Page 76 of Honor Code

CHAPTER 33

Phoenix found himself praying as he gripped Ellie's hand and felt her pulse flutter weakly beneath his fingers.

Please don't let her die.

I promise I'll be the kind of man she deserves.

I'll protect her.

I'll make her happy.

His bargaining continued as the ambulance cut through the night, its sirens crying through the otherwise quiet streets. Ellie lay on the gurney, her face ashen, the steady drip of an IV the only barrier between her and death.

Phoenix watched the paramedics work calmly and quickly to stabilize her, administering oxygen and monitoring her vitals, keeping up a steady stream of medical jargon that he could barely follow.

His own heart pounded in his ears as the memory of finding Ellie convulsing from the poison played on a loop in his mind. He should never have left her alone, never underestimated Henderson. Now, all he could do was hold her hand and hope it wasn't too late.

As the ambulance thundered toward the hospital, he leaned close, murmuring into her ear. "Stay with me, Ellie. Fight this. You've got to fight."

Outside, the city passed in a blur, the bright flares of streetlamps streaking by like falling stars. The ambulance maneuvered through the traffic with urgent haste, every turn and stop jarring them, but Phoenix's gaze remained fixed on Ellie, his grip on her hand unyielding.

He couldn't lose her too. Not after all they'd been through together. He'd known from the first moment he'd tackled her on the helipad in her yoga outfit that she was someone special. At first, he'd thought she was too good for him, but she'd convinced him that he was wrong.

He recalled the way she looked at him with awe, like he was some sort of hero because he'd been trained to save lives and to keep going no matter the odds. He couldn't believe he'd inspired her to be stronger, braver. To get over her panic attacks.

Truth be told, she made him feel like the man he used to be—and wanted to be again.

She made him feel like he was worthy of her love.

In the sterile, blinding brightness of the ambulance, with the sharp smell of antiseptic in the air and the cold touch of metal all around, his world narrowed to the sound of Ellie's strained breathing and the paramedics' steady efforts to save her.

His training had prepared him for many things, but not how to deal with the crippling helplessness of watching Ellie fight for her life.

Phoenix paced up and down the corridor, the harsh fluorescent lights hammering his senses.

"Hey, buddy, we heard what happened," Boomer said, running up to him. Phoenix gave him a brief hug, then turned to Pat and Blade, who'd come in after him.

"Thanks for coming."

Boomer's shoulder was taped up. "I'm here to see the doc," he said with a wry grin. "How's Ellie?"

"I don't know." It was fucking killing him. The medics had converged as soon as they'd entered, wheeling her off to God knows where to pump her full of antidotes. He only hoped it wasn't too late.

Thank God that bitch hadn't depressed the syringe more than a few millimeters, or else Ellie would be history. His stomach clenched. He couldn't even go there. Even now, he felt like a bystander in his own nightmare, powerless as they fought to undo the damage.

"What happened?" Pat asked.

"Suzi got to her. She was in on it the whole time."

Boomer balked at him. "Suzi? You're shitting me."

"No, man. I heard her say something about a sick kid before I blasted in there. She took a bribe to pay for his treatment or something."

Boomer shook his head. "Now that I think about it, it makes sense."

"How so?" Phoenix asked.

"She never said anything about a sick child, but she kept phoning home. Then there was the way she just up and left, taking the chopper back the morning of the explosion. I always thought that was lucky."

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