Double Jeopardy Chapter 3 (standard:mystery, 2645 words) [3/13] show all parts
Author: Sarah Spenser	Added: Jun 09 2005	Views/Reads: 2473/1979	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
This picks up from where Allison's car plunges into the lake!

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

victim was and he scowled. “Connor, go home!” Charlie bellowed finding 
Connor on his hands and knees by the lake. He was combing through the 
underbrush on the side of the lake. “No, Chief. It's Allison's car! 
She's in there! We have to get her out!” “Connor, you know that no one 
could've survived that crash!” “I don't give a damn what you think! My 
wife's in there! Send divers down ... send ... send search dogs!” 
Connor sobbed uncontrollably. “Connor ...” “What the hell are you 
waiting for? Who knows when this happened!” “I called off the search!” 
“You arrogant son of a ...” “Connor, you and I both know it's 
pointless! You might not want to face reality, but I'm telling you she 
didn't survive.” “You don't understand she was pregnant!” he blurted 
grief overtaking him. “Connor, I told Lenny and the Tracking Dog Unit 
to go home.” Connor punched Charlie hard. “No! I won't accept this!” 
“Be a man! Your wife is dead! I know it sounds hard and cruel but she's 
gone!” Connor punched him again. “No, Charlie! What's cruel and 
insensitive is your insensitivity! Don't you have a heart? A pregnant 
woman is down there probably freezing to death! It's unseasonably 
chilly for May and all you care about is facing facts!” “Connor ...” “I 
don't want to face facts! Allie's not dead! She ... she can't be!” 
Connor sank to his knees and sobbed. 

Dr. Drake Hoaggan finished up his rounds at Seederside Hospital. It was
one of Connecticut's finest. Drake was the head of the ER, it had been 
a long day, and he couldn't wait  to climb into bed. Just as he was 
about to leave, a nurse signaled him. “Dr. Hoaggan?” “Yes, Maggie?” his 
dark eyes sparkled despite his tiredness. His gray hair gave him a 
stately look, but he was kind. Inside beat a heart of gold. “Do you 
have time for one more emergency case? A woman found in a lake. LOC and 
head trauma.” “Sure.” Drake said sinking onto a chair to wait for the 
ambulance to pull up. 

Thelma did her best to comfort her son. Clint sat and stared. Connor was
inconsolable, all he could do was say Allison's name and rock back and 
forth. “I can't believe she's gone! No! it can't be.” “Connor, 
sweetheart maybe you should get some rest.” Thelma suggested 
soothingly. “No, Mom I can't rest! Allie's out there! Probably calling 
for me ... probably begging me to help her!” Connor got up and headed 
for the door. “Where are you going?” Clint asked cornering his son. “To 
search for Allie. I have to find her!” 

Connor searched the lake for hours, his clothes were soaked from diving
in, but he didn't find her. He remembered her last words, and began to 
sob. Thelma and Clint pulled him from the water, a team of paramedics 
was standing by. “Allie? Where are you, honey? Allison?” the paramedics 
tended to Connor who was now shivering uncontrollably. “What can you do 
to help him?” Clint asked panicked. “Well, Mr. Cassidy, we have to get 
him to Fallwood General. Then he'll be examined.” All throughout the 
ambulance ride, Connor screamed Allison's name. The siren blared, 
Thelma held her son's hand and tried not to sob. Her eyes looked so 
unbearably sad that Clint thought his heart would break. 

Two hours later, Lynn hearing the report about Connor on the news raced
to the hospital. She hadn't learned about Allison's accident. Thelma 
and Clint sat in the waiting room holding hands. Lynn burst in and sat 
next to Thelma. “Where's Allison? Is she in with Connor?” “Lynn ...” 
Clint began, but he was cut off. “How is Connor, Clint? Is he going to 
be all right? When can we see him?” “Lynn?” “He's like a family member, 
when Allison married him, he was just like family.” “Lynn, there's 
something you need to know.” Thelma said. “Connor's out of his mind 
with grief.” “Grief? Why??” “Lynn, there was an accident by Miller's 
Lake tonight.” “I know I heard about it on the news ...” “Lynn, it was 
Allison.” Thelma said softly. No one could've been prepared for the ear 
piercing shriek that erupted from Lynn. “No! no! Allison it can't be 
true! Oh God no!” her green eyes filled with tears. All she could do 
was sob, After what seemed like an eternity, Dr. Amanda Shephard came 
out to talk to them. “Mrs. And Mr. Cassidy, Connor's sedated right now. 
He's pretty stable, although he does have hypothermia. All he does is 
say Allison's name. I ordered a psych evaluation for morning.” “Is he 
going to be all right?” Thelma asked fear creeping into her  voice. She 
began to sob, as she thought of her son her Connor going through the 
worst pain of his life. “Well ... physically he'll be fine. 
Emotionally, I don't know.” “Can we see him?” Clint asked, Lynn was 
still hysterical and not yet regained her composure. “Yes, but keep it 
down. The sedative is beginning to take affect.” “Okay.” Thelma and 
Clint went in, while Lynn stayed outside with Amanda. Connor was 
critical, and Lynn was not allowed in the ICU. Thelma stepped over to 
her son. His brown eyes looked unbearably sad, she had never seen him 
to heart broken, not even when Grace left him. “Mom?” “Yes, 
sweetheart?” Thelma said trying not to cry. Her green eyes conveyed a 
softness as she knelt over her son. “Have they found Allie yet?” “No, 
baby.” “She's not ... I can't even say it! I won't believe it!” he 
rattled on about Allison until the sedative took full affect. Thelma 
and Clint tiptoed out of the room as Connor fell into a deep sleep. 

