Truths Unveiled - By Kimberly Alan Page 0,76

desk, only Pam’s eyes moved. Occasionally she swallowed, to force down the lump in her throat. She sat with her hands in her lap, both her arms and her legs trembling slightly. Thank God she had her work. It would sustain her. It always did. Except now, after losing that little girl, her self-esteem wavered. She also found herself in the exact position she’d tried so desperately to avoid: here, in Middleton. Not Boston, Chicago, or some other large city where she could lose herself with a broken heart. She felt so exposed. Raw. Foolish.

She and Tom had spoken briefly, earlier that morning, before this latest emergency. They’d agreed to remain friends. Best friends. And intellectually, she wanted that. No matter what the circumstances, he held a part of her heart. And, she believed, she held a part of his. But at this very instant, every nerve in her body screamed in anguish. Without meaning to, he’d touched her soul. He’d left his print upon her, and she would never be the same again.

Truths Unveiled

Truths Unveiled

Chapter Forty-Five

“Are you heading over to MMC, Chief? We’ve got some reports they requested.”

Tom gave his second-in-command a dismissive shrug and climbed into his truck. “Nah. Get someone else to do it. I’ve got some stuff to take care of.”

The digital clock on the console told Tom thirty-seven hours had passed since he last saw Pam at the hospital. He knew her schedule. She was on duty again today and into tonight in the ED. If he went to the hospital, she’d be there. But he wasn’t ready to see her. Not yet. He put the truck into gear and sighed. Maybe never.

Tom took the first left out of town and headed toward the highway. Going where? He had no idea. His head hurt. His gut ached. Emotionally, his nerves were strung tighter than a bowstring ready to snap. It reminded him of fourteen years ago. When he learned Susan was pregnant. When Pam had the accident. When she left.

“Ha!” He released a humorless laugh and floored the accelerator. This was a million times worse!

An hour later, Tom found himself two counties over. Hunterdon County High School’s football team was Middleton’s biggest rival. It had been that way for decades. He commanded his memory to recall close scoring games, winning plays and victory parties. Anything to keep his thoughts away from Pam. When he reached the next county line, he pulled over to the side of the road and slowed to a stop. If he kept going, he’d soon cross over into Ohio. Not a bad state, he reasoned. Starting over in some place new sounded pretty good right about now. Then his frown deepened. Eventually, he’d have to turn around and get his life back in order.

Making a U-turn, images of Pam snuck into his thoughts. After all this time, she’d finally returned to his life. And now they were apart again! How awful was that? Could things get any worse?

For an instant, Tom squeezed his eyes shut to block out her smile, bright eyes, tears… The way she felt in his arms… Even if she was right. Even if he agreed to give in to Susan this time, the underlying problems still remained. Susan made it her life’s mission to ruin him. And she eagerly used their sons to accomplish that goal. She needed to be stopped. Now!

There was a time, not too long ago, when Tom thought he could handle his ex-wife’s issues and still lead a semi-normal life. It was right about the time he saw Pam’s resumé on Marlene Everett’s desk. Yeah, he grimaced bitterly. In my wildest delusions. I can’t handle her at all, and my life is more of a mess now than before. Why, Lord? Why am I so stupid? What do you want me to do? Am I still paying for my sins? When is it ever going to be enough?

His cell phone rang, momentarily diverting his attention. Oh great. Susan’s telephone number glowed on the caller ID. He considered ignoring her, but then changed his mind. If she pissed him off, he could always hang up.

“Yeah?” he answered briskly.

“A.J.’s gone!” she cried.

“What? What do you mean, gone?” He could hear tears and panic in her voice. His own pulse quickened.

“I… I don’t know,” Susan stammered. “I went to pick him up from soccer practice a little while ago and no one’s seen him. I’ve called all his friends. I’ve been driving up and down the