Winter Season

Bang

“Honey, you are doin’ a fine job.”

“You’re the teacher.”

“Yes I am and you’re doin’ a fine job.”

She giggled, “a little modest are we?” she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist squeezing his butt.

He grinned, “I am a good teacher. Why be modest about that?” She had her back to the window. Oscar pulled her close and gave her a gentle kiss. “I love you.”

She ran her fingers through his hair, “Mr. Patterson I can say this with the upmost honesty and without hesitation, I love you.”

They both heard an explosion that sounded like a gun shot. In an instant, his window shattered and Esther slumped in his arms.

“Esther!” He shouted, guiding her to the floor. There were little holes in her shirt with blood seeping thru them.

“I’ve been,” she panted. “Shot.”

He grabbed the phone immediately calling Chet. He knelt beside her in the floor, “Ess, please talk to me.”

“Don’t move. For best.” She hissed. Her back was on fire. It felt like someone threw a handful of hot coals on her. She could hear everything, Oscar frantically talking to her. The sirens in the back ground. When EMS arrived, it was all a blur with distorted voices.  

Oscar was a mess, he couldn’t talk to Chet. It was all Chet could do to pull his friend together. Deputies were crawling all over his house and yard. This was a nightmare. With the climax being, the woman he loved was being hauled off in an ambulance.

Chet stayed with him the entire time. Oscar was glad it was a doctor he knew that was working on Esther. The three of them went to high school together. Though he and Bob were never big buddies, they did know each other.

Bob knelt in front of Oscar. “It’s all good Oscar. The confusing part about this is why anyone would shoot someone with buck shot is beyond me. But that’s also the good part. The shots weren’t deep enough to hurt any major organs. Because of the size of the shots, blood loss was to a minimum. We got them all. She should heel quickly. Unless there is a reaction to the medication, she should be able to go home tomorrow. We’re putting her in a room right now, as soon as she’s there, you can go up.”

Oscar ran his fingers through his hair. His eyes were blood shot and his face was puffy. He shook hands with Bob, “thank you.”

“She’s going to be fine.” He reassured Oscar by patting his shoulder.

Oscar kissed her on the cheek and sat down in the chair beside the bed. Staff had her lying on her belly. He could only guess it was to make it easier to get to the wounds to change the dressing. Chet was still by his side.

Bob came back. “Gentlemen, can we talk for a second? There was something I wanted to know. Oscar, did you know that she has been shot before?”

He stared at her. His voiced cracked when he spoke, “no. I knew she used to be a cop.”

Bob continued, “she has one hell of a guardian angel. There is massive amounts of scar tissue throughout her left shoulder.”

Oscar looked wild eyed, “could those injuries cause you not to lift your arm up?”

“Oh yeah, I’m in shock that she has a shoulder.”

Chet spoke, “so you didn’t know?”

Oscar rubbed his face with his hands before shaking his head, no.

“It confuses this small town doctor. She has had an amazing surgeon.” Bob left the room.

One of Chet’s deputies came in with the report. It was the same deputy that was at Oscar’s house when his door was being replaced. “Thank you.” Chet took the report and the deputy left.

“Are you up for talkin’ about this?”

Winter Season