Hands grabbed him, pulling him back. Jack stood still, his heart pounding in his ears as the hydraulics fired to life. Metal crunched and groaned as the Jaws of Life split the metal body apart, peeling it away like a can lid. Hands knotted into fists, he watched as Gillian’s body was pulled from the car, a neck brace keeping her steady until they had her on a backboard. Blood streaked her forehead and a gash on her nose oozed. Her face was deathly pale, her shirt covered in blood and broken glass.
“We’re taking her to the Health Center,” a voice hollered in his ear. “You can—”
“I’m coming with you,” Jack ground out and hurried after the stretcher. He flinched at the slam of the back door, his eyes on Gillian’s prone form. Please, please, I can’t lose her. Not when she doesn’t know. Please, God, please, let her be all right.
Chapter 22
His helmet dangled from between his fingers as he sat hunched over on the hard plastic chair. He could hear the indistinct sound of voices over the PA system, the squeak of shoes on the floor. The air was thick and heavy with the scent of disinfectant. Shifting, he dropped his head, one hand going up to rake through his hair.
“How you holding up?”
Jack glanced up into the concerned gaze of Sally. He offered a half-hearted shrug. “They’re treating her now.”
“You didn’t answer my question.” Sally nudged him. “She’s a nice lady. The doctors are going to do everything they can, you know that. There isn’t anything different about this MVA than any other you’ve attended.”
“Yes there is. Doesn’t make it easier. I don’t know why this is happening. Why I couldn’t have some sort of peace.” Jack huffed. “I should be in with her. They wouldn’t let me stay with her. What if—”
“Now, none of that. You know as well as I do, they’re not going to let you stay with her. You’ve been to enough rescues to know that without having to be told.” Sally grabbed his hand. “No sense in borrowing trouble. Gillian’s stronger than you think. She’d have to be to put up with your sexy ass. Why don’t you go grab some coffee?”
“Don’t want it.” Jack tensed at the click of heels on the floor, his gaze sweeping up the hall. Spitting out a curse, he rose to stalk to the nurses’ station. He leaned against the wall and glared at Barbara and Lenny as they approached, his grip tightening on his helmet.
“I’m gonna go grab a cup of joe.” Sally smiled sadly at him. “Don’t get into a fight with them or they’ll toss you out.”
“I’ll be a good boy,” Jack agreed as Sally hurried away.
“I’m Barbara Krutz, Gillian’s mother. How is she?”
“In surgery at the moment. We won’t know any more until the doctor comes out.” The nurse glanced from Barbara to Jack, a slight frown on her face. “Please have a seat and we’ll inform you of any changes as soon as we can.”
Barbara sniffed into a hanky, turning under Lenny’s guiding hand. Jack watched her for a moment before turning away, his stomach twisting in disgust. Her soft sobs grated along his temper. He couldn’t bring himself to believe for a moment her grief was real. Barbara had never shown anything but disdain for Gilli.
“She’s going to be fine, hon.” Lenny’s low-pitched voice drifted to Jack.
Rolling his eyes, he turned and caught sight of the surgeon. He straightened and hurried to intercept him. “Well?”
“Mister Payle.” The surgeon pulled his mask off. “Miss Hilliard is stable, but she’s not out of the woods. I would suggest you go home and get some rest.”
“How bad are her injuries?” Barbara hurried forward, her hand wrapped around Lenny’s.
“She suffered several contusions to the face and head, a major concussion, broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, as well as a few minor cuts and bruises. We won’t know more until she wakes up. She’s in a stable but critical condition. I strongly suggest you all go home, get some rest, and come back tomorrow.”
“She was bleeding around the mouth when she was extracted. Was there any damage to the lungs?” Jack demanded.
“No, thankfully. Miss Hilliard was lucky. The bleeding was caused from the shattered nasal cavity. She was pinned in just the right position so it drained out rather than seeping into the lungs.”
“My poor Gillian,” Barbara cried, pressing into Lenny’s chest. “I hope she’s going to be okay.”
“Come on, we’ll head home and get a couple of hours rest,” Lenny promised.
Jack raised a brow at him and turned away. Pacing the corridor, he raked a hand through his hair, fear and uncertainty tangling through his mind. He couldn’t seem to shake the dark fear he would lose her, lose everything.
The unreasonable fear didn’t seem so irrational the longer he thought. If he lost Gillian, he’d lose his heart. She wasn’t the kinda girl one played with. She’d given him something beyond a few nights of wild sex. He’d laughed with her, talked, spent time. In her he’d found the other half of himself. They’d grown into each other, into what they could have, and he wasn’t willing to give the future up just yet.
“Mister Payle, I know the doctor said go home, but something tells me you’re not going to listen. They’ve got her settled.” The nurse laid a hand on his arm. “She’s in room two thirty-eight. You can go up.”
“Thank you, I know the doctor said—”
“You know as well as I do you’re not likely to go home. You must love her a lot.”
“Yes, yes I do,” Jack agreed, the truth settling against him like a warm blanket. With a smile at the nurse, he turned to hurry along the corridor, cursing the slow drag of the elevator as it carried him up two floors.
* * * *
The incessant beeping of the heart monitor proved a welcome annoyance as Jack settled next to Gillian’s bed. He reached up to take
