Beautifully Unfinished (3 page)

When Lucy reached the hospital later that night, she took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. She quickly walked towards the entrance, keeping her head down and avoiding eye contact with any passer-by. As she walked towards the door, memories of the last time she was in this hospital crashed into her mind.

When Tucker reached the hospital that night, he parked in front of the main entrance and quickly climbed out of the car. He didn’t wait for Riley. Instead, he pulled open the back door, scooped Lucy up into his arms and held her close to him.

She remembered how safe she felt in his arms and also how hurt she had felt that Riley seemed to be keeping his distance from her. She felt so ashamed and dirty, and Riley keeping his distance just made it worse.

Tucker ran into the emergency room shouting that he needed help. Lucy could hear the concern in his voice. Before she knew it, she was being brought into a brightly lit room where they instructed Tucker to put her on the trolley in the centre of the room.

They wouldn’t let Tucker stay with her while she was being examined. As he set her down on the trolley, she clung to him like her life depended on it.

“Lucy,” he said as he looked into her eyes and smiled. “It’s okay; you’re safe now. I promise you, no one else can hurt you.”

“Please don’t leave me,” she whispered.

“I won’t leave you,” Tucker promised. “I will stay right outside this door and keep you safe until your dad gets here.”

“You promise?”  She asked.

“I promise,” he replied with a smile.

That was the last time she had seen Tucker. That was her only regret from back then. She was sorry she left without thanking him for his kindness that night.

Lucy pushed those memories out of her head as she approached the reception in the emergency room.

“Good evening,” a middle-aged nurse behind the large wooden desk said with a smile. “How can I help you?”

“My dad,” Lucy began nervously, knowing once she said his name, everyone would know who she was. She knew that it had been nine years since she left, but she also knew this was a small town, and small towns have a way of never forgetting. “Chief Tom Chance, I got a call to say he was here, that he was in surgery.”

“Are you Lucy?” The lady said with a broad smile. “I’m Clare Warren, I spoke to you on the phone.”

“Nice to meet you,” Lucy replied, relieved that the nurse seemed genuinely friendly. “And thank you so much for the call. My dad can be stubborn sometimes. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had insisted you didn’t call me at all.”

“Well,” the nurse laughed as she came around the counter. “He wasn’t very pleased when I said I was whether he liked it or not. He is out of surgery and is in a room upstairs. I will take you straight up to him.”

“Thank you,” Lucy said and followed the nurse down the corridor to the elevators.

“He was really lucky,” Clare said as they rode up in the elevator together. “He was hit in the shoulder, but it was a through and through. The real issue was the second bullet that hit his hip. They have repaired the damage, but it will be a long road to recovery.”

Lucy sensed there was more the nurse wasn’t telling her.

“There is more, isn’t there?” Lucy asked as the elevator came to a stop. The nurse didn’t talk for a moment. Instead, she stepped off the elevator and held it for Lucy to get off too.

Lucy stepped off, stopped in front of Clare and looked at her expectantly. When the nurse’s eyes met hers, Lucy held her breath.

“The bullet shattered your father’s hip, but it also damaged some of the nerves,” she finally explained. “The doctors have done all they could, but we have no way of knowing just how much power he will regain. He could make a full recovery, or he could be left with limited movement.”

“Does he know this?” Lucy asked.

“He has been told,” Clare sighed. “But he is, well, I don’t know how much he is taking in. When we told him and suggested we ask you to come, all he was worried about was not being a burden to you, that you didn’t feel like you had no choice but to come back. He didn’t seem that interested in his recovery. You were all he was worried about.”

“Yeah,” Lucy sighed, and a tiny stab of guilt ran through her body. “Sounds like Dad alright. So, he doesn’t know I am coming.”

“No,” Clare confirmed. “He is still out from the anaesthetic, but you can sit with him if you like.”

“Yes please,” Lucy replied.

The nurse led Lucy to her father’s room. She stepped through the door and her heart tightened to see her dad lying there with drips and wires attached to him, wearing an oxygen mask.

“It looks worse than it is,” Clare explained. “Most of the machines are just for precaution.”

“Okay,” Lucy nodded as she stepped closer to the bed.

“I will leave you two alone,” Clare said as softly touched Lucy’s arm and smiled. Lucy held her breath and tensed at the simple touch from this kindly woman in front of her. She couldn’t bear to be touched by anyone. The only exceptions to this rule were her father and her assistant, Alison.

It took Lucy a long time to get used to Alison’s touchy-feely nature, but little by little she got past her fears. She took slow, steady breaths and forced a smile on her face.

You can do this; you can do this!
She chanted in her mind, over and over. Lucy breathed a sigh of relief when Clare walked out of the room and left her alone with her father.

Lucy walked to the chair beside the bed and sat down. She reached out and carefully put her hand into her fathers.

“Hey, Dad,” she whispered as suddenly her eyes glazed over with unshed tears. “I’m here.”

She quickly brushed the tears from her eyes and squeezed his hand a little firmer, but her dad didn’t respond. So she sat quietly and watched him sleep, as his chest rose and fell with each breath.

She wasn’t sure how long she was sitting there, but eventually her eyes grew heavier. She lay her head down on the side of the bed and pressed her cheek to the back of her father’s hand.

“I love you, Dad,” she whispered softly. “I am sorry I waited until now to come home to you.”

