These were the words I wanted to say to Kate and couldn’t. Because that was what Jeff would have told them both. He hunted down the truth and made sure people paid for their crimes. For him it was simple, yet so important. And victims or family members taking responsibility for the crimes in any way? Well, that was simply wrong in his book.

I let go of Emma and apologized. “It’s just that Jeff wouldn’t want you saying that.”

DeShay mumbled, “You got that right, sister.”

One of the uniformed officers silently brought a chair over so Emma could sit by us.

She did. “I came here to Hermann Hospital as soon as I heard, but it was chaos in the emergency room waiting area, so many police and reporters. Someone from a TV station spotted me, started asking questions. I had no answers, and that’s when she told me this man Foster had exchanged my sister for a dead child, that he killed my mother. She said he’d been shot and was taken to Ben Taub Hospital, so I went there.”

“Why would you ever do that?” Kate asked.

“I don’t know-at least, my conscious mind didn’t know. I guess I thought I could walk in and ask him why. That’s all I wanted, really-to know why. Kravitz must have been hanging around there, because he found me. Before he could talk to me she walked in with her… daughter. A police officer whisked them away pretty quickly.”

“Who are you talking about?” I asked, even though I was pretty sure I knew.

“Foster’s wife… and his daughter. She looks like Shannon. And so much like my mother.” Tears welled. “That one glance may be all I’ll ever get of my sister. And then I thought about you again and I had to come back here. You’ve paid such a high price for-”

I put a finger to her lips. “Quit that. Jeff’s the strongest person I’ve ever met, and he’ll pull through.”

Nods in the room, like silent amens.

Minutes that seemed like hours later, a woman in surgical scrubs appeared in the doorway. “Next of kin?” she said solemnly, scanning the grim faces in the room.

I felt sick, felt like I was falling off the earth.

DeShay took my elbow, lifted me from my chair, walked me over to face this tired-looking, sober messenger. “This is Jeff’s next of kin,” he said.

She didn’t question whether that was true or not. She just started talking. “We had to remove the spleen. And repairing his lung was delicate, but my team and I believe we have a decent outcome. The bullet passed between the ribs and lodged near the heart, so the length of the surgery-”

“Is he going to be all right?” I sounded impatient and harsh and maybe a little crazy. I didn’t care.

Her smile was small and tight. She had no laugh lines and I imagined that smile was probably difficult for her to produce. “Yes. I believe he will make a full recovery.”

The room erupted in whoops. There were hugs and high fives, and despite the clamor, I heard the doctor say, “He’ll be in recovery for at least an hour before being transferred to ICU. You can visit him once he’s settled. Don’t be alarmed by all the tubes. We’re giving him blood, draining his lung, monitoring every part of him.” Then she got out of there as fast as she could.

Kate and Emma wrapped their arms around me. We swayed with joy, my face wet with tears. Then DeShay joined us. He buried his face in my hair, and his strong hand on my back felt wonderful. I put an arm around his waist, and then suddenly the room grew quiet again and we released one another.

The chief of police had arrived. He said, “Don’t let me stop the celebration. We’ve had wonderful news about our fellow officer, Sergeant Jeffrey Kline. I want to personally thank all of you for being here for your brother, for giving your blood, for offering your free time, for comforting Jeff’s partner and his good friends. Carry on.” He looked at me then.

I never thought I’d hear a damn speech in a hospital. The chief walked over and picked up my hands. “Abby Rose, correct?”

I nodded, wondering how he knew.

“I understand you and Sergeant Kline are very close,” he went on. “This has been a horrendous day for you and for the rest of your family-the women this criminal took hostage. On behalf of the city, I want to thank you for your assistance in bringing this man to justice. Do not entertain any fear that charges will be filed against you.”

Charges? I couldn’t believe this. I take down a bad guy and he’s talking about charges? And somehow this all felt rehearsed, insincere.

“There is one more favor I ask on behalf of Houston. It is my understanding that a television program has been following this case, that they even lost one of their investigators-a man who was guarding the home where the hostage situation took place.”

I hadn’t even asked what happened to Kravitz’s man, had totally forgotten about him. I swallowed hard. “Oh, no. He’s dead?”

“Apparently when Mr. Foster brought your sister to the house, he… he eliminated him before this investigator could call for help.”

I looked at Kate. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Her lips were trembling, her face streaked with tears. “I-I couldn’t think about that. Couldn’t have you thinking about that. Not until we knew if Jeff would be okay.”

“But… but you watched him kill someone, Kate.” I looked at the chief. “That’s what you’re saying, right?”

He nodded. “Paul Kravitz is currently in the media room we’ve set up. He called nine-one-one and-”

“No, the other reporter, Mary Parsons, did that,” I said. “That bastard Kravitz disappeared.”

“Seems you’re unaware we had two emergency calls about the incident. Kravitz called from his man’s car, stayed with him, hoping he could be revived. Help was on the way as soon as Sergeant Kline went down, but you acted swiftly, probably avoided a prolonged and dangerous hostage situation. We all admire your courage, not to mention your marksmanship, Ms. Rose.”

But he was about as genuine as a furniture salesman. Why? What was going on?

Kate sniffed, and I found her hand, grasping Emma’s with my other.

“That said,” the chief continued, “we would like you to cooperate with the television crew. Their program will bring positive publicity to Houston. As I understand it, the parent production company has already agreed to assist one very special family. Their arrival in town set the wheels in motion that helped Sergeant Peters and Sergeant White close several cases with your assistance. Please cooperate with Paul Kravitz, if you would.”

Ah, now I understood. The TV connection again. I wanted to tell him I wouldn’t be talking to anyone, that I would be sitting by Jeff’s side until he was well enough to walk out the hospital door. Then another thought pushed everything else away. I turned to Kate. “Oh, my gosh. Doris. We have to phone Loreen and tell her Jeff will be gone for a while. When I called her, she promised not to tell Doris anything until… well, you know.”

Kate rested a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll take care of all that.”

How could she be so calm? But I knew this would hit her hard soon enough. And I would be there for her.

The chief extended his hand. “Thank you, Ms. Rose. We are in your debt.”

We shook hands, and then he was gone.

As the chief mentioned, the media was camped out at the hospital in their own conference room. They’d already been on high alert because Hollywood had come to town, and now everything had exploded into front-page news-hostages, another murder, a wounded officer fighting for his life and the suspect himself injured. Yeah, stuff like that drew plenty of reporters.

To avoid them, Kate and I had to sneak up the stairs to visit Aunt Caroline after we were told she’d been admitted for observation.

She sat propped in her hospital bed with probably half the pillows on this ward. Her hair was a mess, and the dark circles under her eyes coupled with her pale skin reminded me of a panda. I could tell she was in pain despite the lack of facial expressions due to her latest round of Botox injections. The discomfort showed in her eyes.