Read A Crying Shame: A Jesse Watson Mystery for Free Online Page B

pregnant. Maybe Billy has some of his father’s insight, or
maybe he’s just guessing. It couldn’t be but so hard. He has only two choices.
So it’s a boy, huh? This is going to be fun. I don’t know a thing about raising
a boy. What am I saying? I don’t know anything about being a parent. My mind
drifted back to the forlorn look Billy had on his face earlier.
    “Why was I out of it for so long? Was I in a coma?”
    “No, you weren’t. You were unconscious for a while and then
you were in and out of it. Dr. Bryant said you were fighting off the pain.”
    “What’s the difference between being unconscious and being in
a coma?”
    “You can’t roust a person who’s in a coma.”
    “At least I’m awake now, and the three of us are okay,
right?”
    “Yes, we are, but we have another problem.”
    “What other problem?”
    “How much has your mother told you? Did she tell you where
I’ve been?”
    “She hasn’t told me anything. I asked her where you were, but
then I fell asleep. When I first woke up, I heard her talking to the doctor. He
said we’d have to wait and see.”
    “He was right,” Mom said as she walked in the room carrying a
large, colorful flower arrangement. A small, cheerful card attached indicated
that the flowers came from Pat’s Floral Design in Madison , Virginia .
    I thought it was odd how I noticed a simple little thing like
where the flowers came from, yet I could barely see well enough to read. I
guess it was because the name rang a bell. I remember Mom telling me a while
back that she met a nice lady at the Madison County Fair last summer who owned
a flower shop. They became instant friends.
    “I asked him how long it would be before you were back to
your old self again, and he said we’d have to wait and see. I knew you’d be all
right. You’re one tough cookie, Missy. You remind me so much of your dad. He
always had that spunk in him. Nothing got him down.” She walked over and gave
me a hug. “Your dad would be so happy to see how you’ve turned out. You’re
married to a wonderful man and you’re going to have a baby. I wish… oh, never
mind. Let’s talk about something cheerful.”
    “Thanks, Mom,” I said. “The flowers are beautiful.”
    “I figured you’d need something to brighten up this drab
hospital room.”
    I looked around. “Oh, it isn’t so bad. Actually, it’s pretty
nice. UVA is a terrific hospital. That is, as far as hospitals go. If I was
going to be laid up, this would be the place I’d want to be. I like the staff
here.”
    “You are laid up,” Mom said and then chuckled. “I’m so glad
you’re okay, and your sister sends her love.”
    The temperature in the room dropped. I could feel tension in
the air. I looked at Mom and then back at Billy. “Okay, let’s have it. What
have I missed? What happened besides the car wreck? Speaking of which, is the
truck destroyed?”
    “You could say that it’s pretty much a goner,” Billy said.
“The dump truck tore off the bed. The rescue workers had to pry us out of the
cab. We were very lucky. If we’d been hit a few more feet in the other
direction, they’d be scraping… it probably would’ve been fatal.”
    “We were lucky then, I guess.”
    “God has a plan for everyone,” Mom said. “I’ve always said
that when it’s your time, you’re going whether you want to, or not. It just
wasn’t your time to go. Your work on this earth isn’t finished. For that, I’m
grateful. Both of you are too young to have…”
    “That’s enough preaching, Mom. Let’s get down to the
nitty-gritty. What happened while I was incapacitated?”
    “Carl’s missing,” Mom replied.
    My first response was to ask who cared, but then reality set
in. If Carl was missing so soon after the kidnapping, I was sure the police
would think Billy had something to do with it. He did go to Carl’s house and
take the kids from him.
    “I have a feeling I’m not going to want to hear this, but I
guess I have