45
THE HOSPITAL
Emergency Department, Acute Care Center, Laurel Regional Hospital, Laurel, Maryland. About twelve miles west of Ft. Meade.
“No, no. She’ll be fine,” reassured the physician as she reshouldered her stethoscope and glanced at Cade. “Her brain activity is normal. EKG, blood work, all look good.”
“So what happened?”
“I’m glad you told me about the previous post-traumatic-stress-disorder episodes. But to be honest,” the doctor continued, “after seeing these gunshot scars on her upper torso, PTSD would have been my first suspicion. The scars don’t look that old. They’re only in stage three of the healing process. The trauma she sustained must still be fresh in her mind. How long has it been since she was shot?”
“It was several months ago, in Kentucky. She was shot at the bl
