Page 74 of Emi's Hero

Emi’s lips twitched.

Hawk’s brow wrinkled, but he didn’t comment. Instead, he turned to Emi. “Want me to take over?”

“Not unless it will make a difference,” she said.

“You’re doing all the right things. Keep pressure on the wound.” He straightened and pulled Kalea up into his arms. “Hey, beautiful, I heard what you said about nearly being shot. I’m glad you had a real hero in Sara to save you.” He kissed her soundly, then pulled out his cell phone and stepped away to make a call.

When Hawk returned, he squatted down to address George. “The ambulance will be here in five minutes. The EMTs will get you stabilized for air transport to Oahu. Think you can hold out that long?”

“I have all the right reasons to hang on,” George said. “And they’re right here in front of me.” He winked at Sara. “Now that you’re free, what do you want most? A pretty dress, a doll or a puppy?”

Sara’s brow creased as she thought about it. “My mommy said she had a daddy who loved her very much. He took her for walks, told her stories and sometimes sang to her. Since I already have a Mommy, I want a Daddy. If I can’t have a Daddy, I want a puppy instead.”

George laughed and immediately winced. “I’m hoping we can work on both of those if you can wait long enough for me to get better.”

“I can wait,” Sara said.

Emi’s heart swelled. For a three-year-old, her daughter had an old soul. She couldn’t wait to show her how much fun it could be to be a child, to play and have friends.

“The future is going to be amazing,” Emi met George’s gaze. “We just need you to be in it.”

“I’ll work on that,” he said.

“In the meantime…” She leaned forward and pressed her lips briefly to his.

He frowned. “Is that a tease?”

She gave him a saucy smile. “That was an incentive. There’s more where that came from when you’re well enough to handle it.”

“Hold my beer, woman; I’m getting up.”

“The hell you are.” Emi laughed, her heart full to overflowing with joy. Free at last.

EPILOGUE

Four months later...

“Mom,have you seen Sara or Buttercup?” Emi entered the kitchen of the cottage she and George had rented in Honolulu. “I need Sara to clean up and get dressed, and we need to crate Buttercup. We’re due at the courthouse in half an hour, and it’ll take that long to get there if there’s any traffic.”

The home was small but had a fenced backyard with a swing set and room for the puppy to run and play. And it was close to the university where Emi was enrolled.

She was determined to finish the degree she’d been working on eight years ago. It was going to take longer than the two semesters she’d had left since she’d changed her degree and had to repeat some courses. She was working toward a degree in mental health counseling. Sachie had promised her room in her office on the Big Island when she got her license.

Barbara Sands entered the kitchen flushed and looking a little harried but smiling. “She’s ready,” her mother said proudly.

Sara danced in with her Poppa Sands twirling her around like a ballerina in the pretty mint-green dress her grandmother had purchased for the occasion, mint-green being Sara’s current favorite color. She changed favorites often. After spending the first three years of her life in a monotone cell, she was happy to embrace all the colors, giving them equal time at the top of her favorites list.

“Did you crate the puppy?” Emi asked as she loaded her purse with snacks for Sara, a bottle of juice, the marriage certificate and adoption papers.

“Can we take Buttercup with us?” Sara asked. “She is part of the family.”

Emi shook her head. “Yes, she is part of the family, but dogs aren’t allowed in the courthouse. Are you ready to go see the judge?”

Sara shouted, “Yes!”

George entered the kitchen through the garage door. “Are my girls ready to go to the courthouse?”

Sara flung herself into his arms. “I’m getting a daddy today, and guess who it is?”

---