here in Kentucky. These guys were also wanted in West Virginia.”
Gary listened to them and remained calm. “Would West Virginia hold some kind of priority over him?”
“No, both states would charge him separately, but since we have him, we’ll definitely hold him and charge him first here in Kentucky,” the older officer informed him.
Gary spoke softly and remained polite. “And you’ll let me know when the court case comes up?”
“Of course, we’ll let you know everything,” the younger officer answered.
“Are there any other questions?” the older officer asked, standing tall inside the small room.
Gary stood with him and shook his head. “No, not right now. I just need to go back in there and see my mother now.”
Both officers dropped their heads in response to him. The younger officer took a breath and spoke up first. “We’re very sorry about your loss.”
“But at least we have the two culprits,” the older officer added.
Gary nodded to them both and quietly headed toward the door.
Inside the chilly and lifeless coroner’s room with Dr. Teikata, Gary approached his mother’s body, stretched out across the cold hard table. He barely recognized her. She appeared twice her normal size and was crushed and swollen from the neck down.
“The emergency team put her on ice immediately to try and reduce the swelling, but there’s only so much that ice can do.”
As Gary stared down at the remains of his mother and studied her multiple injuries, he was surprised himself that he could view her deceased body without exploding into anguish, grief or a flood of tears. It seemed so clinical, as if he was in a high school biology lab. He could feel the emotions bubbling up inside of him, stirring, but they remained beneath the surface.
Am I supposed to be going crazy right now or … how am I supposed to act?
he asked himself. This was not a game of poker.
Finally, he muttered, “What’s wrong with me, doc? I don’t know what to feel. I’m … I’m numb.” His voice cracked as he spoke, but he shed no tears and felt no anger.
“Sometimes, we experience a shock of the nervous system where our natural impulses fail to trigger to the brain,” Dr. Teikata answered.
“What does that mean?” Gary looked and asked him. “I won’t be able to feel anything? I can’t even cry for my mother?” He reexamined her battered body on the table and said, “She looks like something out of a horror movie.”
Dr. Teikata translated Gary’s poise. “Sometimes patients develop post-traumatic stress that can kick in long after the initial events have occurred.”
The doctor grimaced as he continued his explanation. “Post-traumatic stress syndrome can manifest itself in a number of different ways. It can be as simple as a loss of sleep, panic attacks, eating disorders or an inability to work. It can also trigger dramatic mood swings, depression, denial and any number of anti-social behaviors.”
Gary summed it up and said, “In other words, just about anything can happen.”
The doctor took a breath. He said, “I’ll give you a phone number to call Dr. James Rayborn. He’s a good friend of mine and a great clinical psychologist. He can help you to work your way through this.”
Gary heard the doctor’s words and stood there dumbfounded. The doctor was right. Gary didn’t know what to feel, and he absolutely loved his mother.
This is crazy!
he told himself.
Why can’t I cry for her? What’s wrong with me?
When Gary finally joined Taylor and Melissa back inside the emergency waiting room, a full hour had lapsed.
Taylor stood from his seat and asked him, “So, what’s going on? Is she all right?”
Melissa stood and awaited an answer herself.
Gary regarded their concern and ignored them. What could he possibly tell them? He had no idea what to say. He didn’t want to be bothered with explaining it. He was still trying to process it all himself.
“So, what happened?” Melissa pressed
Gary listened to them and remained calm. “Would West Virginia hold some kind of priority over him?”
“No, both states would charge him separately, but since we have him, we’ll definitely hold him and charge him first here in Kentucky,” the older officer informed him.
Gary spoke softly and remained polite. “And you’ll let me know when the court case comes up?”
“Of course, we’ll let you know everything,” the younger officer answered.
“Are there any other questions?” the older officer asked, standing tall inside the small room.
Gary stood with him and shook his head. “No, not right now. I just need to go back in there and see my mother now.”
Both officers dropped their heads in response to him. The younger officer took a breath and spoke up first. “We’re very sorry about your loss.”
“But at least we have the two culprits,” the older officer added.
Gary nodded to them both and quietly headed toward the door.
Inside the chilly and lifeless coroner’s room with Dr. Teikata, Gary approached his mother’s body, stretched out across the cold hard table. He barely recognized her. She appeared twice her normal size and was crushed and swollen from the neck down.
“The emergency team put her on ice immediately to try and reduce the swelling, but there’s only so much that ice can do.”
As Gary stared down at the remains of his mother and studied her multiple injuries, he was surprised himself that he could view her deceased body without exploding into anguish, grief or a flood of tears. It seemed so clinical, as if he was in a high school biology lab. He could feel the emotions bubbling up inside of him, stirring, but they remained beneath the surface.
Am I supposed to be going crazy right now or … how am I supposed to act?
he asked himself. This was not a game of poker.
Finally, he muttered, “What’s wrong with me, doc? I don’t know what to feel. I’m … I’m numb.” His voice cracked as he spoke, but he shed no tears and felt no anger.
“Sometimes, we experience a shock of the nervous system where our natural impulses fail to trigger to the brain,” Dr. Teikata answered.
“What does that mean?” Gary looked and asked him. “I won’t be able to feel anything? I can’t even cry for my mother?” He reexamined her battered body on the table and said, “She looks like something out of a horror movie.”
Dr. Teikata translated Gary’s poise. “Sometimes patients develop post-traumatic stress that can kick in long after the initial events have occurred.”
The doctor grimaced as he continued his explanation. “Post-traumatic stress syndrome can manifest itself in a number of different ways. It can be as simple as a loss of sleep, panic attacks, eating disorders or an inability to work. It can also trigger dramatic mood swings, depression, denial and any number of anti-social behaviors.”
Gary summed it up and said, “In other words, just about anything can happen.”
The doctor took a breath. He said, “I’ll give you a phone number to call Dr. James Rayborn. He’s a good friend of mine and a great clinical psychologist. He can help you to work your way through this.”
Gary heard the doctor’s words and stood there dumbfounded. The doctor was right. Gary didn’t know what to feel, and he absolutely loved his mother.
This is crazy!
he told himself.
Why can’t I cry for her? What’s wrong with me?
When Gary finally joined Taylor and Melissa back inside the emergency waiting room, a full hour had lapsed.
Taylor stood from his seat and asked him, “So, what’s going on? Is she all right?”
Melissa stood and awaited an answer herself.
Gary regarded their concern and ignored them. What could he possibly tell them? He had no idea what to say. He didn’t want to be bothered with explaining it. He was still trying to process it all himself.
“So, what happened?” Melissa pressed
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