The relief hit him hard, robbing him of his breath. He had to take a moment, then another, just to steady himself.
Livvy got him started on the steadiness by touching his arm. Just that. Just a brief touch. Before she then reached down, taking Anthony’s gun and handing it off to Grace.
“Sunny, I have to put these on you,” Livvy said, cuffing the woman. Sunny didn’t protest, didn’t attempt to stop her. All the fight had vanished.
Ethan stood, and Livvy and he backed away so the EMTs could rush in to help Sunny.
“It’s all right,” Livvy murmured to him. “It’s over.”
She stopped, her eyes going wide, and she cursed under her breath when she looked at him. “Oh, God, Ethan. You’ve been shot.”
Chapter Nineteen
Livvy sat in the chair of the exam room in the ER and watched as the nurse stitched Ethan’s head. It was a five-inch gash that went from his temple to the top of his right eyebrow. If the angle of that bullet had been just a fraction off, it could have slammed into his head.
And killed him.
That was why Livvy was still trembling and having trouble leveling herself out. That was why she was cursing herself for not having seen what Sunny had been about to do and stopped her.
“We got lucky,” Ethan said, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smile. It wasn’t a real one, not heartfelt, and that was probably because he was worried about her, not himself.
But there was no reason to worry about the baby and her. Livvy had already gotten checked out by the doctor and had had yet another ultrasound. Ethan had insisted on that before he would even consent to being stitched up. The doctor had said all was well, and he’d used a similar “You got lucky” remark since she didn’t have a scratch on her.
Anthony, Vernice and Sunny definitely hadn’t fared so well. Anthony was dead, and the verdict was still out on Sunny’s injuries. The woman had been whisked away into surgery as soon as they’d arrived at the hospital. So far, there had been no word on her prognosis or condition. It was entirely possible Anthony would end up claiming another victim.
Vernice also fell into that “to be determined” category. She was in another ER room, being treated for the injuries she’dgotten when Anthony had kidnapped her and taken her to that cornfield.
“All done,” the nurse, Abigail Summers, announced, stepping back from Ethan. Livvy knew the young woman, and in a small town where there were often no degrees of separation, she had actually babysat Abigail a time or two.
Abigail aimed a reassuring smile at both of them, and her gaze lowered to Livvy’s baby bump. “When are you due?”
“Mid-March,” Livvy answered, and while four months still seemed a long time off, she figured it would be here before she knew it.
“And what are you having?” Abigail added, clearing up her stitching supplies.
Livvy looked at Ethan who gave nothing away. “To be determined,” she settled for saying.
“I wish you both well. You’re free to go,” Abigail added to Ethan before she finished gathering her things and walked out.
Ethan immediately got off the exam table, and he went to her. Livvy stood so he could pull her into his arms. Exactly where she needed to be. And yes, the leveling out finally started, though she was certain this latest incident would be giving her nightmares for some time.
“I came too close to losing you,” she muttered.
He brushed a kiss on her forehead and held on tight. “I came too close to losing you. Please tell me you’ll do desk duty for the rest of the pregnancy.”
Livvy didn’t intend to give Ethan, or Grace, an argument about that, especially since Grace had already made it clear that field work was off-limits for her until she got back from maternity leave.
She nodded, and while Ethan would still stay fully on the job, she had to say, “And you’ll be careful as you can be.”
“I always am,” he assured her, easing back to meet her gaze.
And to kiss her.
His mouth came to hers, pressing gently and doling out way more pleasure than it should have, considering where they were and what they had just gone through. After he’d pretty much robbed her of her breath and made her feel all warm and pliant, he pulled back and smiled at her.
“To be determined,” he repeated. “You closed your eyes again during the ultrasound.”
Livvy nodded. “I decided I wanted you to be the one to tell me about the baby’s gender.” And she hadn’t wanted that to happen in front of the ultrasound tech. She wanted that news during a more private moment.
