Page 215 of A Matter of Time

I shivered hard, and everyone heard the shout at the same time.

It was a blur. Dominic, in the midst of being cuffed, was suddenly on his feet, and he had a gun, pulled from another officer’s holster. When he spun around, my only thought was for Sam. Because there was nothing to lose; Dominic was caught, and he would take his last revenge on the one he thought had abandoned him.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

Dominic turned his head, panning to the right, and then came his arm with the gun in it. He didn’t hesitate or speak or threaten. He did what I knew he would: aimed and fired on his best friend, his partner for half his life. I used my last remaining reserves to push up from the ground just enough to end up in Sam’s arms, shielding his chest.

“Jory!” Sam screamed, but he didn’t sound mad. He sounded terrified.

My head snapped up, and I was staring into his wrecked eyes. “Sam.”

“Oh God.” His voice broke, and he put his arms around me, tight. There was heat spreading through me, and it was searing and painful.

“No!” Dominic shouted from behind me, and when I turned, he was wrenched to his knees and then quickly shoved face down onto the cement.

I was so relieved I started to shake. If people were holding him down, and he was being cuffed, he had to still be alive and that was good. Because he couldn’t die, that would break Sam. If Dominic was alive, Sam could work through his feelings for his partner and friend and eventually come to terms with what he’d become. Dead, Dom would have a hold on him of guilt, memory and regret. This was so much better. Now, Sam could eventually heal. I heard Dom swearing and let out a shallow breath before I closed my eyes. I was so tired.

“Jory, baby, please open your eyes,” Sam pleaded with me. His voice cracked, and I could feel him trembling. “Baby, please.”

I tried to do what he asked me, I really did.

“Please, baby…please…” He was crying, and I had never heard him do that before.

I was going to assure him that I would be all right, but the heat was replaced by a numbness that was followed by a chill. It was, I suspected, like falling into a cold, dark well.

TWENTY-FOUR

Ishivered and opened my eyes. It was dim, but I could make out enough to see that I was in a hospital. The thing the IV hangs from, the weird lights, the nurses… I understood where I was. I heard the machine beeping next to my bed. I blinked several times to try and clear my vision, and then was rewarded when I saw him.

Sam was there on my right, his head resting on his folded arms, slouched forward in the chair, asleep on the bed.

“Oh, hello, sweetie. You’re awake.”

I turned toward the soft voice and found a smiling nurse. Her smock had little clouds all over it.

“Well, Mr. Harcourt, I’m so happy to see you.”

I grimaced, but she beamed back at me. I tried to speak but nothing came out. My throat was dry and sore, and I suspected both reasons for my inability to get out even a word. I waved to get her attention and then pointed at Sam.

“What do you want, dear? Should I wake him?”

I closed my eyes for no but then opened my hand.

“Oh.” She nodded, smiling wide. “I got it. I’m very good at charades, you know. It’s part of the job.” She lifted my hand and placed it very gently in Sam’s hair. I moved my fingers and watched the copper strands twine around them.

My sigh was very deep.

“Oh, I knew this was the right one.”

I was puzzled, and she read it on my face.

“This one’s your partner, isn’t he?”

I nodded. Barely.

“And is the architect your brother, or is the doctor?”

I held up a finger for number one. So good to hear her say brother. I would never tire of Dane and me being family.