Conviction of the Heart
Page 27
The voice penetrated the fog that had swallowed her up, consumed her. She struggled to follow it.
“Suz, come on, honey, open your eyes.”
That was Nick’s voice. She knew it. Her breath caught and she fought to open her eyes. When she finally got control, she looked up briefly, blinking in the bright light. The air was cold. She was outdoors. She was…in an ambulance. What? A paramedic swabbed her forehead. Her arms were bandaged. Her lips battled to get words out.
“That’s my girl. Come on. You’re going to be all right.”
Someone squeezed her hand and she forced herself to keep her eyes open. It was Nick, looking worried, kneeling next to her, on her right side, while the paramedic worked on the left. “Maddie?” she whispered.
“She’s good. She’s fine.” He grinned. “You saved them both.”
“Hope I’m getting hazardous duty pay.” She coughed, and tried to move. At first, she felt rising panic as she couldn’t move her shoulders or sit up, but Nick tapped the stretcher’s restraining straps.
“Just relax, all right? Everyone’s out of the house, you’re safe. Jim here says you’re in one piece, just banged up a bit. They’re getting you ready to go to the hospital for a thorough check.”
“Don’t want the hospital,” she murmured. Something she wasn’t asking. What else did she need to know? Something nagged at her.
“You’re going. Period. None of your usual legalese or stalling or technical excuses. I nearly lost you and I’m going to make sure you’re all right. I’m not letting you slip away again. No argument on this one, woman. “
She knew that tone. Not like there’s much you can do about it now. Wait. Morgan. That was it. “What happened to Greg?”
Nick glanced up at the paramedic, who shook his head. “Pity,” he muttered. To Suzanne, he said, “Suicide by cop. They said when they went in, he still had the gun in his hand. He wouldn’t put it down, and actually tried to take a shot at a couple of the guys. They didn’t have much of a choice.” He frowned. “Guess it’ll save the city the expense of a trial.”
She sighed with relief. “It’s over.”
He leaned down and kissed her lips, a soft, warm reminder of all they’d shared and all those days yet to come. “To the contrary, my love. Everything is just beginning.”
A word about the author...
Alana Lorens dreamed for many years of being an astronaut, maybe even President, but settled instead for inspired excursions into fictional places with fascinating imaginary companions that she likes to share with others. She has been a published writer for over thirty years, including seven years as a reporter and editor at a newspaper in Homestead, Florida. Her list of publications is eclectic, from science fiction to romance to horror, from tech reporting to television reviews. This is her second novel with The Wild Rose Press; the first, SECRETS IN THE SAND, was released in April 2011. Alana is married to an absent-minded computer geek. Together, they have a dozen computers, seven children and a full house in northwestern Pennsylvania.
Find out more at http://alanalorens.com
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