But he’s already gone. The engine roars as the medical team loads Saffron onto the stretcher, too preoccupied with the patient to give the masked man in the driver's seat any attention.
“Time to go, Grace.” He turns his head, seeming to stare directly into my soul. “I’ll come for you later.”
With a shudder, I scurry out onto the concrete. Whipping around, my hands grip the steel of the doors, but before I slam them closed, I catch a sight of something that makes my entire body freeze. The lower half of Red 7’s face is exposed, the mask pulled up to reveal a steel-cut jaw and a full, kissable mouth.And he’s smiling at me.
Heat coils low in my stomach as I slam the doors closed, shivering as the image of that evil smile is seared into my mind.The wheels of the van screech against the pavement as Red 7 speeds off. I stand there frozen for a few moments, watching the taillights disappear around the corner.
I shake myself out of the strange trance and turn around, watching as the medical team prepares to wheel Saffron off for surgery.
“Ma’am, are you okay?”
It takes me a while to register that the nurse with the kind brown eyes is speaking to me. For the first time, I gaze down at the dark-red color staining my arms and clothes.No wonder she asked.
“I’m fine. It’s hers.” My voice cracks heavily on the last word, and the nurse’s face pinches with sympathy. “Please. You have to save her.”
“We’ll do the best we can.” She turns to grab the edge of Saffron’s stretcher. Several others do the same, and the stretcher is in motion, barreling through the ER doors and down a long, brightly lit hallway.
I run to catch up, but am stopped by one of the techs.
“You can’t go back with her, ma’am. I’m sorry.”
“But—”
“I’ll send someone out to update you.” She shoves a slender finger in the direction of the waiting room, her expression leaving no room for argument. “You want to help her? Let us do our jobs.”
Defeated and filled with gut-wrenching worry, I shuffle toward the waiting room. I pick a chair in the far corner near the television, hoping the mindless sounds from the speakers will help distract me while I wait for an update.
I’m there for a few hours before someone dressed in a pair of faded blue scrubs comes out to check on me. I scan the woman’s expression, searching for any sign that she’s about to give me bad news. Instead, she smiles warmly and takes a seat in the unoccupied chair at my side.
“Saffron did well in surgery. We were able to stop the bleeding.”
A great weight sloughs off my shoulders at her words, and I sob in relief. “She’s okay?”
“She lost a lot of blood, and we want to monitor her for a few days to watch for infection, but, yes. She will be.” Her mouth presses into a thin line. “At least physically. I’ve arranged for her to see one of our psychiatrists once she’s well enough to do so.”
My throat feels like sandpaper as I swallow. “I think that’s smart, considering… Can I see her?”
“Of course.”
She leads her to the back room, and as soon as I spot Saffron, I race over to her bedside, my hand trembling as I reach out for hers.
“Hey, beautiful,” I whisper.
Saffron chuckles weakly. “Don’t think anyone will be able to call me that again after what that bastard did to me.”
My stomach roils, but I hold it down. “Don’t say that. You’re as beautiful as you were yesterday. You still have the same heart, the same spirit. Nothing has changed, Saffron.”
She gazes up at the ceiling, moisture welling in her left eye. Saffron blinks, and a single tear slides down her swollen, bruised cheek, landing softly on the pillowcase. Another takes its place, but before it can fall, I reach out and gently swipe it away.
Saffron turns her head, looking deep into my eyes. “Thank you for coming to get me. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t?—”
“Don’t think about that.” I move my hand up to brush her sweat-slicked hair off her forehead. “I willalwayscome get you. No matter what hour, no matter what reason.”
The corners of her mouth lift in a barely-there smile, and some of the weight on my shoulders lessens. “You’re a good person, Grace.”
And it’s going to get me killed one day.“How do you feel? Pain-wise?”
“Oh, the drugs here aregreat.I don’t feel a thing.” She reaches up, but stops short of the bandages with a small cringe. “Maybe a littletoogreat. I keep forgetting, then I have to relive what happened all over again.” She shudders, her one exposed eye shutting tight. “I thought I was going to die, Grace. I was—I was so scared…”
