One by one, the mass of people lifted their heads and shifted their gazes toward the distance. The faint sound of sirens pierced through the fog claiming too much space in her head.
Things would be okay. Help was nearly there.
A man burst through the crowd surrounding her, carrying a white box and a hand-held emergency radio. He kneeled next to her, his brown eyes forging a path through her haze.
“I’m a firefighter with the Uinta Basin Sheriff’s Department, trained in emergency care,” he spoke loudly above the cacophony of voices. “I’m here to help you.”
She nodded as grateful emotions coaxed tears to the surface. He didn’t look like a fireman, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, but she didn’t care. He seemed familiar, and he was someone who could help.
Peter spoke to him, and she struggled to hear his words. Explosion. Head injury. Metal in her arm.
The man nodded and refocused on Kaitlin. He briefly examined the metal shard buried above her left elbow, which now hurt like a sonofabitch, and then moved behind her.
“You’re not going to leave that in my arm, are you?” She struggled to look over her shoulder at him.
“I am until we get to the hospital. I can’t tell how deep it goes, so we shouldn’t remove it until we know what we’re dealing with and have qualified people to help. It’s better for you.”
It didn’t feel better.
He lifted her hair. “You have a serious cut back here. Do you remember what happened?”
“No. Not really.” The world spun for a second, and she blinked to clear her vision. “A loud explosion knocked me down. I think I hit my head on one of the desks. Peter says it was a bomb.”
The man reached for the white plastic case that rested near her thigh and dragged it over. People surrounding her turned as a group of firefighters rushed past. One called out to the guy helping her, asking if all was good, and he acknowledged him with a nod.
With a firm hand, the firefighter applied pressure to the back of her skull, and then slowly wrapped something around her entire head. “Can you hold this in place,” he asked Peter.
“Yeah.” Peter scooted closer on his knees and took over. Kaitlin met his gaze, certain the worry in his eyes reflected hers.
Levi lifted the emergency radio he’d brought with him. “I need a transport, stat. What’s the ETA? Over.”
Kaitlin’s hearing had returned somewhat, but she couldn’t make out the dispatcher’s responses.
“The ambulance will be here any minute,” her rescuer told her when he’d finished.
“You don’t look like a fireman.” She sought solace in his compelling eyes.
He smiled, his expression surrounding her like a warm hug. “I’m off-duty.”
“What’s your name?”
“Levi Turpin. I’m a friend of your brother-in-law’s. We saw each other at your sister’s wedding, remember?”
“Yes.” That’s why he seemed familiar. He was a friend, and she could trust him. The weight of the day hung on her eyelids, making it hard to keep them open. She relaxed knowing everything would be okay.
He patted her hand sharply, startling her eyes wide open. “Don’t go to sleep on me. I need you to stay awake.”
She tried to focus on his words, but her head spun, encouraging her to cutoff the outside world full of noises and pain. She leaned toward his strong shoulder. “It’s okay.”
“Kaitlin.”
She opened her eyes again, finding Peter and Levi both looking at her with worried expressions. Was she hurt worse than she knew? Was this the end? Oblivion beckoned her with the promise of peace.
Then Levi shifted, and he and another man lifted and placed her on a gurney. “Careful of her arm,” Peter said.
“Don’t worry,” Levi reassured him. “We’ll take good care of her.”
The jostling of the gurney kept her awake until they placed her in the back of a vehicle full of all kinds of cabinets and equipment. She winced as the sting of something bit into her good arm and frowned at Levi.
“Sorry,” he said as he hung a bag of clear fluid on a metal hook next to her. “Stay with me, Kaitlin.”
“Okay,” she mumbled as her vision swam. Someone shut the door to the ambulance, and the world around her became quieter.
“Can you tell me your last name?”
The vehicle she rode in bumped, and she realized they were now driving. “Krystal.”
“No, your name is Kaitlin Collier.”
“No. She’s a nurse at the medical center.”
“Oh, you mean your sister, Krystal Vansant?” His warm brown eyes drew close enough for her to focus on.
“Collier,” she said though she had difficulty getting the words past her tongue. “My sister.”
“You want me to call Krystal?”
She tried to nod, but she could no longer feel her head to know if her attempt worked or not. And she was too damn tired to care.
****
The End
BOOK LIST
Blackwater Canyon Ranch:
Caleb
Oliver
Aspen Series:
Wounded (Prequel)
Relentless
Lawless
Cowboys and Angels
Come Back To Me
Surrender
Reckless
Tempted
Crazy One More Time
I’m With You
Pinecone Valley (Aspen Spinoff Series)
Love Me Again
Love Me Always
Whispers (An Argent Springs Novel)
Retribution Novels:
Branded
Hunted
Banished
Hijacked
Moonlight and Margaritas
Sweet Vengeance
Witches of Port Townsend:
Which Witch is Witch?
Which Witch is Wicked?
About the Author
Cindy Stark lives with her family and a sweet Border Collie in a small town shadowed by the Rocky Mountains. She writes emotional romantic suspense, sexy contemporary romance, and sizzling paranormal romance. She loves to hear from readers!
Connect with her online at:
http://www.CindyStark.com
http://facebook.com/CindyStark19
http://twitter.com/CindyStark19