Page 40 of A Touch of Murder (Touched #1)

Adam was hanging some new t-shirts he'd ordered on the rack when Becky came running into the store. She had tears in her eyes and looked frantic as he dropped what he was doing and went to her. "Becky, what's wrong?"

"It's Barret. He's been shot. They're taking him to Idaho Falls." She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "I loaned Francine my car today to go see her mother in Jackson. Can I borrow your car, or can you take me?"

"Of course, I'll take you." Adam glanced back at Jacey.

"Go. I've got things here. Call and let me know what's going on as soon as you know anything." Jacey was already pulling out his cell phone, probably to contact his few friends in the area who would be hearing the gossip.

Adam ran back to his office and grabbed his keys from his desk drawer. "You call us if you find out anything. You'll probably hear before we do." He nodded to Becky and followed her out the front door. "Do you need to go back to the bakery for anything?"

"No, I've got my purse. Officer Vance called me and said I shouldn't worry, but Barret had been shot.

Said it wasn't serious, but it was more than our little hospital here could handle.

" She pulled the passenger door to Adam's car open as soon as he unlocked it.

"If it's too bad for here, it has to be really bad, right? "

Adam got in the car and started it. "Maybe, but they wouldn't be transporting him clear to Idaho Falls if he needed immediate help.

They can only do so much in an ambulance.

" He pulled out of his driveway, his own worry growing as he thought about what little he knew.

He'd just started to get to know Barret. He couldn't lose him now.

"Vance said it wasn't life threatening, but then why wouldn't he let me talk to Barret? If it's something minor, Barret would insist on talking to me so I wouldn't worry about him." Becky sniffed. "Did you talk to him today?"

"No, we haven't talked in a couple of days. He's been busy with stuff. You?"

"He dropped by for coffee this morning around six-thirty. I gave him donuts to take to the station. He sounded like everything was normal." She wiped her eyes again with her shirt.

"There's tissues in the glove box," Adam told her as he focused on getting through town.

He hadn't gone far when he noticed a huge police presence behind Chubby's.

He slowed because traffic was barely moving.

"That's probably where it happened. Do you want to stop and talk to someone or keep going? "

Becky shut the glove box after grabbing the tissues. "Keep going. If something is really wrong and I'm not there with him… He's all I have left. I can't lose him."

"Vance would have warned you if it was bad.

I trust Vance not to lie about something like this.

We should be there in about thirty to forty minutes.

" Adam tried to see what had happened. He saw a semi parked behind Chubby's with crime scene tape all around it.

It looked like several of the police vehicles had broken windows.

God, if he could just stop for a second, but he had to do what Becky needed right now. She was his main concern.

"Did you see the semi? Do you think it had something to do with Trina's murder?" Becky stared out the window, watching all the activity.

"I honestly don't know, but it's probable. I can't imagine what else it could be." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He set it between them. "Jacey will call if he learns anything. The town gossips will be at work, and he'll know in no time exactly what happened."

"Did you hear gunshots?" Becky asked.

"No, but Jacey and I had music on. Besides, a sound like that from Chubby's might not reach our area.

Or it might sound like a backfire if I heard anything.

" Adam finally got through the traffic and was able to increase his speed.

He just needed to get through town and make it to the highway, then he could double his speed.

"Barret's strong. Don't go thinking the worst. He's a good cop. "

"Even good cops get shot." Becky sniffed. "He was shot once before when he lived in Seattle, did he tell you that?"

"No, but we haven't gotten very personal. How bad was it?" Adam wondered why he hadn't seen that when they touched. Traumatic things usually were the first thing he saw when touching another person. That or important memories.

"Not really bad. Hit his thigh. Didn't hit bone, so didn't do a ton of damage.

He didn't even tell me about it until several days after it happened.

Told me he was on leave for a while to heal and had to do some physical therapy.

I was pissed that he didn't call me right away, but I kind of get why he didn't. I would have been there as soon as I could.

I would have been a mother hen and drove him crazy.

