Page 56 of Ryder’s Storm

“Keep your eyes on the road, Scarlet, please,” Ryder ordered. “Help Vanessa navigate.”

Even though Scarlet knew that Vanessa didn’t need her help, she followed Ryder’s command. He probably didn’t want her to have to look at the terrible injuries for fear that she would get nauseous from the sight.

“Easy, Lizzy,” Ryder now murmured in the backseat. “Don’t try to speak.”

“Two more minutes,” Vanessa said.

They were already in the Mission. Scarlet knew that Scanguards’ headquarters was located somewhere in this neighborhood, though she’d never been there herself.

Finally, Vanessa slowed the SUV sufficiently so she could turn into the entry of an underground garage. The tag reader which was probably attached somewhere to the front of the car, recognized the SUV, and the gate opened. Vanessa drove in, and Scarlet heard the gate come down behind them. In the large garage, Vanessa stopped on the first level right outside an elevator. In front of it, Maya, dressed in blue scrubs and a white doctor’s coat, her hair in a bun, waited with a gurney, ready to receive her patient.

Vanessa jumped out of the SUV, while Maya already opened the door to the backseat.

“How’s she doing?” Maya asked.

“Pulse is in the 50s, stabilizing. Pressure is still dropping. She lost a lot of blood,” Ryder replied, sounding like an experienced EMT, even though he didn’t have any instruments to help him determine Lizzy’s blood pressure.

“Okay,” Maya said. “Vanessa, help me get her on the gurney.”

Scarlet hopped out of the SUV, and watched mother and daughter put Lizzy on the gurney, while Ryder continued to press down on her neck wound.

“Lizzy, I’m Maya,” Maya said. “I’ll take care of you. You’re gonna be just fine.”

Scarlet let out a breath, relieved that Maya felt confident.

Maya whirled her head toward her, noticing her only now. Then she looked at Ryder. “Scarlet shouldn’t be here.”

“Can’t change that now,” Ryder said, staring back at his mother.

“Fine. You know what to do.”

Scarlet felt taken aback by Maya’s frosty greeting. She swallowed hard. “I can wait in the car.”

“No!” all three members of the Giles family said in unison, while they pushed the gurney into the large elevator.

“Come, Scarlet,” Ryder said and motioned for her to step into the elevator next to him.

A second later, the doors closed, and the elevator descended. The ride was smooth and fast.

When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, they all hurried out, and ran down the long corridor, pushing the gurney. The double doors at the end of the corridor opened inward just before they reached them.

Scarlet followed them inside. The large room looked like a state-of-the-art emergency room with different treatment bays, crash carts, ventilators, imaging machines, and many other things that Scarlet didn’t know the names of. Several people sat in a glass-enclosed waiting room, and one man lay on one of the beds, an IV in his arm, receiving a blood transfusion. There was only one other medical staff member, a woman in a nurse’s uniform.

“The OR is prepped,” the nurse said.

“Vanessa and Ryder, you’re with me,” Maya ordered. “Jenny, have Scarlet wait in waiting room H.”

Then they disappeared through another set of double doors, and silence descended on the room.

Scarlet took a breath, trying to calm herself down. She hoped that Maya could save the young woman. Her eyes fell on the people in the waiting room. Several had blood on them, either on their clothing or their faces or hands. Scarlet guessed that they’d all been in an accident.

Jenny, who looked slightly older than Scarlet, smiled at her. “Well, Scarlet, let me show you to the waiting room. And I can get you something to drink or to eat while you wait.”

“I don’t need anything, but thanks.”

“All right then,” Jenny said. Instead of leading her to the glass-enclosed waiting room, Jenny opened the door to another corridor and motioned her to follow. At the first door on the left, she stopped, and opened it. It was a comfortable room with a large sitting area, a TV, and lots of magazines to read. It was empty. Scarlet entered.

“Make yourself at home. I’ll let you know when they’re coming out. And if you need anything, there’s a call button.” She pointed to a red button on the wall.