A Degree in Murder

Chapter Twenty Six: Aftermath

For the second night in a row Eleanor lay awake, staring at the ceiling. The adrenaline and anxiety were replaced by insomnia and nightmares. Every time she closed her eyes, Eleanor could see Truss lying in his bed; old, frail and defenceless. Then she saw herself administering what was tantamount to the lethal injection, execution style. Granted, the man was asleep and his death a peaceful one. It was probably more than he deserved but she was not a monster. Her actions were more than justified. She saved a life. She is the hero here.

Then why won't my conscious let me sleep? Why won't the bloody nightmares stop?

When mental exhaustion finally overwhelmed her, Eleanor fell into a light slumber. Four hours later she woke up, stretched and stumbled out of her room towards the kitchen. Eleanor immediately froze when she saw him seated by the kitchen counter while Susan catered to him.

"I must say that you have some of the worst bed head I have ever seen," quipped Liam, sipping on his coffee. He was dressed in a plain sky blue polo shirt, black slacks with a pair of matching trainers.

Eleanor flipped him the bird before sitting next to him and swiping a slice of toast off his plate.

"You've looked better," said Liam sullenly.

"I've been better," she admitted.

"I've been trying to reach you for the last three days. All I've got back in return are voicemails and unanswered texts."

"I'm really sorry, Liam. There's been so much going on lately."

"I'm happy that you've found other things outside your job that you're passionate about," replied Liam. "A lot has happened which is why I've been trying to reach you."

I'm well aware of the biggest one because I happened to be there. Eleanor dropped off the face of the earth after the incident. She wanted nothing to do with anyone or anything involving the hospital. With her suspension coming to its end she figured that she'd learn everything then.

"Please tell me I still have a job," said Eleanor, feigning ignorance. She noted that his demeanour had become serious.

"I'm sure you're well aware that Leon Truss passed on three days ago," he said, before taking a gulp of his coffee. "It was a couple of hours before his surgery."

"That is truly unfortunate. My sincerest condolences to his family," she replied without looking at him. There was only one thing she desperately wanted to know. "What happened to the heart he was going to receive?"

"As luck would have it, Rachael got the heart by the end of the very same day. The surgery was a success and she's expected to make a full recovery."

Eleanor noted that Liam still had a look of concern on his face. "Everything turned out the way it should have. The right person got the heart."

"I guess I should be happy and I am. It just should not have reached this far, you know," Liam said solemnly. Eleanor placed her hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it.

"So... Uh ... Liam, did you get all dressed up just to treat my house as a diner," said Eleanor in an amused tone.

Liam finished the last of his scrambled eggs, wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, "Myra hasn't seen you in forever. We were going to check out this new action movie showing and wanted to know if you'll come with."

"Liam... I don't know..."

"If you're worried about Myra trying to hook you up, I reprimanded her and she promised not to do it again. Now get yourself cleaned up."

Eleanor rolled her eyes, groaned and walked out of the room. Susan smiled a little too hard which caught Liam's attention.

"The truth is I told her to hold off on any blind dates until I give the green light," he said cheekily.

"I wish you all the best, sir," replied Susan, picking up the last of the dishes.