Page 48 of Fool's Gold

He drew closer, and saw it was Sarah, crumpled like rag doll in the grass.

Heart lurching in his chest, he knelt beside her, touching her warm, motionless arm. "Sarah, are you okay?"

There was no reply. He felt for broken bones, and then carefully turned her over. She gave a tiny moan, but her eyelids remained closed.

What was the matter with her? Was she shot? He couldn't see any wounds. He brushed the hair back from her forehead and his hand came away with blood.

Looking closer, he found a gash with a deep purple bruise underneath her hairline. He leaned in, placing his ear near her nose. Her sweet breath came slow and shallow into his ear.

"Sarah, sweetheart, can you hear me?" There was no response. Her face was so pale. How long had she been like this? She must have fallen and hit her head.

He looked around, but didn't see any stumps of rocks nearby, just grass.

It hit him like a sucker punch. Someone had attacked her.

His jaw tightened as he looked around anew. Whoever had done it was gone.

Damn it, he’d thought they were safe, otherwise he never would have let her go off on her own. This was all his fault. He should have anticipated the unexpected attack. He should have taken better care of her.

He shrugged the backpack off his shoulders and yanked out his cellular. He dialed the number for the local rescue service. The wait for an answer seemed like an eternity.

"Shelbyville nine-one-one, how can I direct your call?" a businesslike female voice asked.

"This is Rafe Halliday from the Double-H. I need paramedics right away. My wife has a severe head injury. We're camped out just one mile east of Jersey Lake."

"I just dispatched the Rescue Service. They'll be there as soon as possible, Mr. Halliday. In the meantime, stay on the line with me. I need to ask you some questions."

"Fine," Rafe said tightly. "Just please hurry them up."

"Please remain calm, sir. They'll be there soon. How did the injury occur?"

"Somebody bashed her on the head," Rafe said harshly, through gritted teeth. His stomach convulsed at the image, and he thought he was going to be sick.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He reached down to touch Sarah's cheek. "Send the sheriff, too."

"Do you know who attacked your wife?"

"I don't know for sure. I found her lying on the ground, unconscious." He stopped to take a calming breath. "But I have my suspicions," Rafe continued. Nevell Blackthorn would be one sorry man when Rafe got his hands on him.

"I'm going to assist you by phone until the paramedics arrive. Is your wife having any trouble breathing?"

"Her breathing seems to be kind of shallow, but I guess she's doing okay that way. The main problem is she's bleeding a lot. There's a big gash on her forehead."

"Mr. Halliday, I need you to apply gentle pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. Do you have a clean cloth to place on the wound?"

"There's a clean towel in my backpack. Hold on a second and I'll get it." He searched around the contents of the pack and tugged out the towel. He never used it last night. "I've got it."

"Okay, Mr. Halliday, you're doing great. Just fold the towel into a square and use it to apply gentle pressure to the head. Remember we don't know what kind of damage might be underneath, so you need to be careful."

"Right," he said calmly when he was really shaking in his boots. The thought of a skull fracture or brain damage had him terrified.

If he lost her, he wouldn't want to live. Sarah meant everything to him. She'd finally taught him how to love.

Rafe paced the hall outside the Emergency Room. Why in blazes didn't they tell him anything? It seemed like hours had gone by since they'd arrived by ambulance.

Sarah had been whisked into the trauma bay while he had been shoved back into the waiting room. They'd even tried to keep him out of the ambulance, but he'd bullied his way on board. This was all his fault, and no one was going to make him leave her side until he knew she was going to be okay.

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