Page 20 of The Me I Left Behind

The walk from the office to the front of the house took longer than any other time she’d ever walked it before. The bell sounded again, and she jumped. She took a breath and tugged open the heavy oak door.

Two officers stood on the porch looking back at her, their expressions blank.

“Officers? May I help you?”

“Are you Mrs. Oliver? Maggie Oliver?”

She nodded. “Yes, that’s me.”

“Carol Oliver’s mother?”

Shit. What now? What has Carol done now?“Yes? Is everything okay?” Her hands started shaking.

One officer stepped closer. “Mrs. Oliver, your daughter was involved in a traffic accident a few minutes ago over on Winstead. We were in the area and assisted with the accident. If you would like to grab your personal things, a purse or such, and come with us, we can take you to the hospital.”

Maggie clutched the phone still in her hand. “Hospital?”

Shit, my legs are going to give out.

“Ma’am.” An officer grabbed her elbow. “Are you okay?”

“I… I don’t know. Let me get my purse and keys.” She turned into the house, then back again.The littles!“Was she alone?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Maggie blew out a breath. “Okay.”Jason and Chloe are at school. They are fine. But Carol? Oh. My. God.

She gathered her things from an entry table, then closed the door behind her. “Is she hurt badly?”

“We have very little information. We know they took her to the E.R. The hospital is not far.”

No, it wasn’t. Thank God. “Alright. Fine.” She glanced at the phone in her hand. “Oh, I was talking to a friend.”

The officer nodded.

She put the phone to her ear. “Julia. Are you still there? Did you hear? Come to the hospital as soon as you can. Nash General.”

She clicked off the phone, not waiting for her to respond.

“How long doI have to wait?”

Maggie sat on the edge of her chair, muttering to herself, her knees popping up and down as her legs shook. She glanced about the overflowing emergency waiting room—not a pleasant place—crowded with coughing, moaning, and crying people.

She’d rather be anywhere but there.

The officers left her almost as soon as they’d arrived, so she sat alone. Waiting. Julia had called once, and she told her she’d call her back as soon as she had news.

Glancing at the time on her phone, she realized she’d only been there about twenty minutes.

It felt like twenty hours.

She was mad with worry about Carol. Why wouldn’t anyone give her any information?

She’d paced back and forth in front of the nurse’s station until they’d asked her to sit. Apparently, being in their faces would not get her anywhere.

She was also worried about the house. About leaving the office in a mess. What if Max had contacted the police, and what if they entered the house when no one came to the door, andwhat if they found the unhinged door and the crowbar and the smashed cameras and the papers and books and shit all over the place?

And what if Max truly was on his way here? He’d kill her for letting Carol take the car and would blame her for Carol getting hurt.

---