crumpled as her legs weakened.
Sheila and Donna, who flanked Susan, grabbed her by the elbows and kept her on her feet. Sheila gave the deputy a censoring glare.
Richard cleared his throat and said, "But the doctors say he'll be just fine. Honest to Pete, Mrs. Redman. You don't have to worry about Sheriff Bishop."
Susan willed herself to be strong. She hadn't fallen apart when Lowell was killed and she wasn't going to come to pieces now. Hank wasn't dead. He had been shot, was undergoing surgery and would come through just fine. Surely the good Lord wouldn't take away both of the men she loved. Not Lowell and Hank. No compassionate God could be that cruel, could He?
The minute they reached the waiting room, Caleb Bishop stopped pacing, turned and opened his arms to Susan. She went gladly into his comforting embrace.
"He's going to be okay," Caleb said. "I talked to him for a minute before they wheeled him out of ER and up to surgery."
"He was conscious when they brought him in?" Susan asked, pulling out of Caleb's arms.
"Oh, he was conscious, all right," Caleb said. "I thought the doctor in the ER was going to have to knock him out to work on him."
Susan smiled, remembering how bossy and take-charge Hank had always had been. "I suppose he thought he knew more than the doctor."
Caleb chuckled. "Partly. But mostly he was worried about you, about how you'd react when you found out he'd been shot. He kept telling me to make sure you didn't get too upset."
Susan glanced meaningfully at Deputy Holman. Caleb nodded his understanding.
"You know how protective Hank is of you, your being Lowell's widow and all," Caleb said. "He was concerned about the baby."
Tears filled Susan's eyes. Caleb led her over to a vinyl sofa in the corner. When she sat, Sheila and Donna closed in ranks to sit on either side of her.
"Have you had a chance to call Tallie?" Sheila asked.
"Yeah, I put in a call to her a few minutes ago," Caleb said. "She and Peyt should be here in a couple of hours."
Time passed slowly, agonizingly. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours. Tallie and her husband, Governor Peyton Rand, arrived and joined the vigil. Richard's wife, an R.N. at the hospital, stopped by frequently, as did Kendra Camp, who worked upstairs in the obstetrical ward. Sheriff's deputies and city policemen trickled in and out, concerned about Hank. Businessmen and farmers, friends and acquaintances called to check on the progress of Hank's surgery. Susan's neighbors, Mrs. Dobson and Mrs. Brown, brought in sandwiches and coffee and offered their prayers. The whole county was breathing a collective sigh of relief that Carl Bates had finally been apprehended and was behind bars. And every citizen of Crooked Oak and the surrounding towns knew who they could thank for capturing the man who had killed Lowell Redman.
"The Bishop family?" the doctor in green scrubs inquired as he halted outside the waiting room.
Everyone jumped, almost in unison. Caleb walked over to the doctor, Tallie fast on his heels. Susan stood slowly, walked across the room and waited behind Hank's siblings.
"Hank came through surgery just fine," Dr. Hall said, and went on to explain Hank's condition quite succinctly. "He's in SICU, but I expect we'll move him into a private room by tonight. If there are no complications—and I don't expect any—he should be able to go home by the end of the week."
"When can we see him?" Caleb asked.
"A couple of family members can go in and see him in a few minutes," Dr. Hall said, then disappeared down the hallway.
"I'll feel a lot better when I see for myself that he's alive," Tallie said, then hugged Caleb.
Caleb glanced at Susan and said, "I think you should go in with Tallie and see Hank."
"No, that's all right—" Susan said.
Tallie glanced back and forth from Caleb to Susan, her eyes questioning. A look of annoyance wrinkled her forehead. "What's going on? What don't I know?"
"Nothing, smarty-pants," Caleb said.
Sheila and Donna, who flanked Susan, grabbed her by the elbows and kept her on her feet. Sheila gave the deputy a censoring glare.
Richard cleared his throat and said, "But the doctors say he'll be just fine. Honest to Pete, Mrs. Redman. You don't have to worry about Sheriff Bishop."
Susan willed herself to be strong. She hadn't fallen apart when Lowell was killed and she wasn't going to come to pieces now. Hank wasn't dead. He had been shot, was undergoing surgery and would come through just fine. Surely the good Lord wouldn't take away both of the men she loved. Not Lowell and Hank. No compassionate God could be that cruel, could He?
The minute they reached the waiting room, Caleb Bishop stopped pacing, turned and opened his arms to Susan. She went gladly into his comforting embrace.
"He's going to be okay," Caleb said. "I talked to him for a minute before they wheeled him out of ER and up to surgery."
"He was conscious when they brought him in?" Susan asked, pulling out of Caleb's arms.
"Oh, he was conscious, all right," Caleb said. "I thought the doctor in the ER was going to have to knock him out to work on him."
Susan smiled, remembering how bossy and take-charge Hank had always had been. "I suppose he thought he knew more than the doctor."
Caleb chuckled. "Partly. But mostly he was worried about you, about how you'd react when you found out he'd been shot. He kept telling me to make sure you didn't get too upset."
Susan glanced meaningfully at Deputy Holman. Caleb nodded his understanding.
"You know how protective Hank is of you, your being Lowell's widow and all," Caleb said. "He was concerned about the baby."
Tears filled Susan's eyes. Caleb led her over to a vinyl sofa in the corner. When she sat, Sheila and Donna closed in ranks to sit on either side of her.
"Have you had a chance to call Tallie?" Sheila asked.
"Yeah, I put in a call to her a few minutes ago," Caleb said. "She and Peyt should be here in a couple of hours."
Time passed slowly, agonizingly. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours. Tallie and her husband, Governor Peyton Rand, arrived and joined the vigil. Richard's wife, an R.N. at the hospital, stopped by frequently, as did Kendra Camp, who worked upstairs in the obstetrical ward. Sheriff's deputies and city policemen trickled in and out, concerned about Hank. Businessmen and farmers, friends and acquaintances called to check on the progress of Hank's surgery. Susan's neighbors, Mrs. Dobson and Mrs. Brown, brought in sandwiches and coffee and offered their prayers. The whole county was breathing a collective sigh of relief that Carl Bates had finally been apprehended and was behind bars. And every citizen of Crooked Oak and the surrounding towns knew who they could thank for capturing the man who had killed Lowell Redman.
"The Bishop family?" the doctor in green scrubs inquired as he halted outside the waiting room.
Everyone jumped, almost in unison. Caleb walked over to the doctor, Tallie fast on his heels. Susan stood slowly, walked across the room and waited behind Hank's siblings.
"Hank came through surgery just fine," Dr. Hall said, and went on to explain Hank's condition quite succinctly. "He's in SICU, but I expect we'll move him into a private room by tonight. If there are no complications—and I don't expect any—he should be able to go home by the end of the week."
"When can we see him?" Caleb asked.
"A couple of family members can go in and see him in a few minutes," Dr. Hall said, then disappeared down the hallway.
"I'll feel a lot better when I see for myself that he's alive," Tallie said, then hugged Caleb.
Caleb glanced at Susan and said, "I think you should go in with Tallie and see Hank."
"No, that's all right—" Susan said.
Tallie glanced back and forth from Caleb to Susan, her eyes questioning. A look of annoyance wrinkled her forehead. "What's going on? What don't I know?"
"Nothing, smarty-pants," Caleb said.
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