Free MULTIPLE MOTIVES (The Kate Huntington mystery series Book 1) by Kassandra Lamb Page A

He followed as she rushed over to meet the doctor halfway across the room. “Is she awake? Is she going to be okay?”
    “Hopefully to the second question. No to the first,” the doctor answered. “Sit down, please.” They all sat in the nearest chairs. “Your sister’s still unconscious. Whoever hit her, with whatever, got her on the top of her head. That’s good news and bad news. The top of the skull is pretty thick. We did a CAT scan and there are only a couple of hairline fractures. No signs of bleeding or swelling in the brain.”
    Knowing there was an unspoken yet at the end of that last sentence, Kate prompted, “And the bad news?” She understood the brain well enough to suspect what was coming.
    “That’s the part of the brain where some pretty important stuff is. Sensory and motor control centers, memory, upper level reasoning, even our personalities are centered in the frontal and parietal lobes.” The doctor’s voice was gentle but matter-of-fact. “It’s hard to tell at this point if there’s any permanent damage. She’s being admitted and will be going up to intensive care soon. It’s on the third floor. The chief neurologist is on his way in. He might be able to tell you more after he examines her.”
    He paused. “It would be good if you went in to see her as much as the ICU allows. A lot of research indicates there’s still some level of awareness in people who are unconscious. Talking to her, holding her hand, may help bring her around.”
    Kate nodded and was thanking the doctor when the nurse called over, “Mrs. Huntington, your brother-in-law’s on the phone.”
    Kate ran over and grabbed the receiver the nurse was holding up. “We’re not allowed to release information over the phone,” the nurse whispered. “But you can tell him what’s going on. I can’t have my line tied up though.”
    Kate nodded. “Pete, she’s okay,” she lied into the phone. “Are you home? Good, I’ll call you right back on my cell.”
    She handed the phone to the nurse. “Thanks.”
    She turned toward the outside doors. Rob was already in front of them, triggering the automatic opener.
    ~~~~~~~~
    Standing on the sidewalk next to her, Rob was impressed with how well Kate handled the conversation with her brother-in-law. She lied through her teeth when necessary to keep him from panicking, but still managed to convey the need for him to get there as quickly as possible. She finally disconnected.
    “He’s calling his mom to come watch the girls and he’ll get on the first plane he can. Tonight hopefully.” She dropped her phone into her purse.
    “You sounded quite calm,” Rob said.
    “Lots of practice. Unfortunately, it’s a skill I’m only able to apply sporadically in my personal life. Right now, I’m calm. I make no promises about the future…. The doctor wasn’t telling the whole truth, by the way.”
    “What do you mean?” he asked.
    “If she was hit hard enough to produce even hairline fractures, and she’s still out cold, that’s not a good sign. As the doc implied, she may have memory loss, personality changes. She may end up with the IQ of a monkey. She may be paralyzed….”
    And with that, Kate burst into tears. He gathered her up in his arms.
    “What was I thinking?” She sobbed against his shirtfront. “How could I let her come here knowing somebody’s trying to kill me?”
    He held her, searching for something helpful to say. He opted not to voice the first thing that came to mind. It was understandable that she wasn’t thinking straight right now. She’d just lost her husband.
    “This situation isn’t exactly something we’re used to dealing with.” Not exactly brilliant but it was the best he could come up with.
    Her sobs subsided. He stepped back to fish out his handkerchief and handed it to her. “It’s also possible that Mary will wake up in an hour or two with nothing worse than a bad concussion.”
    Kate nodded slightly, then wiped her eyes and