A Time for Mercy (Jake Brigance #3) - John Grisham Page 0,133

He eased away and Carla sat with Jake’s parents.

A county deputy, Parnell Johnson, arrived and spent a moment with them. He huddled with Mr. Bradley and the city policeman, then sat on a coffee table in front of Carla and said, “Looks like there were two of them. They jumped Jake as he was about to get into his car outside Kroger. Mr. Bradley over there had just parked and saw the beating and grabbed his .38. He fired twice, ran them off. He saw a green GMC pickup race away on a side street behind the store. No idea of who it was, not now anyway.”

“Thank you,” Carla said.

A long hour passed before Dr. McKee returned. He told them Jake had been moved to a private room and wanted to see Carla. His parents would not be allowed in at the moment but could visit tomorrow. Dr. McKee and Carla went to the third floor and stopped outside a closed door. The doctor whispered, “He looks terrible and he’s pretty groggy. Broken nose, two broken ribs, two missing teeth, three cuts on his face that required forty-one stitches, but I got Dr. Pendergrast to sew him up. He’s the best and he doesn’t expect significant scarring.”

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. At least he was alive. “Can I stay here tonight?”

“Sure. They’ll send in a foldaway bed.”

He pushed the door open and they eased inside. Carla almost fainted when she saw her husband. From his eyebrows up, everything was wrapped in heavy gauze. Another bandage covered most of his chin. A line of small black stitches ran across his nose. His eyes were hideous, swollen shut with bulging masses as large as boiled eggs. His lips were thick, puffy, and red. A tube snaked its way into his mouth while two IVs hung from above. She swallowed hard and took his hand. “Jake, honey, I’m here.” She kissed him softly on the cheek, on a small patch of open skin.

He grunted and tried to smile. “Hey, babe. You okay?”

She had to smile too, although he could see nothing. “Let’s not worry about me right now. I’m here and you’re going to be okay.”

He mumbled something incomprehensible, then moved a leg and groaned.

Dr. McKee said, “He took a nasty shot to the crotch and his testicles are quite swollen. And the swelling will continue.”

Jake heard them and said, with remarkable clarity, “Hey, babe, you wanna fool around?”

“No I don’t. We’ll have to wait a couple of days.”

“Dammit.”

A long moment passed as she squeezed his hand and stared at his bandages. The tears began and were soon running down her cheeks. Jake appeared to doze off, and Dr. McKee nodded at the door. In the hallway he said, “He has a concussion I want to monitor, so he’ll be here for a couple of days. I don’t think it’s serious but we need to watch it. Stay if you like, but there’s really no need. There’s nothing you can do and I think he’ll soon drift off and go to sleep.”

“I’m staying. His parents will keep Hanna.”

“As you wish. I’m really sorry about this, Carla.”

“Thank you, Dr. McKee.”

“He’s gonna be okay. Really sore for the next week or so, but he’s in one piece.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

—

HARRY REX SHOWED up and cursed a nurse when she turned him away. On the way out the door he threatened to sue her.

* * *

—

BY MIDNIGHT, JAKE had not made a sound in over an hour. Carla, barefoot and still in jeans, sat propped up on pillows in her flimsy foldaway and flipped through magazines under a dim table lamp. She tried not to think about who the thugs were, but she knew the beating was related to Kofer. Five years earlier, the Klan had burned their home and taken a shot at Jake outside the courthouse during the Hailey affair. For three years they had lived with guns and extra security because the threats continued. She could not believe the violence was back.

What kind of life were they living? No other lawyer faced such intimidation. Why them? Why did her husband get involved with dangerous cases that paid nothing? For twelve years they had worked hard and tried to save and dreamed of building something for the future. Jake had an enormous capacity for work and was determined to succeed as a noted trial lawyer. He was ambitious to a fault and dreamed of wowing juries and winning