with us. She’s asking for you, Ms. Fielding.”
The unspoken meaning behind that statement weighed on Rachel’s heart as if a boulder lay atop her chest, making it hard to breathe. Stryker sensed her tension and pressed his good shoulder to her knee. “My sister? Are you sure?”
“Yes, ma’am. If it’s at all possible, I urge you to get here immediately.”
“Angela’s sick?”
“She’s been injured. I’m not authorized to go into detail. Everything will be clear once you’ve visited and spoken with her. You are coming?”
“Of course.” Rachel’s stomach knotted, and she tasted bile on her tongue. If her sister had been hurt in an accident there would be no reason to keep that information private. Therefore, there was a very good chance Angie’s live-in boyfriend was to blame. The mere thought of having to face that horrible man again gave Rachel discernible tremors. She had to ask, “Is her, I mean, is a guy named Peter VanHoven with her?”
“I’m sorry, I have no idea. I was told to contact you and relay your sister’s message, that’s all.”
“All right. Where do I need to go?”
The patient services spokesperson was in the middle of giving directions when Rachel realized she hadn’t taken in anything. “Wait. Please. I need...” With that she passed the phone to her captain.
Kyle Roark rose from his perch on the edge of his desk and circled it, picked up a pen and made notes. “Yes, I have it. Thank you. When are visiting hours?”
Although Rachel couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation, she read empathy and concern in the veterinarian’s expression. His dark eyes were resting on her as he nodded and said, “Yes. I see. All right. Tell her sister that Rachel is on her way.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “We should be there before fifteen hundred hours. Thank you.”
She stood as he ended the call, using the arm of the chair for added balance. “I’ll need to get permission to leave the base and be gone for who knows how long. And I’ll need to borrow a car.”
“Leave that to me. When you put Stryker back in his kennel, tell Sylvia to cover your duties while I make a few calls and adjust staffing.” He was stripping off his white lab coat to reveal a light blue shirt beneath.
Rachel was almost to the door when Roark stopped her by calling out, “Fielding. Change into the civvies you keep in your locker and grab a warm jacket in case we’re still gone after sunset. I’m going to contact my commanding officer, Lieutenant General Hall, and explain the emergency situation so there won’t be any misunderstandings about both of us being away.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Absolutely. You’re clearly in no shape to drive and I’m escorting you to the hospital to see your sister. Period.”
“It’s very kind of you to offer, Captain.”
“You’re welcome, Rachel. And please remember to call me Kyle while we’re away from the base.”
“Of course... Kyle.”
“Get going. We need to hit the road in minutes, not hours.”
“On my way.” So many poignant memories were whirling through Rachel’s mind as she changed into jeans, a T-shirt and a lightweight jacket that she hardly gave thought to anything but her sister.
Angela. Dear, sweet, clueless Angela. What a waste her life had been after she’d fallen for Peter. He’d been bad news from the beginning but Angie would never listen, never see him for what he really was: a mean, ruthless bully with a temper to match.
The difference between that man’s psyche and that of the trained attack dogs in their program was self-control. A K-9 could be called off by his handler. Once Peter lost his temper and began to inflict suffering, there was no stopping him until he was physically spent. She knew him well. She’d been on the receiving end of his wild temper and vindictive actions more than once.
The price she’d paid had been high. He had cost her the only family she had left in the world.
Kyle drove his military SUV as fast as the speed limit allowed, plus a tad more. The caller from the hospital had not minced words once Rachel had handed him the phone. Her sister was in critical condition with broken bones and a damaged heart and might not live long. He knew what it was like to be cheated of a chance to say goodbye. To express love and devotion one last time. He’d been too late to kiss his wife or his little girl and it still galled him, especially at this time of the year. Sadly, the anniversary of their deaths coincided with Christmas celebrations that were supposed to be joyous.
Well, they sure weren’t happy times for him. Not anymore. He didn’t try to fake it, either. There was no sense pretending to be having a good time when he wasn’t. He didn’t expect others to stop enjoying themselves, but he made it clear he did not want to be included. When Christmas Day arrived he was more than willing to take over kennel duties and give most of his enlisted staff the day off. No longer having a family of his own hurt worse on that particular day than at any other time.
Rachel said very little as they drove. Kyle saw her tense against the seat belt and pull her purse into her lap as he wheeled into the hospital parking lot and stopped. Before he could walk around to open the passenger-side door, she was out and jogging toward the front entrance. “Wait.”
Rachel didn’t even bother to shake her head; she simply kept going, making Kyle wonder if she’d heard him. He’d seen plenty of shocked reactions demonstrated by both humans and K-9s who had been traumatized in battle, and that was exactly how his vet tech was behaving. She was trapped in a zone between fight and flight, determination and panic, and that conflict had rendered her temporarily deaf and mute.
Catching up as she passed through the automatic-entry doors into the lobby, Kyle caught hold of her arm. She wheeled, wild-eyed, as if his touch was an attack.
He immediately released her, palms facing out, hands raised. “Simmer down. They told me your sister is in the ICU on the fourth floor.” He pointed. “Elevators are over there.”
Rachel stared at him for a moment before he saw recognition light her blue eyes. “O-okay. Hurry.”
“You need to act calm even if you don’t feel it. The last thing your sister needs is to see you in hysterics.” Kyle pushed the up button for the elevators. “Take some slow, deep breaths and get it together. What’s got you so spooked?”
“You wouldn’t understand.” The elevator doors swished open. Rachel jumped on ahead of him, faced front and repeatedly punched the button for the fourth floor.
“Try me.” He noticed she was focused not on him, but on the narrow slice of lobby she could see behind him. Worry masked her usually sweet expression, and panic dampened the spark in her eyes.
When she slammed the heel of her hand against the control panel, Kyle cautioned again. “Whoa. Beating those buttons to death won’t make them work any faster, you know.”
“We have to go! Now.” She was leaning to one side for a final glimpse as the doors slid smoothly closed. “I think I just spotted Peter.”
Whirling, Kyle took a defensive
