Page 32 of Jenna's Threatened Sanctuary

A sheenof sweat covered Jenna’s forehead as Dr. Pryor readied the instruments to stitch Calvin’s side. The strong scent of disinfectant collided against her unease at seeing Calvin laying injured on a hospital bed, making her nauseous. Standing, she pressed her fingers to her mouth as saliva pooled on her tongue. “I’ll be right back.”

The need for fresh air had her fleeing from the room. It would still be a little while before Calvin was discharged, even if the stitches took mere minutes, and she needed to get her head on straight before heading home.

If that was possible. Tonight’s intruder paired with Calvin’s heroics wreaked havoc on her nerves.

Then when she’d heard that gunshot…no. She couldn’t go back to that moment. Because when the possibility of Calvin being ripped away from her life again struck her, she’d almost crumbled. The idea of him being killed had nearly dropped her to her knees.

A nurse wheeled an elderly man with a cast on his ankle down the wide hall. Jenna dropped her gaze, avoiding an eyeful of the uncovered legs and thin white hospital gown that flapped up and exposed way too much skin. The employee steered the patient to the elevator doors, so Jenna opted to take the stairwell. Three flights of stairs were worth not getting a peep show.

Yanking open the door, she hurried down the first flight and turned on the small platform. A door opened behind her. A doctor in blue scrubs bounded down the steps. A surgical cap covered the top of his head, and a paper mask was stretched over his mouth. He kept his chin down.

Jenna gripped the handrail attached to the cinderblock wall and swung around to the next flight of stairs. Her foot hit the first step and a strong arm circled her throat, blocking her airway. She flailed, clawing at the forearm securing her to a wall of muscle.

Warm breath slid against her cheek. “There’s nowhere for you to run.”

Jenna struggled against the arm hooked around her neck, pinning her in place. Spots of red invaded her vision. Terror pierced her chest. She opened her mouth to scream, but the man clamped his free hand over her lips. The pressure on her windpipe increased, stealing her ability to breathe. Her lungs burned and tears stung her eyes. She jutted her elbow backward, but he twisted from her reach.

He pressed harder against her throat. “No more messing around.”

She searched for anything she could use against her attacker. Pain throbbed against her skull, and energy leaked from her body. She had to do something soon.

A fire extinguisher was trapped behind a glass box. No way she could break through the box and use it as a weapon. But if she could just reach the fire alarm, it could cause the commotion she needed to get away. She hurled her body toward the wall. The forearm on her throat yanked her back.

She tried to take a breath, to let a little air leak into her lungs. She only had one shot. Steeling her resolve, she opened her mouth as wide as she could then bit onto the latex-glove covered hand at the same time she dug her fingernails into her attacker’s forearm.

His grip slipped just enough for her to lunge forward. Her fingertips brushed against the handle of the alarm. Using all her might, she took one more step toward the wall. She circled her fingers around the handle and yanked down. A shrill blast of noise screeched through the stairwell. A door opened and footsteps rushed toward her.

The grip on her neck released, and she fell to the ground on her knees.

The man dressed like a doctor pushed past two startled nurses and ran out the door of the first floor.

Jenna opened her mouth to yell, to scream for someone to stop him, but only a whimper emerged from her raw throat. Wincing, she rolled over and leaned against the cool wall. She inhaled large gulps of air, each breath causing spikes of pain to scratch the inside of her throbbing neck.

A middle-aged nurse she didn’t recognize with kind brown eyes ran to her and slid an arm around her waist to help her to her feet. “Dr. Simon, we have to get out of here,” he yelled over the screeching siren.

She shook her head. “I pulled the alarm.”

Confusion furrowed the man’s brow. “What? Why?”

More hospital staff and patients trickled into the stairwell.

She leaned closer so the man could hear her. “That doctor. He choked me.” Each word was like a razor blade slicing her tender flesh. She closed her eyes against the pain. Everyone needed to be alerted that there was no fire before the staff had every patient out of bed and in the parking lot for no reason.

The man who steadied her on her feet glanced over his shoulder. “Neal, let Dr. Christly know the alarm was pulled and there’s no fire. Then get a security guard to go after the man who ran out of here. Tell him to check the video feed.”

The second man dipped his chin then ran down the stairs and out the door.

“My name’s Frank. I’ve got you. Let’s get you upstairs and looked at, okay?”

She nodded and leaned against his broad shoulder.

Before taking another step, Frank yelled. “Everyone. Please go back to your rooms and your workstations. Everything’s fine.”

A murmur arose from the people crowding into the stairwell. The alarm continued blaring its distress. The pain in Jenna’s head beat along with each loud buzz that vibrated the floor.

“How do we know there’s no fire?” someone called out.

“I assure you it’s safe to return to your room,” Frank said.

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