He's got a nice scar from that. I hoped that living here would mean he wasn't in as much danger. "

"Bad things happen, even in small towns." Adam saw the onramp to the highway. He checked his mirrors and took the ramp, glad to be able to up his speed. His phone beeped and he nodded to Becky. "Check my messages, it's probably Jacey."

Becky grabbed his phone and laughed. "A flip phone?"

He held up a gloved hand. "Gloves don't work on a touchscreen."

"Oh, I hadn't thought about that." She shook her head and read his text.

"Jacey talked to a friend who works at Chubby's.

Said one of the killers came in to eat and cops cornered them in the back lot behind the place.

Both men are dead, and Barret was the only other hurt.

Said from what she could see he got shot in the arm.

He'll message us if he gets any more information. "

"Tell him thanks." Adam was relieved to hear it was just in the arm.

How serious could that be? Maybe he'd lost a lot of blood or something.

But then, this was secondhand information.

There was always the chance the bullet grazed his arm and went into his chest. Adam gripped the steering wheel tighter, not wanting to think those kinds of thoughts.

He wasn't about to repeat his thoughts to Becky. She was worried enough.

"The arm isn't bad, right?" Becky grabbed another tissue. "But then why didn't he call me? He would want me to know he's okay. He'd tell me to stay at work and not worry."

"Maybe his phone got lost in the shuffle."

"He'd borrow one. He knows my number by heart." She pulled out her own cell phone and checked it.

Adam didn't have an answer. His own mind was racing with worry and reasons why Barret wouldn't have called her. He usually enjoyed the drive to Idaho Falls. He loved the scenery and the feel of fresh air blowing through his windows, but today he barely noticed any of it.

They drove in silence the rest of the way and Barret hated every moment of it. He kept trying to think of comforting things to say to Becky, but he worried his words would come out wrong and make things worse. It was best to just get to the hospital and find out what really happened to Barret.

When he finally made it to the hospital, he pulled into the lot and slowed to a stop in front of the emergency room entrance. "Go in and find out how he is. I'll park and meet you inside."

Becky didn't wait. She pushed the door open and raced toward the entrance. Adam cursed the crowded parking lot as he searched for a spot to park. He finally found one and had to walk over half the parking lot to make his way inside.

Like any hospital, the smell hit him first. He'd been lucky through life and hadn't had to spend too much time in one. He looked around and saw Becky pacing beside a small desk. He went to her immediately and gently took her arm in his gloved hand. "Anything?"

"Not yet. She's called back and a doctor is supposed to come talk to us." Becky looked around the waiting room. "If it was bad, other cops would be here, right? Don't they always come stand and wait when another officer is severely hurt?"

Adam nodded. "True. At least that's what I've seen on TV.

" He didn't see anyone that looked like a cop around other than an older security guard sitting near the entrance.

"Let's sit. We're in the way here." He noticed another couple walking in, the woman's hand wrapped in what looked like an old kitchen towel.

"Yeah," Becky said distractively.

Adam led her to the far wall where there were two open seats.

The place was crowded, and he wondered if that meant it would take longer for someone to come talk to them.

Was he ready for what they would be told?

What if it was bad news? He'd finally met someone who wasn't turned off by his ability and was willing to let Adam touch him.

He couldn't lose Barret now. Not when they'd just started to see where things could go between them.

It felt as if an hour passed, but a glance at the clock told Adam it had been only ten minutes when a man dressed in scrubs walked out and called, "Whitestone?"

Becky jumped up and Adam was right behind her.

"I'm Becky Whitestone, Barret's my brother." She stopped in front of the doctor, then grabbed Adam's arm. "This is his boyfriend, Adam Wrecker."

Adam managed to hide his shock but inwardly loved the way that sounded.

He knew Becky was making it so he could possibly be included in whatever conversations took place, but he wasn't sure it would be enough.

He wasn't family, and wasn't that what mattered when it came to medical information? Adam had no clue how it all worked.

"I'm Doctor Lang. Barret took a bullet to the elbow. It shattered the bone. He's going to need surgery to repair it. I'm waiting for the orthopedic surgeon to come down and evaluate Mr. Whiteston's injuries before we make any decisions on our next steps."

"So, he's going to be okay?" Becky nearly slumped against Adam in relief.