said. “Rest. Sleep as much as you can. I’ll be back in the morning to check on you. I promise. Daniel.”
As she touched his hand in a farewell gesture, his fingers moved the way they had when she’d thanked the Lord during transport. She gave the back of his hand a quick pat and stopped at the foot of the bed to check his toes. Both feet were equally warm, meaning his wounded leg had adequate circulation. Good.
Moisture gathered in her eyes. She smiled. Her first run with a severely injured trauma patient had been a success. All was well in her world. She wished she could say the same for the shooting victim.
* * *
Daniel peeked from beneath lowered lids to watch the concerned EMT leave the room. Judging by her questions she didn’t remember who he was. But he knew her. How could he forget? He’d broken department rules and received a strict reprimand when he’d allowed her to go home after she’d been caught up in a drug bust involving minors. What he saw now, the useful person Kaitlin had become, proved he’d been right to cut her some slack. Vindication felt good.
He grimaced. Yeah, it felt a lot better than his leg did. Talk about sore. It throbbed in time with his heartbeats and ached plenty in between despite many painkillers. But he was still alive. This might be an era of fantastic modern medical breakthroughs, but a man could still die in mere minutes from one bullet hole. The fact that the ambulance had found him before he’d bled out, in spite of the leather belt he’d tightened above the wound as a tourniquet, added to his sense of awe. And thankfulness.
“So, now what?” What, indeed? Daniel figured he was in the local hospital in Paradise. The problem was, they knew his real name now. If word got back to St. Louis and his whereabouts became common knowledge before he had a chance to make new arrangements, he was in big trouble.
Testing himself, he raised on one elbow. His vision blurred. His thoughts swam. They had him so doped up it was a wonder he was even conscious. The next time he was offered something to dull the pain he must refuse, he told himself. Hurting was better than dying because he was happy and clueless. If it became necessary for him to try to escape he’d need all his wits about him.
Further movement brought a core-deep groan. He gritted his teeth against the thoughts he couldn’t suppress. How far did the influence of the men who had ordered the hit on him spread? Could they have cohorts in Paradise? Maybe even the sheriff or town cops? It was certainly possible.
He trusted a few special officers in his home department, including the chief, but somebody on the inside had to have revealed his hiding place. Otherwise, the guy who’d punched a hole in his leg would never have located him.
Forcing his eyes to stay open, Daniel stared at the door. Anybody or anything could be on the other side. Watching. Waiting for a chance to finish him off. He knew that.
He also knew there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
* * *
Kaitlin phoned the hospital first thing the next morning. Planning a second visit with the man she’d helped rescue gave her an energy boost despite the fact that she’d tossed and turned during the night.
As soon as she was told the patient was awake and alert she donned her uniform to give herself visible authority and started for town. The drive had seemed unending, the hospital corridor miles long. His door was ajar. She rapped, anyway. “May I come in?”
A woman’s voice answered. “If you must.”
Kaitlin gave the door a push. A lithe, raven-haired beauty stood beside the bed, holding Daniel’s hand possessively and eyeing the interloper. “You don’t look like a regular nurse.”
Kaitlin was grinning. “That’s because I’m not. I was on the ambulance that brought the patient in last night.” She focused on only him. “How are you feeling today? Better?”
“Yes, thanks. And thanks for saving my life.”
“I had help, but you’re welcome.”
His dark eyes seemed to bore through her. “You don’t know who I am do you, Ms. Kaitlin North?”
That took her aback. “How do you know my full name? Did my partners tell you last night?”
“No. I was too busy bleeding to ask.”
A smile lifted the corners of his mouth, making her insides tremble. Maybe Dee had been right. Maybe taking a personal interest in patients was foolish. This one was certainly unsettling her.
“The hospital nurses told you about me?” she asked.
“Actually, no.” He drew his hand over his newly shaved cheek and continued to smile at her. “Think again. No beard. St. Louis. Five years ago. That park by the arch. Remember a beat cop hardly dry behind the ears?”
“That was you?” Tears gathered. She blinked them back. “I don’t believe it!”
“Believe it,” Daniel said with tenderness, then quipped, “We have to quit meeting like this.”
The woman standing beside the bed was scowling. “Care to let me in on the joke, darling?” Bitterness colored her query and she drew their clasped hands to her chest as if declaring ownership, daring Kaitlin to interfere.
Although she had no romantic intentions toward the injured man, his companion’s attitude set her on edge.
Apparently, Daniel felt the same because he jerked out of the woman’s grasp and avoided her reach when she tried to reconnect. “This is Letty Montoya, Ms. North. She and I were engaged until she decided she preferred my partner over me.”
“Oh, dear.” Embarrassed, Kaitlin started to withdraw. “So sorry to intrude.”
Daniel stopped her. “Don’t go. I want to know all about how you put your life back together after I drove you to your parents’ place.” He looked her up and down. “You obviously got your health back.”
“Yes. I did.”
“Your mom and dad must have been overjoyed.”
“You could put it that way.”
“No?” He was frowning.
“Do you remember what I told you that night? Well, they weren’t glad enough to have me back to make them change. But I stuck it out. They did pay for rehab and my classes to become an EMT. My prior medical school training made it easy.”
Letty huffed with undisguised disgust. “Lovely. Now, if you’re done reminiscing, Daniel and I have personal matters to discuss. In private.”
Kaitlin shrugged. No way was she going to let herself be thrown out by the likes of that woman. What did Daniel see in her, anyway? Guilt for prejudging a stranger rushed in and convicted Kaitlin before she could think of a snappy retort. The injured man, however, had no such problem.
He pushed himself up and grimaced. “No, Letty. We have nothing to talk about. You made your choice and it wasn’t me. You need to leave.”
Tears began to cascade, mascara running, as Letty sobbed. “It’s all your fault. You owe me.”
“I
