Knox nudged his good arm. “Hey, I’ve got Leland. Let Tayla look at your arm.”
“I’m fine.”
“Yes, honey badger, you’ll live. But you’re bleeding. We don’t need you passing out. Let her—”
“I’ve got it,” Tayla said, with more authority than he expected of her in the moment. With a loud rip, she enlarged the hole in his sleeve. Her brows formed a hard line as she eyed the gunshot wound.
“Tayla, you don’t need to do anything. The ambulance will—”
“Hang on,” she interrupted. “I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?”
No response. She’d darted across the hangar. He couldn’t see her anymore. He stood.
“Don’t,” Knox said.
“What?”
“She’s probably sick or something. I shouldn’t have suggested she look at your arm. Give her a minute. She probably thought Leland was dead a few minutes ago. Then she saw you get shot. Just give her some sp—”
“Found it,” Tayla said, rushing back. Out of breath. She plopped down a metal box and threw back the lid.
A first aid kit.
“Where did you find that?” Jason asked, watching her tear open some gauze pads.
“I noticed it near the door when we first came in.” She handed Knox some gauze pads. He looked as impressed as Jason felt. Next, she gingerly applied a gauze pad to Jason’s arm.
He didn’t mean to wince.
“I’m so sorry. It’s going to hurt,” she said, applying pressure. “I have to—”
“I know. You’re doing great. Thanks.” He tried to nudge her hand away. “I can hold it.”
She grasped his wrist and pulled it away. “Jason, I’ve got this. Just hold still.” Readjusting to cover his wound with both hands, she focused on his arm for a beat, then her gaze traveled to his face.
The look in her eyes slew every doubt he’d ever harbored about God not wanting him to love again. In the middle of so much tragedy, the peace on her face reached all the way to his core.
The corners of her mouth tipped up. And tears ran down her face. “You saved my life. You saved Leland’s life. If you hadn’t stopped him,” her eyes darted to Thirteen, then back to his, “he would have killed us both.” Her voice hitched and failed her. But her lips mouthed ‘thank you.’
He didn’t trust himself to respond, so he brushed a thumb across her cheek with his free hand and pressed his lips to her forehead. The sound of sirens made him ease back.
They both turned to Leland.
Knox looked grim. He nodded toward the approaching emergency vehicles. “They need to hurry.
Knox handed Tayla some local currency and suggested she get something to eat from the vending machine down the hall. They’d been pacing the hospital waiting room for thirty minutes. Apparently, Tayla looked hungry.
She wasn’t.
Leland was still in surgery. Food was the last thing on her mind. She hadn’t even been allowed to see Jason yet. His wound hadn’t seemed very serious. Did she miss something? Should it be taking so long?
She was about to tell Knox ‘no, thank you,’ when she noticed his attention riveted on the opposite hallway.
Eric walked toward them.
Oh. That’s why Knox wanted her to leave.