Lucy closed her eyes and listened to his gentle breathing. She didn’t know why, but she always found listening to him sleeping, very calming. She suddenly felt exhausted and slowly she could feel herself drifting off.

Lucy woke suddenly, and for a moment, she had no idea where she was. She froze when she felt someone move next to her, but the moment she heard her father’s croaky voice, she remembered exactly where she was and why she was here.

“Hey,” she said as she turned to him and smiled as she brushed back her hair from her face. “You’re awake. I must have drifted off, I’m sorry. How are you feeling?”

“Like I have been run over by a steamroller,” he groaned, and he took her hand and held it tighter. “But I will be okay. You shouldn’t have come.”

“Of course, I was going to come,” Lucy sighed, as she reached for his hand. “You’re my dad, and you are hurt.”

“But I know how hard it is for you to be here,” he said as he squeezed her hand. Even in the dim early morning light, Lucy could see how tired her father looked.

“I’m okay, Dad,” she said and forced a smile. “It was a long time ago now. I need to get over it.”

“Just promise me you will be careful,” her father said, and Lucy could see the worry in his eyes.

“I will be just fine,” she replied as she placed her other hand over his hand. “Now tell me, how did this happen?”

“I was in the bank,” Tom began with a sigh. “And this dumb kid came in waving a gun around the damn place. There were women with little ones in there. I had to do something.”

“Of course, you did,” Lucy sighed, knowing exactly what her father was like.

“I nearly had the kid talked down too,” he continued angrily. “When some stupid rent-a-cop security guard pulled his gun. The kid panicked and began shooting.”

“Oh God!” Lucy exclaimed as she closed her eyes and thanked God for not letting her father die.

“He was just a kid,” her father continued. “No more than sixteen. The security guard killed him.”

“He died!” Lucy exclaimed.

“I could have talked him down,” her father said, and Lucy could see the sadness in his eyes.

“You tried your best, Dad,” Lucy said, giving her dad a reassuring smile. “You can’t save them all.”

“And that’s something I know all too well,” he sighed, regretfully. “Now tell me, how are you doing?”

“I’m good,” Lucy said with a smile. “Business is good, busy.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Tom quickly replied.

“I know what you meant, Dad,” Lucy sighed. “And I promise, I am fine.”

“Are you going to stay at the hotel?” Tom asked, and surprised his daughter.

“No!” She replied, confused why he would even suggest this. “Why would I want to do that?”

“Because it would be safer,” Tom explained. “There will be more people around.”

“Dad, I live in New York,” Lucy laughed. “I know how to look after myself. Now please, stop worrying.”

“I can’t help it,” he said with a sad smile. “I don’t want to let you down, not again.”

“Daddy, you never let me down,” Lucy said, sad her dad would even feel this way. She knew he had always felt guilty, that as the Chief of Police, he couldn’t bring Trent McAlister to justice for what he had done to her, but Lucy never blamed him for that. “Please don’t say things like that.”

“I can’t help how I feel, Peanut,” Tom said. “I am your dad; it was my job to keep you safe.”

“Stop,” Lucy said as the tears welled up in her eyes. “I don’t want this. I don’t want you blaming yourself for what…what he did.”

She stood up and walked to the window of her father’s room and looked out over the town as the sun slowly rose in the sky. She remembered when she loved everything about this town. Now, it just filled her with sadness.

“Lucy, Sweetheart,” Tom said, as he watched his daughter closely. “The last thing I want to do is upset you. I am grateful that you have come, but I don’t what you hurt again.”

“Dad,” she said as she turned to him and walked back to him slowly. “I am done with letting him ruin my life. It’s time I came home. You need me, and I want to do this. Please don’t fight me on this.”

“Okay,” he smiled. “I won’t lie; it’s good to have you here. I miss having you around.”

“Good,” Lucy replied as she took her seat next to her father’s bed. “I will be here as long as you need me.”

“Thanks, Peanut,” Tom said, just as a nurse walked into his room.

“Good morning,” she said as she walked up to the far side of Tom’s bed. “How are you feeling this morning, Chief?”

“A bit sore,” he said with a smiled that made Lucy smile too. No matter how bad things were, she knew her dad would always try to put on a brave front. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Well, maybe we will give you something to make sure the pain doesn’t get worse,” she said with a knowing grin and winked at Lucy. “I just want to check your dressings first.”

“I think I will grab a coffee,” Lucy said as she stood up and grabbed her handbag. “And give you some privacy.”

“Okay, Sweetheart,” Tom said, but his expression instantly changed to one of concern.

“I won’t be long, Dad,” Lucy said as she bent down and kissed her father’s cheek. “Please don’t worry.”

She smiled once more before she turned and headed towards the door. Stepping outside, her smile instantly fell. She wished she felt as confident and unfazed as she tried to appear to her father.

She needed to find a vending machine as soon as possible then return to the safety of her father’s room.

“Good morning,” she said to a nurse that was sitting behind the desk at the nurse’s station. “Can you point me to a vending machine, please?”

“Sure,” the nurse replied as she stood up and pointed down the corridor. “Down the hallway, and turn left. There is a machine across from the elevators.”

“Thanks,” Lucy said and smiled gratefully before she turned and headed down the hallway, keeping her head down.

When she reached the machine, she dug into her pocket for some change and slotted it into the machine before she made her selection.