I just hoped he wasn’t going to change his mind once he got
into one of his moods again.

He
walked out, and I didn’t attempt to follow. He seemed like he wanted his space.
I sat at the table trying to decide what to do next. When I couldn’t think of
anything I decided to go for another run. It was the only way I knew how to
clear my head.

I
made it back to the house in one piece. Cole and Eric were gone by the time I
got back. I kind of expected it. I went upstairs and showered. I hated that I
didn’t have anything to do. I was considering calling Captain Hilliard and
begging him to let me come back early. I was already going stir crazy.

I
dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, then I headed back downstairs. My phone
started ringing, but I didn’t recognize the number. It was a Pine Hollow number
so I answered.

“Detective
Winters,” I answered like I usually did when I didn’t know who was calling.

“Hi,
is this Katelyn Winters?” a woman asked. There was a lot of noise in the
background.

“Yes,”
I said wondering who it was.

“My
name is Becky. I am a nurse at Pine Hollow Emergency Room. Your uncle Sheriff
Michael Winters was brought in with a gunshot wound. You are listed as his next
of kin.”

I
felt the blood drain from my face as she spoke. “Is he ok?” I asked in barely a
whisper.

“He
is in surgery now. I would rather you come here and speak with the doctor,” she
said sounding sympathetic.

“I
will be there as soon as I can,” I said starting to panic. She tried to say
something else about taking my time and being safe, but I didn’t care. I hung
up and ran to my car.

I
was at least two hours from Pine Hollow if I went the speed limit, but I wasn’t
planning on going the speed limit. I dialed Cole as I sped down the highway,
but he didn’t answer. I was so upset and angry that he didn’t answer I threw my
phone, and hit the passenger door. Every horrible thought was going through my
mind. What if he died? I was closer to him then I was to my own mother. Hell
she was probably off somewhere on a cruise having the time of her life. He was
the only one I could always depend on.

Time
seemed to crawl by, but I finally made it to the emergency room. I parked and
ran into the emergency room. The woman at the front desk looked up startled.
The hospital was small so there wasn’t much traffic.

“I’m
Katie Winters. My uncle is here,” I said panicked.

She
nodded. “He is on the fourth floor. Let the nurse know you are there. He is
still in surgery so the doctor will update you when he can.”

I
ran to the elevator and pushed the button. It didn’t come quick enough so I
took the stairs. I made it to the fourth floor nurses station. The nurse just
directed me to the waiting room, and promised me the doctor would be out as
soon as he could.

I
reluctantly walked to the waiting room. I didn’t want to be there. I wanted to
see my uncle, but I didn’t have a choice. I paced the waiting room watching the
clock. Time seemed to slow down. The door opened, and I looked up hoping it was
the doctor.

It
wasn’t. Mayor Michaels came in the room. He looked at me, and I felt like I was
going to cry. “Oh Katie,” he said as he stepped forward and hugged me.

I
hugged him back. I buried my face in his chest. I tried to hold back my tears,
but when he hugged me they all came out. I sobbed trying to regain control of
myself, but it seemed impossible. I couldn’t believe I was standing here
waiting like this. My uncle was a small town sheriff. Nothing ever happened in
Pine Hollow. He was supposed to be safe.

“It
will be ok, everything will be fine,” he said softly as he held me.

After
a few minutes I regained control and released him. I wiped my tears away as
much as I could. “Do you know what happened?” I asked weakly.

“No,
I was just told he was found shot on the side of the road. They think maybe it
had to do with a traffic stop.” He sounded worried. He watched me like he
thought I was going to break. Maybe I was, I wasn’t even sure.

The
door opened again and the doctor came in. I felt my chest tighten in panic. I
didn’t want him to tell me my uncle was dead. “Ms. Winters?” the doctor asked.

“That’s
me. Please tell me he is ok,” I begged.

“He
is still in surgery, and will be for a couple more hours; but he is stable for
now. He has serious injuries, and he isn’t out of the woods yet, but we are
optimistic,” he said sounding sympathetic.

“Where
was he shot? What are his injuries?” Mayor Michaels asked when I didn’t
respond. I felt like I had a lead weight dropped on me.

