“No, I can’t. I’m waiting for my friend to be rescued.”
“We must clear the shore to let the rescuers do their work. You can’t stay here.”
“I can’t leave him.”
“You’ll see your friend at the hospital.”
“No.”
“Miss, you must move.”
“No.”
The nurse and a man grabbed her, lifting her with brutal strength that was no match for her weakened state. She tried to shrug herself free, but her lack of energy didn’t allow her to oppose any resistance.
When they stashed her in a cart with other moaning people and closed the doors, she started crying.
By the timeSamuel was pulled out of the lake and sent to the hospital, he’d almost lost consciousness twice because of the cold.
He had no idea where Vivienne was, but she’d been rescued quickly. She should be safe. She had to be because he would never forgive himself if something had happened to her.
He was sitting on a wooden bench in a white room with a dozen people. Everyone had thick blankets wrapped around them and a mug of hot tea in their hands.
A stove spread warmth through the crowded room, and the humidity lifting from the soaked clothes turned the air heavy and smelling of wet wool.
Every time the nurses brought in someone new, he sat bolt upright, but Vivienne was nowhere to be seen.
The scare had made him forget about Cade and Murdock, but as he grew warm, the sheer panic of seeing Cade caused him to shiver all over again. Fear left a metallic taste in his mouth, and visions of Cade catching him flashed across his mind. The more he tried to control his reaction, the more difficult breathing became.
He squeezed his eyes shut not to faint. If he lost consciousness, he would be vulnerable.
“Samuel!” the deep voice of Captain Jackson boomed in the room.
A wave of gratitude overwhelmed him as the captain ran over to him. When the captain hugged him, the visions faded; they didn’t vanish, but he breathed better.
“Bloody hell, lad, I can’t leave you alone five minutes before you nearly die,” Captain Jackson said, taking him by the shoulders.
He couldn’t stop himself from hugging the captain again. Captain Jackson returned the hug immediately.
“It was scary, wasn’t it?” the captain asked.
The ice, the cold, and the water, yes, but he wasn’t shivering from that.
The captain patted his back. “It’s all right, and I’m a doctor. That’s your lucky day.”
“Vivienne,” Samuel signed. “I lost her.”
“We’ll find her. The survivors have been sent here to Marylebone Infirmary or St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. First, you need to get warm and change your clothes. Then we’ll search for her. Let’s go home.”
He took the captain’s hand. “Cade, Murdock’s right hand. He saw me. He chased me. That’s why Vivienne and I fell into the lake. We were escaping from him.”
Captain Jackson’s eyebrows plunged into a deep crease. “How did he find you?”
“I don’t know.” He swallowed. “He called me Lion Boy.”
The captain ran a hand over his face. “Dobkins was right. Someone was following us. Maybe Cade doesn’t know exactly where you live, but I won’t take any chances. Can you walk?”
He nodded.
