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Joe moved an arm and then a leg. They still seemed attached to his body. The fall into the various bushes and plants had done more damage to him than the bomb had.
Because that was a bomb—not a very good bomb, but it probably could’ve torn them to pieces if they, instead of Hailey’s purse, had crossed that threshold.
Joe struggled to extricate himself from the thorns and sticks that clung to his clothing and skin, trying to make him part of the mulch.
He didn’t want to be mulch. He snatched his arm away from a particularly vicious bush and scooped it beneath Hailey’s back, lifting her up. “Are you all right? Say something to me.”
Her dark eyes clicked into focus, and then they widened and she let loose with a scream right in his face.
It was the sweetest sound he’d heard in a long time. “Are you hurt? Let me help you up.”
One of the neighbors on the steps yelled out, “We called 911. The fire department is on the way, but it looks like the sprinkler system shut down the fire. Is Hailey okay?”
Joe finally maneuvered into a crouched position just as one of the onlookers decided to clamber across the front garden. Since the garden sloped down to the street, the man lost his footing and started to slide down.
Joe held up his hand. “It’s okay. I’ve got my bearings now. I’ll help Hailey. She doesn’t seem to be hurt, but she’s still in shock.”
The sirens racing toward the scene were the second sweetest sound he’d heard today.
Joe gently pulled Hailey toward him with one hand while detaching her from her thorny bed with the other, as she whimpered.
He whispered as he worked. “You’re fine. You’re gonna be okay, my love.”
The sirens stopped, and a commotion erupted on the street as the firefighters unraveled their hoses.
Just as Joe had Hailey up in a seated position, a firefighter clomped into the garden with his boots and protective gear.
Joe called out, “Careful. There’s an incline. We’re being held in place by a few strategically placed bushes.”
“Were you thrown by the explosion?”
“We jumped.”
“Probably a smart move.”
Another firefighter joined him with a stretcher on his back. “Let’s roll her onto this. Does she have any other injuries?”
“Not that I can tell, but she’s still in shock. She gets clarity every now and then and screams bloody murder, but her most serious injuries are from the fall and this damn foliage poking us.”
They secured the stretcher next to Hailey and eased her onto it.
“You need a stretcher?”
“No, but I’m coming with her in the ambulance and don’t even try to stop me.” Joe stood up and hoisted one end of the stretcher.
When they got free of the garden, Joe tipped back his head and surveyed the damage to the door. The explosives had blown the door off its hinges, and it now lay on the sidewalk at the curb. It must’ve sailed over him and Hailey, and he said a silent thanks to God that it hadn’t landed on them.
They loaded Hailey into the back of the ambulance, and Joe climbed in after. On the ride to the hospital, the EMT checked her vitals, cleaned her superficial wounds and put an oxygen mask on her face. Through it all, Hailey maintained consciousness but couldn’t seem to speak or make sense of what was going on around her.
Joe kept hold of her hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb and murmuring ridiculous sentiments like how he’d never leave her side and he’d take care of her forever.
He cranked his head around to the EMT. “Where are you taking her?”
“San Francisco General, emergency.”
“You’re not taking her to the emergency room. She’s going to a private room and seeing a doctor who isn’t too busy to spend more than thirty seconds with her.”
The EMT opened his mouth, and Joe sliced his hand through the air to silence him. “Do you know who this is? This is Hailey Duvall. Her father, Ray Duvall, practically owns San Fran Gen. So just do it.”
The EMT hunched forward and stuck his head into the cab of the ambulance.
Joe glanced down at Hailey. Was that a smile playing about her mouth underneath that oxygen mask?
He leaned down and touched his lips to her ear. “I learned from the best, baby.”
