Laura’s eyelids fluttered before they opened. Otis, fast asleep in his chair, his head lying on the bed next to her feet, had missed the moment she came to. The heart rate monitor woke him. The slow, rhythmic beeping of the machine changed to a rapid pace, and it drew him out of his slumber. Groggy, he wiped the sleep from his eyes and examined the machine before turning his attention to Laura. Her brown eyes zeroed in on his unshaven face, and she tried to speak.
“Good Jesus,” Otis said. “Holy shit.” He grabbed her hand and wept. From that moment on, that would be their sign-off to each other in cards and emails, although they would shorthand it to GJHS.
By the next day, the mommas and Sarah had worn out their welcome and had to be gently shooed out of the room so Laura could get her rest.
Otis and Randle were her only constant companions. Otis there for her, and Randle there for Otis.
Dani visited on the second day, literally with her hat in hand. There was so much she wanted to apologize for, even though Laura didn’t even know that Dani had made unkind remarks about her.
“I ain’t an altogether good person,” Dani said. “I just want you to know that. I said some things I didn’t have no business saying…”
“We love the same man,” Laura said. “Things’re gonna be said. Feelings’re gonna get hurt.”
Dani couldn’t find the words to reply.
Laura squeezed Dani’s hand. “The day you brought Sarah and Otis into my life, you give me back my purpose, sweetie. I don’t know if you’re altogether good. Don’t know if anyone is. I do know that you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Dani sat with her and filled her in on the new hire. “She calls herself a temporary hire, but I’ll talk her into sticking around.”
“What do the boys think of her?”
“Friar’s scared of her.”
“Good.”
“And Randle can’t stand her.”
“Perfect. She’ll fit right in.”
When an hour had passed, Laura showed signs of exhaustion, so Dani said her goodbyes. Before she could pull her hand away, Laura gave it one last squeeze and said, “You’re to do two things for me, Deputy Savage.”
“Yes, ma’am, anything.”
“You’re not to let Otis do no more jawing about retiring. Randle tells me Rucker’s got his sights on the office, and I won’t have that. You hear me?”
“Loud and clear, ma’am. Otis’ll run again. You can count on it.”
Laura patted her hand and then asked Dani to lean in closer. “Most important, you don’t let Otis ever find out who done this to me. I got no idea if you even know, but if you should find out, Otis is never to know. He’ll ruin his life to set things straight.”
Dani leaned in even closer and whispered, “There’s no need for Otis to know because I made a friend that’s gonna set things straight for us.”