safe."
Tom
rubbed along her arm. Her skin was cold to the touch, and he worried about the
level of shock she suffered. Some people never recovered fully.
He
swore he'd help her anyway possible. She deserved to find happiness after the
hell she'd been through. He knew no one stronger than her. She'd been through
hell and survived.
His
arms tightened around her when Charlise bolted up screaming and reached for her
arm. Two seconds later, she fell back into his arms, and her eyes rolled back
in her head. He frowned down at her. Something wasn't right.
Positive
that all three of his shots found their mark in Blatwell's chest, he uncovered
Charlise's body. He ran his gaze up and down her, finding no blood coming from
her.
With
one sweep of his hand along her right arm, Tom realized what he missed. He
rolled down the car window and motioned to Joe, who stood a couple of yards
away with one of the police officers.
"We
need to get Charlise to a hospital, Joe. Bastard broke her arm." Tom
pulled the blanket back over Charlise. "Pete can finish up here."
Joe
drove Charlise and Tom straight to the hospital breaking all the speed limits. He
buffered her arm over the rough road and cringed when she moaned. He hurt for
her.
It
tore him in two to know she was in pain. She'd survived tonight, but if he'd
been two seconds later arriving at the scene, she'd be the one in the body bag
getting tagged. Oh, baby, hang on. I can't lose you. We've got plans, you
and I.
"Hospital
coming up." Joe drove through the yellow light.
"Hurry,
Joe, she's waking up." Tom lowered his head and murmured to Charlise to
keep her calm. The last thing she needed to do was move and cause more pain.
Joe
swung the car in front of the emergency room doors. Tom carried Charlise past
the reception desk, past the nurses gawking at him, and found an empty gurney
in the hallway to lay her down. An orderly approached and Tom said, "This
woman's been in a shooting, she's in shock and has a possible broken arm. She
needs a doctor now!"
"Yes,
sir." The young man motioned to someone coming toward him and relayed the
information.
An
orderly pushed the gurney into a nearby room and a doctor who called himself Dr.
Gavon began examining Charlise. The orderly returned a few minutes later with a
clipboard. Tom waited quietly, his eyes never leaving Charlise's pale face. The
physician replaced the blood pressure cuff on its stand and turned to Tom.
"I'm
Dr. Gavon. I take it this woman's been in some trouble." He gazed down at
the blood speckled clothes.
"Emotionally
and physically." Tom explained. He kept his hand on her leg. "She's
been on the run from an abusive ex-husband."
That
only explained the tip of the iceberg. Tom's jaw clenched. He didn't want to
offer any more information without Charlise's permission.
Dr.
Gavon wrote on his clipboard and snapped it shut. He leveled his eyes on Tom.
"And you are?"
"I'm
the man who would do anything to keep her safe." Tom met the doctor's
stare and dared him to leave Charlise's side. "Tom Brannet with GPI
Investigations."
Charlise
moaned and tossed her head on the pillow. Dr. Gavon made another notation in
his clipboard. "I'll be back with something for her pain."
Tom
nodded. It seemed an eternity before the doctor returned with a syringe. Within
seconds, Charlise calmed and Tom took a deep breath.
"Let's
get the patient down to radiology and see what's going on with her arm."
Dr. Gavon directed his orderlies and placed his hand on Tom's shoulder.
"Have a seat in the waiting room. We'll call you as soon as she's back in
the room. We'll take good care of her, I promise."
After
leaving information with the receptionist, Tom took the elevator to Garrett's
room to check on his boss. After finding Charlise gone from the waiting room
earlier, he hadn't stayed for Garrett's surgery.
Tom
stepped out of the elevator, and the smell of bleach and lemons hit him in the
face. His gut tightened. God, he hated the smell of
Tom
rubbed along her arm. Her skin was cold to the touch, and he worried about the
level of shock she suffered. Some people never recovered fully.
He
swore he'd help her anyway possible. She deserved to find happiness after the
hell she'd been through. He knew no one stronger than her. She'd been through
hell and survived.
His
arms tightened around her when Charlise bolted up screaming and reached for her
arm. Two seconds later, she fell back into his arms, and her eyes rolled back
in her head. He frowned down at her. Something wasn't right.
Positive
that all three of his shots found their mark in Blatwell's chest, he uncovered
Charlise's body. He ran his gaze up and down her, finding no blood coming from
her.
With
one sweep of his hand along her right arm, Tom realized what he missed. He
rolled down the car window and motioned to Joe, who stood a couple of yards
away with one of the police officers.
"We
need to get Charlise to a hospital, Joe. Bastard broke her arm." Tom
pulled the blanket back over Charlise. "Pete can finish up here."
Joe
drove Charlise and Tom straight to the hospital breaking all the speed limits. He
buffered her arm over the rough road and cringed when she moaned. He hurt for
her.
It
tore him in two to know she was in pain. She'd survived tonight, but if he'd
been two seconds later arriving at the scene, she'd be the one in the body bag
getting tagged. Oh, baby, hang on. I can't lose you. We've got plans, you
and I.
"Hospital
coming up." Joe drove through the yellow light.
"Hurry,
Joe, she's waking up." Tom lowered his head and murmured to Charlise to
keep her calm. The last thing she needed to do was move and cause more pain.
Joe
swung the car in front of the emergency room doors. Tom carried Charlise past
the reception desk, past the nurses gawking at him, and found an empty gurney
in the hallway to lay her down. An orderly approached and Tom said, "This
woman's been in a shooting, she's in shock and has a possible broken arm. She
needs a doctor now!"
"Yes,
sir." The young man motioned to someone coming toward him and relayed the
information.
An
orderly pushed the gurney into a nearby room and a doctor who called himself Dr.
Gavon began examining Charlise. The orderly returned a few minutes later with a
clipboard. Tom waited quietly, his eyes never leaving Charlise's pale face. The
physician replaced the blood pressure cuff on its stand and turned to Tom.
"I'm
Dr. Gavon. I take it this woman's been in some trouble." He gazed down at
the blood speckled clothes.
"Emotionally
and physically." Tom explained. He kept his hand on her leg. "She's
been on the run from an abusive ex-husband."
That
only explained the tip of the iceberg. Tom's jaw clenched. He didn't want to
offer any more information without Charlise's permission.
Dr.
Gavon wrote on his clipboard and snapped it shut. He leveled his eyes on Tom.
"And you are?"
"I'm
the man who would do anything to keep her safe." Tom met the doctor's
stare and dared him to leave Charlise's side. "Tom Brannet with GPI
Investigations."
Charlise
moaned and tossed her head on the pillow. Dr. Gavon made another notation in
his clipboard. "I'll be back with something for her pain."
Tom
nodded. It seemed an eternity before the doctor returned with a syringe. Within
seconds, Charlise calmed and Tom took a deep breath.
"Let's
get the patient down to radiology and see what's going on with her arm."
Dr. Gavon directed his orderlies and placed his hand on Tom's shoulder.
"Have a seat in the waiting room. We'll call you as soon as she's back in
the room. We'll take good care of her, I promise."
After
leaving information with the receptionist, Tom took the elevator to Garrett's
room to check on his boss. After finding Charlise gone from the waiting room
earlier, he hadn't stayed for Garrett's surgery.
Tom
stepped out of the elevator, and the smell of bleach and lemons hit him in the
face. His gut tightened. God, he hated the smell of
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