Blinding Trust (26 page)

It may have been temporary, but it took my mind off of it all.

The bartender was named Sue. She looked to be in her mid-sixties and had a smoker’s cough that you could hear just about every ten seconds. I was positive the woman had emphysema, although she never claimed to be sick. “You want the usual, Ramsey?”

“Yeah, that’ll be great.” She poured a Jack and Coke and added some ice, before sliding it across the bar.

I looked into the rear part of the bar where the pool tables sat. On any given night a new set of players were available. This little bar was located on a stretch of road that truck drivers frequented. It had pretty good food and there wasn’t another place for miles.

Two bigger guys were already back there shooting against each other. I leaned back against the bar and kept watching them. Sue leaned over so she didn’t have to yell. “They’ve been here since three this afternoon. If you want an opponent than I suggest you head over there now, before they can’t even hold the sticks.”

I looked back and saw her wink at me. She didn’t know my story, but I think that bartenders had a way of reading people. She knew something had happened to me, but at the same time, she never asked what it was.

Sue also knew that I was the sheriff of another town. When strangers got rowdy and I was around, I made sure they left her establishment. She was just a little old lady that didn’t need that kind of trouble. Occasionally, she had asked me to come over to her house to help her out when things weren’t working. Since she’d lost her husband a while back, she didn’t really have anyone else.

“Let me see if I get a couple games out of them.” I grabbed my glass and walked over toward the two guys.

They were both typical truck driver looking guys. Both had beards and large stomachs from eating on the road all the time. It was a force of habit for me to study the details of people. The dude with the lighter hair wore a wedding ring, where his buddy did not. Usually, but not always, married men were a little more harder to sway into playing for money. Most were already treading water when it came to keeping their wives happy. It wasn’t easy to be gone all the time.

I looked toward his friend and took another sip of my drink. “You up for a little competition?”

They looked at each other before turning their attention back to me. “What do you have in mind?”

“I was thinking twenty a game.” I sat my drink down and pulled a house cue off the wall.

“You some kind of shark?” The married guy asked.

I chuckled. “Hell no! Just like playing for a reason.”

His buddy grabbed the balls on the table and started putting them into the rack. “Let’s play for ten.”

I pulled a coin out of my pocket and held it out under the pool table light. “Flip for the break? Heads or tails?”

“Heads.”

The coin flew into the air and landed on the felt of the table. Once it was done spinning we leaned in to see the result of the flip. It landed on tails, giving me the break, so I grabbed the cue ball and lined it up to break out all of the balls.

The break was always the most important shot. It could make or literally lose the game. Luckily, I made two balls and was able to make another four before giving the guy his first shot. I was no pro, but I knew how to hide a ball to prevent my opponent from being able to make a good shot.

I won my first ten easily, but as the games continued, I was still up only ten dollars, after losing a few then winning some more. By the time I started getting tired, and my friends for the night got drunker, I was up a whopping twenty bucks. I shook hands with both of the men and handed Sue my winnings. She hugged me and waved as I headed out.

Morning would come fast and I knew that I hadn’t had enough drinks in me to be able to sleep.

My little cabin in the woods was so far off the beaten path that late at night even I had trouble finding the driveway. I’d thought about putting some reflectors out, but I kind of liked the idea that if I couldn’t find my place, nobody else could either.

Once inside, I threw my keys down on the table and headed into the kitchen for a beer. On most nights I just slept right in my recliner. There was no sense of even having the four bedrooms that the place had. I kept the doors closed and only went into my room to shower and change. After being married and sharing a bed for so long, I hardly moved from my side of the bed. Waking up and seeing that empty spot was just too much to take every damn day.

I must have fallen asleep shortly after getting comfortable. When I woke up my phone was ringing on the table. I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and got up to answer it.

This is Sheriff Towers
.

Sorry to call you so early, Sheriff, but we got a big wreck out on the main highway.
I hated when my deputy called me with that information.

How bad is it?
I couldn’t go if there was a fatality. I just knew I couldn’t.

A mother and a couple kids were hit by a tractor trailer headin’ out of town, sir. The driver of the truck was unharmed. He said he must have fallen asleep at the wheel and crossed over the double line. The ambulance is on its way for the mother. She’s breathin’, but isn’t responsive. The kids seem to be more shaken up, but I’m goin’ to have them sent
out to get checked out too. Since I need to stay here at the scene, I’m goin’ to need you to transport the kids.

I’m on my way. Text the coordinates.

The whole time I was putting on my boots and getting myself together, I knew that being around children was going to be hard. If the mother didn’t survive, it would be my job to tell those kids.

I was in the wrong line of work.

The scene of the accident was chaotic. I spotted my deputy leaning down to talk to two little kids. My first thought was my girls and how I wished that we hadn’t been on the road that night. The little boy turned and looked right at me. I took a deep breath and approached them.

My deputy stood up and looked right at me. “I was able to locate the victim’s cell phone and use it contact the last number she called. They were on their way to a family member’s house to stay. The aunt is goin’ to meet us at the hospital. I let her know that the children are alright, but we just want them to get checked out for precautionary reasons.”

