The Oaths We Keep

Chapter 23

Barnes was true to her word. The following day, Erin Harper was on her way to the hospital to see her husband. Taylor was not happy with the promise she made. He told her it violated at least a dozen policies and procedures. Chief Vanderbeck was not too happy, but after much persuasion and even more assurances, the Chief reluctantly agreed. However, she made more than a few threats against Barnes' badge if anything went wrong.

The unmarked police car pulled into a more discreet entrance into the hospital's emergency room. Barnes opened the door for Erin and gave her a jacket to place over her hands. The Chief agreed to allow her a ten-minute visit, but she must be escorted in cuffs.

The hospital was aware of the visit and agreed to try and make it as smooth as possible. Dr. Sawyer was the attending physician and waited for them in the emergency room. As the two women arrived, the nurse ushered them into the room where Dr. Sawyer and Conner waited. As they entered, Dr. Sawyer greeted them.

"Mrs. Harper," he began, "your husband has numerous broken bones. We are also concerned that he may also have a brain injury, but we can't say for certain at this time. There may also be internal injuries, but we are closely monitoring him. It's too soon to tell for certain when or if he will recover. We're going to do the best we can for him."

"Thank you," Erin said as the doctor excused himself. Erin began to sob at the sight of him. "I'm so sorry," she said to him repeatedly. "This is all my fault. Please come home for our kids. Just come home for them."

Barnes stood in the corner of the room, keeping watch. She tried to keep her emotions in check, knowing that it would not help to get too personally involved, as Taylor said. Still, the scene was difficult to watch. She checked her watch and saw that the agreed-upon ten minutes were up. To hell with that, she thought to herself and allowed Erin to spend time with her husband.

"I'm ready to go now, Detective Barnes," Erin said as she pulled herself away from her husband's side. They walked down the hallways back to the waiting car in near silence. When they got to the waiting vehicle, Erin turned to her before she sat down in the back seat. "Thank you. I wasn't very nice to you last night. I'm sorry."

"I understand. I just lost someone special to me recently. It's not the same, but I get it." Erin handed Barnes back her jacket and took her seat. The mood lightened on the way back. Barnes knew Erin was worried about her husband, and it must be killing her not to be with him. She hoped that once this was finally over, Erin would be able to find a way to reconcile with Conner. Until then, there were important things they needed to discuss.

A couple of hours later, Luke Brady walked into the Warrenton Police Department and Taylor's office. "Roger, it's been a long time," he said as he extended his hand. Brady was indeed busy these days. After he handled the Sidney Lewis case, his legal services were in high demand. When Brady got Detective Barnes's call, he was initially reluctant to get involved. She managed to win him over, and he agreed to meet with Erin and the detectives today.

"It has been a while, hasn't it? Have you seen Sidney recently? How's she doing?" Taylor asked.

"She's fine. Baby is growing like a weed. He's even learned to pull on Uncle Luke's gray beard," he said as he settled into the chair across from Taylor. "So, who is this client you have for me?" Luke sat his briefcase beside him, sat back, and crossed his legs.

Taylor told him the story so far as he understood it. Luke took in all the details he could and asked for a few clarifying points here and there. Once he finished, Luke sat in silence for a moment. "Well, I do have a reputation for taking cases like this. I hope you know I will not take it easy on you. I'll do what I need to do in my client's interests."