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Powell bolted for the stairs, but she was already kneeling by Mac again. He was co
vered in something wet. His own sweat, he realized, though he was trembling uncontrollably. The pain was enormous, sick waves of it.
"Afraid you're not seeing me at my best," he said, through clenched teeth.
Her eyes darkened, "Jesus, Mac, if this isn't your best, I'll be overwhelmed when I finally do see it. You took a bullet for me, you jerk."
"Can't...couldn't...have to protect you. Keep you." Her hands were light, like the touch of angel wings on his flesh. "Sorry I involved you...but you did it."
"We did it, Mac. Mac...Mackenzie," she snapped sharply.
He pulled himself out of the pleasant white haze enveloping him.
"Mackenzie." She was very close to him now, her lips just above his. She had the most beautiful eyes, even when they narrowed as they did now, telling him she meant business, and there'd be hell to pay if she wasn't obeyed. "I absolutely forbid you to die. Do you hear me?"
"Yes...Mistress."
"So all that sappy stuff you agreed to, about wanting to be with me forever, letting me nag you, you just said that to buy us time and save your ass, right?"
He managed a smile. "You bet."
She eased her hand under his shoulder, trying to avoid the torn flesh from the scourging, but Violet could tell all his focus was on the lethal agony in his midsection. He didn't even flinch when her fingernails accidentally caught in a welt, reopened a half clotted wound on his shoulder.
"Oh, Mac."
"You shouldn't...have come. Could have killed you."
"Don't make me slap you around in your current condition," she said, trying to keep her voice steady, though fury and fear were pumping through her in equal measures. "You'd be dead, she'd be gone and we'd have had to run her down before she got someone else. I was at my mother's late, didn't start here until about 7:30 because I couldn't raise Tyler on the phone."
Had almost not checked her messages, God help her. She kept talking, knowing he wasn't hearing half of it, but hoping he could hold onto her voice like a lifeline. "I knew he had left for his tour, so I figured T&K were in the dungeons with you, waiting on me like he said. Though I couldn't understand for the life of me why you would have agreed to go alone with them without waiting for me, unless..." her voice caught. "I thought you set it up as some sort of surprise for me. To make me feel better."
"Not brave enough...for that. They...twins...always scared the shit out of me."
She fought tears with the smile. "I was pulling up the driveway at about five after nine when your sergeant called me, said you hadn't reported in. I figured something was up. Mac. Mac!"
"Wh--What?" He blinked his eyes back open, but the pupils were dilated, no focus.
Where the hell were the EMTs? She put her hand over his, over the wound, let him feel her touch over the source of his pain. "Mackenzie, I mean it. You're going to obey me, because you've told me over and over there's nothing you'll refuse me. You understand? I don't care how much you hurt, you will not wimp out on me. You hear me? Mac?" She shouted it, and he jerked.
His silver eyes focused on her for the barest fraction of a moment, enough that she saw he acknowledged her words, lingered on her face in a way that made the tears win, roll down her cheeks. His hand brushed her leg, rested on her thigh. "Yes, Mistress," he repeated. Then he lost consciousness.
*
They airlifted him to Tampa General. When the copter touched down on the pad, Violet jumped down, a step ahead of the gurney. She stayed out of the way, but refused to be pushed back as the EMTs ran Mac across the ground to the ER doors. Nurses and a doctor burst out, sprinted to meet them, falling in with the rapid procession headed through the double doors to the prep area.
The doctor was young, reminding her this was one of Tampa's teaching hospitals, but she was reassured by his quick fire of orders to place an emergency call for the surgeon on duty. He tapped the bracelet on Mac's wrist. "Get this off of him and get him ready for Dr. Hilaman."
"We'll need to cut it off," the EMT responded. "It's got a key lock."
"No," Violet shouldered forward, yanked the key from the thin silver chain around her neck, snapping it. "I've got it."
They gave her room, and she didn't waste time, lifting his wrist and fitting the key to the discreet locking mechanism. Mac twisted his hand away, bringing up the other hand to fend her off. Even unconscious, he didn't want her to take it.
The emotional reaction overwhelmed her, made her vision gray around the edges, the fear of losing him rushing into that vulnerable opening he'd torn in her heart. But she kept it together, leaned over him, shoving the nurse off her. "I've got it, baby," she whispered. "It's me. Let me take care of it."
She felt the speculative looks of the medical personnel around her, but then Mac's grip slackened and she had the bracelet in her hand.
"You're going to have to stay out here, sugar." The big black nurse was nudging her back with kind but determined intent. "Go give his information to the ER desk. That's how you can help now."
