Page 28 of Vanished in the Mist
Her haunted gaze met his. “Even in the mountains this time of year, I don’t think it’s cold enough for that. I think we’re too late.”
Kaden immediately began compressions again. “Recharge, Stella.”
“It’s charging. Just a couple more seconds.” The light turned green. “Everyone clear.”
Kaden sat back and watched Stella deliver another shock. She listened with her stethoscope again and shook her head.
“Charge it.” He continued compressions. How old was this woman? Eighteen? Nineteen? Too young to die. Stella was wrong, had to be. The cold mountain water running through the ditch must have cooled her body, putting her into shock. How many times had he heard about someone being submerged in an icy cold lake and later being revived? The cold water had slowed down their brain activity, allowed them to survive.
Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Thirty.He stopped and blew two deep breaths.
“Clear,” Stella said, the urgency gone from her voice.
He pulled back, waited for the zip of electricity to flow into the woman’s body.
Kaden watched as Stella listened through her stethoscope, then shook her head.
“Damn it. Again, Stella. Again.” He began compressions as the machine charged.
“Kaden.” Shanna’s hand touched his shoulder. “She’s gone. Jessica’s gone.”
He shook off her hand. “Stella? Is it ready?”
“Ready,” Stella said. “Clear.”
He leaned back, holding his arms out to make sure that Shanna was safely out of danger as well.
A blast of air was accompanied by a loudthwap-thwap-thwapsound. Kaden and Shanna looked up to see the medevac chopper hovering out on the street in front of the B and B as it slowly lowered.
The sound of a ragged cough had Kaden jerking his head back around.
“My God,” Stella whispered. “She’s breathing.” She stared at him in shock.
Kaden looked down, his own breath catching as he looked into a pair of light brown eyes. “It’s okay,” he whispered brokenly. “You’re safe, Jessica.”
Her eyes welled up with tears.
“A blanket,” Stella ordered. “We need to warm her and—”
Kaden was already pulling his shirt over his head. He placed it over the small woman, covering her from chest to thigh.
“Back up, folks. Back up.” The man from the chopper rushed over with a rolling gurney.
Kaden started to rise, but the girl grabbed his hand, clinging to it. “D-don’t let h-h-him get m-me. D-d-don’t—”
“Shh,” Shanna whispered, crossing to Kaden’s other side and gently feathering the girl’s hair back from her cheeks. “You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you again. The chopper pilot—”
“Mr. Thompson,” the man said, his voice calm and soothing. “Jessica, it’s Bobby. We’re taking you to the hospital, okay?”
She frowned. “Billy Bob?”
He grinned. “Stop with the Billy and Billy Bob stuff. I prefer Bobby and you know it.”
A tear slid down her cheek.
Thompson grimaced. “I’m teasing. Call me whatever you want, sweetie. We’re going to take care of you. Let, Mr. ah—”
“Rafferty. Call me Kaden.”
