AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, I see. Can I ask you something personal?”
He shrugged casually. “Sure, but that doesn’t guarantee I’ll answer.”
“Fair enough. How did you get that scar?” She gestured toward his cheek. “As a nurse, I’m always curious about these things.”
“To be honest, I have no idea,” he replied with a hint of frustration in his voice.
“What do you mean?”
“I have no memory of the night it happened.”
“None at all?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Were you alone when it happened?”
“No. There were four of us on the job that night. We had received information from a CI, a confidential informant, about the location of some rustlers. We left the office to apprehend them but after that, everything is a blank. One of my colleagues was fatally shot—”
She gasped in shock. “Oh my God, was it Mac Carter?”
“You knew Mac?” he asked.
“Yes, his wife Lorna is my best friend.”
“It’s a small world,” he remarked. “So, you also know Eli then?”
“Not well, but I’ve met him through Lorna. He blamed himself for so long after Mac died, but it wasn’t his fault.”
“I may not remember that night, but I do know it wasn’t his fault. From what I was told, the rustlers were using armor-piercing bullets and Mac was gone before he hit the ground. Eli couldn’t have done anything to save him, even if he had been able to get to him.”
“I think Lorna’s persistence about that finally paid off. They’re very happy.”
“Eli is a good man, too.”
“I like him. So, with four of you, didn’t they tell you what happened?”
“They were all taken down before anything happened to me, but Alex told me I managed to get a call out for backup.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t remember any of it. I was in a coma for months.”
“Oh, my goodness, were you hit in the head?”
“Yes. The doctor said it was blunt force trauma, along with three cracked ribs, two broken ribs, a broken nose, a gash on my face, and two gunshot wounds. He said I was lucky to survive. I had a concussion and a traumatic brain injury. They didn’t expect me to live. They had to do surgery to relieve the swelling.”
“It must be difficult not remembering anything, but maybe it’s for the best.”
“My mom says the same thing.” He sighed. “I do remember waking up and seeing her by my bedside, but I had no idea who she was.”
Abbie gasped in sympathy. “I can’t imagine how heartbreaking that must have been for her.”
“She cried when I asked her who she was, but eventually memories of her and my dad, friends, and wife came flooding back. But that night... it’s still a blank.”
“You’re blocking it out.”
Creed chuckled. “That’s exactly what my therapist used to say.”
Abbie’s smile was tinged with sadness as she asked, “Do you recall anything from earlier that day?”
“I remember the feeling of anticipation as we gathered in the office early that morning. We were meeting in the conference room to discuss our plans for the stakeout that night. The rustlers had been causing trouble and we wanted to catch them in the act. I sat at the table with Dave, our boss, Alex, Eli, and Mac. We strategized and agreed on a time to meet back at the office before going our separate ways for the day. That’s all I can remember.”
