Page 22 of The Other Side

He couldn’t have done it.

“I’m sure I’m safe here. It’s not like the nurses aren’t in and out every half hour. Someone is always close by.” The argument was feeble, even to Thea’s own ears.

“Whatever. Don’t come running to me when he uses you to get back at us.”

“Back at us for what?” Thea had never known which side had been the first to fire shots, but during her lifetime, the uproar began when Bruce killed Brett’s dad and got away with it. The specifics were still a blur. Something about property lines. For all she knew, it could be the truth or a coverup.

A triple knock sounded on the door, and Thea and Emerson looked at each other.

“Um, who is it?” Thea finally asked.

“Officer Scott and Officer Freeman,” a male voice said.

Emerson’s brows lifted as she stood. “Well, that’s my cue to scram. I’ll call you later.”

Thea looked around. “I don’t have my phone. At least, I haven’t seen it since I woke up.”

“Miss Howard?” the officer asked again.

“Come in,” Thea said. Pain vibrated in her throat at the high volume.

Emerson rolled her eyes. “I’ll leave my number with the nurse.” She gave a curt wave and a half smile as she hiked her purse strap higher on her shoulder. The officers came in, and she strode toward the door.

Thea recognized Jennifer Freeman, who was apparently known as Officer Freeman now. She’d been a year older than Thea and Emerson in school, and the looks Emerson and the police officer gave each other said they clearly remembered those high school days when they’d been at odds.

Thea recognized Asa Scott too, but she wasn’t as familiar with him. His mom had given Thea her first job at the antique store in town when she was only sixteen. He’d been a few years older than her, and they hadn’t run in the same circles.

Jennifer closed the door behind Emerson and the officers stood at the foot of the hospital bed.

“Am I in trouble?” Thea asked.

“That’s what we’re here to ask you,” Asa said.

The urge to laugh crept up her throat. Of course, she was in trouble. With the Pattons and her own family. Though, she couldn’t really put her finger on anything she’d done to hurt anyone. She’d spoken up for what she’d thought and hoped was right, and it had earned her a bright-red target on her back–one she’d carry forever.

Thea looked back and forth between the officers. “I’m not sure.”

Officer Scott pulled a small notepad out of his chest pocket. “We’d like to get a statement from you. Have you had any medication recently?”

“Yes. Maybe half an hour ago.”

“We can come back later. Do you know when you’ll be due for another dose?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Did you suffer any head injuries?” Jennifer asked.

“They said I have a concussion.” She’d certainly been feeling off all morning. How long would the concussion symptoms last? Had they already explained it to her and she’d forgotten?

Jennifer pulled out her own notepad. “Did you lose consciousness at any point during or after the injuries?”

“Yes.” She remembered enough to know how her ribs had been broken. She’d be suffering from those nightmares for a while. “I don’t remember being left at the church or how I got here.”

Officer Scott scribbled something on his pad. “I ran into Brett Patton in the hall. We’ll be getting his statement while we’re here. Is it okay to ask him to notify us regarding a good time to come back to talk to you?”

Thea rested her head back against the pillow, feeling the exhaustion of the morning. “Yes, that would be fine.”

Apparently, having Brett around had more perks than she realized. Her head was spinning, and her eyelids were growing heavier by the second.

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