to get fluids back into his body.
One EMT said to the other, “We have to get him stabilized before we can move him.”
Cat went over to the wall of the cave and sat down. She really did like the warden even if he had arrested her a few times. The adrenaline was wearing off, and she was getting tired. The only thing she could do now was stay out of the way of the professionals and to pray.
“Okay, Lord, I did my part with your help. Now the rest is up to you and the EMTs. Amen.”
Within a few minutes she was fast asleep.
*****
After officers dragged the suspect back to the hill, the team watched the meth lab. They knew it wouldn’t be long until the other two would show up.
One of the snipers said to the commander, “Boss, it’d be a lot easier just to shoot them when they get back, save the taxpayers a lot of money.”
“Yeah, it would, but you know we can’t do that. Plus, think of all the extra paperwork.”
“I know. I’m tired of arresting these slime balls and then liberal judges letting them go on technicalities.”
“It sucks.”
“I think they’re coming back.”
The meth makers pulled up to the trailer and got out. When they got to the trailer, one of them put a cigarette in his mouth and pulled out his lighter. The SWAT commander was watching through his binoculars.
“No, you dumbass, guys, get down and cover your heads!”
When the lighter was lit, the trailer blew up. Pieces went flying everywhere. Fortunately, it had rained a couple of days ago, so the fire didn’t spread far. The commander called the fire department, and then he said to the rest of the team, “That’s one less case that’ll be on the court docket.”
The fire department showed and put out the fire. There was not much left of the pickup or trailer. Two of the SWAT members stayed at the crime scene while the investigators and medical examiner did their jobs. The rest of them went back to the cave to see how the others were doing. An ambulance was waiting outside the cave.
Inside the cave, one of the EMTs walked over to Cat, who was sound asleep. He shook her shoulder lightly saying, “Hey, girl, he’s gonna make it.”
Cat, waking up from a deep sleep, for a moment didn’t realize where she was. “Huh?”
“The warden’s gonna make it.”
Cat rubbed her eyes, “Oh, good.”
“Yes, we have him stabilized. His blood pressure and pulse are good. We’re getting ready to load him in the ambulance. You can ride with us to the hospital if you want.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he came to for a minute and asked about you.”
Cat stood up, picked up her shotgun, and responded, “That’s great.”
“I’ll tell you what. How about you give your shotgun to one of the officers. I’m sure they’ll give it to your dad when they go back to town.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Cat opened the action and handed it to the officer. “Will you give this to Dad and tell him I went to the hospital with the warden?”
“Sure, I’ll do that. You did a fine job.”
“Thank you.”
*****
Cat sat in the waiting room while the warden was in the emergency room. Dave and Betty walked in. Cat looked up.
“Hi, Mom, Dad.”
Betty gave Cat a big hug. “Oh, I am so glad you’re all right.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Dave said, “How’s Conrad?”
“Haven’t heard anything yet, the EMTs had him stabilized before he was put in the ambulance.”
Betty hugged Cat again. “You sure you’re okay? You just added more gray hair to me.”
“Mom, I’m fine. I’m just worried about the warden.”
Dave said, “Oh, by the way, they gave me your gun.”
“Thanks.”
The ER doctor came to the waiting room walked up to Cat. “I take it you’re the one that’s called Cat.”
“Yeah, that’s me. This is my mom and dad.”
“The warden’s left leg is broken. X-rays show two broken ribs and three cracked. We suspect some internal bleeding. He is in surgery now. After that we’ll do an MRI to see if there are any head injuries. We need to get the bleeding stopped before we do anything else. Before we put him under, he told me to tell you thank you. I told him he can tell you himself when he wakes up. He said, ‘I know, but just in case.’”
“I told him not to die on me.”
The doctor cracked a little smile. “He’ll be able to thank you himself. He’ll probably be in surgery for at least two hours. By the time he gets out of recovery and to his room, it will be quite a while. Why don’t you go home and get some rest and come back later in the morning. Leave your number with the desk, and we will call you if anything changes.”
“I want to stay here till he gets to his room.”
Mom said, “Now, Cat, you can’t do anything while he’s in surgery. Let’s get you home. You can take a shower, get some clean clothes on, and grab a bite to eat. Your dad can bring you back after that.”
“Well, okay.” She looked at her dad. “You’ll bring me back so I can wait here?”
“Yes, I’ll bring you back.”
The ER doctor said, “Well, I’ll see you later. Be sure to leave your number at the desk.”
5
It had been nearly a week since Officer Conrad had been taken to the hospital. Every day after school, Cat went to the hospital to visit him. It was more or less a one-way conversation. The warden was still quite heavily sedated. He would open his eyes every once in a while, crack a smile, and nod.
The doctor started weaning Officer Conrad off of the pain killers. Cat was hoping the nurse was right, that he would be more coherent this afternoon.
Cat walked into the Conrad’s room. He was sitting up, eating, and watching TV.
“Glad to see you are back amongst the living.”
“If you call it that.” He lifted his arm. “Still hooked up to all these wires and tubes.”
“Well, at least you are eating on your own.”
“Yeah,
