Chapter 6

I had gone back to work and no one had heard anything about Jack for a month. Robbie told me, as expected he didn’t show up for his court appearance. His bond has been revoked and he is considered a fugitive.

As I was leaving work and walking to my car with some coworkers, a white Ford pickup drove toward me. It stopped near where I was walking. I looked up and saw Jack.

He yelled “I TOLD YOU!, BITCH.”

He had a handgun pointed at me. I saw the gun and turned to run away when I heard the first shot and felt something hit me hard in the back. Blood sprayed out of my chest just above my right breast. Two more shots rang out, one hit me in the hip and the other hit me in the leg just above my left ankle. My leg went out from under me and I fell behind a car where Jack couldn’t see me. I was conscious but just barely.

I heard someone yell, “Call 911.” I was semi conscious and felt the warmth of my blood oozing from my chest. I could taste blood in my mouth which was drooling out the corner. It was hard to breathe. I couldn’t move my hip or left leg. Janice was the first person to reach me. She was putting pressure on my wounds and talking to me.

Janice was whispering, “Melinda, you’re going to be fine. Stay with me, Honey. Help is on the way.”

I was spitting blood. I knew that wasn’t good. I was going into shock.

I whispered, “Robbie.”

Janice said, “He’s coming, Melinda. Hang with me.”

I was still semi conscious as they loaded me in the ambulance. I had IV’s hanging everywhere and felt a sharp pain in my left ankle.

The paramedic said, “Looks like the bullet broke both bones in your leg just above your ankle, Ms. Hammer. I have to splint it. I’m sorry for the pain.”

They rolled me on my right side and packed my hip wound with gauze and bandages. All I could do was gurgle moans. My left lung was punctured. That was the last thing I remembered as I slipped into LaLa land.

My phone rang. It was Janice. “Robbie, you have to get to the hospital quick. Melinda’s been shot. It doesn’t look good. That guy the police gave us the picture of, Jack what’s-his-name ... drove up and shot her as she was wallking across the parking lot. Robbie, she was bleeding so bad.”, I said, “SHOT! Melinda’s been SHOT? I raced to the hospital. I saw police cars and an ambulance in the ER drive. I ran into the ER asking where she was. I saw nurses and a couple of doctors running in and out of one of the rooms.

A nurse grabbed me and said, “Wait here, we are still trying to stabilize her. They are going to take her to surgery now.”

I could see blood spots on the floor where she had been bleeding as they wheeled her in. I broke down. I walked by the trauma room where she had been. It looked like a battlefield trauma unit. Blood everywhere.

Janice came up to me. She was still shaking. Her hands were covered in dried blood. Melinda’s blood. My God...

She said, “Robbie, it was that Nixon guy. We had pics of him in the office in case he showed up there. It looked like a white Ford Pick Up. He just yelled at her and started shooting in the parking lot. The police are searching for him now.”

“Robbie, she was hit three times, in the back, left hip and left lower leg. I heard the EMT say both bones in her leg are broken. The back wound went through her and came out her chest. I’m so sorry, Robbie.”

Janice had her arms around me. I was crying like a baby and praying, please God, don’t let her die. The nurse came by and told us that they are rushing her to surgery. It will be hours before we can see her.

Janice and I sat in the waiting area all night. At about 4 in the morning, a Dr. Harris came in and sat down with us.

Dr. Harris said, “Ok, it was touch and go for awhile. We had to revive her on the table twice. She lost a lot of blood. She’s still critical but stable now. The back wound went through her lung and exited above her right breast, which we repaired. The bullet in her hip fractured her pelvis but it will heal with time. We reduced the broken bones in her leg with plates and screws. She should have use of her leg in about 3 months. She will be in a splint for a week, then a cast for 8 to 10:weeks weeks or so. I expect her to be here for at lest 7 to 10 days.

I think she’ll be fine, Mr. Hammer. Just takes time. Go home and get some rest. She will be in ICU for a couple of days anyway. She’s on a ventilator to help her breathe while her lung heals. We won’t wake her up until we can take her off of it. I’ll check on her in the morning.”