“Once
in the head and twice in the chest,” the doctor said softly. He looked at me
like he thought I was going to lose it.

My
hand went to my mouth to stifle my cries. Mayor Michaels rushed over to me and
pulled me back into a firm hug. “Thank you doctor keep us updated,” he said
quickly, dismissing him. He led me over to the chairs. I sat down and buried my
face in my hands. It was worse than I thought.

“They
are optimistic Katie. That is a good thing,” he said trying to comfort me. I
didn’t want to be comforted, but I didn’t want to be alone either. All I could
do was wait and I hated it.

It
was almost three hours later before the door opened again. The same doctor came
in. I stood looking at him hopefully. “He is out of surgery. He hasn’t woken up
yet, but it is still early. The nurse will get you once he is set up in a
room.”

“Thank
you,” I said trying not to feel let down. I wanted them to tell me he was
awake, and everything would be fine, but they didn’t.

He
nodded and walked out leaving me alone with Mayor Michaels. “You have to think
positive Katie,” he said softly as he watched me pace.

“This
wasn’t supposed to happen to him. It should have been me. I was supposed to
help him with patrols, but I left him to deal with Cole,” I said angrily.

“Katie
there was nothing you could have done to prevent this. All you can do is pray
he recovers,” he said as he stood.

He
pulled me into another hug. He was right, but I wanted to be angry at someone
and Cole wasn’t around so he was the perfect scapegoat. I kind of wondered
where he was, or if he even called. I left my phone on the floorboard of my car
where it landed.

“I
am going to get us coffee before we go in there,” he said as he squeezed me
gently.

I
pulled away and nodded. “Coffee sounds nice,” I said quietly.

He
smiled sadly; then walked out leaving me alone. I paced trying to build up my
courage. I didn’t want to go into the room and see my uncle. I knew it was
going to be bad, and I wanted to prepare myself as much as I could.

I
heard voices outside the door. I recognized Cole’s voice and my heart leapt a little.
The door opened and he looked at me. He looked worried and slightly panicked.
“Katie,” he said as he hurried over to me and pulled me into a hug.

Fresh
tears ran down my cheeks. As much as I wanted to be mad at him I couldn’t be. I
was too sad to stay mad at him.

“I’m
sorry I missed your call. I tried to call you back. I couldn’t get through. I
was so worried,” he whispered.

“What
if he dies?” I whispered between sobs.

“He
won’t. Don’t think that. Your uncle is one of the strongest men I know,” he said
softly as he tried to sooth me. He released me and gently kissed me.

“How
did you find me?” I asked looking up at him.

“You
didn’t answer your phone so I tried to call your uncle. When he didn’t answer I
called the station, and they told me what happened.” He brushed the hair out of
my face and caressed my cheek.

“They
said I can see him in a few minutes, but I don’t know if I am going to be able
to walk in there,” I whispered choking back more tears.

“You
will be fine. I will be right beside you. I promise,” he said softly.

I
nodded and laid my head against his chest. I felt a little stronger now that I
was in his arms, but not much.

The
door opened and the nurse peaked her head in. “Ms. Winters, are you ready?”

I
nodded and Cole took my hand. I followed the nurse out of the room and down the
hall. She walked into a room and I hesitated. I really didn’t want to follow. I
felt like something horrible was waiting for me.

“Come
on baby,” Cole said gently as he ushered me forward.

I
walked into the room and I felt my chest tighten. My uncle was hooked to all
kinds of machines. His head was bandaged. He wasn’t breathing on his own. He
had IV’s and tubes everywhere. “No,” I whispered and turned to walk out.

Cole
caught me and held me tightly. “It’s ok.”

“It
looks bad right now honey. Hopefully some of these tubes will come out soon,”
the nurse said trying to reassure me.

I
turned back toward him and looked at him. “Can I touch him?”

“Of
course,” she said as she moved a chair over next to him.

I
walked over to him and sat down. I took his hand. His hand was cold and clammy.
I wanted to cry even more after touching him. Cole stood behind me, and touched
my shoulder reassuringly. I wasn’t going to leave his side. I didn’t care how
long it took him to wake up.