“Lay down on your stomachs, both of you, arms out to your sides,” the officer said.
Quinn struggled to get down but managed it.
“Now, you. Lay down.”
Victoria had yet to comply.
More cars showed up, more officers with more guns drawn. Victoria must have calculated her odds because she finally lay down. Officers descended on them. Detective Jacobs came to Quinn’s side as other officers secured Victoria and the gun.
“Reid’s been shot.” She scrambled to check on JJ. She grabbed him and pulled him close. Sobs wracked his body. He’d seen so much.
Quinn held her breath as Detective Jacobs checked Reid for a pulse. “Get me a medic!”
He rolled Reid onto his back, exposing a second wound on his abdomen. He was so pale. Quinn couldn’t tell whether he was even breathing.Lord, help him. Please heal him. We need him. I need him.
Paramedics rushed to his side, and it was a matter of minutes before he was loaded into an ambulance and taken away. She had refused treatment at first, wanting everyone to focus on saving the man she loved. Would she ever get to tell him that?
The remaining paramedics cut open the leg of her pants to get access to her wounds. Just like she’d expected, the wounds had opened in all the strenuous activity. Detective Jacobs took a brief statement while they worked and said he’d be at the hospital later. She was loaded into the ambulance, JJ by her side.
By the time the ambulance pulled into the hospital, she had an IV and a dose of medication to take the edge off the pain.
It was horrible déjà vu. A second trip to the emergency room in twenty-four hours and a third in barely more than a week. Only this time, Reid was a patient, and she wasn’t sure he was going to make it.
The doctor had given her a couple of numbing injections and said he’d be back in a few minutes, giving the medicine time to make her good and numb.
Quinn pushed the call button. She needed to know about Reid.
A nurse came in a few minutes later. “Yes?”
“A man was brought in a few minutes before me with two gunshot wounds. I need to know how he is.”
“Are you family?”
“No.” Quinn shook her head.
“I’m sorry. I can’t release any information on a patient.”
Now was not the time to deal with privacy laws. “Please,” she begged. “He saved my life.”
“It’s okay.” Detective Jacobs entered the room. “I’ll give her an update.”
The nurse nodded and then left the room.
“How is he?” She was going to jump out of her skin if she didn’t find out something soon.
“He lost a lot of blood and is in surgery. They don’t know much right now.”
Quinn couldn’t stop the sob that bubbled up. She cuddled JJ and cried, praying for Reid. He couldn’t die now. She hadn’t been able to talk to him about eternity.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
It was dark, and his limbswere filled with lead. A sweet voice spoke to him, giving him directions, telling him it was easy. He tried to open his eyes, but they wouldn’t open. Then, he nodded off to sleep.
He awoke again. This time, his arms were freer. He opened his eyes and stared at white ceiling tiles. Beeping came from his right. What was going on? Then, memories came flooding him. Victoria had a gun and wanted JJ dead. He sat up straight and growled as pain spread through his abdomen and back.
“Reid. It’s okay.” Quinn placed a hand on his shoulder and gently prodded him to lie back down.
Quinn was alive. “JJ?”
