Mary
Piper and I rushed to the hospital to be with Rachel. Rachel called us and told us what had happened. The bullet didn’t hit her but the medics wanted to take her to the hospital to get checked out.
Piper and I pulled back the curtain in the emergency room. Piper started crying. I held Piper up so she could give Rachel a kiss.
Rachel rubbed Piper’s head. “I’m okay, Piper, honest.”
I hadn’t told Piper what happened, only that Rachel wasn’t feeling well. As far as Piper knew, this was part of Rachel’s illness. I hadn’t wanted to frighten her by talking about a crazed man with a gun.
“Girls, I was thinking. How about we have a slumber party at my house instead of you two going back to your apartment tonight?”
Rachel smiled. “That’s a great idea, Mary. There’s no need for us to go back there.”
“But what about Rachel Rose?” Piper said.
Rachel pointed to the plastic bag on the chair. “I brought her with me.”
I winked at Rachel. We’d talked about how to handle what happened and it seemed to go smoothly. I told Rachel and Piper that I had to make a phone call and would be back. Rachel said the doctor was going to discharge her but she had to wait until all of the paperwork was signed.
I walked outside and called Ralph. I told him what happened. “If this doesn’t solidify our case I don’t know what will.”
Ralph assured me he’d gather all of the evidence. In fact, he said he’d been reviewing photos and reports from the investigator when I called. “We have him coming out of a crack house and photos of what looks like a drug deal going down in the park across from the high school. This guy’s definitely a loose cannon. I don’t think we’ll have any problem getting his rights terminated.”
“Good. That’s what I wanted to hear.”
By the time I returned to the emergency room, Rachel was dressed and she and Piper were ready to go. “Do you want me to pull the car up to the door or are you able to walk?” I asked her.
“I can walk,” Rachel said. “I’m not going to let anyone or anything keep me down.”
I smiled. “That’s the spirit, Rachel. We’re survivors!”