The Misadventures of the Laundry Hag 00 - Skeletons in the Closet

even have families of their own. And Neil, I could almost hear his voice.
    “Damn it! Somebody hold her down or she’ll hurt herself!”
    “Neil?” I rasped, trying to sit up. The light proved too intense, and my eyes refused to open.
    “Will you get that fucking light out of her eyes?” His harsh tone slid into the loving caress I was accustomed to. “Ssshh, I’m right here, Uncle Scrooge. You need to relax. Everything is going to be fine.”
    I decided to trust Neil’s voice and relaxed for a moment before the memories seeped back in.
    “He shot me! I was helping him and…,” and I couldn’t remember.
    “No, he didn’t shoot you, Maggie. The blood was Patterson’s. Marty spotted him through the window. Now try and rest, we’ll be there soon.”
    Neil’s voice faded away, and I drifted, hoping that God wasn’t pulling some sort of prank on me. I’d be extremely ticked off if I woke up dead.
    “How you doing, Laundry Hag?” Marty said.
    I struggled again to open my eyes, but everything blurred. “I’m alive, right, Sprout? That’s why you and Neil are here, not Mom and Dad, right?”
    “Yes, you’re alive. We’re in an ambulance on the way to the hospital so a doctor can check you out.”
    “I hate hospitals. People die there.”
    “I know, but Neil or I will be with you the whole time. You aren’t going to die.” Marty squeezed my hand and then he hesitated. When he did speak, his tone was penitent. “Maggie, I’m so sorry I left you. I thought you were safe with Patterson and—”
    “Marty. Save it for later.” Neil was back.
    “Neil, are you mad at me?” My voice warbled and cracked.
    “I’m not mad at you, sweetheart, I’m just glad you’re safe.”
    Sweetheart? Not Uncle Scrooge or Laundry Hag? “Oh God, I’m gonna die!”
    “Maggie, dial the drama down a notch, and I promise no more generic endearments. We’re gonna have to take you to a shrink as it is.”
    Those whispered words relaxed me, and I settled in for the duration. It was nice to have someone else doing the decision making for a change.
    The ride to the hospital seemed endless, and my head pounded in time to the siren’s wailing. Neil filled out paperwork as I was deposited in a semi-private room partitioned off by curtains. Marty stayed with me until Neil came back, followed by a handsome young doctor.
    “How are you feeling, Mrs. Phillips?”
    I thought it was a stupid question, but he was cute so I answered anyway.
    “I’m tired, and my head is throbbing.” The young doctor shone yet another flashlight in my eyes. I really needed to be able to think straight. Every time my mind seemed to grasp something, it was snatched away again, like a gum wrapper in a tornado.
    “I know, but you have to stay awake a little while longer.” He clicked off his small penlight and turned to face Neil and Marty. “I’m almost positive we’re dealing with a concussion. Blurred vision and difficulty concentrating are very common symptoms. I want to run some tests, and we should keep her overnight for observation.”
    That statement seeped into my brain like water through a rusty sieve. “NO! I can’t stay here!”
    Neil held me back while addressing the startled doctor. “She becomes distraught in hospitals and she’ll work herself up to a panic attack if she has to stay here. Can’t we take her home today?”
    I froze inside the circle of Neil’s arms, praying they’d let me leave. “I promise I won’t go after any more killers.”
    The doctor’s lips twitched. “Let me order a CT scan. Head injuries can be extremely tricky, and you’ll need someone to watch over you at all times.”
    “I will,” Marty and Neil said at once.
    Neil shot my brother a vicious glare, and Marty shrugged. “Well, he will.”
    “We’re going to schedule some tests and we’ll know more in a few hours. Until then, try to rest.”
    “May I come in?”
    I looked up from my uncomfortable bed to see the small stature of Detective Capri. The doctor exchanged a few words with her before exiting the curtained off area.
    “I’m sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Phillips, but I thought you’d like to know Patterson is dead.”
    Patterson.
    I needed to concentrate, but the cobwebby shadows in my brain didn’t make any sense. “He shot me.”
    “He tried, but the gun misfired,” Capri informed me.
    “He won’t ever hurt anybody else.” Neil rubbed the inside of my palm with his thumb.
    “You stopped him, Sis. Way to