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By the time the police found their way through the stage door and assessed the scene, Des was stirring. The two paramedics split up, one checking their culprit and one coming to her.
After checking the attacker out, the EMT informed the police the suspect could be taken to the station. The police hauled him to his feet and removed him, after taking an extra few moments to figure out how to get Des's rope off him. Except for feeling a relief like a weight off her chest, Julie paid little attention to the departure of the suspect. Or to the young police officer trying to draw her away from Des to talk to her about what had happened. When he realized he wasn't going to succeed until they'd figured out Des's situation, he stepped back to wait.
Des was lucid enough to explain his medical condition. "I'm good, man," he told the EMT. "Not my first rodeo. She took care of me. Just got stressed out like a fucking pansy and my blood sugar took a nose dive while the blood pressure went through the roof."
"You still managed to save the girl." The EMT was a friendly, shrewd-looking middle-aged man with blue eyes and brown hair shot with gray. "I suppose you know you should be wearing a medical ID bracelet."
"I should do a lot of things."
The EMT chuckled. "Yeah, my wife says I should eat less red meat and exercise more, and she's right. Doesn't mean I do it. But both of us should think about it, because you have a pretty girl who cares about you, same as I do."
He still insisted on taking Des's vitals and monitoring him while the police officer finally coaxed Julie a few steps away to get her side of the story. Then he had her wait in the wings with another officer while he did the same with Des. When he gestured to her to come back, she immediately returned to Des's side, taking his hand. His hold was less strong than it normally was.
"Hey, John," the EMT said. "Before you go, can you help me get this guy moved?"
Des wouldn't consent to an ambulance ride or a hospital visit, but Julie had mentioned she had a bed in back. The EMT shot Julie a reassuring look as the policeman moved forward to assist. "Your friend is an old veteran at this. His numbers are climbing again, which means you did all the right things. He's going to be weak for a little while, so we'll get him into the bed in the back and he can stay there until he's fully recovered."
The two men lifted Des, supporting him on either side, and she guided them to her dressing room apartment, where they laid him down on her mattress.
John had a couple follow up questions for her. She pulled a chair up next to the bed and answered them. She'd thought Des was out of it again, but as she relived the whole situation, his hand closed on hers. It was warmer now, and stronger, and though she chided herself for her weakness, she was glad of the support, since her hand was shaking in his. He noticed.
"You kicked his ass," he said. "Don't be doing that trembling, damsel-in-distress shit."
John smiled. "Seems like you both did a good job of taking care of each other."
"Well, she didn't have any choice," Des said dryly. "I was the one who fainted."
While he'd been forthcoming about his chokehold, she suspected they'd both left out the part where he'd given her the choice of killing the guy or not. She had told the officer she'd hit the man while he'd been tied up. She said in the heat of the moment he'd threatened her boyfriend and she wanted to be sure he couldn't get loose. She wasn't going to let herself worry about any of that now. There was plenty more to occupy her.
The EMT and policeman finally took their leave. As she followed them to the side door, the EMT gave her his card. A quick glance told her his name was Ryder. It almost made her smile, since one of her favorite Disney heroes was Flynn Ryder of Tangled.
"That has my cell number on it," Ryder said. "If anything comes up that really worries you, and he won't let you take him to an urgent care, you can give me a quick call. I don't live far from here and I get off shift in another hour."
"Thanks," she said. Going with her usual impulsiveness, she hugged him. "Thanks so much. To both of you," she added to the police officer.
"Don't hug the rookie while he's armed," Ryder advised. "Grateful women scare him."
John snorted. "I'm going to issue a parking ticket to that ambulance out there, ma'am. I think he's parked illegally."
He went outside, Ryder following. As she watched them banter, and Ryder re-joined his partner in the ambulance, she was as grateful for the calming effect of their teasing as for their help.
It wasn't quite enough, though. When she closed and locked the door, she leaned against it, discovering the need to hold onto something solid and inanimate, something that wouldn't say a word about the things that gripped her and made her shake, spill a few more tears. She needed to call Madison and let her know what happened. As the theater owner, she'd be getting a copy the police report. But maybe that could wait a few minutes.
Calmer now, she returned to her room to find Des sitting up. She hurried over to him. "What are you doing? He said you need to lie down."
"I'm good. I want to sit up." He eased her away from him, making it clear he wasn't going to take any coddling. The rejection, as unintended as she was sure it was, stabbed her, because she needed to be touching him. She needed him touching her, but she didn't want to make him feel like he had to take care of her right now.
"It's a bitch, isn't it?"
He was watching her face, all those conflicts chasing themselves over her far too transparent features.
"What is?" she ventured.
"Having a guy rescue you from the bad guy and then pass out so you end up having to watch over him. It's as bad as a Dom walking away to get a beer instead of doing aftercare."
"No, it's not like that." She deliberately shifted so she was closer to him on the bed, hip to hip. He couldn't move farther away without falling off or standing up.
"You're kind of missing the point," she said. "You passed out because you expended all that energy protecting me. You saved me from the bad guy. And then you were nice enough to time the faint for after it all happened.
