Twice in a Lifetime Read online

  “Get a room,” Callie said before shoving a forkful of scrambled eggs in her own mouth.

  “Jealous much?” Quinn asked with a smirk.

  “Please.” Callie shook her head and leaned back in her chair.

  “Admit it. You’ve been jealous of me since the day you were born.”

  “Both of you knock it off,” their mother said. Her tone belied the affection evident in her eyes and the slight smile she gave them.

  “We’re just teasing each other,” Quinn said.

  “Well, stop unless you want to send me back to the hospital,” she told them.

  Callie and Quinn shared a worried glance before Callie turned to their mother.

  “Are you feeling all right?” She never wanted to go through that again. Callie was the one who’d found their mother on the floor the day she’d had her heart attack earlier in the year. The feeling of helplessness had been overwhelming, and it had been one of the few times in Callie’s life she’d actually been overcome by so much emotion she cried.

  “I’m fine,” her mother responded with a smirk of her own. “I was just teasing.”

  “Christ,” Callie and Quinn said in unison.

  “I swear, sometimes I think you two are still children the way you pick at each other,” her mother said as she finally took a seat at the table with them and began putting food on her plate.

  “Come on, Linda, if they didn’t pick at each other, how would they know they love each other?” Grace asked. When Callie glanced at her, Grace batted her eyelashes and gave her an innocent smile.

  “When are you guys leaving for Philly?” Callie asked, looking down at her plate to hide her grin. Grace knew them so well it was unnerving at times.

  “Trying to get rid of us?” Quinn asked.

  “Absolutely.” Callie nodded and stood to get herself another cup of coffee. “I have big plans for a party at your house, so I need to know when I can tell everyone to show up.”

  “We’re leaving Tuesday morning, and we’ll be back on Sunday,” Grace said without even looking at her.

  Callie could tell they all knew she was only joking, which almost made her want to really throw a party. Almost. If there was one thing she hated, it was being predictable.

  “Cool. Friday night it is,” she said before topping off everyone’s coffee.

  “If there is anything out of place when we get back, you’re never house-sitting for us again,” Quinn said. Callie smiled and took her seat again after returning the coffee pot to the counter.

  “Why do you need a house sitter, anyway?” Callie asked. “You don’t have any pets, and you have no plants. Which, I should point out, if you did have plants, they wouldn’t still be alive by the time you got back.”

  “Because it makes me feel important to tell people I have a house sitter.” Quinn shrugged. “And I thought you might want to stay somewhere other than the one-room apartment you live in above Grace’s book store.”

  “Hey, now, I lived there for years and you never seemed to care then,” Grace said.

  “Why don’t you come with us?” her mother asked as she placed a hand on Callie’s forearm. Callie was just grateful she’d changed the subject when she did. The only thing worse than Quinn and Grace all lovey-dovey was Quinn and Grace arguing. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, it made Callie uncomfortable. “I really don’t like the idea of you spending Thanksgiving all alone.”

  “I won’t be alone, Mom.” Callie sighed. It wasn’t a lie, because she’d no doubt be working on Thanksgiving. Unless something broke in the case and they managed to locate their suspect, which at this point seemed highly unlikely.

  “Hot date?” Grace asked with a grin and a wink.

  “I’m not sure Harry Chambers would ever be accused of being a hot date.” Callie chuckled. Now she was going to lie, but she figured it was small enough to not hurt anyone, and besides, it would make her mother feel better about going without her. “He and his wife invited me for Thanksgiving dinner.”

  “Really?” her mother asked, her tone indicating she didn’t believe her. “That’s awfully nice of them.”

  “They’re good people.” Callie took a sip of her coffee. “Although I don’t know what I’ll do next Sunday without all this food.”

  Sunday brunch was a tradition their mother started when Quinn had moved out on her own. Their mother had been afraid she’d never see Quinn again, so it was a way to guarantee she’d come visit once a week. Once started, the ritual never stopped, and Callie secretly looked forward to it every week.

  Chapter Three

  Callie looked at the clock on the dashboard and sighed loudly. Seven thirty, which meant they still had over three hours until the end of their shift, and she was fighting to stay awake. She glanced at Harry and saw he was struggling as well.

  “Deb didn’t send nearly enough coffee with you tonight,” Callie remarked.

  “It’s the biggest thermos we have,” he said. “Can’t send more than there’s room for.”

  “Maybe I’ll get you one of those huge ones for Christmas.”

  “Jesus, we’d better not still be out here doing this in another month.”

  They both watched the building again for a few minutes, but then Callie felt her eyes growing heavy again.

  “Time for dinner?” she asked. There was a hamburger joint a couple of blocks away, and it was Harry’s turn to make the walk to get their food. Thank God for that. It was too cold to have to go out there.

  “The usual?” he asked as he reached for the door handle.

  “I’m feeling adventurous tonight,” she said with a grin. “Get it with onions this time.”

  He chuckled as he got out, but he leaned down and looked at her before closing the door. “If he comes out of there, you call for backup and wait here. No heroics, Burke, understood?”

  “Yeah, yeah” she said absently as she redirected her gaze to the building their suspect was currently living in. At least they thought he was still living there. No one had seen him at all in almost a week. He was probably on the other side of the country by now. “Understood.”

