Chapter 28: The Aftermath

The door bell rang at the safe house and I looked out the peep hole. I saw that it was Foster and some older woman waiting on the porch for me to open the door. I opened the door and greeted Agent Foster and the woman with him. I invited them into the house and led them to the living room. Karen came in from the kitchen where she had put the breakfast and lunch dishes into the dish washer to be washed.

“Guys, this is Dr. Margaret Hunter, she is the clinical psychologist the Bureau uses for agents when they are involved in a shooting,” Agent Foster said. “She isn’t here to condemn you or to analyze you. She is here to help you deal with the trauma you both just went through.”

“Like Agent Foster said I am here to help you to adjust to your new reality,” said Dr. Hunter. “Shooting someone is a life changing event. Some people accept it and go on and others allow it to take over their lives. It is those people who allow it take over their lives are the ones who turn to alcohol or drugs or worse, suicide. We don’t want that to happen so I am here to guide you on your acceptance of that event.”

“I am going now guys and I will be back in a couple of hours to pick up Dr. Hunter. Allow her to guide you. Believe me you will accept what you did to save your lives more quickly,” said Foster.

Foster stood up and I showed him to the door. We walked silently to the door and he turned to me before opening the door.

“Do you want your old gun back or would you like another?” said Foster. “Some people can’t stand to touch their firearm after a shooting and require a new one. And unfortunately some will never touch a firearm ever again.”

“If it is all the same to you, Lawrence, I prefer to have my old gun back,” I said. “I broke that one in and I am familiar with all of its idiosyncrasies.”

“OK when I come back to pick up the Doc I will bring your revolver back to you. Oh just in case you want to know the coroner said you could cover all five rounds you shot with a tea cup. Under duress that was fine shooting you did to protect Karen. You made me proud as I was the one who taught you to shoot.” said Foster.

“Just remember my friend, you didn’t shoot to kill you shot to end a threat to your wife,” he added.

With that he walked out the door and to his car and drove off.

I walked back into the living room to see the Doctor and Karen is some deep discussion. They were talking in a low volume so I had to really strain to hear what they were saying. I picked up words now and then, support, greatest love, shoot to kill, and support him cause he is going through a serious turmoil and will need you support.

“Now that you are back, lets begin when you knew that your former girl friend was going to harm your wife. How did you feel when you had to pull your side arm and shoot to protect your wife” Dr. Hunter asked.

So over the next two hours we covered just about every aspect of the shooting. How I felt about the deceased, and how I felt inside when I pointed the pistol and fired. Karen was asked to tell me how she felt about the shooting. Karen said she felt guilt for me having to kill a former girlfriend to protect her. I responded back to Karen telling her that I would gladly do it again to protect the love of my life. Karen shed a few tears at my comment.

The Doctor asked me how I was coping with the aftermath of the shooting. I described how calm I felt ending the threat, it was until thirty minutes later that I had to deal with the adrenaline dump in my system. She assured me that the shakes, fainting, and emotional outbursts were normal and that some people took months to recover from them. She also asked how I was doing at the given time. I told her as long as I was keeping busy I didn’t have to dwell on my taking of Ginny B’s life I was OK. She assured me my actions came from responding to the threat of physical harm to Karen. As the two hour mark came closer, the good Doctor stood and said we were both doing good accepting the shooting for what it was. She closed in saying that there was no need for further sessions and if one of us had a relapse we were to call her number on the business card she handed to each of us.

Exactly on the dot Foster was at the door and I went to let him in. After I opened the door, Foster put a cardboard box in my hands and went on into the living room to get Dr. Hunter. I put the box on the shelf in the hall closet intending to see what is held later and then followed Foster into the living room.

“Are you ready to go, Dr. Hunter?” asked Agent Foster. “I don’t want to rush you but I do have to get back to the office and finish a ton of paperwork.”

“Anytime you are ready Agent Foster,” answered Dr Hunter. “My work is completed here. This couple will get through this as long as they depend on each other and so far all indications are they will continue to do so.”

“That is what I wanted to hear,” said Foster. “This couple means a lot to me. If it wasn’t Karen’s meddling grandmother I wouldn’t be engaged.”

Karen broke out in a case of the giggles and I just gave my friend a ‘I told you so look’. Making sure Dr. Hunter and Karen couldn’t see he gave me an obscene gesture and mouthed that I should do a nearly physically impossible act upon myself. That just made my grin bigger.

Karen and I walked them to the door and out to the government issued sedan Foster drove.

As he was climbing into the car Foster hollered over to me, “The usual time tomorrow at the range. We need to keep you sharp if you are going to work with the bureau.”

Foster shut his door and started the car. They both waved as they drove off.

Karen came over to me and gave me a hug while we watched them drive down the cul de sac. Dr. Hunter was correct we would make it as long as Karen and I worked together on our relationship. I thought of what Ginny B in her twisted mind would say, ‘You belong to me’. She was totally wrong one individual doesn’t belong to the other, you both belonged to each other. A couple is a lot stronger than an individual alone. Karen and I had only been married a short while and in that short time we had been through a lot. If anything it strengthened our bond. As the old adage says “What does not kill you will only make you stronger.”