Page 11 of Tropical Heat

“I was there the night Eddie was born. By then Cooper had been on the job long enough to understand the dangers that come with it. He asked me to promise if anything happened to him, I would make sure his son had a father figure in his life.” I paused and looked at her. “That explains why I am still here. But what about you?”

Morgan studied her hands for a long time before speaking without looking up. “In med school, they tell you to never become emotionally invested in a case. Advice, I have always followed, because emotions can cloud your judgement. But this one hits different.”

She took a deep breath as I waited for her to continue. “I grew up in rural West Virginia. There weren't a lot of opportunities to better yourself. I busted my ass to get good grades so I could get the hell out of there. From an early age, I knew I wanted to be a doctor. But my sister Tammy stayed behind, content to work in the coal mines like my father and grandfather had.”

“It was my second year of residency. I was dating a man named Charles. He was the first man I ever loved and couldn’t stand the thought of us being apart at Christmas. I invited him to come home with me for the holidays. My family found him as charming as I did.” She gave a thin smile.

“A few days before Christmas, Tammy told me the old gang was gathering at Ernie's Tavern. I thought it would be nice to see the people I went to school with, but Charles informed me he had made dinner reservations for the same evening. Since the reservation wasn’t until eight o’clock, we worked out a compromise where we would go with Tammy for a drink or two before heading to dinner.”

She looked up as if to confirm I was listening, before returning her attention to her hands. “I enjoyed catching up with friends I had lost touch with, but I could tell by the way Charles kept checking his watch he was eager to get out of there.”

“When I went to tell Tammy we were leaving, she was doing shots with some of her friends from the mine. It was obvious she was wasted. I told Charles we would need to make sure she got home safe. He was not happy about it.”

“I was as disappointed as he was. By then, I was convinced he planned to propose at dinner. So when Tammy's friend Phil, a diabetic who never drank, offered to take her home, we left.” She was silent for a long time, but I was fairly sure I already knew how the story ended.

“Everyone at the bar agreed Phil was stone cold sober when he helped Tammy into the passenger seat of his Ford Focus.” Her lower lip trembled. “But the same could not be said of the driver of the Suburban that went left of center. Phil died on impact.”

“Where I grew up is still very rural and unincorporated. Meaning there are no full-time emergency services, just a few volunteer firemen with some EMT training.” She was holding back tears now. “Not that it would have made much of a difference. My sister was in critical shape when they arrived and the nearest hospital, equipped to deal with her injuries, was three hours away. She died en route.”

I took her hand in mine and said the only thing I could. “I’m sorry.”

She waved me off. “It was a long time ago. I’ve gotten over it. At least I thought I had until today.” We sat in silence until Morgan suggested we check on Patti.

In the elevator, on the way to the ICU unit, I asked if Charles ended up proposing. She shook her head. “I got the call from Mom telling me what happened before he had a chance.”

“We broke up right after the funeral. I couldn't even kiss him without feeling guilty. If I hadn't been so in love…” her voice broke. “If I had insisted we stay and drive Tammy home, she would still be alive today.”

I put a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened, but did not pull away. “You can’t blame yourself for what happened to your sister. A drunk driver killed him, not you.”

“Part of me understands that, but she is still dead because I put my feelings for Charles ahead of her. It’s why I avoid romantic entanglements. I never want to be in a position of having to choose between two people I love, ever again.” She removed my hand from her shoulder, and we stepped into the waiting room.

Patti was surrounded by her and Cooper’s family. The deputies who had kept vigil throughout the night were now gone. They had shifts to cover and families of their own to go home and hug. I bent to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I am going to head out for a while. If there is any change in his condition or you need anything, call me right away.”

Jumping from his grandmother’s lap, Eddie ran to me. “I’m scared Uncle Dante. Is daddy going to be OK?”

I did not know what to say, so I looked at Morgan. “This is Dr. Lewis. She’s one of the people that took care of your dad last night.”

His eyes went wide, and he hugged her tightly before running back to Patti’s mom. Morgan wiped a tear from her eye and led me to the door. On our way out, we passed a man in a white coat coming in. She stopped and clutched my hand when he approached Patti. From where we were standing, I had to strain to hear his words.

‘Mrs. Cooper, as you already know, your husband was in rough shape when he was brought in last night. We did everything we could to save him, but despite our best efforts…’

I knew how this conversation ended and walked out before he finished. Morgan caught up with me at the elevator. We did not speak on the way down. I would later learn the official cause of the death was a hemorrhagic stroke. But there was no doubt in my mind as to the actual cause of Cooper’s death. A drunk driver named Jacob Hauser had killed him and I intended to make sure he went away for a very long time.

Morgan and I exited the hospital together. The cloudless blue sky and warm rays of the sun did nothing to brighten our moods. I surveyed the parking lot. With everyone back on duty, there was no one for me to catch a ride back to the barracks with. She seemed to recognize my predicament. “Do you need a ride somewhere?”

I considered my options. If I went back to the barracks to pick up my car, I would have to be the one to break the news of Cooper’s death. A task I was not up for at the moment. If I went home, Zak would already be gone for the day and I would be all alone in the big empty house we shared. Sensing Morgan wanted company as badly as I did, I asked, “Are you hungry? We could grab some breakfast.”

“We both need to eat, but I don’t want to be around other people right now. If we go to my place, I could make us grilled cheese sandwiches or we could order in.” Grilled cheese sounded very comforting.

When she pulled into the Paradise Fishing Lodge, I did a poor job of hiding my surprise. “I know, right? It’s the best the hospital could arrange for temporary housing. I’m still looking for something more permanent.” She opened the door to room 104 and a minute later, surprised me again by locking the door behind us and kissing me on the lips.

Nine

Morgan

I still am not sure why I kissed Dante. It's not like I had some elaborate plan to lure him back to my room and have sex with him. Even though that is exactly what happened.

Holding me at arm's length, he asked if I was sure this was what I wanted. I told him I was, but in truth, the only thing I was sure of was the need for physical contact. It was the only way I knew to silence the memories.

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