| Subject: Priority Mail 488 |
Author:
Nikita507
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Date Posted: Tuesday, September 18, 07:25:25pm
In reply to:
Nikita507
's message, "Priority Mail 486+" on Friday, September 14, 11:04:29pm
Tom picked up his cell phone and listened to the sounds of the connection of a secure line. He tensed and swallowed, waiting.
“Sir, I was informed that you are the emergency contact for Joshua Ferguson,” the voice came across the line, someone that Tom didn’t know, but that didn’t worry him. He rarely did anything anymore with that part of his life. “Yes.”
“We’ve received notice that he has been in an accident.”
Tom turned his head to see Laura sitting on the couch, her hands tangled in yarn as she was attempting to teach herself how to crochet after she gave up knitting a couple days ago. “Accident?”
“Initial reports from the sheriff on the scene do not appear to indicate foul play of any sort and there has been no chatter about Mr. Ferguson in many years,” The voice continued to report.
Tom closed his eyes. “What type of accident?”
“He drove into a tree,” the answer came and Tom shook his head. “That doesn’t sound like an accident.”
“The belief is that he had some sort of medical incident while on the road. It was a country road with lots of turns and a steep hill. It is unknown how long he had been sitting there until he was found by a tourist who had taken a wrong turn,” the report continued. Tom looked over at Laura and then turned his back so she couldn’t see him. If she looked at him, she would know. “Listen… this story is thin.”
“I will forward all facts already gathered. And we are still sending agencies into the scene and into the hospital.”
“Good. I need all reports ASAP,” Tom directed as he rubbed his chin and felt a headache. “I’ll be the contact for any of his charges.”
“We were assuming that was going to be the plan. Since this does seem to be an accident. I’ve been informed to contact his next of kin, his daughter.”
“I’ll handle the notification. I know Laura.”
“But Sir, since she left law enforcement, we have no known location for her,” the voice rasped and Tom looked over his shoulder as Laura was pulling the yarn apart, again. He knew that they had no idea. “She is with me. I’ll handle telling her.”
Tom didn’t wait for there to be any response. He hung up and moved to his computer. The report might be that it was an accident, but Tom needed more than the report that he got on the phone. He needed to see the facts himself.
It was an hour later that Tom pushed away from the computer and knew that he would agree with the assessment that he had read from the Sheriff. Unless something came up in Joshua’s tox screens, this was an accident.
And now he had to tell Laura.
“Work?” Laura inquired as she dropped the yarn and the needle in her lap. “I’m not any good at this.”
Tom sat down near Laura and she arched an eyebrow. “Tom… you have been acting strange since the phone rang.”
Tom swallowed and looked at Laura. “That call was about your father.”
Laura coughed slightly as she blinked. “My father?”
“He was in an accident,” Tom explained. “You know that he was in… the business… so they needed to check on a few things to make sure that it was just an accident.”
“I don’t care about that!” Laura pushed at Tom. “How is he?”
“In surgery,” Tom rasped as he dropped his head. He had to worry about these things and he knew that it hurt Laura that he couldn’t just focus on her father’s well being.
“How is he?” Laura growled and Tom swallowed again. “The accident… it appeared to be caused by a medical condition of some sort.”
“A… a… heart attack?” Laura inquired and Tom nodded his head slightly up and down. “Or a stroke.”
“But he goes to the doctor regularly…”
“Laura, no one knows exactly yet… He ran into a tree… he wasn’t found for a while…” Tom explained as he reached for Laura’s hand. She squeezed it as she closed her eyes. “It’s bad…”
“Yes,” Tom confirmed. “And while we are almost sure that it is an accident… not all of the investigation has been done yet.”
“I need to go to him,” Laura declared as she stood up. Tom wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down onto his waist. “And I’ve made arrangements for that… it’s possible because the investigation isn’t done yet. We’ll be meeting a private plan in two hours.”
Laura dropped her head and Tom leaned his forehead against her back. “I’m sorry about this, Laura… and I’m going to be with you.”
“Because you have to investigate.”
“And because I want to be with you and there for him. Your father has done a lot for us,” Tom whispered as he continued to hold Laura.
“You know, I haven’t been that close to him… I always had such a defined right and wrong definition… until…”
“You met Lisa,” Tom stated with a knot in his throat. “You do know that your father admired that. That was why he wouldn’t allow anyone to talk to you about… other law enforcement.”
Laura turned on Tom’s lap and touched her palm against his face. “But life is gray, isn’t it?”
Tom watched as Laura flinched as she had said it. She shook her head. “I may have lost that time with him now, Tom. I might not be able to tell him… that I understand.”
“He is in surgery,” Tom announced again. “You have to think positively.”
There was a knock at the door and Tom glanced at Laura. “Were you expecting anyone?”
Laura swung her head from side to side as she slipped off of his lap. Her father had been in an accident, or at least that was what was believed. But what if it was something more? Laura slipped to the wall and over to the wall safe where she pulled out a gun and looked at Tom with a slight nod of her head. She had him covered and Tom glanced out the door. He jerked his head from side to side and Laura relaxed.
Slightly.
“Ellie… what are you doing here?” Tom questioned as he opened the door, and now Laura exhaled fully before returning the gun.
“I may… well, you do know that I’m not the best doctor for all situations, right?” Ellie spoke and Tom rubbed his hand behind his neck. “Ellie, it’s not the best time to talk about this.”
“But… I might have a situation… that I’m not the best doctor to handle… and you know, there were some specialties that weren’t needed inn Section… so… I don’t know if there is a doctor that got out that would be best for… some situations…” Ellie stumbled around as she sighed at the door. “We need to talk about this.”
“It’s not the best time, Ellie. Something has happened… and I have to leave town with Laura for a few days,” Tom tried to stop the doctor as he wasn’t sure what she was saying.
“But something could happen in that time… because I’m not a gyne—I’m a general doctor… no specialty.”
“You were a surgeon in Section,” Tom snapped as he rubbed his head.
“Is Nikita pregnant?” Laura asked as she stepped away from the wall and walked up behind Tom.
Ellie turned white. “I didn’t say that.”
Tom looked at Laura and then it all made sense. There wasn’t a need for gynecologists and obstetrician and pediatricians in Section. He should have figured it out sooner.
But he had thought about this possibility a while ago. “There are other resources.”
“Some people are hard on their doctors,” Ellie looked between the couple and noticed the tears on Laura’s face. “And I didn’t say that it was or was not Nikita… there are others…”
“We’ll have to talk about this later.”
“Let’s just say… this patient... is worried about everything… and may start to realize that this isn’t something that I’m comfortable with.”
Laura squeezed Tom’s arm as he was getting frustrated. “Ellie, I know of a doctor…”
“It can’t just be a doctor! You know…” protested Ellie.
“He realizes that Nikita has PTSD and he knows that her history is something that most civilians couldn’t handle or understand. I trust that he has found someone…” Laura interrupted as she felt Tom’s arm hook around her. “Now… my father was in an accident… and I want to go see him. We have to catch a plane… so this all can wait.”
Ellie closed her eyes and turned her head away. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know…”
Tom felt the tears coming up again with Laura. He wrapped his arms around Laura and looked at Ellie. “Later, Ellie.”
“Of course.”
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