She kept her voice calm and waited to see if Hayden would make any other smart comments. When he turned away from her and leaned into Merrick, Shelby got up and went to find Emma.
“Do you think she’s right?” Hayden asked Merrick, once they were alone in the room with only Mook.
“Boy, you got a lot of learning to do yet, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Cain didn’t get everything right the first time, and you don’t have an edge on doing it any better.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It means that you are your mother’s son, and nothing anyone can say will ever change that.” Merrick pushed back the hair that had fallen on his forehead and smiled at him. “She has one fiery temper when she sets her mind to it, and it makes her say things she normally wouldn’t. Lucky for us she doesn’t give in to that part of herself often.”
“I can’t help but get mad sometimes.”
“I know, buddy. Thing is, I’m paid to sit, watch, and listen, and to provide counsel when asked. I was there when Emma left and eventually realized why. I also knew that one day she was going to come back.” She smiled kindly at him. “You were a heavy factor as to why she made the trip, but not the most important. I know that sounds cruel, but sometimes love is.”
Merrick’s words shamed him, and he couldn’t hold back the tears, but he dropped his head so Merrick wouldn’t see. “I know she doesn’t give a rat’s ass about me. You don’t have to rub it in.”
“Listen to me, Hayden. You’re Emma’s son, and half the blood running around in here belongs to her.” Merrick tapped him on the chest over his heart. “But as important as the bond is between mother and child, it’s as strong for the person who owns your heart. The woman didn’t move to some out-of-the-way farm because she had a burning desire to stare at cows all day long and find someone else to fill Cain’s place. She left her heart here with your mother, and dying is the only way she’s going to get it back.”
“I wish I could remember more about what that time was like. It seems like I should, but I don’t have many memories of her. I like that Mom sometimes talks about her so that I have some mental picture to go along with the ones in my room, but I just can’t forgive her for leaving me behind. And if what you’re saying is true, for leaving Mom behind too.”
“My sweet boy, you’re learning after all, so don’t let the fed get to you. Your mother is proud of you. I promised I’d never admit this, but when you aren’t around she just goes on and on about you.”
One light pull on his sleeve was all it took to get him to collapse into her arms and have the cry he really wanted to have.
“She’s going to be fine, Hayden, if only to kick some serious ass for this happening in the first place.”
“Are you all here with Cain Casey?” A middle-aged man in green scrubs stood in the doorway of the waiting room, looking like he had sweated a bucket of perspiration on his outfit.
“Is something wrong?” Hayden stood up so fast he knocked Merrick back into her chair.
“No, I’m Don Elton, her surgeon, and I just wanted to tell you she’s out of surgery and holding her own. Are you her son?”
“I’m Hayden Casey, and yes, I am.”
“All I can tell you now, Hayden, is she’ll probably be in intensive care for a couple of days, and after that’s over I’ll be able to share with you more about what comes next.”
“She’s going to be all right?”
The doctor ran his hand over his head, pulling off the surgical cap with his action. “I don’t know yet, son. Your mom had a lot of damage, and she lost a lot of blood. I wish I could sugarcoat it, but I don’t believe that’s fair to you if something goes wrong later. The thing I know for sure is that it’s been a while since I’ve had someone on my table who’s in such great shape. That’ll mean a lot later on down the road, and now that I’ve met you I know she has something to fight for. Could you pass the information on to the other family members who were out here earlier? I’m going to see about getting her set up for the night. Call me if you have any questions, or if you need to talk about anything. The nurse will have all the information you’ll need to get in touch with me.”
“Thank you, doctor. We’ll take care of it.” Merrick put her hand on Hayden’s back in an effort to provide some comfort from the less-than-stellar report on Cain’s health.
“Can I see her?” Hayden asked.
“Not tonight. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep, and tomorrow morning we’ll see?” The doors swished silently as he stepped back through them, leaving the family alone.
*
“Are you comfortable, Barney?” George sat in the rigid chair across from the agent and took a sip of the coffee he’d brought with him.
Kyle leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest to try to intimidate the attorney into letting him go. Nothing else had worked, and he had been alone in the interrogation room for over three hours. He felt confident that whatever the problem was, he was only minutes from securing his freedom. All his years in law enforcement had made him an expert on the tactics they were using on him. It would take torture to break him, of that he was sure.
“You want to just get to it, George. I’ve got a crime scene to get back to, and all this bullshit is really cutting into my night.”
“I’m afraid there’s a little problem in just letting you walk out of here, Barney. Surely you can understand we have to follow the procedures, especially when someone such as you is involved. We can clear this up really quickly, though, if you just want to answer some questions and explain a few things.”
The smirk George was more than familiar with was plastered on Kyle’s face, and he returned it in kind. It would be a good feeling, he thought, to be the one who knocked it off.
“Sure, shoot. Give it your best, George.”
“When did you become Giovanni Bracato’s whipping boy, Barney?”
Anthony, Lionel, and Joe almost choked on their coffee on the other side of the mirror. They would have given their boss some more talk before just getting to it, the old proverbial rope that would eventually hang him. Maybe they could learn something from this old warrior. Kyle’s pale face was testament to that.
Two minutes ticked by before Kyle felt ready to talk. He used the time to gather his thoughts and retrace where he might have gone wrong.
The silence only confirmed his guilt to George. Innocent people never shut up when they put them in these rooms. They were always eager to prove they didn’t do it.
“I have no idea—” said Kyle.
“What I’m talking about,” George finished for him. “Do you want an attorney present? I’m sure you’ve read that list of rights enough to know yours.”
“I don’t need an attorney. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“This is the part where I usually tell the cocky bastard in the chair that if he cooperates things will go better for him. That is, when I took the time to come down to the bowels of the building and help out with the questioning. So, Barney, if you cooperate maybe we can work something out for you. I’m picturing something along the line of minimum security, if you play this right and help us out.”
Kyle laughed and leaned forward, putting his hands flat on the table. “Go fuck yourself, George, and like I said, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I would imagine you took more than your share of psychology classes before getting that more-than-nifty badge you have, am I right?”