The Color of the Season by Julianne MacLean Read Free Book Online

asked.
    “No.”
    “Chest pain? Pain in your calves?”
    “My thigh’s pretty sore.”
    He turned to the nurse. “Get him some Dilaudid. Two milligrams. Slow IV push.” He held a finger up in front of my face. “Now I want you to follow my finger with your eyes. Any double vision?”
    “No.”
    “Good. Now look at my nose.” He shone a penlight in both my eyes. “Very good.” Leaning back, he dropped the light into his pocket. “Squeeze my fingers as hard as you can. Excellent, Josh.” He told me to lift my good leg. “Now try to resist while I push down.”
    While he checked my reflexes, I asked, “What happened to me…exactly?”
    It was a pretty broad inquiry, considering all the questions I had about the past five days.
    He peered at me curiously over the rims of his spectacles. “Josh, do you remember anything about what occurred?”
    Feeling tired all of a sudden, I closed my eyes. “I know I was wounded while pursuing a suspect. He shot me in the stomach and the leg.”
    “Good,” the doctor said.
    I opened my eyes and turned my head on the pillow. “Did you just say ‘good’?”
    He chuckled. “I meant it’s good that you remember what happened. And do you know where you are? What city?”
    “I’m in the hospital, and this is Boston.” I took a few seconds to draw in a breath. “Is my partner okay? What about the woman in the van? Do you know anything about that?”
    “I’m afraid not,” Dr. Crosby said. “But I’m sure your colleagues will be in to see you in the morning. Your family’s been here constantly. Tonight was the first night none of them stayed, only because the nurses badgered them to go home and get some rest.” He consulted the clipboard and flipped one of the pages over the back. “Oh, and your girlfriend was here as well.”
    My pulse hammered against the inside of my veins. “Girlfriend?”
    “Yes. Blond hair. Nice smile. She had a daughter with her…”
    “Carla?”
    He wrote something down on the chart. “I’m not sure what her name was. You’d know better than I would.”
    I swallowed uneasily and wondered if Carla had changed her mind about us. Maybe the thought of losing me— really losing me—had caused her to rethink her decision. Or did she just feel guilty?
    Dr. Crosby circled around the bed and checked something on one of the monitors. While he was doing that, the nurse returned and administered what I assumed to be pain medication. I immediately relaxed as it flowed through my system.
    “Can I ask you something?” I said to the doctor, turning my head on the pillow.
    “Sure.” He seemed distracted by what he was writing in my chart.
    “Did my heart stop while I was in the operating room?”
    That caused him to look up. He inclined his head slightly. “Why would you ask that?”
    I wasn’t sure how to explain because I didn’t want to come off as a nutcase, but I needed to know what happened.
    “I think I had a…” I paused and spoke in a whisper. “I’m not sure what to call it. It was some kind of experience, I guess.”
    “What kind of experience?”
    My mouth went dry. “This is going to sound crazy. I don’t even know if it was real. Maybe it was just a dream. Or maybe it was one of those… You know…”
    He shook his head and leaned a little closer.
    I glanced over at the nurse, who appeared busy with something. “It might have been one of those near-death experiences.” I whispered, “ I saw a light. ”
    For a moment the doctor studied my pupils. “What kind of light?”
    “I’m not sure how to describe it. It was…peaceful. It drew me in.”
    “What else did you see, Josh?”
    Terrific. He did think I was a nut. I could hear it in his voice.
    I probably should have shrugged it all off right there and said it was just a dream. It must have been the drugs that made me continue to blabber on because I was pretty sure that when I sobered up from all this, I wouldn’t want the guys at the station to hear about