  She watched Harry until he turned the corner then grabbed the thermos that held what little remained of Deb’s heavenly coffee and poured it into her travel mug. Just as she took her first sip, she saw the front door of the apartment building open, and their suspect stuck his head out to look up and down the street.

  “Holy shit,” she muttered as she fumbled for her police radio. She called it in and slouched down in her seat as she watched him heading in the opposite direction of where Harry had gone. Wasn’t this just typical. There alone, and backup was five minutes away. And the asshole picks now to show his face. When he disappeared into an alley, Callie had to make a decision. Did she sit there and wait for backup, or did she go after him on foot—and alone?

  Without dwelling on it too long, she pulled her service weapon out and opened the door. If she had anything to say about it, this was the last night they’d have to sit out here in the car for their entire shift. She tried to be quiet as she kept against the wall of the building and made her way slowly down the alley.

  It was dark, and the only light came from the streetlamps behind her and the streetlamps at the other end of the alley. A noise a few feet ahead of her made her stop and hold her breath, her heart racing as her eyes strained to adjust to the darkness. Maybe going after him on her own wasn’t the smartest idea she’d ever had, but it was too late to turn back now.

  “Stop! Police!”

  A feeling of relief washed over her momentarily at the voice coming from the opposite end of the alley, until she realized there was someone running right toward her. She stepped away from the wall and aimed her gun low so she could hit him in the leg, as well as to not do any significant damage to the officers chasing him back toward her if she were to miss.

  “Shit!” she heard, right before she felt the searing pain in her right shoulder that came in near unison of the sound of thei
r suspect firing his gun.

  Callie dropped her gun and fell to her knees before she heard Harry and a couple other voices yelling, and then everything went black.

  * * *

  “This day is never going to end,” Taylor said to Camille, her head bartender in Quinn’s absence. “I can’t believe it’s only nine o’clock.”

  “Tell me about it,” Camille responded. “And there’s almost no business on top of it.”

  “If it stays like this, I’ll probably let you go home early.”

  Taylor headed back to her office, but before she got there, she felt her phone vibrating in her back pocket. She pulled it out and grinned when she saw it was Quinn. The woman couldn’t even take a vacation.

  “You do know you don’t need to check up on me, right?” she said by way of answering the call.

  “Taylor, thank God,” Quinn said, sounding frantic.

  “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Grace? Your mother?”

  “What? No, we’re all fine, but I got a call from Strong Memorial.”

  “What happened?”

  “Callie’s been shot.”

  Taylor heard a slight hitch in Quinn’s voice, and felt her own breath catch in her throat. She knew how close Quinn and Callie were, and she couldn’t imagine how Quinn might handle it if something were to be seriously wrong with her younger sister.

  “Is she okay?” Taylor somehow managed around the lump in her throat. Despite her best efforts, her mind flashed back to the day Andrea died. The tone of the call then had been much different though. She shook her head. This wasn’t the same thing. Callie had to be all right. For Quinn.

  “The doctor said she should make a full recovery, but I’m not convinced she didn’t persuade him to assure me of that,” Quinn said with a nervous laugh. “I was hoping I could talk you into going over there and checking on her for me.”

  “Of course.” Taylor grabbed her coat and somehow managed to get it on without taking the phone from her ear. “I’ll head there now and call as soon as I know something.”

  “Thanks, Taylor. You’re the best.”

  Taylor ended the call and hurried out to the bar. She was suddenly glad it was a slow night as she tapped Camille on the shoulder.

  “I’m afraid I won’t be able to let you go early tonight.” Taylor quickly checked to make sure she had her keys and her wallet before buttoning up her coat. “Quinn just called from Philadelphia, and Callie’s been shot. I need to run to the hospital to make sure she’s okay.”

  “No problem. Go, I’ve got this.”

  Taylor was halfway to the hospital before she allowed herself to think about Andrea again. It had been months since she’d reflected on the day her life had changed forever, mostly because she knew dwelling on it wouldn’t bring her back, and damn it, it was downright depressing.

  She’d rushed to the hospital then too, but the difference back then was she’d already known Andrea wasn’t going to make it. She was going there to say good-bye, but Andrea hadn’t even known she was there. Andrea’s chief had called to tell Taylor the extent of her injuries and to let her know she was in grave condition and unresponsive upon arriving at the hospital. They managed to keep her alive long enough for her to get there, and Taylor seriously thought she was going to die that day too because her heart had hurt so much.

  She shook her head and roughly brushed away the tears. This was totally different, she reminded herself again. She wasn’t going to walk into the hospital and find Andrea lying on a gurney, clinging to the final moments of her life. It was more likely she’d walk in and find Callie flirting with any attractive female in the vicinity. At least she hoped she would for Quinn’s sake. Taylor had no siblings, so she had no idea of the bond the two of them shared.

  Quinn had apparently told the staff she was going to be coming by, because when she told the woman at the desk who she was there for, she was immediately taken to Callie’s room. The sight of Callie, motionless and pale, stopped her in her tracks.

  “The doctor should be in shortly,” the nurse said quietly as she left her there alone.

