Page 92 of All I Need (Hearts of the South)
“I think I liked it better when you were mostly behind a desk. You too.” She indicated Emmett.
“All right, sonogram and CT for Emmett, so we know there’s no deep tissue damage or other bleeding. We need to check you for lung damage as well. Why didn’t they bring you in via ambulance? Hell.” Mackey cleared his throat and pointed at Troy Lee and Rob. “You two to x-ray to make sure nothing’s broken.”
Savannah pulled her attention from Emmett’s bruises and focused on Rob a moment. “Does Amy know about this yet?”
“The shooting? Yeah. That I might have broken my wrist again?” Rob made a face. “No.”
Behind them, the back door swung open again. Calvert’s low murmur, though the words were indistinct, carried a strong note of disgust. Rob stiffened, fury flushing his face. “Son of a bitch.”
Surprised by his reaction, Savannah glanced back. Calvert and Cook escorted Jake Stringham, dirty, scruffy, and handcuffed, up the hall. Fists clenched, Rob took a step forward. Troy Lee and Emmett both grabbed an arm and put his back to the wall.
“Not worth your badge, man.” Troy Lee spoke in a firm, quiet voice. Rob’s chest heaved, his gaze pinned on Stringham’s face. “He’s going to prison, and you’re going home to your wife and daughter.”
Mackey pointed Calvert and Cook toward exam four. “I’ll send a nurse in for triage and let Layla handle him when she’s finished in exam three.”
Troy Lee hooked his arm around Rob’s neck and tugged him toward the hall. “Let’s go to x-ray before you get into trouble. Mackey, we’re walking up.”
“I’ve got a workplace accident bleeding all over the place out here.” Lorraine’s harried voice cut across the tension.
Mackey jerked his chin at Savannah and gestured at Emmett. “I’ve got him. You take that.”
She nodded, but gave in to the need to wrap her arms around Emmett’s neck for a moment. Against her, he was warm and real and alive, skin gritty under her fingers and the scent of male sweat strong in her nostrils. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
He chuckled near her ear. “Now you want to tell me you love me?”
She sagged into him. “Oh, God, Em, don’t tease.”
“Go do your job.” He tightened his embrace for a moment and released her. She made herself let go. “I’ll see you in a while.”
In-a-while ended up being a couple of hours. The workplace accident, a line employee from the local chicken plant, needed extensive suturing and an orthopedic consult. When she was finished, she tapped on exam one and waited for Emmett’s low “Come in.”
He sat on the exam table, an irritable expression clouding his face. She smiled. “Hey, what did Mackey say?”
“Deep muscle bruises. No internal issues.” He gestured at his torso. “Compression bandage, ice, rest. A solid week off active duty, but I can ride a desk like before.”
“You can do a week, easy.” She wanted to hold on to him again, but she had a diabetes call in triage and lined up for her. “I may be here a while longer.”
He nodded. “I’m waiting on discharge, then Landra’s going to run me back to the station for my truck. She’s wanting to play big sister, and I figure it’ll make her feel better if I let her for a little while. I’ll see you at home.”
“Okay.” She leaned in to kiss him, wrapping one hand around his nape. She breathed him in as long as she could. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
* * * * *
Low music greeted her when she opened the front door. The lights were off except for the one over the kitchen sink, spilling a muted glow into the living area. She frowned, letting her eyes adjust to the dimness after the bright lights on the stairs. Still in his uniform pants and undershirt, Emmett slumped on one end of the couch, elbow on the arm, thumb and index finger pinching the bridge of his nose.
Something about that posture made her chest hurt.
She dropped her bag on the bench by the door and crossed to him. “Em? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He let his hand fall, eyes closed. “I’m okay.”
“Are you in pain?” She bent to run an exploratory hand over his torso. No swelling, and his breathing sounded okay. “You have to tell me if you are because that can—”
“I said I was okay.” He brushed her hand away. Irritation and an emotion that looked like fear glittered in his eyes. “I’m not hurting.”
Frown deepening, she studied him. He was tight with tension, which wasn’t unexpected after the day’s events. But he seemed more wary and caged than anything else. Careful not to jostle him, she sank onto the couch beside him, her shoulder tucked into the curve of his underarm. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”
He closed his eyes once more. “My mind’s all over the place, and I can’t slow it down.”
