Page 115 of Faith
“Yes.”
“Oh. Okay.” The officer backed off.
“Go ahead, Nina.” Lorelei pointed for Nina to leave behind Zeke, and Nina didn’t hesitate to follow.
“Thank you,” she said as she raced out the door, calling to Holden to wait for her.
Holden rode in the back of the ambulance with her, working on Zeke the whole time.
A mask was over his face, giving him oxygen. Blood oozed through the bandage on his side. His shirt was gone, cut off and left behind in the house. His skin had a red tint to it from all the blood that spilled when Gwendolyn shot him.
Nina sat still and tried not to cry.
Zeke reached for her hand.
“Can I touch him?” Nina asked.
“Yeah, just don’t pull any wires or bandages off,” Holden said.
Nina nodded and grabbed Zeke’s hand. “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I couldn’t let her kill you. When Mont texted me and said you were going to confront her, I couldn’t let you go alone. I couldn’t risk something happening to you and never seeing you again. And when she pulled that trigger, saving you was all that mattered.”
“But you might die.”
“I’d die a thousand times to save your life,” Zeke said.
“Don’t say things like that.”
Zeke pulled the mask off his face and squeezed her hand. “I love you, Nina Rose. Not like a sister. Not like a friend. I’m in love with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And if that doesn’t last longer than this ambulance ride, I’m happy you’re here. I love you, Nina.”
“Zeke,” she breathed. Tears poured down her cheeks. She smiled at him and kissed his hand. “I?—”
The machine behind Zeke’s head screeched. One thing beeped loudly, then another.
Nina stared at the machines for a second, then looked down at Zeke. “Zeke!”
His head fell back on the bed, mouth open. His eyes were closed, his hand limp in hers.
“Zeke!”
“Nina, sit back. Let go of his hand. I need to shock him.” Holden pushed her out of the way, breaking her connection to him.
Nina put her hands over her face. She couldn’t watch him die, but she couldn’t hide herself from it.
Holden put the mask back over Zeke’s face, then grabbed a package of something else from a cabinet next to him. He unwrapped it, letting the garbage fly. He stuck one pad to Zeke’s upper chest, the other on his opposite side. Holden pressed a button on a machine and snapped cords onto the pads.
“Clear!” Holden called. He pushed a button, and Zeke’s body jerked.
“What are you doing to him?” Nina screamed, trying to grab for Zeke.
“I’m saving him, Nina. This machine is going to start his heart again.”
“His heart’s not beating?”
Holden shook his head. “Clear.” He checked that Nina wasn’t touching Zeke, then pressed the button again.
The screeching noises stopped and a rhythmic beeping started up again.
