“Where’s my sister!” I heard my sister’s cool, don’t-mess-with-me tone demand from a distance beyond the closed curtain where I was being treated in the Emergency Room.
“My daughter? Simone Kerrighan. Please…” I heard Mama Kerri’s more seasoned and lilting, emotional voice come through.
“Over here, guys!” I hollered out.
The blue curtain was pulled away and there were my sister and my foster mother. Sonia put her hands over her mouth and tears filled her ocean blue eyes. With her white blonde hair, red painted lips and those eyes, she looked like an angel. A suit-wearing, super serious angel who was currently trying to hide her devastation.
“Oh, my goodness me, what happened to my girl?” Mama Kerri rounded the bed and cupped both of my cheeks.
“Mama, I’m okay, really. I uh…” I bit down on my bottom lip trying to determine what to tell them, not wanting to worry them unnecessarily.
“I want answers. Now.” My sister had already turned toward the approaching doctor, arms crossed over her chest, her team of suits standing a reasonable distance behind her. The doc was short, Asian, and kept a flat thin line to his lips. He seemed unimpressed with my sister’s demands and ignored her completely. I needed to take notes from the man.
“Ms. Wright-Kerrighan.” He looked down at the electronic device he was holding, using my full name. “Gunshot wound to the arm, bruised hip, scratches and abrasions on the hands and knees.” He flipped a page.
“Gunshot!” My sister gasped, her hand flying to her chest over her heart, interrupting the doc.
“I’m fine, SoSo, just a graze…” I attempted to soothe her concern.
“Just a graze! How? What in the world happened?” My normally insanely calm sister petered out, her bottom lip wobbling as a tear fell down the side of her cheek. She swiped it away as fast as it appeared lest someone see her crack.
Her crying made me tear up, and I was doing damn good considering.
The doctor assessed the work the PA was doing. “Looks great. Once you’re stitched up, we’ll set you up with some antibiotics to ward off an infection. The discharge nurse will go over the cleansing and bandaging procedure. You need to follow up with your doctor in a couple weeks though the stitches should dissolve over the next ten days or so. Leave them clean and dry for the next forty-eight hours but you can take a shower like normal after that timeframe. Any questions?”
“Yes. The agent that I came in with. Is he okay?”
“Can’t say. You’re not family, but a couple of officers would like to speak with you shortly. I told them to wait until you were stitched up.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate it.” I frowned and thought about Agent Fontaine as the doctor left us. The man had saved my life. I didn’t even know his first name and he’d taken three bullets to the chest in order to keep me safe. He could have died. Thank God he was wearing that vest and the criminal took off. Not that I was thrilled he’d taken my car with him, but the alternative would have been worse.
“Sweetheart, what happened?” Mama Kerri squeezed my good hand as my sister came around to the other side of the bed and put her own on my shoulder, comforting me as much as herself. My sister had the ice princess thing down, but not when it came to me. I was her vulnerability in a big way. The weakest link in her armor. Which was also why I hated letting her down more than just about anything.
I swallowed and figured the best policy was always an honest one.
For the next half hour or so I explained what happened—from my douchebag boss, getting gas, the weird experience of the cashier trying to wave me back in that I ignored. Really wished I’d made a different choice at that moment. Then to the guy pulling me over with his gun visible, how I was scared that I was being arrested for no reason, then everything seemed to go dead silent in the room as I detailed what happened when the man crawled out of my car. It was like I was reliving it all over again.
The creak of metal from the door had me flinching.
Feeling the agent’s breath so warm and comforting against my cheek sent a wave of warmth through my body.
His scent wafting around us like a blanket being place around me.
Seeing the light from the car glinting off the shiny black gun. I winced.
Those two eyes holes cut out of the fabric and the one for his mouth flashing like a predator standing over me. I shrank back into the hospital bed on instinct.
The boom of the gun as it went off. I jerked and cried out.
When I came to, blinking away the experience and the retelling of it, Mama Kerri was sitting on the bed and I was in her arms. The PA was done, and I was in the only maternal arms I’d ever remembered. She ran her hand along my hair and back, over and over, as I cried, my face pressed to her ample chest. The smell of fresh cut flowers filled my nose as it always did when Mama Kerri held me. I trembled as she spoke quietly.
“You’re okay, my girl. Just fine. Right here with me and Sonia. We’ve got you, my lovely. I’ve always got you.”
And she did.
From the moment Sonia and I had walked up to her door hand in hand, Mama Kerri took care of us. Like a beautiful earthy goddess. Long, curly strawberry blonde hair. Pale pink lips. Pearly white skin. Eyes that seemed to change from blue to hazel depending on the day or the emotion she felt. However, none of that beauty could beat the sound of her voice. It resonated at a timber and lilt that brought a sense of peace and serenity that couldn’t be matched. Not ever.
“Mama,” I sobbed and gripped onto her wherever I could, letting it all out. The fear. The hopelessness of the situation while it was happening and even the worry over my savior’s prognosis.
“It’s okay. Mama’s here.” She patted my back and whispered against my temple. “You’re just fine. You. Are. Just. Fine.” Her words broke as she held me tighter. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. It sounds terrifying. Don’t you worry though. I’ve got you. Sonia and I have you, dear.”
I sniffled through my tears and took several breaths, allowing her to comfort me until I got myself back in check.
“Senator Wright, please excuse me. I apologize for interrupting, but we just got word the story has already leaked to the press. They saw you coming into the hospital and someone confirmed it was your sister that had been targeted.”
Sonia sighed as I sucked in a huge breath trying not to cry more. “I’m sorry, SoSo. I didn’t…”
“Wasn’t your fault. This was a random act of violence and we need to be grateful that you weren’t more seriously hurt.”
“Actually, about that…” The cute man shuffled his feet and grimaced. “The news is reporting it was an attempt by the Backseat Strangler…”
“What!” Sonia screeched and her entire face went deathly pale.
“No…” I practically choked on the word.
The young assistant, I think his name was Logan, firmed his stance and lifted his chest as he glanced down at his phone. “He crawled into her car at a gas station. Hid in the back.” He was reading something as though he’d been told my story directly. “The only other woman that got away stated he was tall, thin, white, and wore all black including a ski mask.”