could have left you to die."
He lapsed into a sullen silence that lasted for several miles.
Kendall thought he'd taken her advice and gone to sleep, but when she turned to look at him, he was watching her with the intensity of a sniper who has his target in the crosshairs of his sight.
"You pulled me from the wreckage?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
She snickered. "Well, it seemed the humane thing to do."
"Why would you save my life, then desert me in some hillbilly hospital to fend for myself when lam dispossessed of everything?"
"I wasn't going to desert you."
"That's a lie."
She sighed wearily. "After our conversation in your room tonight, I r ealized that you shared my lack of confidence in that doctor. So I thought it best to move you to another facility and get a second opinion.
"Rather than getting trapped in a mess of red tape and I really didn't want to hurt their feelings because they've been generous and kind to Kevin and me, I planned on sneaking you out."
"What if I'd been sedated?"
"All the better. You wouldn't have given me an argument."'
She glanced at him. "Didn't the nurse give you the injection after I left your room?"
"She tried. I insisted on a pill instead and then didn't swallow it. I like to be prepared, too. Gut instinct told me you might do something like this. If you did, I wanted to be awake."
Kendall glanced at the green cloth clinging wetly to his skin. "You stole the scrubs from the supply closet?"
"Better that than traipsing through the countryside bare assed. Are we on our way to South Carolina?"
"Tennessee, actually."
"Why the change in plans? What's in Tennessee?"
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me, so why don't you just wait and see."
"What'd we do?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"We must be on the run. What crime did we commit?"
"What on earth gave you that idea?"
"It makes more sense than the crock of shit you've been feeding me."
"What part don't you believe?"
"None of it. Our being a married couple with a child, to start with. Your intention to take me along when you flew the coop. I don't believe a word of it. You're an adroit liar.
Don't deny it, and don't ask me how I know. I just know.
You make it up as you go along."
"That's not true."
Her protest was born of anxiety as much as affront. His gut instinct, which he seemed to trust completely, was keen. With the exception of her grandmother, no one had ever been able to see through her so clearly. Under different circumstances, she would admire such perception, but right now she knew it could prove lethal.
She needed to act the difficult part of loving wife without arousing his suspicions further. After all, this situation was temporary. Surely she could be convincing for a while longer.
They lapsed into silence. The only sounds inside the car were the hypnotic swish of the tires on the wet pavement and the rapid cadence of the windshield wipers.
Kendall envied Kevin his peaceful sleep, his freedom from responsibility. She would have given almost anything to rest, to close her eyes and let sleep claim her. But she couldn't even think of it yet. She wouldn't breathe easily until there was much more distance between them and Stephensville's inquisitive deputy sheriff.
Gathering her waning energy, she gripped the steering wheel tighter and accelerated to a lawful, safe, but mile consuming speed.
He felt like he was lost in a dark, endless tunnel with a locomotive bearing down on him. He couldn't see it, couldn't outrun it. All he could do was brace himself for the impact.
Dreading the inevitable was the worst part. He would just as soon collide with it and get it over with because the ceaseless roar in his head was trying to blast his eyeballs from his skull.
Every part of his body was uncomfortable. His limbs were cramped and stiff, but he knew even before he tried that he would be unable to stretch his
He lapsed into a sullen silence that lasted for several miles.
Kendall thought he'd taken her advice and gone to sleep, but when she turned to look at him, he was watching her with the intensity of a sniper who has his target in the crosshairs of his sight.
"You pulled me from the wreckage?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
She snickered. "Well, it seemed the humane thing to do."
"Why would you save my life, then desert me in some hillbilly hospital to fend for myself when lam dispossessed of everything?"
"I wasn't going to desert you."
"That's a lie."
She sighed wearily. "After our conversation in your room tonight, I r ealized that you shared my lack of confidence in that doctor. So I thought it best to move you to another facility and get a second opinion.
"Rather than getting trapped in a mess of red tape and I really didn't want to hurt their feelings because they've been generous and kind to Kevin and me, I planned on sneaking you out."
"What if I'd been sedated?"
"All the better. You wouldn't have given me an argument."'
She glanced at him. "Didn't the nurse give you the injection after I left your room?"
"She tried. I insisted on a pill instead and then didn't swallow it. I like to be prepared, too. Gut instinct told me you might do something like this. If you did, I wanted to be awake."
Kendall glanced at the green cloth clinging wetly to his skin. "You stole the scrubs from the supply closet?"
"Better that than traipsing through the countryside bare assed. Are we on our way to South Carolina?"
"Tennessee, actually."
"Why the change in plans? What's in Tennessee?"
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me, so why don't you just wait and see."
"What'd we do?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"We must be on the run. What crime did we commit?"
"What on earth gave you that idea?"
"It makes more sense than the crock of shit you've been feeding me."
"What part don't you believe?"
"None of it. Our being a married couple with a child, to start with. Your intention to take me along when you flew the coop. I don't believe a word of it. You're an adroit liar.
Don't deny it, and don't ask me how I know. I just know.
You make it up as you go along."
"That's not true."
Her protest was born of anxiety as much as affront. His gut instinct, which he seemed to trust completely, was keen. With the exception of her grandmother, no one had ever been able to see through her so clearly. Under different circumstances, she would admire such perception, but right now she knew it could prove lethal.
She needed to act the difficult part of loving wife without arousing his suspicions further. After all, this situation was temporary. Surely she could be convincing for a while longer.
They lapsed into silence. The only sounds inside the car were the hypnotic swish of the tires on the wet pavement and the rapid cadence of the windshield wipers.
Kendall envied Kevin his peaceful sleep, his freedom from responsibility. She would have given almost anything to rest, to close her eyes and let sleep claim her. But she couldn't even think of it yet. She wouldn't breathe easily until there was much more distance between them and Stephensville's inquisitive deputy sheriff.
Gathering her waning energy, she gripped the steering wheel tighter and accelerated to a lawful, safe, but mile consuming speed.
He felt like he was lost in a dark, endless tunnel with a locomotive bearing down on him. He couldn't see it, couldn't outrun it. All he could do was brace himself for the impact.
Dreading the inevitable was the worst part. He would just as soon collide with it and get it over with because the ceaseless roar in his head was trying to blast his eyeballs from his skull.
Every part of his body was uncomfortable. His limbs were cramped and stiff, but he knew even before he tried that he would be unable to stretch his
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