“The fire department is nearly here,” Russell yelled back. “Is there a ladder somewhere?”
Gabe wiped his face and searched the narrow platform. When he saw the rope ladder hidden in some branches, he caught his breath. They must be more than forty feet in the air. If one of the moss-covered rungs had broken, Natalie would have plunged to the ground.
“I’m throwing it down, but it doesn’t look safe.”
“You’re not kidding,” came Russell’s dry reply. “We’ll rig some ropes together and use a stretcher to get Natalie down. Hold tight. The fire crew has arrived.”
Gabe turned to Natalie, cupping the side of her face with his hand. “You’re safe now. We’ll take you to the hospital and before you know it, you’ll be walking Sherlock around the lake.”
He wanted her eyes to open, to hear her voice tell him that everything would be okay. But her lids remained closed, and her breathing slow and shallow.
With trembling fingers, he pushed her hair away from face and rechecked her pulse.
Fear threatened to pull him under a heavy black cloud. After today, he didn’t know if their lives would ever be the same again.
* * *
Natalie heard voices,smelled the sharp sting of antiseptic. This wasn’t heaven. She wasn’t dead. But if she was alive, why did she feel so drowsy?
Slowly, she opened her eyelids, then squinted against the glare of the overhead lights. She turned toward the voices, tried to focus on what they were saying.
“Natalie?” Gabe’s face appeared above her.
She started to smile but ended up groaning.
“It’s okay. Your face is bruised. The doctors said it could take a few days for the swelling to go down.”
“I’m in the hospital?”
“We arrived three hours ago. You were unconscious when I found you.”
She tried to remember what had happened. “Did you find Leith’s stepbrother?”
Gabe nodded. “He’s dead.”
Natalie closed her eyes. She should feel some kind of sympathy for him or at least his family. But all she felt was relief that he wouldn’t be back to finish what he’d started. Did that make her a bad person?
She looked at the pillows propping up her right arm. A large bandage covered most of her skin.
“You were shot, but the bullet didn’t shatter any bones. The doctor said you should make a full recovery.” Gabe swallowed. He looked exhausted. “The pillows are there to help reduce the swelling. Your leg has eleven stitches. Most of them are internal so the scarring will be minimal.”
“Why do I feel so drowsy?”
“The doctors gave you a general anesthetic while they were operating on your arm.”
Natalie nodded. Even that made her head ache.
“Would you like a sip of water?”
“Yes, please.”
Gabe’s gentle smile made her sigh.
“I’ll raise the top of the bed.” He pushed a button, then held a straw to her mouth. “Don’t drink too much. The nurse said a little at a time is all you need.”
The cool water felt like nectar on her dry throat. She reluctantly let go of the straw and studied Gabe. “Thanks. How are you?”
“I’m better now that I know you’re on the mend. I was worried about you.”