Drake waited until he heard the wail of the ambulance. He went to meet
the medics who were already bringing the unidentified woman in. “What 
have we got?” Drake asked meeting the paramedics in the ER's first 
trauma room. “Woman found at the bottom of Miller's Lake. No ID, LOC 
all the way. Didn't even regain consciousness when we pulled her out. 
Temp's about 70, pressure's steady, resps are stable. She's severely 
hypothermic.” “Did you give her fluids?” “Core rewarming with the 
inhalation method. Water saturated air heated to 122 degrees, warm 
fluids and blankets. Warmed up in the field, but she's still 
shivering.” “Okay, thanks a lot.” “You got this, Dr. Hoaggan?” “Yeah, 
Ricky I got it.” Drake wheeled the woman into Trauma Two and assessed 
her condition. She was severely hypothermic, Drake ordered warm fluids, 
blankets, and heating pads. They were all draped over the woman hoping 
to bring her warmth. Drake sank into a chair beside her bed to wait. 
“Doctor, you know she may never wake up?” one of the nurses named 
Denise said. “I know, Denise, but this is someone's loved one. She's 
someone's sister, someone's mother, someone's wife. I'll stay a few 
hours. If nothing happens, I'll go home.” “You've got a heart of gold, 
Dr. Hoaggan.” 

Thelma and Clint stayed up all night. They sat in shock at the news that
Allison didn't survive the accident. Even though they had only known 
her a short time, she had made a  lasting impact. She was a kind, 
honest person, and Connor had told them of the fight they had. She was 
pregnant, and he had left her to go on that stupid hostage situation. 
If he had been a man, he would've stood up to  Charlie, telling where 
to go. Clint stared at the wall, while Thelma sobbed. The phone rang, 
breaking them out of their reverie. “Hello?” Thelma said weakly. “Mrs. 
Cassidy?” “Yes?” “This is Charlie Chattum. May I speak to Connor 
please?” “Chief, he's in the hospital heavily sedated. He's out of his 
mind with grief over Allison. Whatever it is tell me I'll tell him.” 
“We found that Allison didn't have an accident. It was foul play.” 
“What ... what do you mean?” Thelma's heart pounded and she went white. 
Her green eyes filled with fear as she realized what Charlie was 
eluding to. “Someone deliberately ran Allison off the road. We got the 
search dogs involved, and there are two sets of tire tracks.” “Oh my 
God!” “Tell Connor I hope he gets better.” “I will.” Thelma hung up in 
disbelief. 

Drake sat by the woman's bedside, the possibility of her regaining
consciousness was remote by now. Her hypothermia was severe, and 
despite their efforts to warm her, she was still shivering. Drake was 
talking to her softly and holding her hand. “Wake up for me, so you can 
go home to your family. I'm sure there are many people who love you and 
are looking for you.” He stared at her face, she seemed oddly familiar. 
He'd seen that face before, but where? The woman began to stir, slowly 
her eyes began to open. Drake tightened his grip on her hand and talked 
to her soothingly. “Ma'm, can you hear me?” “Connor, I'm ... I'm 
sorry.” “Who's Connor?” he said hoping the name would reveal a clue to 
the woman's identity. “My husband.” “Oh, can you tell me your name?” he 
asked soothingly. She thought for a moment. “I ... I don't remember.” 
Drake put more blankets on her and ran some more fluids into her IVs. 
“Do you know where you are?” “In the hospital. But why?” “Your car was 
found at the bottom of a lake. You have a severe case of hypothermia.” 
Just then the nurse came in to check on the woman. “Is she conscious 
yet?” Allyxandra Martin asked, knowing how hard Drake had worked on the 
woman since she was brought in. “Yes, Ally. I was just trying to find 
out her name.” The woman stared at Allyxandra with wide eyes. “Is 
something wrong?” Allyxandra asked noticing the woman's expression. 
“Your name, it sounds familiar.” “Ally?” “Yes, what's your real name? 
Is it Allison?” “No, Allyxandra.” “Someone used to call me Allie.” 
“What was it short for?” Allyxandra asked hoping to jog her memory. “Uh 
... I don't know ... I think it was a nickname. You know the kinds of 
pet  names that lovers have for each other. What is my name?” she 
thought for a moment, then it finally came to her. “I'm Allison.” 
“Allison what?” Drake said hoping she also remembered her last name. 
“Allison ... um ... Cassidy.” Just then Allison began to shiver. 
“Allison? Are you all right?” Drake asked concerned by how much she was 
trembling. “Something's ... wrong!” with the last word she lost 
consciousness. “Allison? Allison! Stay with me!” Drake ordered 
Allyxandra to run more fluids and get more blankets. “Get some water 
saturated air at 122 degrees! She's crashing! Hurry!” 


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