  There was a man asleep in a chair next to Callie’s bed, and Taylor wondered who he was. He was older, and she briefly wondered if it could be Callie and Quinn’s father. She dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it surfaced though because Quinn told her their father had left when she was just seven, and they’d never seen or heard from him again.

  As she made her way quietly into the room, she noticed the badge on his belt, and it dawned on her he must be Callie’s partner. She cleared her throat in an attempt to wake him without being obvious about it.

  His eyes popped open and he sat up straighter as he watched her warily. She figured it must be a trait inherent in police officers. He stood and gave what seemed to Taylor to be a forced smile as he extended his hand.

  “Harry Chambers,” he said, his voice strained, whether from sleep or emotion she couldn’t say. “I’m Callie’s partner.”

  “Were you there when it happened?” Taylor shook his hand briefly before turning to look at Callie again. She seemed so helpless.

  “I’m sorry, but who are you?”

  “Oh, I apologize,” she said, her cheeks heating with embarrassment because her parents raised her better. “Taylor Fletcher. Callie’s sister, Quinn, works for me. She’s in Philadelphia for the holiday and asked if I would come check on Callie for her.”

  “I see,” he said, seeming to finally relax. He went to the edge of Callie’s bed and looked down at her with what appeared to be genuine affection. “She went after a suspect in an alley. Uniformed officers came in from the other end, and the guy was trapped. Since there were two of them, and Callie was alone, I guess he figured his chances were better against her.”

  “Why was she alone? Weren’t you with her?”

  “I’d gone to get dinner for us.” Harry shook his head slightly, and when he glanced at her, she saw a tear rolling down his cheek. It was clear this guy cared very much for Callie. “I told her to wait for backup if he happened to show himself, but she must have thought he was going to get away.”

  “Reckless,” Taylor murmured. Just like Andrea told her. She’d always said Callie would chase after the devil himself if she thought she had a chance in hell of catching him.

  “I wouldn’t say that,” Harry said, shaking his head. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m pissed as hell at her for not waiting, but I can certainly understand why she did it. Surveillance is a boring job. We’d been out there for over a week and never set eyes on him once. She saw the opportunity to end it and went after him. You should know she did radio dispatch to send other officers first though.”

  “Damn right, I did,” Callie muttered just before her eyes fluttered open. She glanced around the room, stopping when her eyes met Taylor’s. What the hell is she doing here? She closed her eyes again, mostly because the overhead light was way too bright. “I did exactly what you would have done, Chambers.”

  “Yeah, you did,” he said as he grasped her hand. “I have to go call Deb and let her know you’re awake.”

  Callie lay there with her eyes still closed until she heard the door shut, then opened them again to see Taylor watching her. She looked like she was seriously irritated.

  “Are you going to be all right?” she asked quietly. “What did the doctors say?”

  “Don’t know,” Callie said with an attempted shrug, but she winced at the fire shooting through her right shoulder at the movement. “I just joined this party myself.”

  That was when she noticed her right shoulder was bandaged, and her arm was immobilized against her body. She gently lifted the hospital gown with her left hand and saw some blood seeping through the bandage. There wasn’t much, but it brought back what had happened with amazing clarity. She’d been shot. God damn, it hurt.

  “Good to see you’re awake,” a male voice said from the doorway. Callie grinned in spite of her pain at the sight of Dr. David Randall. She’d known him since hi
gh school. “How are you feeling, Calliope?”

  “You know damn well my name isn’t Calliope, David,” she said with a slight growl in her voice and a quick glance at Taylor. She didn’t want anyone thinking her name was actually Calliope. It wasn’t necessarily a bad name, but it just wasn’t for her. He’d started calling her that in their junior year, and he continued to do it every time he saw her for no other reason than he knew how much it aggravated her.

  “All right, all right, I’ll give you a break this time, but only because you’ve been shot.” He threw his hands up in mock surrender before turning his attention to Taylor with a smile. “And who is this?”

  “Taylor Fletcher,” she answered, looking back and forth between him and Callie.

  “David Randall,” he said as he took Callie’s chart from the end of the bed. He opened it as he asked, “And how long have you two been together?”

  “What?” Taylor asked, the surprise evident in her voice. She shook her head a little too aggressively in Callie’s opinion. “We aren’t together.”

  “My sister works for her,” Callie said quickly.

  “Quinn? How is she doing?” he asked. “I spoke to her briefly when I called to tell her you were here, but it didn’t seem to be the time for chitchat.”

  “She’s doing great,” Callie said as she rested her head back against the pillow. “But I’m more interested in how I’m doing at the moment.”

  “You’ll survive,” he said with a grin. He placed the chart back where he’d gotten it and pulled a penlight out of his pocket so he could check her pupils. “The bullet passed through without hitting anything vital. A little more serious than a graze, but not by much. Basically, all I had to do was clean it out and stitch you up.”

  “When can I go home?”

  “Ready to leave so soon?” he asked, placing a hand over his heart as though her words wounded him. He laughed when she just glared at him. “As long as you don’t do anything to piss me off between now and then, I don’t see any reason why you can’t be discharged in the morning.”