Book Excerpts
Excerpt #1, Chapter One, Page #6
“After a long swig of beer, shaking the can, he headed to the fridge for another. The ringing phone startled him. Looking at his watch, he walked over to the kitchen counter and picked up the cordless phone. An unexplained chill ran down his back, as Becky Draper’s panicked voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Becky, Becky, please slow down, what’s wrong?!”
Panic was starting to bubble up in Jack, trying to maintain his composure, once again he asked, “What’s wrong?
“Somebody shot Daniel!” Taking another breath, “Did you hear me? Somebody shot Daniel!”
The words didn’t make sense, it was all of a sudden a surreal moment for Jack. He had never had an out-of-body experience, but at that very moment, he was feeling separated from 7 himself, his head spun, and he was dazed by the words that he could not connect.
Hearing Becky in such distress shook him, and his breathing became erratic as he tried to catch his breath. The buzz from the beer was all but gone, however, the two beers still slowed his ability to get his thoughts together.
The lump in his throat was as if someone had shoved their fist down his throat, and dared him to breathe. His mind was racing trying to find a handle on the reality that seemed to be just beyond his reach.
“Jack! We’re at the hospital, I need you now!” Becky yelled, with a very noticeable tremble in her voice. These words forced him to focus. “I’m on my way!” Were the only words he could muster as he hung up the phone.”
Excerpt #2, Chapter One, Page 8
“As he was starting to focus on the questions, settling in for the twenty-minute drive, but most of all preparing himself for what he would find at the hospital, his cell phone rang. He had forgotten that the cell phone was in his shirt pocket.
The sudden sound caused him to jump, and swerve his car to the right a little bit. He answered with some irritation in his voice.
“Hello!”
“Is this Jack Campbell?” Asked the official-sounding female voice on the other end.
With hesitation in his voice he replied,
“Yes, it is,”
“Mr. Campbell, a State Trooper, is standing by at mile marker 113 headed North, he will lead you to the hospital.”
“I don’t understand. What trooper? Why… what is going on?!”
“Mr. Campbell, all will be explained to you at the hospital.”
With that, the phone went dead. Any remaining buzz Jack had was completely gone now.
While trying to wrap his head around the phone call, at that moment it occurred to him, Where are all the cars?
He could not see any car lights in any direction, That’s odd, he thought, It’s just after 7:15 p.m., no later than 7:30.
Blue lights were flashing off in the distance. Getting closer, he could see a State Trooper’s car parked on the side of the road. Closer still, he could see that the Trooper was parked at mile marker 113.
Jack slowed down to pull up to him, but the State Trooper took off, wheels spinning – throwing gravel and waving his arm out of the window for Jack to follow.
Jack had to push to stay with him, looking down at the speedometer, they were driving 110 miles per hour. To Jack, this was both a little exciting, and scary at the same time.
There was a surreal feeling of driving so fast, and yet at the same time, things seemed to be moving so slowly. Keeping up with the State Trooper was somewhat of a challenge, not because of the speed, but because he could not stay focused.
He could not help thinking about the pain Daniel must have been in. I wonder will he still say it only hurts for a little while?
Driving by the next exit, he now understood why there were no cars on the interstate. State Troopers and County Sheriff’s Deputies had the interstate on-ramps blocked to traffic. Jack and his State Trooper had the interstate to themselves.”
Excerpt #3, Chapter One, Page 12
Seeing Jack walking toward the family, Becky ran to meet him. Her red hair against her fair skin shimmered as she ran. He felt ashamed of himself for thinking of her hair at a time like this.
Even at a distance, he could tell she had been crying a lot, and upon seeing him, the faucet opened again.
“Jack!”
Calling his name, she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder, and just cried. It was a little hard for him to breathe because her grip was so tight around his neck.
He just held her, without saying a word, until she turned him loose. Keeping her safe was the only thing on his mind now.
“Jack, somebody shot my Daniel, and no one will tell me anything. My family is under police protection, and they’re going to have an unmarked car outside our home.
Becky was speaking in rapid fire, Jack tried to catch what she was saying and waited for her to take a breath. Finally, she was quiet, except for the sniffing sound from crying.
Before Jack could ask her questions, a tall bureaucrat looking man came up to them. Jack surmised that he was a Fed based on his appearance.
“Hi, my name is Robert Reed, and I’m with the State Department.”
“The State Department?!” Jack asked while looking at Becky as if expecting her to answer.
“Please come with me, your questions will be answered.””“Becky, Becky, please slow down, what’s wrong?!”
Panic was starting to bubble up in Jack, trying to maintain his composure, once again he asked, “What’s wrong?
“Somebody shot Daniel!” Taking another breath, “Did you hear me? Somebody shot Daniel!”
The words didn’t make sense, it was all of a sudden a surreal moment for Jack. He had never had an out-of-body experience, but at that very moment, he was feeling separated from 7 himself, his head spun, and he was dazed by the words that he could not connect.
Hearing Becky in such distress shook him, and his breathing became erratic as he tried to catch his breath. The buzz from the beer was all but gone, however, the two beers still slowed his ability to get his thoughts together.
The lump in his throat was as if someone had shoved their fist down his throat, and dared him to breathe. His mind was racing trying to find a handle on the reality that seemed to be just beyond his reach.
“Jack! We’re at the hospital, I need you now!” Becky yelled, with a very noticeable tremble in her voice. These words forced him to focus. “I’m on my way!” Were the only words he could muster as he hung up the phone.”
Excerpt #4, Chapter Two, Page 25
“Just then, the door opened, and Dr. Fredericks stepped inside. He motioned for Mary to come over to him. Becky and Jack strained to try and hear what was being said.
Becky grabbed Jack’s arm and held it so tight, that Jack could feel her blood pumping through her hand. He placed his other hand on top of Becky’s hand, to provide comfort and strength all at the same time.
After what seemed like a long time to Jack and Becky, but was only a couple of moments, Mary turned with a slight smile on her face as she and Dr. Fredericks walked over to them. With a smile on her face, Mary said, “Go ahead doctor, tell them the good news.”
“I spoke to the surgery team,” Dr. Fredericks started while smiling at Becky, “The surgeons said that they are 90% through with the surgery and that Daniel is now stable.”
Dr. Fredericks continued, “They expect him to be in surgery for another hour or two. At that time, Daniel will be moved to Intensive-Care recovery.”
Becky could hardly control her excitement, still holding on to Jack’s arm, she bounced like a little girl as she heaved a sigh of relief, “When can I see my husband?”
Dr. Fredericks replied, “You will be able to see him after he is out of recovery. They have his private room ready, and you are welcome to wait in the room for him.”
Mary spun quickly and said, “I’ll talk to you in the room later, I must go and set up security protocols for when Daniel is moved to his room.” With that, she gave Dr. Fredericks’ arm a little tug, and they left Becky and Jack standing in the middle of the room, still a little confused, and with more questions than answers.”