Page 20 of The Bad Man
“I have to.” I jerk my elbow from his grip and run down the hallway. He follows after me but doesn’t try to stop me again.
“Jamison!” I shout as I approach the room down in the basement. The doorway is filled with police officers, and I know I’ll never be able to get past them.
“Ma'am, you need to stay back.” One steps out to block my path, halting me in my tracks.
“Please!” I begin to plead, no longer caring if they find out about us.
The thought of losing Jamison rips my soul apart. I don’t care that I have only known him for a few weeks. From the moment we met, we instantly recognized each other. Every part of us did. Even the parts we tried to keep hidden away. There was no hiding from my Jamison.
“Is Jamison Coy in there?” Dr. Rourk comes to stand beside me.
“Right now, I need both of you to head back upstairs.” The officer points in the other direction, but I stand firm.
“Just tell us if he’s okay. I could help.” Dr. Rourk takes a step closer, challenging the officer.
“Dugger, let the damn doctor in,” another cop shouts, and he finally steps aside.
“I’m a nurse,” I quickly add before going with Dr. Rourk.
"I'm pretty sure one individual is deceased, and two others sustained injuries," the officer who told Dugger to let us pass informs us. My throat closes as I push past everyone to get into the room, not caring who I knock into.
My eyes lock on Jamison where he’s sitting on the floor with his hands cuffed behind his back. There’s a small gash over his eyes that’s bleeding, and I rush over and fall to my knees in front of him.
“Are you okay?” With my hands, I cup his face, careful not to touch the gash. Never in my life have I been so relieved.
“Yeah.” He smirks. “The cuffs are a bit snug.”
“What?” That's when I realize why his hands are behind his back. I glance around the room, taking in everything that surrounds me.
Dr. Rourk has his fingers on Dr. Crane’s throat while he checks for a pulse. He confirms his death with a shake of his head and then shifts his attention to another elderly man. His face is already starting to swell and is covered in blood. It takes me a moment to recognize him through the blood because I've only seen a few pictures of him online.
It’s Jamison’s father, Harvey. Alton is on the other side of the room talking to one of the officers. He looks unscathed.
“Everything is going to be okay.” Jamison speaks low so that I’m the only one that can hear him.
“Doc, can you check this one?” The officer nods to Jamison's father, who I think may be coming in and out of consciousness. Dr. Rourk simply stares down at him.
“He’ll make it,” Dr. Rourk says coldly and doesn’t make an attempt to go any closer to Harvey or examine the man. He takes his phone out of his pocket and makes a call, unfazed by the events around him. It's odd, but I guess that's par for the course.
“Got it.” Dr. Rourk ends his call. “Was the tip you got that Harvey Coy was the one you needed to come here for?”
"That one," he says, pointing to Jamison, "was beating the hell out of the bloody one. I’m still trying to figure out who the fuck is who.” The cop shakes his head. “Wait, how do you even know that, Doc?”
I was kind of wondering the same thing myself. Who could Dr. Rourk call to find out about an anonymous tip?
“That’s not your concern.” Dr. Rourk pauses. “Officer Benton, take the handcuffs off Jamison.”
Okay, so maybe there’s more to Dr. Rourk than we know.
“Now wait a—” The radio on Benton’s shoulder cuts him off. Dispatch comes over to tell him to release Jamison, and we all look at him.
The officer who was speaking with Alton comes over and nods to Jamison. “He confirms it, sir. It was Harvey Coy who attacked Dr. Crane and apparently his son.”
Harvey groans in protest, but no one pays him any attention.
“Uncuff him,” Dr. Rourk barks loudly, and surprisingly one of the officers rushes over to do it.
The second the cuffs are off Jamison, he’s pulling me into him. I bury my face in his neck, desperate to feel his skin.