Blood Haze by LR Potter Page B

on the roadside. Inanely, the thought
crossed her mind, she was glad she’d not eaten the night before so there wasn’t
much to come up. In the far recesses of her mind, she became aware that Lynx
had joined her and had placed his hands on her shoulders, keeping her from
falling forward. When she’d thrown-up all she could and was only dry-heaving,
she leaned her forearms against the metal guardrail and rested her
sweat-drenched face against them.
    He
let her sit for a moment before helping her to her feet. He placed cool hands
against her heated cheeks. “Ready?” he asked softly.
    She
swallowed, her throat raw and scratchy. “I should have been there. They needed
me and I wasn’t there,” she said on a shuddering breath.
    He
wrapped his strong arms around her, drawing her into his body for comfort. She
wrapped her arms around him tightly, refusing to give into the tears which
threatened. She felt him press his lips against her hair an instant before he
stepped back and helped her back into the car.
    He
started the car and turned to her before shifting into drive. “Arabella, don’t
borrow trouble. Okay? One step at a time.”
    She
blinked rapidly before nodding jerkily. “Okay,” she whispered.
    They
drove the rest of the way in silence. He pulled the car into the circle-drive
in front of the Emergency Room doors and parked. She had her hand on the
door-handle before she remembered her manners. “Lynx, thanks for coming to get
me.”
    “I’m
going to park, then I’ll be in. I’ll find you,” he replied.
    “I
appreciate that, but I’ve imposed on you enough.”
    His
reflective glasses mirrored her distraught features back to her. “I’ll be in
shortly,” he repeated.
    Finally,
she gave a quick nod and opened the door.

 
    ~X~

 
    Lynx
finally found her sitting in one of the waiting rooms, shredding a tissue
between her fingers. The vulnerability she exuded, drew him like nothing else.
Moving silently toward her, he sat down before reaching over for her hand.
“What do you know?” he asked.
    She
bowed her head and studied their intertwined hands. “Not much. But it’s not
good.” She took a shuddering breath. “Maggie was killed, thrown through the
window of the car apparently. Ian is still in surgery and Drew is in Intensive
Care. They… they won’t let me see him because I’m not immediate family. I’ve
been with him since I was fifteen, and we were friends long before that and
they won’t let me in to see him. I don’t know what to do. His mom is in a
retirement home. I’m all he has and they won’t let me see him,” she said in a
rush.
    “Arabella,”
he said commandingly, “look at me.”
    She
lifted her head and did as he said. She stared into the dark depths of his eyes
and almost immediately began to feel calmer… stronger even. “You always make me
feel better. How do you do that?” she asked.
    He
gave her a small smile, “It’s a gift.”
    “Well,
it’s a good one,” she murmured.
    “I
want you to stay here and I’m going see what I can do to get you in to see him,”
he said comfortingly.
    “Really?”
she asked hopefully. “You’d do that?”
    In
a familiar gesture, he brushed hair that had come loose from its fastening away
from her face. “Of course,” he replied softly.
    “Thank
you.”
    He
lifted her hand and brushed cool lips against it. “It is my pleasure,” he said
before rising.

 
    As
promised, Lynx got her into Drew’s room.
    “You
can stay for fifteen minutes,” the nurse, dressed in pink scrubs, with a name
tag which read, Lottie , told her.
    “Thank
you,” she replied automatically, as she stood outside his door. She shifted her
eyes to Lynx, “I know I shouldn’t ask, but…” she trailed off.
    “I’ll
be right here until you’re done,” he said in answer to the unspoken question.
    “Thanks…
for everything,” she murmured.
    He
gave a slight nod of his head. “You go now.”
    She
turned and paused with her hand on the