She rested her head against Cody’s chest and winced as pain vibrated every nerve ending in her body.
“Katherine, you’re bleeding.” Urgency came through Cody’s words, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. The bad man was going away, and she was back with the man she loved. That’s all she needed to know.
“Honey, I need to know where you’re hurt. Help’s on the way, but if there’s something serious happening, I need to figure it out. Can I lift your shirt a little?”
She wanted him to stop talking. To just hold her tight while she closed her eyes and got some rest. “So tired,” she murmured.
Cool air touched her skin and gentle fingers moved around her torso.
“Shit, she’s shot,” Cody said. “How long before medics get here?”
“Just pulled in,” Tommy said.
More commotion. More people. Someone swooped in and took her away from Cody—away from his warmth and comfort.
“No,” she said, reaching for him. “Don’t leave me.”
As she was loaded onto a stretcher, Cody stayed beside her and grabbed her hand. “I’ll never leave you, Katherine. Now you promise me the same thing, okay? Don’t leave me now. We have way too much to look forward to. An entire life together.”
A small smile lifted one side of her mouth. “That sounds nice.”
Her eyes slid shut and all her pain fled. Peace settled into her bones as she welcomed the darkness, her hand going limp in Cody’s.
22
Cody sat next to Katherine in her hospital room, her hand sandwiched between his. Machines beeped beside the big bed where she lay with eyes closed. After the wound from the bullet graze had been tended and a complete exam finished, he hadn’t left her side.
Refused to leave until he saw those beautiful brown eyes open.
She hadn’t woken since she’d slipped into unconsciousness on her way to the ambulance. There was no medical reason why she shouldn’t be awake. All that was left to do was wait and pray and pour every ounce of positive energy into her that he could.
“How’s she doing?”
The raw emotion in Mike’s voice matched what Cody felt. He glanced up at the older man and swore he’d aged in the last hour that they’d been there.
Cody cleared his throat and kept a firm grip on Katherine’s hand. “Vitals look good. She’s all stitched up. Now all we need is for her to open her eyes.”
Mike kept his gaze locked on Katherine’s face. “She will. Just give her a little time.”
“Any word on Keith Stiller? Did he talk when Owen got him to the station?” He couldn’t bring himself to really care about anyone else right now, but he asked anyway.
“Told Owen everything, and you were spot on. He blamed her for his arrest. Thought she’d told me, and I’d sent in the cops. Her face was the only one that stood out to him, and he spent fifteen years being angry at the wrong person.”
“And Katherine paid the cost.” He was too tired, too scared, to be angry. That would come later.
A hand on his shoulder lifted his gaze. “I’m going to see Ollie. He’s chomping at the bit to see his mom, but I think it’d be better if she’s awake when he visits. I’ll tell him as much as I can. Let me know as soon as she opens her eyes.”
“I will.”
Mike leaned down to kiss Katherine’s cheek. “Come back to us, sweetheart. We love you.”
Cody waited for her father to leave before focusing all his attention back on Katherine. “Did you hear that? Your dad’s going to see Ollie. It’s going to take a small army to keep that kid away from you. He was pretty scared. It’d be better if you were awake when he got here.”
Her finger moved a fraction in his hand, and he sat up straighter. She’d wake up eventually for everyone, but she’d fight the hardest for her son.
“He’s with Elsie now. Bailey went with him. That’s the only way I could get him to leave my house. I’m not sure I’ll get Bailey to come home without him. You might have to adopt an over-eager Bernedoodle when you get out of here.”
Her eyes fluttered open, and the hint of a smile lifted the side of her mouth. “No way.”
