Page 66 of Pooh

Chubs: All good thoughts. See you soon.

It’s been a few hours and the waiting room is full of Devil’s Angels, their women and a few of the women from New Horizons. There are also a few police officers standing around and one of them is Officer Kantola. I know she feels somewhat responsible, so I make my way to where she is standing against a wall. I lean a shoulder against the wall so I’m facing her.

“I keep running our conversation through my mind. I can’t remember if I warned Pippa that Anne’s partner was a female or not,” Officer Kantola says quietly while staring straight ahead.

“Would that have made a difference?” I ask.

“I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. If she knew that Anne’s partner was a female and she saw a strange one walking up to them, maybe it would have.”

“This isn’t your fault, either way it went down. This is all on the partner. Have they caught her yet?”

“No, not yet. I want to get out there and help search but I need to know that Pippa is okay first,” she replies.

“Go. You go do your thing and I’ll let you know as soon as we hear something about Pippa,” I order.

Officer Kantola hesitates but then leaves. As she’s walking out the door, Chubs enters it and heads directly to Tammy. After a hug and a few whispered words, Tammy gives up a small smile. Leave it up to Chubs to say the right thing at the right time. He gives her a kiss on the forehead and walks my way.

“Hey, brother. Here for you if you need anything. Always,” Chubs says when he reaches my side.

“I know you are, Chubs. You always are. Doctor is hopeful. Keep those good thoughts coming. How’s Craig?”

“He’s fine. Don’t worry about the little guy. He’s with Lucy and they have Horse Nuts to keep them safe.”

I see Vex standing at the nurse’s desk talking with the one seated there. It’s not long and she is up and walking down the hall with Vex following. Chubs sees me watching Vex and says, “Has he seemed off to you lately? He just doesn’t seem to be himself the last few weeks.”

“Yeah, he does seem off. Not sure why. He hasn’t said much to me,” I reply.

I watch Vex and the nurse come back down the hall toward us and see him separate from the nurse with a set of scrubs in his hands. He walks up to Tammy, speaks for a moment, and walks off, leaving the clothes with Tammy. Trigger leads Tammy to a restroom and enters with her. I feel stupid for not thinking about her bloodied clothes sooner. Good looking out, Vex. I give him a chin lift when he gets to my side and leans against the wall next to me.

“Rex said to tell you and Tammy that he’s sorry he’s not here yet. He’s getting the security feeds to the police. The new security camera that he installed caught the shooting on film,” Vex says quietly.

“Glad he can help them. Not sure if I want to see that video though. Did he know anything else?” I ask.

“The attacker, a woman named Becky Wilson, has been Anne’s partner for several years. She was the jealous type. Sperm donor was used and Anne carried both the children. Several 911 calls during the years they were together about abuse to Anne. Anne’s parents and siblings disowned her when she came out as a lesbian. The gun that Becky dropped when Tammy tackled her was a Ruger .380. Junk gun she bought on the street at some point. That’s all Rex has heard so far. He’ll keep us posted. What do you and Tammy need?”

“Nothing. The waiting is the hardest part. Just glad you’re here, Vex. Appreciate it, brother.”

“We’re family. Wouldn’t be anywhere else. Maybe if Anne’s family thought that way, none of us would be here right now.”

“Yeah,” I reply, disgusted at her family.

“We’re going to be here for a while yet so I’m going to see if they’ll let us donate blood. Might as well help others while we’re here for one of our own,” Vex declares as he walks off toward the nurse’s station again.

Everyone in the room volunteered to donate blood, so in groups of two and three, we’ve taken turns going to the floor below and having blood drawn. Now we’re all back to waiting. It’s not long after I get back to the waiting room that the surgeon walks in and asks for the family of Pippa Holbrook. Tammy and I rush forward while every person in the room stands and comes closer to hear the news.

“I’m Pippa’s mom. How’s she doing?” Tammy asks.

“She did great. She’s in recovery and will be transferred to ICU in a little while. Two at a time can visit her there but only for five or ten minutes an hour. She lost a lot of blood and that’s still a concern. I had to remove a small portion of her liver due to the damage from the bullet. She was bleeding internally but we think we got all the bleeds stopped. She should recover fully but the next few days are the critical ones. If you have any questions, please ask. I’ll have a nurse come get you when Pippa is in ICU and you can come see her,” the surgeon informs us.

“Can she live a normal life with part of her liver gone?” Trigger questions.

“Absolutely. She’ll recover fully and live a normal life barring any complications or infection. I’m very optimistic about her recovery.”

“Thank you,” I say. I can’t describe the relief that’s pouring through my body but I suspect he knows. He nods, smiles and walks off.

Tammy and I are escorted to ICU and get to spend a few minutes with Pippa. She’s unconscious but just seeing her makes both of us feel better. She’s pale and so still it’s scary, but she’s alive. There are a lot of machines and wires surrounding her bed, but the nurse explained that is customary and that Pippa’s vitals are good. We leave her room and head back to the waiting room to wait for the next hour when we can visit her again. When we reach the waiting room, Trigger and Chubs approach us immediately.

“Craig is starting to question Lucy about where you and Pippa are,” Chubs informs Tammy. “She’s been keeping him busy but he needs to be told at some point.”

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