Trail of Secrets. Sandra Robbins

He exhaled a deep breath, and she knew he was as relieved to hear the news as she. “Oh, Dr. Singer, this is good news.”

      He held up his hand in warning. “Don’t get me wrong. There are still a lot of things that can go wrong. We’re moving him to the Critical Care Unit to monitor him. There is some swelling of the brain, and I’ve removed a portion of the skull to relieve the pressure. We can take care of that later if all goes well. The next few weeks are critical.”

      Callie nodded. “I understand. When can I see him?”

      “Now, if you want to. He’s settled in the unit, and the nurses there will let you in for a few minutes. Then you should go home and get some rest. You’ve been through a lot tonight, and you’ve got some tough days ahead.”

      “I understand, Doctor. And thank you for what you’ve done.”

      He smiled. “I’m glad I could be of service. I’ll see you in the morning.”

      Callie turned back to Seth as the doctor left the chapel. “Would you like to go with me to see Uncle Dan?”

      “I would, and then I’ll drive you to Dan’s house.”

      “You don’t have to do that. I can get a cab.”

      He frowned. “I don’t mind.”

      “No, really, Seth. You don’t have to do it.”

      He gritted his teeth and raked his hand through his hair. “I said it’s okay, Callie. After all, I promised Dan I’d take care of you, and I’m not going back on my word to him.”

      His words snaked out toward her, and she reeled as if he’d slapped her. Of course, he wasn’t doing it for her. It was because he’d promised her uncle. She nodded. “I understand. Thank you for offering to take me home.” They turned to walk to the door, but Callie stopped after taking a few steps. “Oh, I forgot. My luggage is still in Uncle Dan’s car. Is it possible to get it tonight?”

      “I’m sure we can. Captain Wilson is on duty. I’ll call him right now and see where they towed the car, then I’ll take you by there to get your bags before I drive you home. Go ahead and check on Dan, and I’ll meet you in the E.R. waiting room.”

      “Thanks, Seth. I appreciate it.”

      They stopped at the elevator, and Seth pushed the button. When the doors opened, he stepped back to let her enter. “I know Dan will be unconscious, but tell him I’ll see him in the morning.”

      “I will.”

      As Callie approached the Critical Care Unit, she noticed a room on the left side of the corridor. People, who she assumed to be family members of patients, lay in lounge chairs in the room. A young woman in a nurse’s uniform rose from behind a desk as she entered.

      “May I help you?”

      Callie nodded. “Dr. Singer told me my uncle has been brought to Critical Care and I could see him. His name is Dan Lattimer.”

      The young woman smiled. “Yes, he’s here. I’ll be glad to take you in.”

      She came around the desk and led Callie through the double doors at the end of the hall. Callie had never been in a unit like this before, and she didn’t know what to expect. She swallowed and stepped into the long room with a hallway that ran in front of glassed-in cubicles. A nurse’s station faced the small rooms. Monitoring machines hummed in the otherwise silent ICU, and shivers ran up Callie’s arm.

      A man in a dark suit sat in a chair outside one of the small cubicles, and he rose when she approached. “Miss Lattimer?”

      “Yes.”

      “I’m Deputy U.S. Marshal Chris White. I’m here to guard your uncle. Dr. Singer told me you’d be coming up.”

      Callie glanced past him into the small room behind the marshal. She saw someone in the bed, but with all the bandages she couldn’t tell if it was her uncle or not. She swallowed past her nausea and stared at the still form. “Is that my uncle?”

      “Yes,” the marshal said. “You can go in.”

      Callie hesitated a moment before she stepped inside and inched toward the bed. He was covered with a white sheet, but his arm lay motionless at his side. She placed her purse in a chair at the foot of his bed, eased up beside him and covered his hand with hers.

      One of the machines monitoring his vital signs beeped, and she glanced at it. She had no idea what all the numbers displayed stood for, but she did know as long as they were showing up it meant her uncle was alive. Her gaze drifted over the pale face almost covered with bandages and she brushed at the tears that flooded her eyes.

      “I’m here, Uncle Dan, and so is Seth,” she whispered. “The doctor says you came through the surgery fine. If I know you, you’ll be up and about before we know it. I wanted to see you before I went home to get some rest, but I’ll be back in the morning. You have a good night. I love you.”

      She wanted to stay with him, to watch over him as he had done so many times when she was a child and sick, but she knew it wouldn’t be allowed in this unit. She had to trust his well-being to people who’d been trained to care for critical patients. She fought back another rush of tears as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before she stepped outside and stopped next to the marshal. Before she could speak, an alarm sounded, and two nurses who’d been at their station when she entered earlier suddenly ran to a cubicle several doors down from her uncle’s.

      Her eyes grew wide. “What’s happening?”

      The marshal nodded in the direction of the commotion. “It looks like one of the other patients is having some problems.”

      “Then I’d better leave. Thank you for watching over my uncle, Marshal White. Maybe I’ll see you again.”

      “We’ll have a marshal on him until the shooter is caught. Don’t worry about him. Go on home and get some sleep.”

      She smiled, turned and walked out of the unit. As she headed toward the elevator, she thought of Seth waiting downstairs and was glad he said he’d drive her to collect her luggage from Uncle Dan’s car. Getting in his house shouldn’t be a problem because she still carried a key to the front door on her key ring. She punched the button for the elevator and froze in place.

      Her purse. It was still in the chair at the end of Uncle Dan’s bed. She must really be tired if she hadn’t realized she’d left without it.

      With a groan, she retraced her steps to the Critical Care Unit. She glanced in the waiting room as she passed by and came to a sudden stop. Marshal White stood beside the vending machine, drinking a soft drink. He glanced her way and smiled. “What are you doing back?”

      She frowned. “I forgot my purse. Why are you out here?”

      He swallowed a sip of his drink. “One of the nurses needed to check Judge Lattimer’s vital signs and said it would be okay for me to get something to drink while he was busy in the room.”

      Callie frowned. “I didn’t see a male nurse while I was in there.”

      Marshal White shrugged. “I think he’d just come down to help them since that other patient was having problems.”

      Callie nodded. “Do you think it would be okay for me to step in and get my purse?”

      “I think so. Go ahead.”

      She walked to the entrance into the unit and only hesitated a moment before pulling the door open. Once inside, she looked toward the room where the nurses had been working earlier. Since there was no one at the desk, she assumed they were still busy with the patient, and she eased toward her uncle’s room.

      The curtains had been pulled around the cubicle, blocking sight into the room. Her first thought was that it was probably standard procedure when they were working with a patient, but she frowned when she noticed that the curtains hadn’t been pulled in the room where