Moira’s a grown woman. She has a strong sense of loyalty, and family.”
“Hardheaded is more like it,” he groused. “I’m sorry, Katie. I just don’t want you to be mad at me over this.”
She thought, You have enough fences to mend here to worry about work, but she said nothing.
He took her silence for agreement and reached across the table, putting a hand over her. “I love you, Katie Connelly.”
Since she’d met him, he’d refused to call her by her married name of Murphy.
She squeezed his hand and then pulled it back to pick up her coffee. “Me too,” she said.
“I was surprised you were home when I called this morning,” he said, wanting to keep the conversation light. “Don’t you have classes?”
They had been dating off and on for nine months, seriously for the last six, and sometimes she thought the only thing they shared was great sex. At times like this she realized they really didn’t know each other at all.
“I go in early on Monday and Friday,” she explained once again. “We had breakfast here last Wednesday morning, Eric,” she reminded him.
His look softened and he said, “What can I do to make you feel better?” He reached across the table and began rubbing her arms.
She recognized the look on his face, and was horrified to see that he was thinking of sex.
She stood up and pushed her chair in. “Shouldn’t you be going to work?”
“You’re right,” he said, getting up from the table. “I guess I had better go.” He took his suit jacket from the back of the chair and left the kitchen.
She felt guilty at the look of rejection on his face, but he still hadn’t explained why he hadn’t called. As the front door shut behind Eric, she wondered what was the matter. This definitely wasn’t the way a couple should behave if they were in love. And she did love Eric. Didn’t she?
She would make it up to him tonight. She had at least two hours before she had to be at school. She could go to the store and buy something for a nice meal. Maybe some flowers to brighten the table.
Then she thought about Marcie alone at the hospital, and her mood darkened. Marcie must be going crazy! And poor Jack. You would think he was the one who was beaten, given the look on his face last night.
She grabbed her keys off the peg by the back door and hurried to her car.
“Katie,” Marcie said with a surprised smile. “You’re just in time. He’s being released.”
“They’re trying to starve me to death,” Liddell said from the hospital bed. “You just missed Jack. He had to get ready for work.”
Katie gave Liddell a hug. “How are you this morning? Still in a lot of pain?”
“I’ve been worse,” he answered, and pulled Marcie close.
“I don’t want to make a habit of doing this,” she said.
“What do you say we get together for a crawfish boil when this is over?” Liddell asked.
Marcie’s eyes were sunken with dark circles beneath, and she was still wearing her slippers from home. Then Katie noticed Marcie’s pajamas were stained with blood.
What kind of friend am I? Katie thought. I should have come here right away. “Have you had any rest?”
Marcie looked down at herself and cringed. “I must be a sight.”
“I should have brought you a change of clothes,” Katie said, putting her arms around her friend.
“I’ll be fine. But I’m ready to get home. A hot shower and some clean clothes would be nice.”
Katie smiled at her. Marcie and Liddell were perfect together, and Liddell was such a good man; it hurt her heart to see him like this.
Marcie surprised her, saying, “Have you talked to Eric?”
Katie’s face showed embarrassment. “I wasn’t very nice to him this morning.”
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
The nurse came in every hour during the night to perform neuro checks—that is, check his pupil size and reactivity to light, level of consciousness and grip-strength equality. If Liddell wasn’t brain damaged, the hourly tests would make him so. Jack had woken up for each of the visits, so he wasn’t faring much better.
All in all, it was a truly shitty night, and the morning didn’t get any better. When Jack went home to get ready for work, he found the present Cinderella had left in his new shoes. It was a smelly and wet reminder that she couldn’t be left unattended for such a long period.
When he arrived at the morgue, three vehicles were parked