There was music in the air, and then Rafe realized it was a siren. Sirens. The ambulances had arrived. And then his sister’s face was hovering over him. “Dani, tell Liv I’m going to be okay.”
She gave him a seriously pissed off look, then glanced at the phone lying on his chest. “Olivia, honey, we gotta hang up now. I’ll find you at the hospital, okay?”
“No, don’t hang up,” he protested, but it was already done.
“You’re going to cry like a little girl when we transfer you to the back board, Rafe. She doesn’t need to hear that.”
He laughed, but it sounded weak even to his own ears.
“Don’t close your eyes, Rafe. Stay with me…”
But he couldn’t. It hurt too damn much. And the light—and then the dark—was a welcome relief.
— NINETEEN —
THE car they sent for her wasn’t designed for detainee transfer, so as soon as they pulled up to the emergency room entrance she had the door open and was flying. Inside, she looked for anyone in uniform that she recognized. The waiting room was a sea of navy blue and staring faces she couldn’t name if her life depended on it. Finally she landed on Dean, standing at the triage desk looking grim.
He turned just in time to catch her as she ran smack into him.
“Where is he?” She sucked in big gasping breaths and jerked her head to the nurse sitting in front of a computer. “I’m Rafe Minelli’s wife, where is he?”
The other woman didn’t respond right away, clicking on something on her screen, and Olivia wanted to rip the monitor off the desk and whip it across the room. Dean rubbed her arm. “Olivia, Rafe was shot in the shoulder. You heard him, he was conscious—“
“Was? What do you mean, was? Where’s Dani?” She started crying again, great heaving sobs that wracked her entire body.
“I’m here, honey.” Her friend wrapped her long, slim arms around her from behind and she turned on the spot, returning the embrace. “He’s going to be okay, really. But he’s a bit messed up right now, and he needs surgery, so they’re going to airlift him to London.”
“I want to go with him.”
“You can’t, but we’ll drive you.” A silent conversation was taking place over her head between Dani and Dean, she could feel it, but she didn’t care. “Come on, you can see him for a minute before they load him up.”
Dani squeezed her hand, both reassuring and prompting. Olivia followed, the noise and bright lights of the hospital swirling around her in a surreal tapestry. Through one door, then the next, and when they got to a closed curtain, she heard him groan and started crying all over again.
“Rafe—!” She cut herself off, not trusting herself to hold it together. He couldn’t see her like this.Pretend you’re strong for thirty seconds, she ordered her heart. Dani gave her a questioning look and she nodded and blew out her cheeks. “I’m okay.”
On the other side of the curtain, five people in scrubs had their hands on him.Oh my god. In him, it looked like as well, from the amount of blood on their gloves. Pieces of his uniform lay on the floor, cut off in chunks, and large medical packs lay open on his chest. He was moaning as the man touching his shoulder barked orders to the others. Dani silently guided her around the gurney so she could see his profile. Eyes squeezed shut, jaw clenched and teeth bared, he looked gloriously alive—a true fighter.
“Sweetie,” she breathed, and his eyes popped open.
“Baby,” he groaned. “You’re here.”
“I hear you’re going to take a helicopter ride.”
He grunted.
“I’m going to follow.”
“Dani—” He swore as one of the nurses did something to his hand.
“What did that feel like, Rafaelo?” the doctor asked.
“Fucking cold,” Rafe muttered, and the nurses laughed.
“Okay, we’re good to go whenever the chopper gets here,” the doctor announced. “I’ll give you a minute, but then we need the room.”
She moved closer, hands shaking, not knowing if she should touch him. Thankfully he didn’t have that same fear. He reached out with his left hand and she squeezed his fingers. “Be brave.”
“I always am.”