The kids were wrapped in one of our blankets that we carry in our trucks, in case of emergencies. They both were looking right at me. Being around kids was so difficult for me. It only reminded me of my sweet little girl that I would never be able to hold again. I sighed and gained enough composure to do my job. “We’re going to take a ride now.”

The little boy’s eyes got big. “In your police truck?”

“Yes.”

“Can we use the siren? I bet it’s real loud.” He was obviously too young to understand that this was a serious situation.

“Sure, kid.” I waited for him and his sister to stand up and follow me over to my vehicle.

The little guy was busy looking around the front of the vehicle at all of the gadgets, while his sister remained quiet with her hands folded on her lap. When I went to make sure they were both buckled she grabbed my hand. “Is my mommy going to be okay?”

It was heartwrentching to hear her asking. I honestly had no idea if their mother was going to make it. All I knew was that these two children were depending on me to be the hero and I didn’t know if I was capable of even having a conversation with them. “As soon as I hear something, you will be the first to know.”

“Mom said that we were going to love our new life. I hate this place. I hate that Mommy is hurt. I just want to go home. I want my daddy!” The little boy cried.

I clenched my jaw as I started on our way to the hospital. The more I tried to not think about my own accident, the more I couldn’t get it out of my head. By the time we pulled up at the emergency room doors, I had played out the entire accident once again in my head.

We no sooner made it into the emergency room doors when I saw a familiar face heading in our direction. Sue, the owner of the bar I frequented, came over and bent down in front of the kids. She pulled them in for hug and looked up at me. “Thanks for bringing them here, Ramsey…ah Sheriff.”

“You know these kids?” Sue never mentioned grandchildren, but then again, I never asked about anyone’s business when mine was locked up from anyone knowing.

She patted the boy on the head and stood up. Her cough was intense. “These kids are my great niece and nephew. Their mother was my sister’s only daughter. She passed a while back and we lost touch. I got a call yesterday that she was in trouble and needed to start over. She’s the only family I got left and I ain’t about to turn my back on her.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side. “They’re worried about swelling around the brain. These poor kids don’t even know me. How am I supposed to tell them she may not wake up?”

I put my hand on Sue’s shoulder. As much as I wanted to go home and forget about these people, I knew I wouldn’t be able to abandon someone when they needed help. It was all I had ever wanted to do. This woman needed to survive. “Why don’t you take the kids and get them checked out, then take them home. I will have someone bring all of their things from the car to your house. If it will make you feel better, I will stay here until we know something more about your niece.”

She wrapped her arms around me, taking me back to the funeral of my wife and child, where everyone wanted to hug and console me. I pulled away without even realizing how cold it seemed. I could tell that she knew I had withdrawn from her. She put on a fake smile and held her hands out for both children. “I will be waiting for your call, Ramsey. You’re a good man. I hope you know that.”

I stood and waited for the woman and the two kids to walk in the direction of triage. The last thing I wanted to do was be involved in something so emotional. Sure, I’d been there before and could probably be great in dealing with pain and grief, except I hadn’t been able to let go enough to use my experience for others. Sometimes I didn’t even know if I wanted to.

After grabbing a coffee, I made my way to the room where the injured mother was located. I could hear the beeps of the machines as I entered. A nurse smiled, recognizing who I was from my uniform. I gave her a nod and sat down in a nearby chair. “How is she?”

She finished writing down something before answering me. “Right now we have her stabilized. Because of the head injury, the doctor is worried about swelling. As of right now, we are just waiting. Her vitals are improving and if we can get through the next twenty four hours, she has a good chance of fully recovering. It could go either way with a brain injury.”

I was afraid to look at the bed, where the mother was lying lifeless. I knew she was breathing, except looking at her put a face to the victim. I couldn’t let myself get attached to a case, especially one that was so close to my past.

When the nurse left, I started to get up and request that they contact me if anything changed, except my eyes glanced over at the poor mother fighting to live. Her blonde hair was a mess and dried blood made some spots appear red. She had a bandage over her nose and a stitched up spot over her eyebrow. Even with all of that mess going on, I could tell that she was an attractive woman. Her body was covered up with blankets, but her arm was hanging out enough for me to see the artwork that went from her wrist to her shoulder. It was done well and I continued to stare, I thought about the tattoos on my own body; the ones I got after I lost my girls.

Sadness overwhelmed me again, forcing me to sit back down in the chair. This woman was those kids mother. I had to know that she was going to pull through. I couldn’t just walk away. Something wouldn’t let me get out of that chair.

I put my hat over my eyes and leaned back to try to rest. Some would say that prayers were all that could be done. I’d lost faith in that. This woman’s will to live was what would decide whether she ever opened her eyes again. I owed it to Sue to stick around and wait.

I’m not real sure how long I’d been sleeping, but I woke to someone touching my arm. I grabbed my hat and placed it back on my head as I sat up straight and looked around for the nurse. Instead, the arm with the tattoos was reaching over to touch me again. I stood up, partly in shock, and looked down at the awake woman. She was struggling for words and I knew what she was going to ask before the words could come out. “You’re kids are fine, Ma’am. They’re with your aunt. You’ve been in an accident. I’ll go get you the doctor.”

I rushed out of the room, leaving the woman all alone. As I passed the nurse’s station, I alerted them of the patient waking up, and left the hospital.

The woman was going to make it. My involvement was over.

Case closed.

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