What would he do if he lost her?
In the short weeks he’d known her, she'd become the light in his life. She'd guided him from the painful past that haunted him into a present where he could find joy. She’d helped him finally see a future. A future that he wanted.
He pulled himself together by sheer force of will, returning to the waiting room. He wanted to go to Molly the moment he was allowed. He'd be ready for whatever she needed.
If she survived.
She had to survive.
He was still waiting over an hour later when two familiar figures stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall toward him. Iris and Jilly.
He didn't even have the strength in his legs to stand and greet them. "What are you doing here?"
Jilly sat beside him, putting her arm around his shoulders without asking for permission. Iris sat in the chair at his other side, balancing a paper cup carrier with three to-go cups of coffee.
"Sally is the emergency dispatcher for the county," Jilly said. "We've been friends for years."
"She called us right after your 911 call," said Iris.
And they must've left almost immediately and battled the weather all this way. To be with him?
He didn't deserve it, and tears swam in his eyes again. He pressed his thumb and forefinger into both of his eyes. Cleared his throat.
"Isn't that against the law or something?"
"Probably." Iris shrugged. "But it's Sutter's Hollow."
And for the first time, he was glad to be a part of the tiny community.
He was halfway through the coffee when a doctor in scrubs and a surgical cap pushed his way through a set of double swinging doors.
Cord jumped out of his chair.
"You the fiancé?" the doctor asked.
Cord didn't glance at his friends. "Yes."
"She got lucky the bullet struck where it did. It hit in the fleshy part of her side. No damage to her internal organs that we can tell."
Relief flooded Cord, but it was short-lived.
"I'm more worried about her head injury," the doctor continued. He glanced at his phone, and Cord wanted to shake him. "There's a lot of pressure inside her skull. If it doesn't resolve itself, we may have to do surgery."
Cords stomach dropped to his toes. Brain surgery? He didn't know the risks, but he knew it had to be dangerous.
The doctor added, "She's got at least one broken rib and the fracture on her wrist. Assuming the best, she's got a long road of recovery ahead of her."
"When can I see her?" Cord’s voice was hoarse.
"Soon." And the doctor was gone.
Cord sank back into the seat between his two friends. He ran his hands up and then down his face, trying to shake off the weariness that had descended over him.
Molly was out of surgery, but not out of danger. And even if she got past the danger of her head injury, what were the emotional ramifications?
She'd been frightened of Toby. Now the man was dead, but after what she'd suffered, she had a right to jump at every shadow, every sound.
Molly awoke surroundedby machines and a dim light.
