Silent Pledge. Hannah Alexander

Kendra’s shoulders came up from the pillow, her hands grasping Buck’s shoulders in desperation. Her eyes widened in fear above the clear oxygen mask. “You’re gonna shut me away like I’m crazy!”

      Mercy saw Buck’s expression freeze as he held his wife.

      “No, Kendra,” she said firmly. “That’s not what this is.” She took the younger woman by the shoulders, eased her back down and readjusted the mask. “Listen to me for a moment.” She waited until she felt some of the tension release from Kendra’s arms, then took her by the hand and squeezed. “Honey, you’re in trouble. You have an illness that is causing you to behave the way you are, and we need to get you help.” She paused. How would she explain this to a child? “We need to protect you until we can get your illness under control with medication. We’re going to put you in the hospital for ninety-six hours, and the doctors and nurses up there will keep a close eye on you and make sure you’re safe.”

      Kendra held Mercy’s gaze for a moment, focusing first on Mercy’s left eye, then on the right, with disconcerting intensity. Her whole body quivered, and again tears dripped down her cheeks. “Where?”

      “Cox North in Springfield. They’re specially trained to take care of cases like this.”

      “What kind of a case is this? What’re you talking about?”

      Mercy tried to pick her words carefully, but she had to be honest. “From what I’ve heard and seen, and from what I know of you personally, I’d say you have bipolar disorder, but I’m not a psychiatrist, so…”

      Kendra tightened her grip on Mercy’s hands. “Does that mean I’m crazy?”

      “No,” Buck snapped in frustration. He closed his eyes and sighed, combing his fingers through his short hair. He stepped back from the bed and flexed his shoulders wearily. “What am I going to do with her, Dr. Mercy?”

      “Stop talkin’ over my head like I’m a kid.”

      “Then stop acting like one.”

      The antipathy shot between them like an electric bolt as their gazes held for a long moment.

      “This won’t help,” Mercy said softly. She gave them a few seconds to calm down as she watched the changing emotions play over Kendra’s face. She looked like a young Michelle Pfeiffer, with an exquisite beauty that could easily have transmitted itself onto the movie or television screen. But all she’d ever wanted was a husband and children. Lots of children. They’d discovered recently that she couldn’t have kids, just a few months after her fireman father was killed in the line of duty.

      “I won’t go to any psychiatrist.” Kendra’s soft soprano voice once again held anger and pain.

      “You’re going,” Buck said, frustration still evident in his voice.

      “I’m sorry, Kendra,” Mercy said, keeping her voice firm. “You tried to commit suicide tonight, and we can’t take the chance that it’ll happen again. Too many people love you.”

      Kendra snorted. “That’s a laugh.”

      Mercy leaned forward. “You feel that way right now because your mind isn’t processing your emotions properly. But your condition can be treated. You’re sick, and just like we’d do if you had some kind of bacteria in your body that was making you sick, we can treat you with something that will help your brain work better. We’re going to keep you safe and administer some medication and give you time to heal.”

      Kendra glanced around the small exam room as if seeking a way to escape. “Can’t you just do that here? Why do I have to go all the way to Springfield?”

      “Because our hospital doesn’t have the facilities to care for you.”

      Kendra closed her eyes, and her whole body stiffened. “You mean you don’t have a padded room here,” she said.

      Mercy understood, and the identification she felt with Kendra right now was disconcerting. Depression was painful, but manic depression must be like standing on a fault line during an earthquake. It was frightening how easily your mind could betray you.

      Kendra sniffed and wiped several stray tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. When Buck grabbed a tissue from the exam-room desk and tried to give it to her, she ignored him and withdrew from his touch.

      Mercy suppressed a sigh. She’d tried several times to explain to Buck why she thought Kendra was behaving the way she had been in the past six months. And Buck had tried, without success, to bring Kendra in to see Mercy for a thorough exam. All he’d managed was to get her checked for strep throat a couple of months ago.

      The tears in Kendra’s eyes shimmered like blue crystal. “What kinds of drugs would they make me take?”

      “I’m not sure,” Mercy said. “The doctor in Springfield will decide that.”

      “I don’t want a doctor in Springfield. You know me better than they would.”

      Buck reached over and covered her hand with his. She tried to jerk free, but he held her fast. “Stop fighting this, Kendra.” He looked at Mercy. “I know the procedure. If you’ll do the paperwork and call Cox North, I’ll take her up. I’m a trained EMT, so it’ll be legal, and I’ll see if Clarence will come with me, just to make sure she stays in the truck.” He shot Kendra a biting glance. “Otherwise, Kendra, the ambulance will have to take you, with a policeman riding shotgun.”

      “Why should you care?” she snapped back. “Just as long as you get rid of me. They could be hauling me to the junkyard.”

      “Cox is a good facility,” Mercy said quietly. “I know from firsthand experience. I was there for a ninety-six-hour involuntary stay five and a half years ago, and I remember the time well. The staff treated me with patience and concern.”

      Husband and wife focused their suddenly silent attention on her. Neither showed surprise at her words, because most people in town knew about the incident.

      Mercy had seldom spoken about those days, though, and she did so now with difficulty. During a nasty custody battle over Tedi, at the same time Mercy’s father was dying of cirrhosis of the liver, Mercy sought help for her own depression. Unfortunately, the physician on call that night was a buddy of her ex-husband, Theo. They had joined forces, double-crossed Mercy and had her committed before she could do anything to stop them. When Theo used the incident in court against her, she lost custody of Tedi. She had worked five years to rebuild her practice.

      For months after that horrible time in her life, she’d vowed never to “ninety-six” a patient. She’d been adamant about it until the night when a patient she had so kindly released nearly died from a second suicide attempt.

      She placed her hand on Kendra’s arm. “Honey, I’m sorry, but you no longer have a say in the matter. You’re going to Cox North.”

      Clarence carefully parked Mercy’s car exactly where he’d gotten it. He pulled the keys out of the ignition, then leaned heavily on the door and steering wheel to heave himself out. He couldn’t get that little girl, Crystal, or her grandma Odira, out of his mind. Because of his help they were tucked safe and warm in a comfortable hospital room with smiling, cheerful nurses. Sure, he’d only driven them a block down the road, and any taxi could have done that, but the taxis in Knolls didn’t run this time of night.

      Most people wouldn’t understand being so helpless. They could do for themselves and didn’t think much about it. But up until just a few months ago he’d been stuck in his bed most of the time, too heavy and in too much pain from pulled muscles to even walk out the front door. He’d been so bad that even his own baby sister had nearly died trying to take care of him. A guy could feel like he’d lost his manhood in a situation like that, but tonight, in just the past couple of hours something had changed.

      The squeaky hinges on the front door of Mercy’s clinic interrupted Clarence’s thoughts.

      Buck Oppenheimer stepped out