damned ambulance?”
“On its way,” he said. He handed her a fresh pad. “Keep up the pressure.”
KT looked at the pads she’d been holding against Peyton’s shoulder. Dark stains had spread beneath her fingers, and her hand shook as she replaced the pad. A deep breath steadied her, despite the iron tang of blood in the air. Peyton’s blood.
The wail of the approaching ambulance echoed Andi’s howl.
Chapter Six
“You should have stayed at the hanger.” Peyton glared at KT over the shoulder of the Paranormal Medical Technician. “You could have been shot.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t, or you might have bled to death out there,” KT snapped.
Peyton snorted, but then winced as the other PMT shoved an IV into his arm. “Not likely. They’ll just patch me up and I’ll be back in the hunt.”
“How about you let us be the judge of that,” said the female PMT as she pressed an oxygen mask to his face effectively shutting him up.
Squeezed into a corner of the ambulance, KT tried to stay out of the way of the medics working on Peyton. The female paramedic applied fresh bandages while the male paramedic adjusted the IV. Both PMT’s kept up a constant stream of incomprehensible medical jargon between themselves and the radio to the closest paranormal hospital.
And through it all, KT kept mentally repeating to herself, You’d better not die on me, Peyton Allers. Don’t die on me!
At the hospital, she all but tumbled out of the back of the ambulance in the wake of the PMT’s. An ER nurse tried to keep KT from following the gurney down the hall, but froze when KT snarled at her. KT kept pace with the gurney and stayed well out of the way of the nurses and doctors clustered around it.
“I need an operating room, STAT!”
“Hang another bag and get that bleeding under control!”
“Where’s that anesthesiologist?”
The swinging doors muffled their voices when they passed through into Surgery. KT stopped the doors’ swing with her foot. Her palm against the glass, she watched through the little window as the gurney and its entourage disappeared through another set of doors.
Andi pushed hard for KT to follow the gurney, to follow Peyton.
KT’s fingers curled into frustrated fists. Don’t you think I want to? We can’t. She turned aside and slumped against the wall. We can’t.
She ran her hands over her face and then up through her hair. The painful pull of tangles might have explained the tears that welled up in her eyes, but she knew better. Panic continued to clench her heart and rob her of breath. She slid down the wall and dropped her head between her bent knees.
She hadn’t felt so helpless or frightened since—
“Ms. Marant?” a female voice asked, pitched low and non-threatening.
KT looked up to see another nurse standing a short distance away, a worried expression on her face. The nurse stooped to bring her face close to KT’s level, but her eyes focused over KT’s shoulder, mimicking a submissive pose. “The ambulance driver told me the gentleman is Captain Peyton Allers?”
KT nodded. She remembered the ranger speaking with the driver while she was climbing into the ambulance.
The nurse relaxed. “We have a VIP waiting room upstairs.”
“No,” KT said.
“Okay. Then, we have another waiting room, just down here, where you can have some privacy, Ms. Marant.” She held out her hand. “Will you come with me?”
KT took a deep breath and nodded. She certainly couldn’t stay out here in the hallway.
Andi growled. No. Stay.
KT pushed her down. We are, just not out here.
She rose to her feet, glanced at the nurse’s name badge, and nodded again. “Of course, Nurse Helena. Thank you.”
The nurse led her the short distance to the waiting room and pointed out the amenities. The private bathroom, where KT could clean herself up. The coffee maker, with individual portion cups for making coffee, tea or hot chocolate. The phone, if she needed to call or
“On its way,” he said. He handed her a fresh pad. “Keep up the pressure.”
KT looked at the pads she’d been holding against Peyton’s shoulder. Dark stains had spread beneath her fingers, and her hand shook as she replaced the pad. A deep breath steadied her, despite the iron tang of blood in the air. Peyton’s blood.
The wail of the approaching ambulance echoed Andi’s howl.
Chapter Six
“You should have stayed at the hanger.” Peyton glared at KT over the shoulder of the Paranormal Medical Technician. “You could have been shot.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t, or you might have bled to death out there,” KT snapped.
Peyton snorted, but then winced as the other PMT shoved an IV into his arm. “Not likely. They’ll just patch me up and I’ll be back in the hunt.”
“How about you let us be the judge of that,” said the female PMT as she pressed an oxygen mask to his face effectively shutting him up.
Squeezed into a corner of the ambulance, KT tried to stay out of the way of the medics working on Peyton. The female paramedic applied fresh bandages while the male paramedic adjusted the IV. Both PMT’s kept up a constant stream of incomprehensible medical jargon between themselves and the radio to the closest paranormal hospital.
And through it all, KT kept mentally repeating to herself, You’d better not die on me, Peyton Allers. Don’t die on me!
At the hospital, she all but tumbled out of the back of the ambulance in the wake of the PMT’s. An ER nurse tried to keep KT from following the gurney down the hall, but froze when KT snarled at her. KT kept pace with the gurney and stayed well out of the way of the nurses and doctors clustered around it.
“I need an operating room, STAT!”
“Hang another bag and get that bleeding under control!”
“Where’s that anesthesiologist?”
The swinging doors muffled their voices when they passed through into Surgery. KT stopped the doors’ swing with her foot. Her palm against the glass, she watched through the little window as the gurney and its entourage disappeared through another set of doors.
Andi pushed hard for KT to follow the gurney, to follow Peyton.
KT’s fingers curled into frustrated fists. Don’t you think I want to? We can’t. She turned aside and slumped against the wall. We can’t.
She ran her hands over her face and then up through her hair. The painful pull of tangles might have explained the tears that welled up in her eyes, but she knew better. Panic continued to clench her heart and rob her of breath. She slid down the wall and dropped her head between her bent knees.
She hadn’t felt so helpless or frightened since—
“Ms. Marant?” a female voice asked, pitched low and non-threatening.
KT looked up to see another nurse standing a short distance away, a worried expression on her face. The nurse stooped to bring her face close to KT’s level, but her eyes focused over KT’s shoulder, mimicking a submissive pose. “The ambulance driver told me the gentleman is Captain Peyton Allers?”
KT nodded. She remembered the ranger speaking with the driver while she was climbing into the ambulance.
The nurse relaxed. “We have a VIP waiting room upstairs.”
“No,” KT said.
“Okay. Then, we have another waiting room, just down here, where you can have some privacy, Ms. Marant.” She held out her hand. “Will you come with me?”
KT took a deep breath and nodded. She certainly couldn’t stay out here in the hallway.
Andi growled. No. Stay.
KT pushed her down. We are, just not out here.
She rose to her feet, glanced at the nurse’s name badge, and nodded again. “Of course, Nurse Helena. Thank you.”
The nurse led her the short distance to the waiting room and pointed out the amenities. The private bathroom, where KT could clean herself up. The coffee maker, with individual portion cups for making coffee, tea or hot chocolate. The phone, if she needed to call or
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